For over 30 years, Super Mario Bros 3 has captivated gaming fans as one of the most iconic and masterfully designed platformers of all time. But it’s also built a legacy in a totally different gaming phenomenon – speedrunning.
As one of the most popular and competitive speedrunning titles, Mario 3 tests player’s abilities to their absolute limits. Mastering frame perfect movement, complex strategies, and countless exploits to trim down their completion times by inconceivable fractions of a second.
The pinnacle of this is Mitchflowerpower’s historic world record run completing the entire game in just 1 hour, 9 minutes and 38 seconds. Breaking down the concepts and skills that allow top runners like Mitch to play at superhuman levels helps appreciate the sheer talent that goes into achieving these unbelievable milestones!
What Makes Mario 3 Such a Landmark Speedrunning Title
On the surface, Mario 3 epitomizes the classic formula that turned the franchise into a household name – run right, jump on stuff, save the princess. But the expansive list of additional mechanics allow for far more diverse and creative styles of play.
Crafty shortcuts transform straightforward levels into dynamic puzzles. Items like the Frog, Tanooki, and Hammer Suits fundamentally change mobility and combat. The overworld map adds complex non-linearity requiring intricate routing strategies. And hidden block pulls/warp whistles enable game-breaking sequence breaks that completely shake up intended progression.
This rich framework combined with Mario’s signature precise platforming physics has cemented Mario 3 as a staple speedgame for over 20 years. It represents the perfect blend of nostalgia and replayability that allows dedicated communities to thrive around pushing classic games to their limits years after release.
History of Mario 3 Speedrunning
Mario 3 quickly built a cult following within the early speedrunning community after emerging in the late 90s. Players gravitated towards both its pure platforming challenges and extensive glitches enabling creative low % runs.
Early rivalry between top players helped push strategies faster and faster throughout the 2000s. Akikan’s discovery of clipping through walls completely changed routing approaches and shattered prior conception of possible times. Kirua and Mitchflowerpower traded world records into the 2010s until the current sub 1 hour 10 minute milestone seemed impossibly out of reach.
Let’s look at some of the iconic record progression of Mario 3’s esteemed speedrun alumni:
| Year | Runner | Time | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Akikan | 1:26:42 | First runner under 1 hour 30 minutes |
| 2004 | Kirua | 1:16:10 | Major routing innovations |
| 2009 | Mitchflowerpower | 1:15:54 | First under 1 hour 20 minutes |
| 2012 | Kirua | 1:11:10 | Implemented newly discovered wall clips |
| 2016 | Mitchflowerpower | 1:10:18 | Regained world record through optimized P-speed |
| 2021 | Mitchflowerpower | 1:09:38 | Shocking sub 1 hour 10 minute milestone! |
Kirua, one of the godfathers of Mario 3 speedrunning who pushed numerous boundaries in the 2000s, shared his thoughts on Mitch’s monumental achievement:
“Many strats for any% and 100% runs have been known for some time now. But Mitch‘s new world record shows there are still new things to discover even for such an old game!"
Inside Mitchflowerpower’s Masterful World Record Run
Let’s analyze the strategies, technique, and creativity that allowed Mitch to conquer Mario 3 is record shattering fashion:
Frame Perfect Movement
The foundation of any top Mario 3 run is maintaining P-speed through levels flawlessly. This requires chaining together sequences of precise jumps, spins, ducks, and slides without ever colliding into an enemy or wall that would reset momentum.
Watching Mitch traverse intricate stages at max velocity without a single misstep is dazzling. He chooses ideal routes accounting for hammer bro bowser fire patterns. Times duck slides under low ceilings and jump arcs over piranha plants and pits without losing pace. And uses inventory items like stars and feathers to breeze through treacherous sections that would normally require caution. It‘s pure flow state.
Pixel Perfect Clips
Strategically abusing corner clips to bypass large chunks of levels is vital for world record pace. The frame perfect 7-7 wall clip for example allows skipping from the start to end of one of the game’s longest levels.
Past runners struggled with the heavy execution demand of clipping consistently without losing runs to fails. But Mitch has clearly sunk endless hours honing his precision as he nails not just one but several frame perfect clips in succession without hesitation. This ninja-like reliability is essential in a successful speedrun.
Dynamic Improvisation
For all the careful planning and practice, RNG elements means parts of each run play out unpredictably. Mitch demonstrates incredible instincts to adapt instantly while still maintaining world record tempo.
When hammer bros wander their way or unfortunate enemy/block placements seem to foil his usual route, Mitch fluidly adjusts his approach without missing a beat. It’s only thanks to his intricate understanding of not just set level routes but Mario’s full range of movement tech that he can remix strategies dynamically to handle surprises and continue blazing through.
Glitches Galore
As an added bonus, the extreme methods Mitch utilized ended up uncovering strange new glitches never seen before!
The community was shocked as Mitch hit a seemingly normal string of jumps only for Mario to warp miles backwards across the map. By abusing mechanics so aggressively, he managed to stumble upon fresh defects in the 30+ year old game. A testament to boundary pushers always finding new horizons!
How Much Faster Can Mario 3 be Completed?
With Mitch hitting unprecedented speeds, is Mario 3 finally reaching its limit or could the record fall even further? Let’s analyze:
Best Theoretical Time: Through calculating precise movement cycles and frame rules, Mario 3 cannot physically be completed faster than around 1:07:40. This assumes ideal luck, frame perfect inputs, and new glitches being found.
Realistic Human Limit: Actually achieving such a theoretical best case run is effectively impossible. Factoring in realistic consistency levels on difficult tricks, most top players believe the skill ceiling caps out only slightly below the current 1:09:38 world record.
Variable RNG: The Hammer Bro algorithm is estimated to account for around 0-10 seconds of variability alone per run. So even with flawless play, luck has to go your way to have a shot at world record pace.
Potential Timesavers: Small optimizations or new sequence breaks could still arise to push times downward. Emulators might allow for frame perfect computer-assisted inputs too. Incremental improvements are still on the table.
So while the limits are nearing, dedicated runners grinding away may still be able to surpass Mitchflowerpower’s benchmark! But even if no one manages to grab the crown, chasing the impossible is what the sport of speedrunning is all about. And Mitch’s immortal 1:09 Mario 3 run will live on as a testament to mastering games to levels beyond their designers’ wildest imagination.
