The original Super Mario Bros. has been a staple of speedrunning for years now, so it's no surprise that some are looking for new ways to play it through. However, what is surprising is just how well these speedrunners have managed to memorize the necessary button inputs to complete a run – to the point where some of them don't even need to see the screen to beat the game.
Runner Sir Axl Rose has proven just that. The speedrunner has claimed the blindfolded world record for Super Mario Bros. 8-4 – the final level in the game – having completed it in exactly one minute. Without the ability to see what's going on, Sir Axl still manages to effortlessly dodge enemies, make perfect jumps, and know exactly what pipes to use.
Related: Speedrunner Completes Sekiro Blindfolded
The video showing the record of exactly one minute is unlisted, but the 1:01 time is still public and has been shared on r/speedrunning.
Speedrunning Super Mario. Bros blindfolded certainly isn't a new category, and has actually been fairly active as of late. Most recently we reported that streamer Crescendo beat the whole game while wearing a blindfold, finishing with a time of 11:55. Despite that record being set just last month, it's already been beaten by SteeleDude42, who shaved the time all the way down to 11:21 three weeks ago.
Further still, other Mario games are getting thrown into the mix. We also reported on a speedrunner going by the name of Bubzia who beat Super Mario 64 blindfolded in just 39 minutes. This run was part of the Awesome Games Done Quick event in January and featured a commentator explaining how such an immense feat is possible. Apparently, Bubzia was actually using the rhythm of the game's music to time the jumps, as well as listening out for character footsteps. These techniques clearly paid off, as the runner moved through the game like they always knew exactly where they were.
