- Reaction score
- 1,750
For the first time in recorded history, someone has beaten Super Mario 64 without ever using the A button, a new world record previously thought to be impossible.
To fully contextualize just how monumental an achievement this is, let me remind you that the A button in Super Mario 64 is used to jump, making it one of the platformer's most vital inputs. This new world record was achieved without remapping anything and thus relies on creative use of the game's mechanics, glitches and exploits discovered in the many years since Super Mario 64's 1996 release, and of course, extreme precision.
The Super Mario 64 A Button Challenge (ABC for short) has an incredibly complicated history going all the way back to the early 2000s, a few years after the game's 1996 release. I was only made aware of this particular challenge this morning and don't have nearly enough time to go over everything, but you can watch this five-hour explanation video from Bismuth if you want.
Jumping to this week, Twitch streamer Marbler managed to clear the game without hitting the A button once after a grueling 86-hour run. The feat was accomplished without any remapping on the Wii Virtual Console version of the game, which is apparently the only confirmed version where it's even possible to do this. Eight months ago, Marbler managed to beat the game using the A button only twice, and at the time said one A could be saved by playing the Wii Virtual Console version, though the final clear would require "some really absurd movement."
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To fully contextualize just how monumental an achievement this is, let me remind you that the A button in Super Mario 64 is used to jump, making it one of the platformer's most vital inputs. This new world record was achieved without remapping anything and thus relies on creative use of the game's mechanics, glitches and exploits discovered in the many years since Super Mario 64's 1996 release, and of course, extreme precision.
The Super Mario 64 A Button Challenge (ABC for short) has an incredibly complicated history going all the way back to the early 2000s, a few years after the game's 1996 release. I was only made aware of this particular challenge this morning and don't have nearly enough time to go over everything, but you can watch this five-hour explanation video from Bismuth if you want.
Jumping to this week, Twitch streamer Marbler managed to clear the game without hitting the A button once after a grueling 86-hour run. The feat was accomplished without any remapping on the Wii Virtual Console version of the game, which is apparently the only confirmed version where it's even possible to do this. Eight months ago, Marbler managed to beat the game using the A button only twice, and at the time said one A could be saved by playing the Wii Virtual Console version, though the final clear would require "some really absurd movement."
For the first time in 28 years, Super Mario 64 has been beaten without using the A button – and it only took 86 hours
The jump-less Super Mario 64 A Button Challenge has been active for more than 20 years
