How Super Mario 64 was beaten without the A button

Bismuth
26 May 202424:12

Summary

TLDRThe script details the monumental feat of completing Super Mario 64 without pressing the jump button, a challenge known as the A Button Challenge (ABC). Over the years, the game has been optimized for this task, reducing A presses to 13 for all 120 stars. Recently, Marbler achieved the incredible by beating the game in 0 A presses, using real-time strategies on a console. The summary highlights the complexity of maneuvers like hyperspeed twirling, framewalking, and precise HOLP setups, showcasing the skill and community effort behind this remarkable gaming accomplishment.

Takeaways

  • šŸ•¹ļø The A Button Challenge (ABC) in Super Mario 64 is an advanced playstyle where players complete the game without using the A button, which is typically used for jumping.
  • šŸ” Starting around 2007, the ABC gained popularity, primarily played on emulators with savestates to create tool-assisted speedruns (TASes), allowing for solutions that are technically possible but not feasible in real-time.
  • šŸ”„ Over two decades, the game has been refined to reduce A button presses to a minimum, with the current record being 13 presses for all 120 stars.
  • šŸ“ˆ There has been a resurgence in playing the ABC in real-time on consoles, with the community making significant progress in a short span of time.
  • šŸŽ® A remarkable achievement occurred when Marbler completed Super Mario 64 in 0 A presses on a real console in 86 hours from May 17th to May 21st, 2024.
  • šŸ› ļø The challenge requires intricate knowledge of game mechanics, such as hyperspeed twirling, framewalking, and straining, to perform actions that are not possible with standard controller inputs.
  • šŸ‘¾ The use of glitches like the hat in hand, cloning, and held object's last position (HOLP) are essential for completing the game without the A button.
  • šŸŽ–ļø Marbler's accomplishment is a result of years of community effort, with contributions from various skilled players who developed strategies and techniques to make the impossible possible.
  • šŸ† The final stages of the game, including Bowser in the Fire Sea and Bowser in the Sky, involve complex setups and precise movements that push the limits of player skill and game mechanics.
  • šŸŽ‰ Marbler's success in completing Super Mario 64 with 0 A presses is considered one of the most impressive achievements in video gaming, showcasing dedication, skill, and the power of community effort.

Q & A

  • What is the A Button Challenge (ABC) in Super Mario 64?

    -The A Button Challenge in Super Mario 64 is an endeavor where players attempt to complete the game without using the A button, which is the jump button traditionally central to Mario games.

  • How did the A Button Challenge evolve over time?

    -The A Button Challenge started as a fun way to play the game but quickly became an intricate puzzle. It was initially played almost exclusively on emulators using savestates for tool-assisted speedruns (TASes), finding technically possible solutions within the game's bounds but not feasible in real-time with a controller. Over two decades, the game was refined and optimized this way, reducing the number of A presses to as low as 13 for all 120 stars.

  • What is the significance of Marbler's achievement in the A Button Challenge?

    -Marbler's achievement is significant because he completed Super Mario 64 in 0 presses of the A button in real-time, on a real console, with a real controller, in 86 hours. This was a culmination of community effort and marked the first time the game was completed without using the A button in such conditions.

  • What is CTRL and how does it relate to the video?

    -CTRL is a brand that offers meal replacement shakes and high protein snacks. It is related to the video as it sponsored the content, providing an advertisement break where the host discusses the benefits of CTRL products and offers a discount code for viewers.

  • How did the community approach the challenge of collecting 70 stars without using the A button?

    -The community worked together to discover simpler methods and invent setups that made it possible to collect 70 stars without using the A button. This involved years of practice, strategy development, and pushing the limits of what was considered achievable in the game.

  • What is the role of 'pause buffering' in the A Button Challenge?

    -Pause buffering is a technique used extensively in the run to hit precise tricks, which results in mild flashing that can be uncomfortable to watch. It allows for more precise control over Mario's movements and actions, which is crucial for executing complex strategies without using the A button.

  • Can you explain the 'hyperspeed twirling' trick used by Marbler?

    -Hyperspeed twirling is a trick where a player alternates forwards and neutral on the control stick every couple of frames to walk up steep slopes, allowing the character to slide down unto the spindrift with nearly double the speed they otherwise could have. This technique was used by Marbler to reach the 'Wall Kicks Wonā€™t Work' star.

  • What is the 'HOLP' and how is it used in the A Button Challenge?

    -The 'HOLP' stands for 'held object's last position'. It is a mechanism in the game that updates when the game has to draw the object Mario is holding. With certain glitches, like 'hat in hand', the HOLP can become disjointed from the object being held, leading to glitches like remote release, which is crucial for certain strategies in the A Button Challenge.

  • What is the significance of the 'Bowser in the Fire Sea' level in Marbler's run?

    -The 'Bowser in the Fire Sea' level is significant because it is the reason why Marbler's run is the first ever completion of Super Mario 64 in 0 A presses on a console. The level has a unique bug in the Wii VC version where sinking platforms rise very slowly due to a number format conversion error, allowing Marbler to eventually bypass a pole after waiting for over 72 hours.

  • How did Marbler manage to get past the pole in 'Bowser in the Fire Sea'?

    -Marbler took advantage of a bug specific to the Wii VC version of the game. He stored a large vertical speed from a lava boost and waited for over 72 hours for the sinking platforms to rise due to a rounding error in the emulator. Once high enough, he reactivated the speed and dived to the elevator, bypassing the pole.

  • What is the 'Chuckya Drop' maneuver and why is it significant?

    -The 'Chuckya Drop' is an extremely complex and precise maneuver where Marbler manipulates the enemy Chuckya to run off its platform and fall. The aim is to get Chuckya to throw Mario onto a seesaw platform after a random throw. This maneuver is significant because it showcases the level of precision and strategy required in the A Button Challenge and took Marbler 42 attempts to succeed.

Outlines

00:00

šŸ•¹ļø The A Button Challenge Evolution

The A Button Challenge (ABC) in Super Mario 64 is an intriguing gameplay modification where players attempt to complete the game without using the jump button, A. Originating as a fun twist, it evolved into a complex puzzle, especially when tackled through emulators and tool-assisted speedruns (TASes). Since 2007, players have been refining strategies to minimize A button presses, reaching an optimized count of 13 presses for all 120 stars. Recently, there's been a resurgence in real-time console play, culminating in a remarkable achievement: Marbler completed the game in 0 A presses, an 86-hour feat on a real console using a real controller. This section also includes a sponsorship mention for CTRL, a brand offering meal replacement shakes and high-protein snacks.

05:02

šŸŽ® Mastering the Art of No A Presses

This section delves into the intricacies of achieving 0 A presses in Super Mario 64. It starts by explaining the necessity of collecting 70 stars without using the A button for actions like backward long jumps. The community's collaborative efforts led to the discovery of simpler methods and innovative setups that pushed the boundaries of in-game possibilities. Notable contributors like Marbler, Pannenkoek2012, and others played pivotal roles. The paragraph highlights the selection of 70 specific stars and the challenges of using modern strategies to overcome them, including Wall Kicks Wonā€™t Work and Bowser in the Dark World with red coins, which require advanced techniques like hyperspeed twirling, framewalking, and vertical speed conservation.

10:04

šŸ¤¹ā€ā™‚ļø Advanced Techniques and Glitches

The narrative continues with an exploration of advanced gameplay techniques and glitches utilized in the A Button Challenge. This includes strategies for Bob-omb Battlefield, which heavily relies on cloning and the held object's last position (HOLP). The difficulty of performing these actions in real-time is contrasted with their frequent use in TASes. Marbler's approach to various stars, such as those requiring precise HOLP settings, object slot manipulation, and innovative uses of in-game mechanics, is detailed. The paragraph also covers challenges like the Shifting Sand Land 100-coin star and the Stand Tall on Four Pillars star, where precise movements and understanding of game physics are crucial.

15:04

šŸ”„ Conquering Difficult Levels and Stars

This part of the script describes the process of conquering particularly challenging levels and stars in Super Mario 64. It covers strategies for levels like Big Boo's Haunt, Hazy Maze Cave, and Jolly Roger Bay, where unique tricks like scuttlebug raising, wall collision exploits, and the .99 trick for speed optimization are employed. Each level presents a unique set of difficulties, from the precise execution of the book puzzle in Big Boo's Haunt to the demanding dive recover in Hazy Maze Cave, and the intricate timing required in Jolly Roger Bay.

20:05

šŸŒ‹ The Wii VC Exploit and Final Challenges

The script explains a critical exploit used in the Wii Virtual Console version of Super Mario 64, which allows sinking platforms to rise due to a floating-point conversion bug. This exploit was vital for Marbler to progress in levels like Bowser in the Fire Sea, where he had to wait for platforms to rise over the course of a real-time 72-hour period. The narrative also details the final challenges Marbler faced, including difficult stars in Wet-Dry World, Tall, Tall Mountain, and Snowman's Land, where he had to master framewalking, ghost rollouts, and other precise mechanics to succeed.

šŸ† The Unthinkable Achievement

The finale of the script recounts the climactic moments of Marbler's record-breaking run, where he attempts the final Bowser battle in the Sky without using the A button. The paragraph describes the elaborate setup and execution of the 'Chuckya Drop,' a complex and risky maneuver that involves manipulating the game's AI and camera mechanics. Despite the high stakes and numerous attempts required, Marbler successfully completes this challenge and proceeds to defeat Bowser, marking the first-ever completion of Super Mario 64 in 0 A presses on console. The script concludes by acknowledging the magnitude of this achievement and the incredible skill and perseverance it took to accomplish it.

Mindmap

Keywords

šŸ’”A Button Challenge (ABC)

The A Button Challenge, or ABC, refers to a specific gameplay challenge in Super Mario 64 where players attempt to complete the game without using the A button, which is typically the jump button. This concept is central to the video's theme, showcasing an alternative and highly complex way to engage with the game. The script describes how this challenge started as a fun way to play but evolved into a complex puzzle, with players using emulators and savestates to achieve seemingly impossible feats.

šŸ’”Tool-assisted speedruns (TASes)

Tool-assisted speedruns, or TASes, are a type of speedrun where players use emulators and various tools to manipulate game mechanics and create runs that are technically possible within the game's rules but are not feasible in real-time play. The video discusses how TASes have been used to optimize the A Button Challenge, reducing the number of A presses required to complete the game to as low as 13 for all 120 stars.

šŸ’”Emulators

An emulator is a software that simulates the functionality of one computer system on another, allowing games from older systems like Nintendo 64 to be played on modern hardware. In the context of the video, emulators are used to facilitate the A Button Challenge by providing features such as savestates, which are crucial for creating tool-assisted speedruns.

šŸ’”Marbler

Marbler is a player and a significant figure within the A Button Challenge community. The video highlights his achievement of being the first to complete Super Mario 64 in zero A presses in real-time on a console, which is a monumental accomplishment in the context of the challenge. His name is repeatedly mentioned throughout the script as the player who executed this incredible feat.

šŸ’”Pause buffering

Pause buffering is a technique used in both tool-assisted speedruns and real-time gameplay to achieve precise movements and hit specific game mechanics. The video mentions that Marbler's run features an 'ungodly amount of pause buffering' to hit precise tricks, which results in mild flashing that can be uncomfortable to watch but is necessary for completing the challenge.

šŸ’”Framewalking

Framewalking is a specific trick in Super Mario 64 where a player alternates between moving forward and neutral on the control stick every few frames to walk up steep slopes. This technique allows the character to slide down onto a surface with increased speed, as demonstrated by Marbler when he uses framewalking to achieve hyperspeed for a particular part of the challenge.

šŸ’”Slide grinding

Slide grinding is a technique used in Super Mario 64 where a player makes Mario slide up a slope and then holds a direction to continue sliding up the slope. This technique is used in the video to describe how Marbler climbs a slope using this method, which is a part of the complex strategies needed to complete the game without pressing the A button.

šŸ’”Straining

Straining is an in-game mechanic where a player can manipulate the character's sideways movement in the air to achieve greater horizontal distance. The video explains that Marbler uses straining to move up a slope and to perform various other precise movements that are essential for completing the challenge.

šŸ’”Cloning

Cloning, in the context of Super Mario 64 and the A Button Challenge, refers to a glitch that allows Mario to create a duplicate of an object he is holding. This is a crucial technique for completing the challenge, as it enables players to bypass certain obstacles and access areas that would otherwise be unreachable. The script describes how Marbler uses cloning in various stages, such as Bob-omb Battlefield, to collect stars.

šŸ’”Hat in hand glitch

The 'hat in hand glitch' is a specific game mechanic glitch used in Super Mario 64 that prevents an object Mario is holding from being drawn, which can lead to various cloning and other glitches. The video mentions this glitch in the context of Marbler's run, where it is used to facilitate cloning and other advanced techniques.

šŸ’”Chuckya Drop

The 'Chuckya Drop' is a complex and precise strategy used by Marbler in his run to manipulate the enemy character Chuckya to fall from a platform and land on a seesaw platform below. This strategy is highlighted in the video as particularly challenging and impressive, requiring a combination of precise movement and luck to execute successfully.

Highlights

Introduction of the A Button Challenge (ABC) in Super Mario 64, a playthrough without using the jump button.

Evolution of ABC from a fun way to play into an intricate puzzle.

Use of emulators and savestates for tool-assisted speedruns (TASes).

Optimization of the game to a minimum of 13 A presses for all 120 stars.

Resurgence of real-time console play and community achievements.

Marbler's record-breaking 0 A presses completion in 86 hours.

Explanation of CTRL meal replacement shakes and their benefits.

The challenge of collecting 70 stars in no A presses without skipping any star doors.

Community effort in simplifying TAS ABC strategies for human performance.

Marbler's role in pioneering real-time ABC and his relentless practice.

Detailed explanation of complex strategies and tricks used in the run.

The use of framewalking and hyperspeed twirling for Wall Kicks Wonā€™t Work star.

Innovative use of cloning and the held objectā€™s last position (HOLP) for Bob-omb Battlefield.

Marbler's precise execution of the Shifting Sand Land 100-coin star strategy.

The extremely difficult task of collecting the red coin star in Big Booā€™s Haunt.

Marbler's utilization of the Wii VC version's unique bug for the platforms in Bowser in the Fire Sea.

The final and most impressive achievement of beating Super Mario 64 without using the A button.

Transcripts

00:00

The A Button Challenge in Super Mario 64 consistsĀ  of trying to complete the game without using theĀ Ā 

00:05

A button. For the uninitiated, thatā€™s the jumpĀ  button, which is kind of a pillar of Mario games.Ā Ā 

00:10

What began as a new fun way to play the game,Ā  the A Button Challenge, or ABC for short, quicklyĀ Ā 

00:15

turned into more of an infinitely intricate puzzleĀ  rather than a test of skill. Starting around 2007,Ā Ā 

00:21

it was almost exclusively played on emulator usingĀ  savestates to create tool-assisted speedruns,Ā Ā 

00:26

or TASes, and found solutions that wereĀ  technically possible within the bounds ofĀ Ā 

00:29

the game but wouldnā€™t be feasible in real timeĀ  with a controller. Over the past twenty years,Ā Ā 

00:34

the game has been tirelessly refined and optimizedĀ  this way, all the way down to 13 A presses forĀ Ā 

00:40

all 120 stars. For more information, check outĀ  this short summary video I made on the topic.

00:46

But in the past few years, thereā€™s been aĀ  resurgence of playing the ABC in real time,Ā Ā 

00:50

on console, and what the community accomplishedĀ  in that time is nothing short of incredible.Ā Ā 

00:54

What just happened last week is the culminationĀ  of this amazing community effort. From May 17thĀ Ā 

01:00

to May 21st, 2024, Super Mario 64 was beatenĀ  in 0 presses of the A button by Marbler.

01:05

[Marbler: Itā€™s done! Guys it is done!]

01:09

In real time, on a real console, with a realĀ  controller, in 86 hours. So how did he do it?

01:17

Before we go on, I want to talk to youĀ  about CTRL. When I wake up in the morning,Ā Ā 

01:21

I always wanna start recording right away,Ā  and I can never take the time to make aĀ Ā 

01:24

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01:29

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01:33

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01:37

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01:42

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01:45

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01:49

high protein snacks, their protein mealĀ  bars and protein cookies got you covered.Ā Ā 

01:53

Their newest cookie flavour is Black IceĀ  Chocolate, partnered with Rainbow Six.

01:58

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02:01

youā€™ll get 10% off your first order. YouĀ  can even use their bundle builder to tryĀ Ā 

02:05

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02:11

First of all, although the game can beĀ  beaten in fewer than the required 70 stars,Ā Ā 

02:15

doing so inevitably makes use of the AĀ  button, usually to do backwards long jumps,Ā Ā 

02:19

so thatā€™s off the table right away. This wouldĀ  have to be done by collecting 70 stars in no AĀ Ā 

02:24

presses, and reaching Bowser in the Sky withoutĀ  skipping any star doors. So which 70 stars do youĀ Ā 

02:30

choose? As it turns out, evenĀ  if you only pick the easiest,Ā Ā 

02:33

you quickly run into very slippery territoryĀ  after just a couple dozen, let alone 70.

02:38

The TAS ABC is infamous for displaying the mostĀ  extreme strategies to save one A press, thingsĀ Ā 

02:43

that are so far removed from something remotelyĀ  achievable by a human that I canā€™t even beginĀ Ā 

02:47

to describe it. The task of taking dozens ofĀ  these and turn them into something that couldĀ Ā 

02:52

actually be performed was the first stepĀ  of this process, and it took the communityĀ Ā 

02:55

years to pull it off. Through the combinedĀ  work of Marbler himself, Pannenkoek2012,Ā Ā 

03:00

Ivan178, BillyWAR, dabs, ex320kyt, zyon134,Ā  blobfish_times, saplingdatree and ds273,Ā Ā 

03:08

simpler methods were discovered, setups wereĀ  invented, the limits of whatā€™s achievable wereĀ Ā 

03:13

shattered, and it ever so slowly became lessĀ  and less unthinkable. Marbler, one of the mostĀ Ā 

03:18

influential figures of the TAS ABC of the pastĀ  five years, set out to become a pioneer in theĀ Ā 

03:23

real time ABC. He practiced relentlessly forĀ  months, came up with several strategies of hisĀ Ā 

03:28

own, and set out to be the first person toĀ  complete Super Mario 64 in zero A presses.

03:33

These are the 70 stars he chose to collect.Ā  Among those, using modern strategies,Ā Ā 

03:38

most of them are relatively trivial with enoughĀ  practice. Letā€™s go through the ones that arenā€™t.

03:44

Four stars in, we have Wall Kicks Wonā€™t Work,Ā  so Marbler used hyperspeed twirling to reach theĀ Ā 

03:49

star. Quick heads up, the whole run features anĀ  ungodly amount of pause buffering to hit preciseĀ Ā 

03:53

tricks, which results in mild flashingĀ  that can be uncomfortable to watch. So,Ā Ā 

03:57

to get hyperspeed, Marbler used framewalking, aĀ  trick where you alternate forwards and neutralĀ Ā 

04:02

on the control stick every couple of frames toĀ  walk up steep slopes, so he could slide downĀ Ā 

04:06

unto the spindrift and hit it with nearlyĀ  double the speed he otherwise could have.

04:11

Next is Bowser in the Dark World with redĀ  coins, and already, this is one of theĀ Ā 

04:14

hardest parts of the run. There are fiveĀ  main challenges to overcome here. First,Ā Ā 

04:19

Marbler uses an open corner in the wall hitboxesĀ  to set up vertical speed conservation, or VSC,Ā Ā 

04:24

and store the vertical speed of a dive recover,Ā  which he reactivates to grab this ledge. Then, heĀ Ā 

04:29

lures a goomba down to come back from the 6th redĀ  coin and framewalks up the seesaw platform, thenĀ Ā 

04:34

uses it to slidekick bounce across. He climbs thisĀ  slope using slide grinding. The angle Mario isĀ Ā 

04:41

facing makes it so as soon as heā€™s on the slope,Ā  he slides off and enters freefall without havingĀ Ā 

04:46

any time to start turning, then immediately fallsĀ  back on it because Marbler is holding up right.Ā Ā 

04:50

But because heā€™s actually holding ever so slightlyĀ  more up than right, Mario ends up moving sidewaysĀ Ā 

04:56

up the slope by a tiny amount every time. SidewaysĀ  movement while in the air is called straining.Ā Ā 

05:01

Finally, he dive recovers onto the pipe using aĀ  precise setup that makes him land on a 1x1 unitĀ Ā 

05:06

bit of floor that isnā€™t covered by any wallĀ  hitbox. This quirk of some platform cornersĀ Ā 

05:11

is called a misalignment and is caused by the gameĀ  rounding down Marioā€™s position do an integer valueĀ Ā 

05:15

for the purpose of floor detection, but not wallĀ  detection. Bowser himself is trivial afterwards.

05:21

Next up is Bob-omb Battlefield. ThreeĀ  stars require going on the floating island:Ā Ā 

05:26

Shoot to the Island in the Sky, red coinsĀ  and 100 coins. This level makes extensiveĀ Ā 

05:30

use of cloning and the HOLP: the held objectā€™sĀ  last position. The HOLP only gets updated whenĀ Ā 

05:36

the game has to draw the object Mario isĀ  holding. With a glitch called hat in hand,Ā Ā 

05:40

Marioā€™s hat can prevent an objectĀ  Mario is holding from ever being drawn,Ā Ā 

05:44

meaning that the HOLP becomes disjointed fromĀ  the object being held, leading to glitchesĀ Ā 

05:47

like remote release. Cloning is the bread andĀ  butter of the TAS ABC, but itā€™s monstrouslyĀ Ā 

05:53

difficult to do in real time because it hingesĀ  on the exact way every object in the level isĀ Ā 

05:56

loaded and deloaded. Coming up with viable realĀ  time strategies for cloning is nothing short ofĀ Ā 

06:01

miraculous. The full ABC video has a completeĀ  breakdown of how the HOLP and cloning work.

06:07

Marbler begins with red coins and 100Ā  coins by setting a HOLP just off thisĀ Ā 

06:11

ledge and sending a goomba clone toĀ  it using the hat in hand glitch. HeĀ Ā 

06:15

uses that clone to set another HOLP closer toĀ  the island, sends another goomba clone to it,Ā Ā 

06:19

does a hands free teleport with a bob-omb to storeĀ  it for Mario to retrieve later, and takes a shellĀ Ā 

06:24

all the way up the mountain. Once up there, heĀ  does a slide kick off the shell to land on theĀ Ā 

06:28

second goomba clone with a ton of speed and makesĀ  his way to the island. He regrabs the bob-omb,Ā Ā 

06:33

which was invisible in front of Mario thisĀ  whole time, and that allows him to set theĀ Ā 

06:37

HOLP near the star box for Shoot to the Island inĀ  the Sky. He finishes the red coins and 100 coins,Ā Ā 

06:42

then reenters the level and sends a goombaĀ  clone to the HOLP before redoing a similarĀ Ā 

06:46

setup to reach the island. This time, he canĀ  use the goomba clone to bounce to the star.

06:51

Another star in Bob-omb Battlefield isĀ  particularly challenging: Behind ChainĀ Ā 

06:54

Chompā€™s Gate. The star is too high to diveĀ  recover to, and the gate canā€™t be destroyedĀ Ā 

06:59

without ground pounding this post three times,Ā  so he uses a cork box to clip inside the gateĀ Ā 

07:03

and set the HOLP under the star. Then, he usesĀ  a very specific cloning setup to send two goombaĀ Ā 

07:09

clones to the same HOLP. With a preciselyĀ  engineered object slot manipulation setup,Ā Ā 

07:13

heā€™s able to place the goomba thatā€™s earlierĀ  in the processing order lower, and the oneĀ Ā 

07:17

thatā€™s later higher. When he comes back intoĀ  the gate, he bounces on the low goomba first,Ā Ā 

07:21

then the high goomba second, high enoughĀ  to reach the star with a single HOLP.

07:26

Before he leaves Bob-omb Battlefield, Marbler hasĀ  one final task: to set an extremely precise HOLPĀ Ā 

07:31

to help him get the Shifting Sand Land 100-coinĀ  star. He heads over there, collects some coins,Ā Ā 

07:36

and remote drops a cork box using the hat in handĀ  glitch. Thanks to the perfectly accurate HOLP,Ā Ā 

07:41

the box slides down and breaks onĀ  the very last frame of its lifetime,Ā Ā 

07:44

allowing it to be duplicated for infinite coins.

07:47

Stand Tall on Four Pillars is one of the hardestĀ  stars in the run. The crux of the issue is gettingĀ Ā 

07:52

this goomba to chase Mario outside of its homeĀ  and get in the perfect position. From there,Ā Ā 

07:56

a precise setup lets Marbler bounce on the goombaĀ  and end up inside this pillar in such a way thatĀ Ā 

08:01

he gets pushed out onto this platform. OnceĀ  thatā€™s done, a slidekick gets him on thisĀ Ā 

08:05

narrow ledge from where he can take the warpĀ  up. This warp is meant to be one way only, butĀ Ā 

08:09

thereā€™s a very small section where itā€™s possibleĀ  to activate it the other way around. Finally,Ā Ā 

08:14

Marbler makes his way across to the EyerokĀ  fight, making sure to never fall into the sand,Ā Ā 

08:18

because thereā€™s no way out of it if he does.Ā  Collecting the star is tricky, but doable.

08:32

For Vanish Cap Under the Moat, Marbler can crawlĀ  up the entire first slope, then slidekick bounceĀ Ā 

08:37

over the wall to clear the first half of theĀ  stage. The second half is hard but doable inĀ Ā 

08:41

no A presses until you reach the switch. Here,Ā  Marbler needs to make it on not one, but twoĀ Ā 

08:46

misalignments to reach the top. Thankfully,Ā  setups exist to make it less excruciating.

08:52

Next up, in Big Booā€™s Haunt, the Merry-go-roundĀ  star. This would be a trivial star, if not forĀ Ā 

08:57

the fact that the star is barely too high toĀ  collect with a dive recover. Instead, Marbler hasĀ Ā 

09:02

to resort to scuttlebug raising from inside thisĀ  room. He sets up the scuttlebug near the door,Ā Ā 

09:07

then carefully runs over the area where theĀ  scuttlebug and the room get loaded for just a fewĀ Ā 

09:11

frames, in such a way that makes the scuttlebugĀ  repeatedly lunge upwards and gain height. Then,Ā Ā 

09:16

he sets up the hat in hand glitch so he canĀ  perform remote dropping, and picks up a corkĀ Ā 

09:20

box. He bounces with the cork box and bumps intoĀ  the scuttlebug, dropping the box at the HOLP,Ā Ā 

09:25

which he previously set to a specific location inĀ  Cool, Cool, Mountain. With that setup complete,Ā Ā 

09:30

he drops to the Merry-go-round, has to beĀ  extremely careful not to load the cork boxĀ Ā 

09:34

early while he fights all the Boos, andĀ  regrabs the box to bounce into the star.

09:38

The red coin star is one of theĀ  hardest in the run. This red coinĀ Ā 

09:42

requires a chain of bounces on these twoĀ  Boos that is extremely difficult mostlyĀ Ā 

09:46

because itā€™s just really precise and itĀ  involves manipulating two Boos at once.

09:51

The Haunted Books star is also relativelyĀ  simple but difficult to execute. As withĀ Ā 

09:55

every star that involves going upstairs,Ā  it starts with selecting Go on a GhostĀ Ā 

09:59

Hunt so that the staircase starts lowered.Ā  After getting rid of all the Boos, MarblerĀ Ā 

10:03

dive recovers on the stairs as theyā€™re raising,Ā  storing vertical speed. He then reactivates itĀ Ā 

10:09

to enter freefall with positive speed, lettingĀ  him grab the ledge on the upper floor. Then,Ā Ā 

10:13

he does the book puzzle and reaches the star withĀ  a very precise dive recover onto the railing,Ā Ā 

10:18

followed by a ground pound. This strategy onlyĀ  works because of wall collision shenanigansĀ Ā 

10:22

and runs the risk of falling off, in whichĀ  case you need to pause exit and start over.

10:27

In Hazy Maze Cave, Marbler needs to go to theĀ  Cavern of the Metal Cap, not just for its star,Ā Ā 

10:31

but also because the metal cap itself unlocksĀ  3 more stars afterwards. There are two methodsĀ Ā 

10:36

to get across, both of which absolutely suckĀ  to do in real time. You can dive recover fromĀ Ā 

10:41

Dorrieā€™s head, but thatā€™s insanely precise andĀ  thereā€™s no way to do a normalized position setupĀ Ā 

10:46

because youā€™re doing it from a moving object.Ā  Marbler tries his hand at that for a while,Ā Ā 

10:49

but doesnā€™t get it. Instead, he uses thisĀ  slope to do hyperspeed walking and storeĀ Ā 

10:54

a large amount of sliding speed. He reactivatesĀ  that speed with a frame perfect crouch and C-upĀ Ā 

10:59

as he gets out of the water to shoot to the ledgeĀ  and grab it. Once inside, the main challenge isĀ Ā 

11:03

to get this precise dive rollout onto theĀ  crystal, then another one onto the switch.

11:09

Next up is Jolly Roger Bay. Here, the sunkenĀ  ship star can be collected by crawling andĀ Ā 

11:13

framewalking up the slippery slope, all the wayĀ  up to above the star. And nowā€™s the hard part.Ā Ā 

11:19

Marbler stops walking and Mario gets whatā€™sĀ  called a steep floor push, which pushes himĀ Ā 

11:23

off the slope into a backwards freefall. FromĀ  there, heā€™s too far from the box to reach it,Ā Ā 

11:27

so he has to use perfectly angled strainingĀ  to keep Marioā€™s speed as close as possibleĀ Ā 

11:31

to -16 without reaching -16. Marioā€™s speed has aĀ  soft cap at -16 and at 32, above which a sharperĀ Ā 

11:39

deceleration is applied to him. By stayingĀ  under that cap using a lot of straining,Ā Ā 

11:43

Marbler is able to keep his speed while addingĀ  on a lot of sideways movement, maximizing howĀ Ā 

11:48

much heā€™s able to move Mario in a single frame.Ā  This is often used in TASes to optimize Marioā€™sĀ Ā 

11:53

speed to 31.99, so itā€™s usually called the .99Ā  trick. Performing it in real time in any capacityĀ Ā 

11:59

is ridiculously hard, because thereā€™sĀ  basically no way to tell what the decimalĀ Ā 

12:03

portion of Marioā€™s speed is and how toĀ  get it as close to -15.99 as possible.

12:08

Through the Jet Stream is equally difficult. ThisĀ  time, itā€™s mostly because Marbler needs to getĀ Ā 

12:13

Mario into a unit precise spot under the star thatĀ  will get the stream to push him upwards into it,Ā Ā 

12:17

while under the time limit of the metal cap.Ā  Thankfully, a setup exists to make his life aĀ Ā 

12:22

bit easier here. Actually getting the metal cap isĀ  no easy task either, with this crazy dive recover.

12:28

Next is Whompā€™s Fortress. First, the HOLP isĀ  set in a far corner at the very bottom of theĀ Ā 

12:33

map in Cool, Cool Mountain using the baby penguin.Ā  Then, Marbler fights King Whomp using the elevatorĀ Ā 

12:38

platforms. After spawning the star, he usesĀ  a cork box to clone a piece of the collapsingĀ Ā 

12:43

bridge and the hat in hand glitch to throw itĀ  to the HOLP while heā€™s standing on it. As theĀ Ā 

12:47

piece is rotating, it applies a displacementĀ  to Mario because heā€™s standing on it, andĀ Ā 

12:51

this displacement is still applied on the frameĀ  where the platform warps to the HOLP. Except now,Ā Ā 

12:55

the rotational displacement is applied over aĀ  much larger distance, so it moves Mario a lotĀ Ā 

13:00

more. Object slots were carefully manipulatedĀ  and the HOLP was carefully placed to send MarioĀ Ā 

13:05

directly to the star. To the Top of the FortressĀ  is done the same way to get onto the fortress.

13:10

Before leaving Whompā€™s Fortress, Marbler sets upĀ  a HOLP to help him get another Shifting Sand LandĀ Ā 

13:15

star, the red coins. Again, this star involves aĀ  ton of object slot manipulation. Three airborneĀ Ā 

13:20

red coins are collected using fly guys and aĀ  tornado, but the fourth one is more complicated.Ā Ā 

13:24

The extra tornado here canā€™t be used because itĀ  only spawns after getting the first three stars,Ā Ā 

13:29

and Into the Ancient Pyramid canā€™t be collected inĀ  0 A presses. Marbler has to clone a body part ofĀ Ā 

13:34

this pokey and send it to the HOLP, then takeĀ  a cork box to the pillar to place the HOLP inĀ Ā 

13:38

a new location, and clone another pokey bodyĀ  part and send it there. He now has two pokeyĀ Ā 

13:43

balls to bounce on, and he does so with aĀ  dive recover. Theyā€™re not perfectly aligned,Ā Ā 

13:47

so he has to strain left, then right to barelyĀ  reach the red coin, all while dealing with thisĀ Ā 

13:51

awful camera angle. Finally, the starĀ  is cloned so that Mario can reach it.

13:57

Marbler moves on to Dire Dire Docks.Ā  To get on Bowserā€™s sub, he has to grabĀ Ā 

14:01

onto these cork boxes, but theyā€™re normallyĀ  too high to do it. Using a position setup,Ā Ā 

14:05

he falls off the side and does a glitchy ledgeĀ  grab. For Mario to ledge grab, the game has toĀ Ā 

14:10

detect a wall near Marioā€™s feet, no wall hearĀ  his head, and a floor in front of him. WhenĀ Ā 

14:14

Mario is in a very precise location, the gameĀ  detects the lower boxā€™s wall near Marioā€™s feet,Ā Ā 

14:19

but just barely misses the wall of the upperĀ  box by less than one unit. The floor at theĀ Ā 

14:24

top sticks out by one unit, so it is detected andĀ  Mario grabs the ledge of the upper cork box. ThisĀ Ā 

14:29

has to be done under the tight timer of the purpleĀ  switch not once, not twice, but three times.

14:34

The Manta Ray star is mostly difficult becauseĀ  Marioā€™s swimming using only the B button isĀ Ā 

14:39

really slow. While the first 4 rings stay outĀ  for quite some time, once you go through 4 rings,Ā Ā 

14:44

the last one is a special one that spawns theĀ  star, and for some reason it lasts for a muchĀ Ā 

14:48

shorter time than the others. His swimming hasĀ  to be perfect in order to go through it in time.

14:54

And now, Marbler enters Bowser in the Fire Sea,Ā  4 and a half hours in, with 49 stars. To get pastĀ Ā 

14:59

the pole, he has a special trick up his sleeve.Ā  When I said that Marbler was playing on console,Ā Ā 

15:04

I didnā€™t specify which console. He is on theĀ  Wii VC version of the game. The Wii emulatesĀ Ā 

15:09

Nintendo 64 games to play them on the VirtualĀ  Console, and thereā€™s a bug with the emulator andĀ Ā 

15:13

a number format conversion. Whenever the gameĀ  converts a number from a 64-bit floating pointĀ Ā 

15:18

number to a 32-bit float, the resulting numberĀ  usually doesnā€™t lie exactly on a 32-bit floatingĀ Ā 

15:24

point value. If it doesnā€™t, the Nintendo 64Ā  simply rounds it to the nearest available float,Ā Ā 

15:29

but the Wii VC version rounds it towards zeroĀ  instead. This conversion is made every timeĀ Ā 

15:33

these sinking platforms move, so every singleĀ  time they move, they inch a tiny little bitĀ Ā 

15:38

towards Y position 0. At the bottom of the stage,Ā  vertical position is negative, so going towards 0Ā Ā 

15:43

means going upwards. This means that over time,Ā  the sinking platforms rise up into the air, veryĀ Ā 

15:49

very slowly. How slowly? Well, every time thereā€™sĀ  a rounding error, they move up by approximatelyĀ Ā 

15:55

one 8000th of a unit [Note: should be 16000th].Ā  The time it takes for that error to compoundĀ Ā 

15:59

so much that the platforms rise up closerĀ  to where the elevator is over three days.

16:04

After 6 hours have passed, Marbler dropsĀ  to the lava and bounces onto the platform,Ā Ā 

16:09

which stores the huge vertical speed of aĀ  lava boost. From here, he punches forward toĀ Ā 

16:13

preserve that speed, and waits near the edgeĀ  of the platforms for 72 more hours. Finally,Ā Ā 

16:19

the platforms are now high enough that he canĀ  reactivate that speed and dive to the elevator.Ā Ā 

16:23

The walls are only solid in one direction,Ā  so he gets pushed in and he makes it pastĀ Ā 

16:27

the pole. Note that to avoid having to waitĀ  several more hours, he had to time this rightĀ Ā 

16:32

at the peak of the platformā€™s movement, andĀ  in the moment, he completely forgot to do it.

16:36

[Marbler: Oh noā€¦ I wasnā€™t watchingā€¦Ā  the height of the platformā€¦]

16:43

By a stroke of luck, he just happened to do it atĀ  the perfect time and he had the height to make it.

16:47

Bowser in the Fire Sea is the reason whyĀ  this is the first ever completion of SuperĀ Ā 

16:51

Mario 64 in 0 A presses on console, evenĀ  including TASes. The platforms do not riseĀ Ā 

16:57

on the Nintendo 64 or any other rerelease,Ā  and a Wii VC TAS being played back on consoleĀ Ā 

17:02

would desynchronize because the Wii hasĀ  occasional issues with input polling.

17:07

Now 82 hours in, Marbler makes it to Wet-DryĀ  World. The first star he goes for is TopĀ Ā 

17:12

oā€™ the Town. He needs to carry ChuckyaĀ  close to where the star is. To do that,Ā Ā 

17:16

he interrupts a punch grab by falling and diving,Ā  which triggers a glitch where Chuckya is treatedĀ Ā 

17:21

as a light object instead of a heavy object.Ā  This lets him fall off the ledge holding it,Ā Ā 

17:25

and ledge grab, dropping Chuckya on the plankĀ  and getting grabbed at the same time. Here,Ā Ā 

17:29

itā€™s a 50/50 chance that Chuckya will throwĀ  him off the plank. That did not go so wellĀ Ā 

17:34

in this run. After opening the box, he catchesĀ  Chuckya as a light object again, throws it andĀ Ā 

17:40

instantly regrabs it, and finally, gets thrownĀ  into the star. This also is a 50/50 chance,Ā Ā 

17:47

and if that fails, that attempt is ruined. HeĀ  reset the star three times to get it to work.

17:52

Express Elevator - Hurry Up! is one of theĀ  hardest stars in the run. To get on the elevator,Ā Ā 

17:57

you canā€™t swim, because B swimming is tooĀ  slow, so Marbler has to use Chuckya instead.Ā Ā 

18:02

Grabbing Chuckya as a light object has theĀ  side effect of locking Chuckyaā€™s anchor,Ā Ā 

18:05

essentially its own HOLP: the position where MarioĀ  would be at if it was holding him. Marbler carriesĀ Ā 

18:10

Chuckya down here, where he sets up another glitchĀ  to preserve the anchor: Behind Camera Anywhere,Ā Ā 

18:15

or BCA. The cameraā€™s focus point is usuallyĀ  a little bit in front of Mario, and usingĀ Ā 

18:19

the fixed camera, itā€™s possible for Mario to beĀ  behind the camera but the focus to be in front,Ā Ā 

18:24

leading to Mario not even being on screen, andĀ  therefore not rendered. Remember how the HOLP onlyĀ Ā 

18:29

gets updated when the object needs to be drawn?Ā  Well, Chuckyaā€™s anchor doesnā€™t get updated whenĀ Ā 

18:33

it doesnā€™t need to be drawn. Marbler gets caughtĀ  by Chuckya and thrown where the anchor still is,Ā Ā 

18:38

up on the plank. Now, he just needs to hope heĀ  gets thrown in the right direction again. ThisĀ Ā 

18:42

lets him reach the elevator, but he stillĀ  needs Chuckya. He grabs it light again,Ā Ā 

18:46

this time using water, and quickly takes it toĀ  push him through the wall and get on the elevator.

18:51

Marbler makes it to Tall, Tall, Mountain,Ā  where the hardest star is Scale the Mountain.Ā Ā 

18:55

Actually scaling the mountain isnā€™t hard, itĀ  simply involves a lot of framewalking. TheĀ Ā 

19:00

problem is the star is barely too highĀ  for a dive recover from the flat top,Ā Ā 

19:03

and you canā€™t roll out from a steep slipperyĀ  surface. Instead, Marbler uses whatā€™s calledĀ Ā 

19:08

a ghost rollout. He gathers a ton of backwardsĀ  speed and gets into a position where a combinationĀ Ā 

19:13

of floor and wall hitbox mechanics ends up pushingĀ  Mario off the slope right at the start of a frame,Ā Ā 

19:18

before the game has time to snap Mario down to theĀ  floor. For a fraction of a frame, heā€™s slightlyĀ Ā 

19:22

above the flat surface, which means he can rolloutĀ  from ever so slightly higher and reach the star.

19:28

Marbler makes his way to Snowmanā€™s Land. IntoĀ  the igloo is the final hard star to get. HeĀ Ā 

19:33

enters the igloo using the shell and a diveĀ  recover. Then, he runs into this corner atĀ Ā 

19:38

the right angle to do a dive recover intoĀ  an unreferenced wall. Mario can only keepĀ Ā 

19:42

track of one wall that heā€™s pushing against atĀ  one time, so in any corner between two walls,Ā Ā 

19:46

the one thatā€™s earlier in the processingĀ  order will be unreferenced, or in other words,Ā Ā 

19:50

Mario wonā€™t push against it or bonk on it. HisĀ  angle with the referenced wall is too shallow,Ā Ā 

19:55

so he doesnā€™t bonk and can dive recover onĀ  the spindrift and reach the vanish cap. Then,Ā Ā 

20:00

he lures another spindrift under the limitedĀ  cap timer and rolls out on it to reach the star.

20:04

Now only missing a ToadĀ  star, Marbler heads to Cool,Ā Ā 

20:07

Cool Mountain to set a HOLP in a precise spotĀ  thatā€™s totally not gonna be relevant later,Ā Ā 

20:11

and goes to Lethal Lava Land to farm lives upĀ  to a hundred in order to go attempt Bowser inĀ Ā 

20:15

the Sky. Reaching Bowser in the Sky is a hugeĀ  pain with glitchy ledge grabs, misalignmnentsĀ Ā 

20:21

and sliding on the railing, so once he gets upĀ  there, he never wants to have to do it again.

20:26

And now, Bowser in the Sky. The first coupleĀ  platforms are reached using misalignments,Ā Ā 

20:31

with a setup to get into them. Then, Marbler pullsĀ  off something that is actually batshit insane:Ā Ā 

20:37

the Chuckya Drop. Iā€™m gonna be real here: I canā€™tĀ  begin to describe this in a way that would do itĀ Ā 

20:43

justice. To better show it, hereā€™s a TAS thatĀ  does the exact same strategy Marbler did in hisĀ Ā 

20:49

run. While on this moving platform, he dancesĀ  around the edge of Chuckyaā€™s activation rangeĀ Ā 

20:53

in an extremely precise and deliberate way toĀ  manipulate it to run off its platform and fallĀ Ā 

20:58

all the way down here. While Marbler is busyĀ  pause buffering his way through a ton of frameĀ Ā 

21:02

perfect movement, several glitchy ledge grabs,Ā  and doing this manipulation completely blind,Ā Ā 

21:06

he gets Chuckya to chase Mario, get into the rightĀ  spot, turn it repeatedly just the right amount,Ā Ā 

21:11

slowly inch to the perfect spot, and fall off theĀ  platform. Finally, he gets grabbed and randomlyĀ Ā 

21:17

thrown, hoping to land on the seesaw platform.Ā  Let me repeat this. After this completely insaneĀ Ā 

21:24

10-minute setup, he gets thrown in a randomĀ  direction and hopes that he survives. Thankfully,Ā Ā 

21:30

he actually has a 56% chance of making it,Ā  and he does on his first successful attemptĀ Ā 

21:35

at the Chuckya Drop. This took him 42 attempts.Ā  Every time anything went wrong, he had to resetĀ Ā 

21:41

the level by dying. However, heā€™s not out of theĀ  woods yet. He still has the entire stage to climb.

21:47

Fortunately, the HOLP he set earlier comesĀ  to the rescue. Marbler grabs the ChuckyaĀ Ā 

21:52

using Behind Camera Anywhere and throwsĀ  it to the HOLP. This sounds very simple,Ā Ā 

21:56

but itā€™s actually unbelievably nervewracking.Ā  BCA is a very precise trick made harder by theĀ Ā 

22:02

fact that you canā€™t see much of anything, and inĀ  this case, Chuckya makes sure that Marbler canā€™tĀ Ā 

22:06

see anything at all. On top of that, he needs toĀ  grab it as a light object, which means he needsĀ Ā 

22:11

to do the frame perfect punch cancel pauseĀ  buffered dive method with the perfect angle,Ā Ā 

22:15

without having any idea of what heā€™s doing. IfĀ  he messes up, he needs to die to reset the stage,Ā Ā 

22:20

or worse, be expelled to Cool, Cool Mountain toĀ  reset the HOLP. He gets it after a few attempts.

22:26

Next, he runs up the disjointed, misplacedĀ  hitbox of the axle. Again, needless to say,Ā Ā 

22:31

this is extremely precise. Mario gets squished andĀ  pushed out at the end and grabs the ledge. AfterĀ Ā 

22:36

angling the camera to briefly render Chuckya andĀ  set its anchor by the HOLP further up the level,Ā Ā 

22:40

Marbler positions Mario in a precise spot withĀ  the right camera angle to set up BCA again whileĀ Ā 

22:45

Chuckya is falling off screen until it grabsĀ  Mario. Because Chuckya is never rendered andĀ Ā 

22:50

its anchor never updated, Mario is warpedĀ  up to the HOLP, near the top of the stage.

22:54

The very last hurdle is this ledge, and heĀ  needs to lure a goomba to bounce on it withĀ Ā 

22:59

a dive recover. The goombas arenā€™t infinite here.Ā  If he messes up, he has to redo the entire stage.Ā Ā 

23:05

He lures the goomba down. He bounces on it, andĀ  misses. But there is another goomba. The third oneĀ Ā 

23:12

is too far though, so if he messes up this one,Ā  itā€™s really over. He lures it down, and this time,Ā Ā 

23:18

itā€™s good. A bit of trivial movement and aĀ  misalignment with a position setup get himĀ Ā 

23:23

in the pipe, and he fights Bowser. Again, BowserĀ  doesnā€™t require A, so he cruises to the finish.

23:29

There are simply no words that can do justiceĀ  to Marblerā€™s achievement. This was unthinkableĀ Ā 

23:35

just two years ago. Super Mario 64 hasĀ  been beaten without using the A buttonĀ Ā 

23:40

for the first time in history. This isĀ  one of the most impressive video gameĀ Ā 

23:44

achievements ever. It simply doesnā€™tĀ  get any better than this. I hope thisĀ Ā 

23:50

video shed a bit of light on how incredibleĀ  this really is, and thank you for watching!

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Super Mario 64A Button ChallengeGaming AchievementMarblerTASSpeedrunEmulatorReal TimeConsole PlayGlitches