A recent attempt at a Super Mario 64 speedrunning world record by the former world record holder Weegee showcased both the highs and lows of this competitive gaming niche. Weegee, known for his record in the 120 Star category with a time of 1:37:35 in late 2022 through much of 2023, recently faced a pivotal moment in his speedrunning career with a trick known as “carpetless.”
Carpetless, once deemed impossible by the community, emerged as a game-changer with the potential to shave off approximately 50 seconds from a run. Its viability in real runs brought a new edge to the competition. The initial carpetless world record surpassed Weegee’s record by merely a second. Over the following months, the record was progressively lowered to 1:36:48, nearly realizing the full potential of the time-saving capability of the carpetless trick.
In a dramatic turn of events this past weekend, Weegee was on track to not only beat the existing world record but to possibly achieve the first 120 Star run in the 1:35:XX range on Twitch.
His performance throughout the game was outstanding, maintaining a pace over a minute ahead of the current world record. However, the pivotal moment came with the execution of the carpetless trick.
Under the pressure of his excellent pace, Weegee struggled with the trick, turning a potential 50-second gain into a two-minute loss. The disappointment was palpable as he contemplated not even finishing the run.
Despite the setback, Weegee did complete the run, though the final time was far from the world record. Ironically, had he opted not to attempt carpetless, his remarkable pace might have still secured the record.
This scenario led one Reddit user to comment on the potential of this run to “legitimately kill the category for years” had carpetless been successfully executed.
Remarkably, just a few days after this failed attempt, Weegee bounced back to set a new world record at 1:36:21, including a successful carpetless execution despite some minor stumbles. His reaction during the stream highlighted the heightened difficulty of performing complex maneuvers under pressure. Weegee acknowledged the new record as “clutch, but lots to improve,” suggesting that further advancements are on the horizon.
This story is a testament to the relentless pursuit of perfection in speedrunning, one of the most enduring and competitive aspects of gaming. For those inspired by Weegee’s journey, it’s a reminder that it’s never too late to delve into speedrunning, even in classic games like Super Mario 64.
