A year ago, Kosmic got the world record in the highly-competitive Super Mario Bros. Any% speedrunning category. He finished with a time of 4:55:646 and subsequently retired from the category. However, he made mention that he fully believed the record could be improved upon.
His words ring true as the world record has continued to be pushed further and further in the Any% category, with speedrunner Miniland recently achieving a new record of 4:55:230.
It’s hard to imagine this category being optimized even further, although many thought that 4:55 had limitations to how far speedrunners could push it. At this point, someone getting the record down to 4:54 is beginning to look more and more like a reality.
As for who it will be? Well, Miniland has competition with another speedrunner, Niftski. Niftski is 2nd on the Any% leaderboard and has been making waves for his runs in Super Mario Bros. and The Lost Levels. Niftski continues to optimize his game and pose a threat to Miniland’s record.
Alongside both of them is LeKukie, who tied Kosmic’s record of 4:55:646 a few months back and sits at 3rd place.
The Super Mario Bros. Any% category is extremely competitive; almost 200 people have registered runs clearing the game under 5 minutes, and the total number of submissions is nearing 1200. The category’s small run time with many demanding tricks and techniques makes it an appealing project for any aspiring speedrunner.
For one of the more thorough and engaging videos on the history of world records in Super Mario Bros. Any%, check out this video by Summoning Salt.
