Summary
- Beating Super Mario 64 without using the A button is a remarkable accomplishment that took a Twitch streamer 86 hours to achieve.
- Marbler had to come up with creative strategies and wait 78 hours for platforms to rise in order to bypass the need to jump.
- The challenge of completing the game without pressing A has intrigued gamers for 20 years, showing the enduring appeal of Super Mario 64.
A gamer has recently beaten Super Mario 64 without pressing the A button once, completing a community challenge that started around two decades ago. Super Mario 64 is one of the most important platformers ever made, and finishing the game without making Mario jump at least once was a hardcore challenge that puzzled some gamers for a long time.
Super Mario 64 was released in 1996, and quickly became known as one of the best Nintendo 64 games. Tight platforming and amazing level design made Super Mario 64 an unforgettable experience for players in the 90s, and it seemed impossible to even imagine what the game would look like without jumping. However, back in the early 2000s, the game’s community started the Super Mario 64 A Button Challenge, in which gamers tried to go as further as they could in the N64 title without ever jumping. To move around, gamers devised other strategies such as running and diving and pressing B twice to create a fake jump, or pressing Start during other actions to gain altitude. For a long time, it seemed impossible to ever finish the game without pressing A or using mods, though.
Old Footage Shows Luigi in Super Mario 64
Some really old footage of an early build of Super Mario 64 shows that Luigi was planned to be playable in the game before being scrapped.
Now, a Twitch streamer called Marbler has finally completed the Super Mario 64 A Button Challenge by beating the game after 86 hours, as spotted by Games Radar. Around eight months ago, Marbler had almost completed the challenge, jumping only twice. According to Automaton-media, the main issue at the time was during the “Bowser in the Fire Sea” stage, though, when the player needs to grab a pole and then jump from it, pressing A to reach another area. This problem was solved by Marbler by using the Wii Virtual Console version of Super Mario 64. In this version of the game, the floating platforms on the stage continually rise very slowly, and after three real-life days, they finally reach a level that can be bypassed without pressing A. In Marbler's video, the gamer beat most of the game within a few hours, then waited 78 hours for the platforms to rise, performed a difficult jump, and managed to beat Bowser in the last level, thus achieving the win.
It’s important to acknowledge how much of a challenge beating Super Mario 64 without ever using the A button is. Not only is Super Mario 64 one of the best Super M ario games and was widely played by all kinds of gamers, but people have been trying to pull off this specific challenge for around 20 years.
Super Mario 64 Players Are Still Discovering Secrets In The Game
This was not the only major feat someone recently accomplished in Super Mario 64, though. Last week, a player opened Super Mario 64’s unopenable door for the first time without any mods or hacks. The door was located near Mother Penguin’s house in the Snow World region, and it puzzled the community since 1996, as it seemed impossible to open. However, the player managed to still do it after performing a complicated process that involved grabbing the Mother Penguin’s baby and jumping around.
Super Mario 64
- Released
- September 26, 1996
WHERE TO PLAY
Super Mario 64 marks the series' first foray into the 3D platforming space, with players controlling Mario as he is invited to the Mushroom Kingdom castle by Princess Peach. Players will locate Power Stars through a variety of levels to reach Bowser.
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Franchise
- Super Mario Bros.
- Platform(s)
- N64
- Genre(s)
- 3D Platformer
