In an unparalleled display of platforming skills, Twitch streamer CZR beat Super Mario 64, collecting 16 stars in 56 minutes and 36 seconds, smashing his sub-hour goal. Not impressive enough? The man did it using an electric drum kit, with the drums, pedals and cymbals mapped to N64 controls.
After proving his talents with his drum covers on YouTube and his Ocarina of Time speedruns on Twitch, CZR decided to take his two passions and make them one. This marriage began with his incredible sub-30 minute run of Ocarina of Time on drums, and most recently, a sub-hour run of the single most popular speedgame, Super Mario 64. The feat has garnered quite the attention from the greater speedrunning community, and it’s absolutely well-deserved. I mean, how many other speedrunners can you name that rip sick drum fills during unskippable cutscenes?
CZR ran in the 16-star category, one of five categories in the Super Mario 64 speedrunning community. This category requires him to collect only 16 stars as opposed to the 70 that are normally required to enter the final area. This is done by glitching through the 30-star and 50-star doors, as well as glitching up the infinite staircase which can normally only be climbed after unlocking 70 stars. Few people can pull these glitches off with a controller, and CZR pulled them off with some drums, live on Twitch. His run, which can be watched below was nearly 30 minutes faster than his previous personal best, from just 8 days prior. With that amount of improvement in just over a week, it’s safe to say that he’s not done. He believes that under 45 minutes is possible, so the grind must go on.
For comparison, the fastest completion of the game with 16-stars was done by speedrunner Akki in 14 minutes and 59 seconds; sub-15 being easily one of the biggest achievements in speedrunning’s recent years. The 16-star category is the most competitive category in the most competitive game in speedrunning, so it reigns as one of the most prestigious records to hold. With the 15-minute barrier likely being the last barrier that will ever be broken in the category, it’s great to see newer, more innovative challenges being introduced to the category, such as CZR’s drum speedruns.
Here’s to hoping some other players step up to challenge him. In the meantime, make sure to check out his stream and catch some of his attempts. The literal drumrolls leading up to all of the insane tricks will definitely keep you hooked. As he already has two impressive speedruns on his kit, there’s a chance he could branch out even further to other games (Banjo Kazooie, please). Regardless, make sure you show your support by stopping by his Twitch channel.
Source: CZR
