Speedrunning has developed quite substantially over the years, withgames likeSuper Mario 64,The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, andGoldenEye 007becoming some of the most notorious games to complete as quickly as possible. However, it’s not too often that racing games make it big in the speedrunning scene, butMario Kart 64has been a major exception to this trend.
It goes without saying that many older games tend to be targeted for speedruns as they cannot be digitally updated via patches and bug-fixes, and their long lifespans have given players a decent amount of time to discover certain exploits as well. In fact, even 25 years after its initial release,Mario Kart 64players continue to find exploits to utilize in speedrunning, as skilledMario Kart 64speedrunner Back Abney has used to set an incredible new world record in the game.
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AlthoughMario Kart 64was released in 1997,its legacy seems to live on in speedruns. In a video uploaded yesterday, Abney, also known by his screen name abney317, set a new world record on the game’s Luigi Raceway course. Actually, Abney set several world records, consistently beating his own record multiple times during a livestream the other day. After learning of a new shortcut that involved repeatedly crashing into a wall, Abney set a 21-second world record on the course.
In a recent video, Abney explained that the shortcut was covered in a video made by speedrunning historian Bismuth, who documented a plethora of newMario Kart64shortcuts discovered by speedrunners Weatherton, micro500, and Forest64. The Luigi Raceway shortcut was discovered by Forest64, and the exploit has become known as a “half clip.” The technique of clipping has long beenutilized in video game speedruns,and while someMario Kartcourses allow players to fully clip through walls and fences, a half clip essentially makes the game think that players have crossed over to the other side of the course and made their way back around. Thus, players are able to cross the finish line, making the game think that they have completed a full lap.
While playing a game by crashing into a wall seems strange, it isn’t too out of the realm of speedrunning, which sees some bizarre methods from time to time, like aBreath of the Wildspeedrun focused on bread. Apart from this new world record, Abney has been a long-time record holder inMario Kart 64for runs that have both included and excluded exploits, so it goes without saying that he is still quite the skilled player.
Mario Kartcontinues to be as popular ever, withMario Kart 8: Deluxeon then Switch continuing to beone of the platform’s highest selling titlessince its release. But olderMario Kartgames certainly still hold popularity, especially with fans hoping thatMario Kart 64will come to Nintendo Switch Online in the future. But for now, fans of the Nintendo 64 game continue to make their own fun.
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