Watch the wholesome moment this Super Mario 64 speedrunner broke the world record after eight years of trying

Publish date: 2022-09-19

It is one of the most wholesome moments in speedrunning history - the speedrunner breaks a Super Mario 64 world record after eight years of trying, he breaks down before his parents come in to congratulate him on his momentous achievement.

Simply is a well-known Super Mario 64 speedrunner from Minnesota, USA who yesterday completed Nintendo's N64 classic with all 120 stars obtained in an incredible time of 1:38:28. Simply's time beat the previous world record of 1:38:43, which was obtained by a player called Liam Kings on 31st March 2020, by 15 seconds.

after almost 8 years, i finally did it. new 120 star wr. 1:38:28 pic.twitter.com/rCYVoiseJH

— Simply (@simplyn64) May 30, 2020 To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings

When Simply finishes the game by defeating Bowser in the final boss fight, he collapses forward, at first laughing, then crying as his 3500 Twitch viewers offer congratulations in the chat.

His mother then enters the room to ask, "what's wrong?"

"I did it," Simply replies.

"You did what?"

"The world record."

"Larry! He got the world record!"

this the most wholesome shit i've ever seen@simplyn64 just broke the super mario 64 world record then this happened pic.twitter.com/v35u8AnaeY

— ludwig (@LudwigAhgren) May 30, 2020 To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings

(Watch the full run in the video below. To skip to the moment Simply breaks the record, go to 5:43.00.)

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Simply's parents are clearly overjoyed as they hug their crying son. At one point his mother, who wears a Mario mask, says: "We gotta sing him a song!"

This is the end of a long journey for Simply, who has spent nearly eight years gunning for this particularly high-profile speedrunning world record. In 2015 he effectively gave up after going to college, coming to terms with the belief he'd never achieve his goal. After a brief return to speedrunning, issues with carpal tunnel syndrome and tendinitis forced Simply to stop playing for two years due to hand pain. In December 2019, after overcoming the hand pain, Simply returned to the scene, streaming full-time in an attempt to break the world record. Six months later, after many highs and lows, Simply now has the world record he worked so hard to achieve.

His mother asks: "How does it feel to be number one?" "Good," Simply replies. "It doesn't feel real."

And then his mother does a very mother thing and insists her son drink some water. "You're probably dehydrated."

Simply tries to recount his journey - as his mother waves a Mario teddy in front of the camera - but he is once again overcome by emotion. "He's always been number one in my heart," she says.

"Oh my god, this is wonderful. I'm so proud.

"Tacos for everybody!"

"I have the best family and the best community," Simply later tweeted. "I am blessed. Thank you everyone."

What's next? Simply ends his stream by talking about shaving more time off his world record. I suspect there's more to come.

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