Speedrunning video games has become an art form, and some of the most beautiful and impressive games speedrunners play are Mario titles. Mario games are enjoyable to watch due to their fluid controls, and they're also impressive due to the technicality behind certain tricks. This combination of beautiful game design and display of skill makes Mario titles some of the best games to speedrun.

From the original Super Mario Bros. released in 1985 to 2017's Super Mario Odyssey, every mainline Mario title has formed its own speedrunning community. These titles require precise platforming and frame-perfect movements, making each record run a work of art. Over the years, new techniques are discovered or developed to refine runs until world-records are stolen by fractions of a second. The competitive nature of Mario speedruns is also a huge factor as to why these runs are so fun to watch.

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But the best parts of speedrunning aren't always when someone gets a faster time. In fact, some of the most impressive speedruns are ones that lost world-record status years ago. Some are more impressive than others due to the barriers they broke down in order to evolve the game's speedruns. Here are a few of the most impressive Mario game speedruns.

Niftski's Super Mario Bros. (1985) Lightning 4-2

The current world record for the original Super Mario Bros. any% speedrun is held by runner Miniland, with a time of 4 minutes 55 seconds and 230 milliseconds. However, the second-place runner, Niftski, recently performed the first-ever Lightning 4-2 run ever by a human. Niftski spent half a year on a single level, 4-2, attempting to perform a technique previously thought possible only by a computer. The run above is the shortest on the list as it's only a single level, but it is the most technically impressive. The Lightning 4-2 beats the level's previous fastest time by 0.35 seconds, a record that has stood for 16 years.

Nicroveda's Super Mario Odyssey Sub Hour

In 2019, Nicroveda was the first person to beat Super Mario Odyssey in under one hour with a time of 59 minutes 59 seconds, and 25 milliseconds. The record now is a few minutes shorter and is held by Tyron18, but Nicroveda's run will remain one of the most exciting feats in Mario speedrunning. Nicro was one of a group of speedrunners that were racing to achieve sub-one hour, and Nicroveda was lucky enough to pull it off. Years of grinding led to this legendary run, and the reaction afterwards is incredibly heartwarming. Nicroveda hasn't attempted another any% run since then.

Cjya's Super Mario Odyssey 3 Caps WR

Unlike the previous runs, this one is still a world record at the time of recording. This record is a mixture of lowest% and any%, as players have to capture the minimum number of enemies in the fastest time. So, not only are players attempting to beat the game as quickly as possible, but they are also trying to find ways to capture the fewest number of enemies.

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What this means for records is, even if a new runner finds a way to cut the number of captures down to 2, it doesn't matter how long it takes them to beat the game because a new record is automatically set. However, beating Super Mario Odyssey with only three capture in less than an hour and a half is very impressive.

Bowser's Fury Speedrunning

For those who are new to speedrunning and want to watch the process unfold, now is a great time to tune in to those speedrunning Bowser's Fury. This is a brand-new Mario experience, and players are in the beginning stages of developing proper runs. The runs are growing shorter and shorter by the day, and the game is already being beaten in less than an hour. It won't be long until the race for sub-30 minutes begins making Bowser's Fury one of the most exciting and impressive live Mario speedruns to watch.

There are plenty of other runs, some of which aren't officially counted, that could easily claim a spot on this list. SimpleFlips has several speedruns of Super Mario 64 where he attempts to beat the game as quickly as possible under bizarre circumstances. Hobo Bros have a series in which 10 YouTubers work together to try and beat professional speedrunners. There are plenty of Mario speedruns out there for people to enjoy, and there will be plenty more to come.

Next: Every New Speedrun Record Set At AGDQ 2021