Marcel Winatschek

Blindfolded

I probably know Super Mario World better than any other game in the world. Maybe Pokémon Blue. Maybe Chrono Trigger. Link to the Past. But Super Mario World is the one that shaped how I think about games, shaped it completely.

I can’t count the hours I sank into it as a kid. Days, weeks, months, years. Every secret exit, every Star Road level, all the Special Worlds. I was the first person in my friend group to see it through to the end, to watch the Koopas grow mustaches in the credits. Though maybe I just hallucinated that whole thing on Fanta as a kid, honestly, who knows.

Then I found out about this speedrunner online—some guy who goes by PangaeaPanganennt—who doesn’t just play Super Mario World faster than most people can say the word Yoshi. He plays the whole thing blindfolded. Eyes shut the entire way through.

Guess I’ve been overestimating my gaming skills.