According to the Gregorian calendar, it’s summer — and that means it’s time for some summer games. But I am only interested if we can get them done quick. Thankfully, the annual speedrunning charity marathon Summer Games Done Quick is here. SGDQ 2019 has already raised more than $900,000. And that’s thanks in part to awesome events like the Super Mario World Kaizo blind relay race.
The race was spectacular and a must-watch for platforming fans. Instead of using standard Super Mario World levels, a team of modders built a series of “Kaizo” stages. Kaizo is a form of Super Mario World modding that takes the underlying physics of the game but then builds courses of punishing difficulty on top of them.
But he SGDQ levels aren’t just remixes. They feature entirely new mechanics like spinning stages and wall jumping. One level even has a remix version of the “Do the Mario” theme song from The Super Mario Bros. Super Show.
That might explain why you are hooked on the brothers.
And one of the later levels features air dashing as well as visuals and audio that act as homage to the excellent 2018 platformer Celeste.
Come the hell on. They turned Kaizo Mario into Celeste! Air dashes in SMW. pic.twitter.com/x1ZWKEgt6k
— Grubb (@JeffGrubb) June 27, 2019
The race featured eight of the top Super Mario World speedrunners in two teams of four. After each level or death, they have to pass the control to the next person on their team.
That format led to some dramatic moments and a lot of close finishes. You can watch the entire race for yourself by clicking through to the VOD right here.
