As if speedruns weren’t impressive enough, let’s try them blindfolded! The world of speedrunning is quite vast and exciting. Not only because pretty much any game you think of might have a speedrun of it. But also because speedrunners use various methods to beat the game. Some people have been using dance pads, guitars from Guitar Hero, and VR controllers. There’s also hand tracking, and even bananas.
That’s bananas!
However, of all the unconventional ways one could speedrun, one stands out. To many, the most impressive will always be speedrunning blindfolded. Of course, none of the runs we list are the fastest way to beat the game. With that said, the sheer fact that they are doing it blindfolded is something you must check out if you love speedruns.
These 5 blindfolded speedruns are some of the most historic and exciting to watch:
- Super Mario 64 by Bubzia
- Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out race by Sinister1 and Zallard1
- Ocarina of Time by Bubzia
- Super Mario World by PangaeaPanga
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice by Mitchriz
Let’s break down what makes each so iconic!
Super Mario 64 Blindfolded by Bubzia at Awesome Games Done Quick 2021 Online
There is truly only one way to start the list of blindfolded speedruns. We’ll start with one of the most popular speedruns in general — Super Mario 64. Due to its popularity, this game has many categories. Speedrunners can submit their runs to get ranked on the leaderboards, according to their liking. However, the speedrun we will feature here is the 16-star run.
During the run, you will be able to see Bubzia use various positioning strategies and sound queues. Doing so will help him figure out where he is in the level. Bubzia is quite a legend in the community, and he has invested a lot of hours into the game. Because of this, it might make some of these tricks look easier than expected. If you have been trying to speedrun the game yourself without a blindfold, you know. You will already be aware just how tricky certain skips and movements can be.
The highlight of the speedrun definitely has to be the last portion of the run. This is where he uses the backwards long jumps to glitch himself through the door to the final level of the run. It took him only a couple of tries, which is impressive! Especially given that this is one of the most complex tricks in the game.
There is also another speedrun done at GDQ in 2021 where Bubzia beats Super Mario 64 blindfolded by doing the 70 stars route. This run is much longer than the first one! But it is absolutely thrilling to watch, even if it lasts 1 hour and 50 minutes.
Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out race by Sinister1 and Zallard1 at Awesome Games Done Quick 2016
When asking what the most challenging NES games are, plenty come to mind! But there is no doubt that Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out would be high on the list. This is a game that is quite deceitful when it comes to its difficulty. Everyone who had the opportunity to play it as a kid discovered this very fact. Even after you plow through all the boss fights with ease, Mike Tyson will likely knock you right out!
Many who have played this game could not overcome that difficulty spike. As Mike Tyson shows no mercy in this game. He will knock you out if you get hit just once during his barrage of punches. While the speedrun on its own for this game is impressive, now try without looking! When it comes to the blindfolded speedrun, it will definitely keep you excited from the beginning until the end.
Before this event, Sinister1 has attempted the speedrun at the event a couple of times. The first was in 2012, where Bald Bull defeated him. The second was in 2013, when he was stopped by Honda 2. The third and final run before this event was in 2014 when Mike Tyson defeated him.
As for Zallard1, he never actually attempted any blindfolded runs of the game at the event. With that said, he was (and is) well-known in the community. He’s obviously a very skilled speedrunner and gamer. Just watching him in action made this race more exciting.
Sinister1 and Zallard1’s Epic Race
It was pretty unexpected for one person to finish the run. But to our shock, both speedrunners knocked Tyson to the floor for good.
Minor spoilers: both Sinister1 and Zallard1 are neck to neck during the whole run! And once the run was over, the crowd went wild when both players completed the game. This is by far one of the most iconic blindfolded speedrun moments of all time! Not only that, but it is also one of the most iconic moments of AGDQ. And we all know there have been many of those!
“Special shoutout to Ennopp who plays the piano whenever these scenes play.”
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Any% Blindfolded by Bubzia
After demolishing Super Mario 64 with his impeccable skills, Bubzia decided to take on a Zelda game. Not just any Zelda game, but Ocarina of Time. This game has quite a lot of tricky maneuvers throughout the speedrun. Especially in any% speedruns! But Bubzia made it happen.
The run is relatively short, as it is barely over 50 minutes. This speedrun doesn’t have any external commentary. That’s because it is not at a live event like Games Done Quick. However, it is still breathtaking to watch. Especially once he gets to the later portions of the game.
While this is a world first, and a really exciting run to watch, it’s not the fastest! You may also want to check out Saver‘s faster and more optimized blindfolded OoT speedrun.
Super Mario World Blindfolded by PangaeaPanga in 2015
Like Super Mario 64, Super Mario World is an incredibly popular game to speedrun. If you have followed the Mario speedrun community, you are probably familiar with the legendary PangaeaPanga. He’s not a beginner speedrunner by any means. He plays all kinds of crazy community-created levels in Mario Maker.
In 2015, he managed to beat the game blindfolded while streaming on Twitch. And the whole run is a blast!
There are many clutch moments where he could have faced doom. But in the end, he manages to reach Bowser and defeat! He does it with an interesting strategy of flying off-screen with the cape.
We also want to give a special shoutout to Katun24. Kutan24 hit a faster time with a more optimized route and some incredible skill! Be sure to check them out!
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice by Mitchriz at Awesome Games Done Quick 2022
If you thought that the previous games were challenging to master and play blindfolded, you will be blown away by this one! Because it is, for sure, one of the most insane and intense speedruns ever done at Games Done Quick.
Sekiro is known to be one of the most challenging games released in the past few years. And beating it casually is an arduous task. When the game came out, you could easily find various streamers getting obliterated by different bosses found in the game. Many people quit the game without ever beating even it.
Of course, it did not take too long before a speedrun strategy was invented for this incredible game. Then, it started getting featured at live events. There was already a race between LilAggy and Mitchriz at AGDQ 2021, where LilAggy managed to come out victorious. They did so finishing the run in 22:20.1, an impressive time!
Now, considering that the normal speedrun is around 20 minutes, the blindfolded speedrun isn’t as fast. This blindfolded speedrun by Mitchriz at AGDQ 2022 took 2 hours and 35 seconds. You will see some interesting pathing strategies during the run. During which he uses positioning and sound queues, which once again play a critical role.
Many would argue that memorization is the key to beating Sekiro blindfolded. However, memory will only get you so far when boss fights come into play. Watching this run live was undoubtedly a fantastic experience, and you should definitely watch the whole thing! It certainly was one of the blindfolded speedruns that made history!
