

HappyLee, however, performed a tool-assisted run (TAS), in which the goal is to program a series of inputs that maximizes the speed at which a given game is played, typically in a way that would be impossible for humans to copy. Kosmic’s world record happened in real-time, forcing him to string together a nearly perfect run of the game without a chance to recover. The difference between Kosmic and HappyLee is approach. That record was set in 2011 by speedrunner HappyLee, a time that stands about two seconds faster than what Kosmic just achieved.

speedrunning is at a fascinating moment every new record brings people one step closer to reaching what’s believed to be the fastest possible time for a human to beat the game: four minutes, 54 seconds, and 32 milliseconds. It’s unclear how long Kosmic’s record will hold.
