Also known as "Cat Mario", Syobon Action is an extremely difficult mario-clone platformer that usually takes many tries to complete. This run aims to do so in the fastest possible time.

Game objectives

  • Emulator used: Hourglass - r71
  • Fastest Time For Real
  • No Deaths
  • Minor Glitch Abuse

Comments

First of all, I would like to thank the people in the Syobon Action Thread and the japanese TASers in Nicovideo. Without them, I would have been stuck with a time of 1:52. I would also like to thank nitsuja for the hourglass emulator that made this possible.
Secondly, the reason why I used the "4 stage" version instead of an extended one is because the "official" [dead link removed] site only has this version. Also, a source claims that Syobon Action only has 4 stages, implying that the extended version is a fan-game.

Glitches/Tricks

Wall Jumping

With enough horizontal velocity, you can clip slightly into a wall if you turn around for ~1 frame. Then simply hold onto the jump button ("Z" or "UP") to jump again once inside the wall.

Quick Turn

To turn quickly, bump into a wall for 1 frame then immediately turn around. It's faster than turning without bumping into a wall. Used once in stage 1 - 1.

Stage by stage comments

1 - 1

The first stage of the game. I tried very hard to improve this stage, but I couldn't. It seems that the strategy I used in the other run was optimal.

1 - 2

The second stage takes place mostly underground. Somehow, I managed to save 1 frame at the first screen, and ~3 frames underground. Savings maybe due to lag avoidance.

1 - 3

The third stage takes place above ground. The strategy I used to kick the shell may seem sub-optimal, but it's actually 24 frames faster.

1 - 4

The final stage resembles the castle stages in Super Mario Bros. The overall strategy remains the same, but with minor savings from slight optimization.

Other comments

Possible Improvements

  • Lag Reduction (Needs Lag Counter)
  • Speed/Pixel Management (Needs RAM Search)
  • Further optimization (Needs more stable SaveStates)

Suggested Screenshot:

Actual Screenshot:

Frame 3001

adelikat: Claimed for judging

jlun2: Uncancelling to compare it with this run.

adelikat: Reclaiming for judging. You are making it a challenge to claim this one!

adelikat: Ideally I would make a verdict about whether or not to use the speed up (spacebar) option and set some kind of precedent. But in this case I think there was too much confusion to get a consensus and the game had a negative response anyway. So I will dodge that issue completely and reject purely on game choice. See also, #3288: jlun2's Windows Syobon Action "x2 Speed" in 00:56.87.

adelikat: Unrejecting this submission for consideration into the Vault tier.

adelikat: The verdict for this game specifically, random mode and 2x speed mode are considered cheat codes; therefore they are not eligible for fastest completion. That makes this the fastest any% movie and I am accepting it to the Vault due to good tech quality and goal choice, but poor audience support for the Alternative tier.