Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) is underway, and every year there seems to be some crazy achievement in the way of speedrunning. In case you don’t know, speedrunning involves completing a game as quickly as humanly possible. Normally, players exploit bugs and glitches to achieve unbelievable completion times. If that isn’t impressive enough, how about doing it while both your hands are busy playing the game’s soundtrack on piano?
Awesome Games Done Quick: NSMB Wii on Piano in 41:20
How can you play New Super Mario Bros. Wii when your hands are busy playing the piano? By attaching the controllers to your body, I guess! Speedrunner Wes devised a creative setup using a pair of Joy-Con controllers modified to work with the Wii game. One controller was strapped to his head, allowing him to move left or right by tilting it in the respective direction. The other was secured to his foot, enabling him to press the bumper with his toes to run or push the thumbstick into the ground to jump.
With this unconventional rig, Wes took the stage at AGDQ 2025, impressively playing the game’s soundtrack on the piano—using his own arrangements—while completing the entire game in under 42 minutes. He synchronized his piano performance with the gameplay, seamlessly transitioning between level themes as he progressed.
“Piano’s not actually my main instrument,” Wes revealed during the performance. “I write the arrangements to match my skill level. The key takeaway here is that you don’t have to be a virtuoso to do something like this. You can play at any level you’re comfortable with. The important part is practicing and building muscle memory.”
While Wes’ completion time was far from competitive with standard any% runs of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, most players don’t control the game by tilting their head while simultaneously performing on the piano. He faced a few in-game deaths, and the final moments were anxiety-inducing, but the audience erupted in applause with a standing ovation when he successfully finished the run.
The excitement didn’t end there. Wes then revisited the first level and completed it again—this time blindfolded. His performance was impressive, once again proving the endless creativity within the speedrunning world.
Make sure to stay tuned to Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) for even more speedruns until January 12th, 2025. Donations to the event will go to the Prevent Cancer Foundation.