It took 32873 tries for YouTuber Val JP to beat a single Mario Maker level, and his journey to the finish line is one of the most inspiring things I’ve seen all year. You’ve got to watch it.
Recorded earlier this year (but likely making the rounds now because of Reddit), the video below documents the gauntlet Val JP had to endure in order to clear Tricky Mario: Val’s Shellspace, one of the hardest Mario Maker levels around:
At first, the trial seems impossible, and Mario dies countless times. Val JP slowly gets better, yes, but the daunting trial takes a toll on him. You can hear Val JP start to lose it as time goes on. At one point, it even seems like Valp JP might give up entirely. Fortunately, he doesn’t.
When Val JP finally beats the godforsaken level, he cannot contain his emotion. “WE DID IT,” Val JP cries, incredulous.
This is why we video games.
You can try the level here: 534B-0000-01DE-2947