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How the Impossible Mario Level was Beaten After 7 Years
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- Published on Mar 15, 2026
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Corrections:
[1* “Over 500 days”]
Music Sources:
Backwaters by Anvil:
• Anvil - Backwaters
Ambient Jam with the Moog One by Jay Hosking
• Ambient jam with the M...
Eating Ice Cream by Stevia Sphere
• Stevia Sphere - Eating...
From Another World by Anvil:
• Anvil - From another w...
Nearly There by Jogeir Liljedahl
• Nearly-there.. by Joge...
Vinter by Zaril and Xerxes/Hellven, and Level-D
• Zaril & Xerxes / Hellv...
Megaman 2 Metalman Remix by Disco Dan
• Disco Dan - Metal Man ...
Castle Funk Extended Remix by ASmolBoy
Stream Castle Funk (1980's Mix) (EXTENDED REMASTER) - Deltarune by ASmolBoy | Listen online for free on SoundCloud
Wintersweet by Trash, Oxygen, and ENiGMA
• Trash / Oxygen, ENiGMA...
3D Galax by Dubmood cover by Ben Daglish
• Dubmood - 3D Galax (Be...
Undertale Yellow OST: 012 - Seclusion by MasterSwordRemix
• Undertale Yellow OST: ...
Can You Feel it? By Prism
• Prism - Can you feel it?
Be What U Wanna Be by T Tracker
• Be What U Wanna Be (T-...
But the Earth Refused to Die cover by The Synthetic Orchestra
• Undertale - But the Ea...
The Golden Ages by 4mat
• 4mat - The golden ages
A Mother’s Love Remix by THFont
• Undertale Yellow - A M...
A Mother’s Love Piano Remix by Woop
• A Mother's Love [Piano...
Undertale Yellow OST: 120 - A Mother’s Love by MasterSwordRemix, emBer, NoteBlock, and Figburn
• Undertale Yellow OST: ...
A MOTHER’S LOVE Remix by maysie
• A MOTHER'S LOVE (Under...
General Sources:
Links:
(829) ChainChompBraden - RUclips
ChainChompBraden (@ChompBraden) / X
ChainChompBraden's Videos - TwitchTrials of Death Q&A
ChainChompBraden on X: "Here's kind of an interesting double perspective into how my true goal with Trials of Death is a bit of a paradox in itself. But that's okay, because I'm going to win anyways. t.co/WAVtsmDuwy" / X
Extreme Sadistic Torture World by Braden δωδ [MARIO MAKER 1] This video is used as intro footage of ESTW, because Braden’s personal footage was very sparse, this clear footage does not vary much with Braden’s.
Super Mario Maker player finally beats his own 'impossible' level after 4,368 hours | GamesRadar+
After 385 Hours, One Player Still Hasn’t Beaten His Hardest 'Mario Maker' Creation
P Switch Jump | Kaizo Mario Maker Wiki | Fandom
Trials of Death - The 7 Year Journey on the Hardest Mario Level
• This player spent 6 ye...
• Le NIVEAU le plus DIFF...
Bowser Jr.'s Big Boss Brouhaha by JJ - SUPER MARIO MAKER - NO COMMENTARY 1AW
Midair Input Item Jump | Kaizo Mario Maker Wiki | Fandom
Nintendo of Europe on X: "From 31/03, you will no longer be able to upload courses in #SuperMarioMaker for #WiiU. Thank you to all the players for supporting Super Mario Maker for Wii U since 2015! Find out more: t.co/zNzrnXPKvZ" / X
[SMM] Extreme Sadistic Torture World
Hardest Levels Ranked by Clear Rate as of 3rd March 2016 : r/MarioMaker
The History of Super Mario Maker's Hardest Levels Pt 1
Trials of Death | Kaizo Mario Maker Wiki | Fandom
• JUEGO y SUPERO El Nive...
ChainChompBraden (u/ChainChompBraden) - Reddit
Sunny ✨ on X: "2016: "Woah, this is hard!" 2017: t.co/89r3ut7ec4" / X
Super Mario World Blindfolded in 23:14
(from:ChompBraden) until:2019-8-30 since:2019-3-15 - Search / X
(SMM) Trials of Death Trailer: The Endless Level
Super Mario Maker Version 1.40 Now Available | Nintendo Insider
Basic Kaizo Tutorial - Mid Air P Switch Jumps
After 4,368 Hours, ‘Mario Maker’ Player Finally Beats His Impossible Level
the strongest flames aren't the ones that burn the brightest, it's the ones that burn the longest
Check FlexiSpot C7 Max ergonomic chair at bit.ly/4a7JlUl and use my code ''C750'' to get extra $50 off on the C7 Max ergonomic chair
hey what music u used in the intro?
Don't get the model linked. get an oc3 or c5 with mesh butt. Also the cheap adjustable desks are worth it. Been using an oc3 mesh for a couple of years now, theyre great
Nintendo should make an exception and upload this level after watching this
Unfortunately Nintendo does not care about their player base so this will never happen.
shouldve finished it before the servers closed instead of making it harder 🤷♂️
He made the impossible level only for himself. Imagine if he would have made 2 parts first then the other 2 later connected. At least he would see other people's reactions.
The servers closed nearly 2 years ago, you can't download levels now either...
@donslyuckusstfu bro did u not watch the video?
Braden encapsulates Sisyphus, the boulder and the mountain itself all at once. what a legend
One must imagine Braden is happy.
He even said "There's nothing sad here." at the very end lol
both sisyphus and the king who condemned him
you will all one day see I will make a level so harder and brutal you will never forget hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha👿👿👿👿👿😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈😈
@Superstarmario-i6z you got it small guy we believe in you
hey no one called me so one day when Mario marker three is done I will make a level so will blow off and I teach you for calling me small stupid I am not small
I'm not sure what's more impressive: his ability to design a level like that, his ability to beat it, or his ability to stick with it for that long. Truly, truly phenominal.
That’s called mental illness.
@beastmode780 Yeah apparently you can't dedicate your time to something without being mentally ill 🙄
@beastmode780 He was getting paid to stream it most of the time though... The vast majority of gamers playing game all day don't get paid anything for doing so
@GregObparand he quit so seems like the money wasn’t good enough. Still a mental illness
It’s called autism
"Damn it took me 300 hours to make it two thirds of the way through this level. Way too easy." what?
"Damn it took me 1000 hours to make it to the last quarter of this level, gotta make it harder." Dude please stop
"Damn it took me 2000 hours to make it to the last quarter of this level, gotta make it harder." BRO WHAT ARE YOU DOING
"Damn it took me 3000 hours to make it to the last quarter of this level, gotta make it harder." This dude is genuinely batshit insane. Like mental asylum insane.
"Damn it took me 4000 hours to make it to the last quarter of this level, too bad I cant make it harder."
If everyone had this level of commitment, we'd be colonizing the sun by now.
For some people, Mario Maker is their entire world.
🤣 "we'd be colonizing the sun"
Hilariously true
like shown in one of his posts, its him vs. him.
Makes me shudder to think I put over 8000 hours into Burnout Revenge...aand that's one of my lesser played favorites 😅
Yeah we'd be able to make a Dyson Sphere easy peasy and "colonize the sun" 😎☀️
i haven't even passed 2000 hours in a single game, i can't even fathom spending double that on a single LEVEL
The TOD grind was such a comforting constant throughout Mario Maker’s life span. It will forever be iconic.
Where is part 3 of hardest levels!!!!!
Oh so you are alive why have you not uploaded in a year and a half
Yeah if you liked SMM streamers CCB was just, the late night tune in, even if we knew it wasn't happening back then. I do wish I saw the finale but yeah.
I never doubted him for a minute.
'Tod' in German translates to death.
"it only took me only 300 hours to reach this far into the level, too easy. I must make it harder!".
brah
Damn, this was really well done!
Thanks man! We have been long time viewers of you as well!
Sizzlin
A great story about dedication
me me big boi
When the herbs come out trimmin
For reference, 2,000 hours is a full-time job (with 2 weeks of vacation) for an entire year.
I have 15k hours in ARK for perspective.
(Not to poo this accomplishment I watched ChainChompBraden late nights over and over as he tried to complete the level.)
@joshcryer thats almost two years of straight playing :o
@joshcryerdifference is, he’s doing it on one level over and over again while you’re playing an entire game. He’s next level diligent and crazy!
lol these people have way too much time on their hands…
@Antondmt1 for sure, a lot of that gametime was in various clans (or tribes) where I was the breeder and harvester, and I was really, really, good at it, and enjoyed it, but yeah 2 years of my life in a game is wild I know
The moral of this story is that if you intend to make something for others, you have to settle for good enough or it will never get done. Perfection is personal.
I didn't get the impression he was making this for others. That can be a moral you can get, from this story but it's not the focus of it
This is more of a story about self satisfaction, improvement, and drive to point of obsession. Just a good example of what it looks like to strive for what feels like perfection and not doubt your capabilities for a personal goal.
@danieldelagarzaarreguin4833counterpoint, if he did not make it for others, then why did he upload it so that others can play it? =)
@sonkeschmidt202725:34
You can never achieve perfection , however if you chase it , you can achieve excellence. Never stop pushing yourself . Never stop breaking the limits .
@danieldelagarzaarreguin4833 Pretty sure what OP said agrees with you. "Perfection is personal."
Hopefully this vid gets more recognition
I think it will
Imagine if the hardest level of Mario Maker 2 has already been made years ago and the creator is to this day still trying to beat it to upload it.
You don't have to imagine, it's called Demonic Carnival.
Very cool video! Naturally I've seen my fair share of stories documenting this level and journey since completion, but this was one of the most well put together ones. Didn't even know this was in the works, but thanks for covering!
Edit: Unsurprisingly observing an abundance of comments on this video from people that somehow fail to realize that this is a short documentary exclusively about my time with this level, and not a documentary about my life as a whole. It is somewhat amusing to see people consistently outing themselves for their inability to mentally extrapolate a large number of hours over a long period of time and see that this was not remotely close to some sort of 24/7 endeavor. A lot of time accumulates over a 7-year span, but on a day-to-day basis, the hours are far from out of the ordinary. Not to mention the fact that I didn't even play it every single day to begin with. It's even more amusing to see people take their inaccurate assumptions and run so wild with them to angrily comment about their imaginary depictions of me. Get some help for yourselves before you worry about getting help for the fake version of me you created.
Thank you to those of you though that have left comments and replies in support and lighthearted bewilderment. I find it surprising to still be getting them years later, but they're always endearing to read, and despite the rudeness of others, it's fulfilling to know that the average person is much kinder. Happy to know I've been able to inspire others and be a source of motivation, but I really was just a guy with a hobby doing exactly what he wanted to do. And I would do it all over again.
You're a legend man.
Thanks for the kind words, and for the fun stream memories as well! I'm glad the video was able to do your story justice
owo
you're genuinely a goat
@calvinlittle7uwu
The silent clubstep parallels peaked my interest
Same
where were them?
@ChimmeyGMDit more reminds me of doggie with grief, playing a hard ass level for 500 hours going "this is to easy" buffing it playing 500 more hours "this is free" ect
👀
@RipPozy yh i thought of both but though it better matched silent clubstep due to the completion time grief has only been out for 2 years hopefully this isnt any forshadowing!
god imagine he got this thing uploaded on the final day in the final hour. watching team 0% go ham on this would have been crazy. Still a level taking 7 years to upload is fucking nuts.
Moral of the story: always put a level editor in your game
I was there when he finished his run. After starting to watch after 800 hours, I was hooked and followed his progress until he was able to complete and upload. Insane amounts of focus and almost perfect button presses the entire run is just purely insane and would've had me quit the level within the first 20 seconds.
ChainChompBraden is above the rest with his commitment to uploading this level.
This dude is literally the Sisyphus of super Mario maker.
13:17 lilkirbs in the chat going absolutely insane waiting for this dude to drop the level so he can beat it in 3 days
32:58 lowkey wouldve been really funny to put the smw death sound at that moment alongside stopping the music
p good video
I think everything going silent and then mario falling from the top of the screen with that expression is a lot more funny
@divisionn6380 trhere were so many opportunities to add silly sfx lowkey
I think this was more than a game, it was his safe spot and deep inside I don't think he wanted to beat it?
one thing that makes this somewhat of a letdown is without anyone else to play it, there's no way to know how hard it really was
I mean... Isn't it as easy as just showing the layout, so people can reproduce it on their own game?
It's just harder to have to set it all up yourself, is all.
New fear unlocked great vid guys
Could God create a burrito so hot that he himself could not eat it? No, as it turns out.
Now this is what our English teachers were talking about when they went over man vs self
Oh man I was so excited for him to make it...and then I saw I was only at 21:49 and had a while to go
I watch the TOD video every once in awhile, really is a testament to the will of human beings
7:25 bro predicted the future
The one time I was right about something
@MarpfieOh my god it is you!
@Marpfie it’s been 9 years, I hope you are doing great in life now
@DLJump-g5itbh I would love to go back 9 years lol
@Marpfie at least im still a minor?
amazing video my friend, thank yoy
These levels feel like crystalized mental illness.
Cool video ! It's nice to see that new documentaries on TOD are still being made.
15:20 seriously thought you were rickrolling.
Me too.. The way I side-eyed my phone screen 💀
Superb documentary
He increased the difficulty to maximum and then he beat the game. That's awesome. So happy it happened.
3:08 i see u listening to that peak slayr
Slayr make NPC music
That's crazy. We breath the same air in, but those people are on another level.
Was waiting for a great video about this level like this
Awesome video , love the way you communicate and illustrate the more subtle aspects of the level grind as it can be easy for your viewer to not rly understand the difficulty of the challenges faced. Also love the way you portrayed his grappling with himself as the challenger and the builder.
Awesome video, hope it blows up
thanks ❤
Incredible video fitting for such an incredible story. The quick shifting edits to show the old version ToD compared to what it ended up being by the end was SUCH a cool effect!! Bravo!!
Definitely my favorite video I've seen covering this level. Several makers in the community have had hundred+ hour grinds on a single level, testing their limits to the max, to deliver their magnum opus (Failstream, GoSeigen, Aqua, Choco, Ark (Itzy), but this one will definitely top the list.
Despite Ahoyoo not clearing his level, he still deserves a spot in my list. Hundreds of people watched his grinds too and both him and Braden would both be working on their level upload as his level also was years in progress. If he had legitimately cleared his level, he would have easily been #2 on that list.
Excellent video dude. Definitely worth a hype.
Big ups to the main man for committing and following through. GOAT things.
11:07 What an awesome remix of the Bubble Man music.
I think it's Metal Man but I also thought it was an awesome remix!
@cskirb2 You’re right. I don’t know why I wrote bubble man.
i think that if he were to complete this before the servers shut down, every member of team 0% would’ve been vaporized in an instant
No, it was beaten by ノノノNorway in 50 hours using an unintended shortcut. (And even without the shortcut, it was beaten in a couple hundred hours by JCTheChamp.)
If anyone at Nintendo had a single brain cell. They would make this level available to everyone.
Oh my goodness I was in the video.
were you one of the losers in his chat acting like you accomplished something in life by watching a stranger beat 1 level in a video game?
@itchiegames no a tweet of mine appeared at 25:43 but I’m glad he didn’t take my advice now.
@itchiegameswhy so hostile 😭
Moral of the story sometimes perfection in one’s creation is the inevitable downfall
You cant tell me levels like this aren't created by serial killers
That's some next level dedication holy
"Until this happened" proceeds to fail... again
Oops, another buffs
slight summoning salt vibes.
“Then THIS happened”
Yeah, develop your own identity.
This video seems like it was made with love. Great stuff
"Oh... Yea... Okay... By the time you finish this level the servers are going to be offline :D" feels like Marpfie was placing a curse on Braden in that moment in retrospect.
Wow, this level makes Trimming the Herbs look baby easy.
If i had 1% of his determination i would be the second most determined person that walked on earth.
Would've been nice if Nintendo made an exception to upload Trials of Death, even though it was past that date.
This guy may be the most patient human been to ever exist
Shed a manly tear at the end
Fantastic video! I’ve never seen such a cinematic video of Mario maker before, that was dope
im so glad i saw it happen live, ts was so tuff boi
The personal attachement I felt when watching this video was incredible, so when it ended I felt empty. Thus, I can't begin to imagine what they actually felt in the moment it was actually finally done
I appreciate actually taking the time to dissect what makes the level difficult and its changes over time, instead of defaulting to "ALL OF THIS IS FRAME PERFECT, WOW!"
Well guess I'll be searching for that final complete run, right about now.
You know you're legit when lilkirbs is in the chat watching you
now that was a great video
The commitment, dedication and relentless pursuit of a dream by this young man is absolutely beyond comprehension. No one can complain about anything being too hard or taking too long to this young man.
This shit feels like summoning salt in his prime and you're telling me its under 2k views? RUclips do your thing gawddam
It's only one day old from a very small channel. The algorithm doesn't care what the video is about or the quality just the numbers.
Summoning salt sucks lately
@hunpty-k3ono, he just went through a lawsuit that he lost (got to mess you up) he needs to refind that spark
@brianluisi7616ok, yes I only noticed the music changed and also his voice.
@brianluisi7616 SummoningSalt lost a lawsuit? To who?
Thanks for this story - crazy determination - cheers.
This is what peak dedication looks like 🔥
facts
no peak dedication is somebody dedicating themselves to something worthwhile and achieving it.
this is peak unemployment.
Bro this is so much like Doggy trying to beat Grief from Geometry Dash except not giving up and somehow even more determined
Too bad poor little timmy never got his chance to one shot it 😂
Insane Mario maker level legendary player.
Amazing video
One of the best level documentary's I have ever seen really well made
Your guys’s content is such high quality it’s actually mental 😭 keep it up❤
Fantastic job covering Braden's journey.
Sad i missed the final run.
Why aint yt pushing this vid, this is a masterpiece
immaculate music choices
Great video. Love the attention to detail 🔥
Thanks for the kind words ✌
My eyes started sweating when he finally did it
this dude had to be insane. this journey will never leave him. I wonder how much mario will affect his everyday life years ahead, that itself might be a nightmare but it would sure haunt him if he never completed it.
That's the big problem when someone becomes obsessed with achieving something that is so final. There's no next stage of the journey or even anything that remains to impact the rest of his life in a positive way. I imagine it was much more of a hollow and empty set of emotions he went through when he finally beat it, rather than any overwhelming joy or satisfaction. That seemed to be instant too from his response in chat. It's also very likely come at a far greater cost to the rest of his life than most people would consider too. Committing so much time to a task like this does not sit well in the general Japanese culture. It would have greatly diminished his career potential and his appeal as a romantic partner.
@jakecooper5855 You're making a lot of assumptions built solely upon other assumptions. I'm doing absolutely fine for myself, as I was during the whole process. This video is a dive into a singular hobby I put a little bit of time towards each day. A little bit of time that undeniably compiled into a lot of time. But only when you try to encapsulate it all under a single lens. I'm aware the element of long perseverance makes for a unique tale that draws people in, but too often do people come to the conclusion that this was some sort of life consuming battle. Not only was this merely a pastime, it was a pastime that was able to coexist alongside obligations, not to mention other pastimes. Something most people can relate to more than they realize. And for the record, I was very satisfied with its completion.
@ChainChompBraden The video had already been posted for 2 days, and you found and responded to my REPLY to a comment less than 1 hour after I made it. I have never experienced a person prove my point any more emphatically than what you have just done here. It's been nearly 3.5 years since you finished the level and you're still consumed by it.
@jakecooper5855 "checkmate, you showed up in the comment section of a video someone made about you and replied to a comment someone made about you." Not sure why your immediate instinct upon me correcting your perception is to get embarrassed and try and double down while ignoring everything I actually stated. I'll humor your attempt to save face anyway. The other day I was informed of this video and got to see it while it only had a thousand or so views. Found it to be put together quite well, and came back to check on it and see how it was doing, as well as having the natural instinct to read through comments. In other words, utterly consumed.
@jakecooper5855 why tf are you bringing up Japanese culture outta left field 😭
Even watching this, I was saying 'god damn finish the thing"
It feels like a cosmic injustice that no-one else can ever play this level. There has to be a way!
There is an editor preview of the level which has allowed for others such as jc the champ to recreate and beat the level
"Ah shit, after 200 days I almost made it to the end, I better add a few more shell jumps"
What the heck, this is some serious IRL shonen
Amazing.
I remember watching him on twitch trying over and over to beat it. I can’t believe this. I’m so happy he did it.
So stoked to see this video and so well done 🔥🔥
Legit Nintendo would gain extra legend points if they opened the servers just once to let him upload
Really cool documentary!
incredible video
This is super cool, I didnt know that this even existed.
Really enjoyed this! Great work!
Feels like watching a geometrydash documentary ngl
That was exhausting to watch 😂😂😂
The end really made me emotional. What an awesome video
This reminds me a lot of doggie and grief
crazy how he would have uploaded the level like 20 times if the last jump was just different lol
Beautiful video for an incredible story!
that was absolutely incredible.............................................................................................................................wow