Escaping from Chuckya's Grasp

I explain how to escape from chuckya’s grasp. This is a feature that the programmers deliberately put into the game, but they didn’t actually explain anywhere. Consequently, this feature isn’t very well known, and so I figured I’d make a video explaining it in detail.
Here’s a summary: Chuckya has a counter that starts at 0 when he grabs Mario. Once chuckya starts rotating, we can increase this counter using certain controller inputs. If we manage to increase this counter to 11 before chuckya starts the throw, then we break free. There are two controller inputs that increment the counter, which are (1) pressing A, and (2) moving the control stick from the center (magnitude less than 30) to the outside (magnitude greater than 40). Also, this same feature is available when being grabbed by King Bob-omb.
Thanks to Peter Fedak for looking into the code and explaining to me exactly how this escape feature works.
Additional Notes
(1) I said that chuckya can rotate anywhere from 12 to 41 frames. This is how long chuckya will naturally rotate, but in practice he can rotate slightly more than this. Specifically, if chuckya's next to a wall or out of bounds and his natural rotation would have ended with him facing it, then he’ll deliberately keep rotating until he’s no longer facing it.
(2) I said that using solely the A button takes 21 frames to break free from chuckya’s grasp. However, we can actually use pause buffering in combination with the A button to escape in 11 in-game frames, which would be 41 total frames. Therefore, it actually would always be possible to escape from chuckya’s grasp using the A button with pause buffering. Note that we can’t use pause buffering to do this with the control stick method, since the corresponding boolean variable doesn’t update during pauses.

[@SimpleFlips]

Everyone told me joystick didn't matter but I escaped all the time!! Victory!!

[@GeminiSaint1]

Shoutouts to you!

[@xXSchimpXx]

but can you escape gay baby jail, too?

[@BrianM180]

SimpleFlips *P U S S Y*

[@boo24998]

I was going to link you this

[@jarretttorres1733]

Shoutouts to SimpleFlips

[@AndrewChumKaser]

Whats clever about this in terms of the design is that it's meant to facilitate the mad scrambling of the controls a player would naturally do if they were stuck/grabbed. Nintendo saw right into that shit, way back in the 90's. Its incredible when you think about it.

[@cetitanenthusiast776]

Andrew Kaser Pannen's videos have shown just how much thought went into this game. It also shows how the developers were only human. A lot of game devs today could learn a lot from these examples.

[@MrSpookersMcGeeThe1st]

Mario 64 has a surprising amount of depth. Certainly more than I ever realized back when I was a kid. I mean, it took Pancake several minutes just to explain how blinking works in this game, for Christ's sake. It's amazing, really.

[@zvorakzekrom]

They do that a lot in Kirby

[@huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhn]

nah they just want you to ruin your controllers so you have to buy new ones, that's why they put this mechanic in smashbros too. I swear a joycon stick doesnt last more than 4 months

[@SpeedrunFails]

11 A PRESSES? MY EYES!

[@mrdoognoog]

Speedrun Fails. And 11 likes too

[@melon4991]

Fitting profile picture

[@Trexrush1]

mrdoognoog oh hi, didnt think i'd see you here

[@ryanasaurus0077]

Ohhhh... oof. *Bowser laughs as the picture irises out*

[@txqea9817]

oh no

[@WannabeMarysue]

The ending of this video is a powerful parable on how we can escape Chuckya, but never escape the reaper.

[@KiraSlith]

MARY SUE Don't fear the Reaper.

[@disctr4k69]

MortifiedDumplin FEAR ME!

[@SuperNintendawg]

deep shit

[@Cactuardude]

@@disctr4k69 no

[@RaymanRocks822]

Kind of funny that someone with your profile pic said this.

[@Pimpeaux]

It's incredible to me that I can still learn new things about vanilla Mario 64 even after all the internet has put me through.

[@spoopster809]

WAA OOF WAA OOF WAA OOF

[@doshile]

sp00pst3r waaah

[@leusmurphy]

Doshile *O O F*

[@GewelReal]

wah? wahrio?

[@spindash64]

Gewel OOFIGI

[@Intikus]

No Its: OFF WAA OFF OFF WAA OFF OFF WAA OFF

[@Yowesephth]

10 wiggly jigglies is not enough 11 wiggly jigglies will lead you to salvation

[@janehuskmann1914]

It's ridiculous, it's not even funny!

[@DKoldies_CEO_Drew_Scumbag]

Yowesephth Sorry Mario, but you need 11 wiggles to live. Mario: Mama fuckin-mia

[@ferdinandroig3460]

Wait... _Are you whom I think you are?_

[@1HomuLeo1]

the one non-fighting non-beat em up game where i dont instinctively mash every button to get out of a grab despite knowing it doesnt work is the one where that actually works amazing

[@spootot]

How am I still learning about this game

[@EpicLPer]

spoot No replies yet top comment? Have mine.

[@Lv5whatever]

Because Pannenkoek still wishes to share his vast knowledge of SM64 with us.

[@EnjoyGames_]

:0

[@dumdum7786]

Lmao I've been playing this game since I was a little fucker and I never knew this.

[@Burdboy14]

I don’t know

[@voltekka47]

I'm going to guess that the reason this isn't explained in the game is because the developers assumed most kids would instinctively mash like crazy when Chuckya grabs them.

[@SonikkuAtrue]

ChillTerumi That is true though Nowadays people don't bother experimenting

[@ryanbradley248]

All those kids this game was initially intended for are all adults now. So weird

[@yech3461]

also 11 a presses in 2/5 of a second (12 frames) doesn't sound possible at all for humans

[@Starwort]

@@yech3461 you can't perform 11 a presses in 12 frames anyway, it'd be at most 2 without pause buffering

[@Starwort]

@Glowkitten_YT not only did I not respond to you, *the game will not count the presses as different* so it is not possible to press a 11 times in 12 frames without pause buffering

[@boynextdoorman]

Knowing this could have saved me from many cheap deaths. That darn thing used to catch me off guard big time.

[@KiraSlith]

Boy Next Door ditto, who knew we could escape by mashing A really fast?

[@Deathninja5551]

I did it with the big bomb-omb. What’s not to do it here too?

[@ddnava96]

At the end of this video you can clearly see sometimes you can't always escape a cheap death…

[@DashRetro]

I love how the very end shows Mario escaping but still dying. Nice touch!

[@kyle_bearr]

Pannen You are scientifically explaining the benefits of button mashing At what point have we gone too far

[@nandinmaster]

Pannen would never tell us to press A. Truly, this is the darkest timeline.

[@squiddler7731]

Not just that, he's scientifically explaining the most efficient technique to button mash.

[@MrSpookersMcGeeThe1st]

You fool, button mashing has always been the most powerful strategy. I would know: I have seizures every time I play video games, and I always win.

[@zvorakzekrom]

Ew furry

[@Ze_eT]

I think there's a lot of benefits to button mashing. Source: dfsdhjgdsghjdfghdshfjkadscgbdcyjkbghdmnfgjdsgfjkasdhiuglvkfadhbkjgfadhjkgbfkdjhgbkjfdnbh jtgkzbfnbehklmghbfdjkhgijobfdrbhioudshtiujkdsghbjsd

[@Brain-washed2]

You just saved many upcoming speedrunners PB's with this video

[@scottpilgrimpwns]

Imagine being the person who worked on this game and just thought it would be a fun little game for the family then finding this guy studying it like quantum fucking physics.

[@eltiolavara9]

i would be like hell yeah

[@huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhn]

Well there are some interesting details to this game that a lot of other games fail to implement, but the details make games more believable even if it is just about random blinking intervals of characters

[@codieb5612]

I had no idea this was even possible until watching Simpleflips. And I've played HUNDREDS of hours of Mario 64 hacks. This would've saved my life so many times

[@oledakaajel]

*Insert meme here*

[@ryanofarrell186]

Shoutouts to pannenkoek2012

[@BlueRiging]

Put on the red lights? 100 Ways to love a cat? 1 2 Halation? Oh boy.

[@garfieldandfriends1]

simpleout to shoutflips

[@TheLastScoot]

Shoutouts to simpleflips?

[@ArcadeTheatre]

This is basically what happens: 1) Chuckya grabs Mario 2) Mario whips out a piece of scratch paper and begins to *furiously* do math 3) Disgusted that he touched a nerd, the Chuckya drops Mario

[@HeyKevinYT]

Sometimes Chuckya throws him out

[@herotehdude]

**WAAA- OOF**

[@alexanderm5728]

I was mid-word writing an essay when this notification popped up. Needless to say, the rest of the word can wait.

[@raydarable]

Alexander M What was the word?

[@alexanderm5728]

If you're curious, it was "primary".

[@an_annoying_cat]

I really love this style of video. I wish pannen would examine the entire N64 hardware and explain how it works, like how he explained how the joystick worked this this video.

[@Ultimaximus]

Wow, I never knew this! Yeah, I know you'll often show us subtle technicalities that result from the game's mechanics or coding, but this is an explicitly programmed behaviour that's intended to be a proper real functionality, so I'm quite surprised and impressed to learn about this

[@SpartanMJO12]

See they're called chuckyas because they chuck ya

[@HeyKevinYT]

Chuck you

[@Preinstallable]

Kevin vs. Gamingz little chuckers

[@NintenGunner]

I’m a chuckster!

[@padacuw4722]

So we finally found a use for releasing the A button. wow

[@kebien6020]

I think in this case is also the pressing the one that increments the counter, not the release

[@padacuw4722]

No look at 3:47 its realeasing it that does it

[@HyLion]

We're reaching our dreams!! Next we got to find a way to make enemies go trought doors and... you know what comes next!

[@stardustreverie9737]

But red means pressed and he highlighted the red ones.

[@masicbemester]

Smug Knuckles Scuttlebug Jamboree is the 🅱est 🅰ctor.

[@lcboyle52]

Could you pause buffer the A button?

[@Sponsie1000]

Read the description :[

[@lcboyle52]

oh thanks

[@Lugmillord]

Thanks! I was wondering about this. It's the gameplay feature hardly anyone knows. I only found out about it like a year ago, but didn't really know what you needed to do. Very helpful!

[@DanieleGiorgino]

This is so cool. 20 years this game has been out and I'm still learning new stuff about it. Thanks for keeping it alive man.

[@Cheefoo124]

This is the first time I've seen Pannenkoek acknowledge the existence of RTA, or by extension, a regard for any kind of human feasibility.

[@dramaticexit5437]

Huh. I always wondered how the control stick inputs work. Thanks a million, Pannen.

[@ramonaonodera9785]

I'm glad you expounded on this after I saw you mentioned it in an earlier video's description. Great video!

[@davidmarquez5720]

Pannen, you are a beautiful man! I hope you know that your work really is enjoyed everywhere. Like golly! The minute discoveries you make, make all the world of difference. Incredible! *in SSB1 voice*

[@YoWuzUp]

most of the discoveries pannen talks about aren't his discoveries...

[@seelad]

Got to say, I appreciate you giving enough time to actually read the text.

[@loneeevee]

Something all of us wanted.

[@NitsuaGamer]

This game came out in 1996 and we're still learning a lot from it!

[@CCSABCD]

Now escape from Chuckya's grasp 0 A presses no joystick allowed.

[@kyazarshadala8114]

that's easy, just reset the game

[@KirbyMario12345_939]

Or let him throw you. He doesn't hold you forever and softlock the game, so there's that.

[@lostskull7467]

Can you even confront a Chukya 0 A presses no joystick?

[@Trexrush1]

lostskull7467 first we need to talk about parralell universes

[@Flashdog97]

*0.5 A press

[@Nattegoya]

Very good video Pannen. It's always a pleasure to learn about secrets in my favorite games.

[@LukieLuke5]

That ending got me tho.

[@unicornwithnohorn6230]

Really liked the controller in this one, keep up the great work!

[@SteebThe]

I never knew this! This is very useful information!

[@arbitrarycake2212]

I am simple man. I see pancake, I watch.

[@garfieldandfriends1]

simpleflips

[@disctr4k69]

I knew this was a thing, I just didn't know how to do it. Thanks!

[@MadCatNobody]

it's so weird how little known this is (including to me) considering that most of the time when something like this happens in a game, the player's first instinct is to mash all the buttons.

[@MinimiB2000]

If only I knew this back in the 64 days.

[@rexpro02]

Best videos on the internet!! thanks!

[@roxaszy984]

Oh hell yeah thanks. Your videos are awesome.

[@DNVIC]

YES FINALLY I KNEW ABOUT THIS BUT HAD NO IDEA HOW TO DO IT!

[@Hiandbye95]

Surely this video holds the record for most A presses in a Pannenkoek video.

[@ZePlotArmor]

Hiandbye95 *cough* CCC challenge *cough*

[@__-wq3rm]

Of course non-ABC video has more A-press than any ABC video. You didn't see CCC challenge, infinte coin challenge and no joystick challenge.

[@TheSkypetube]

This is the most useful thing yet

[@Tsaukpaetra]

That's freaking amazing!

[@critterisgrey]

this changed my life

[@billzoaiken]

From the description: "Specifically, if chuckya's next to a wall or out of bounds and his natural rotation would have ended with him facing it, then he’ll deliberately keep rotating until he’s no longer facing it." So are there any natural positions in the game we can get the chuckya into where he will never stop spinning around in circles until we escape free using this technique?

[@YoWuzUp]

I doubt it. If you have access to chuckyas, the most walls you'll have that close around you at once is 3, if that. And it's not likely you'll be close to Out Of Bounds, and multiple walls. This may not be the case for rom-hacks, but the original game won't have that.

[@JayCeeCreates]

Pannenkoek: Breaking SM64 limits since 2009

[@succ..eggssquilliam2298]

FIRMLY GRASP IT

[@MegamikazeMoriko]

you can escape from chuckya *BUT YOU CAN'T ESCAPE FROM CHUCKYA NORRIS!!!!!*

[@unspeci8852]

How is Chuckya's rotation determined? I assume it's either something dependent on the RNG when Mario is picked up, or Chucka continues to rotate until the RNG is favorable, like a Bob-Omb's blinking.

[@JediJess1]

thanks for this video! I've wanted to know this since I've seen SimpleFlips do this

[@TheAmbientWarrior]

Actually figured this out as a kid by trying the Re-Dead method of button mashing like there's no tomorrow.

[@MrBeanBag]

Escaping from chuckya’s grab? Possible. Escaping from the grasp i have on your videos? Not Edit: pannen using A Presses? I refuse to believe

[@ilikecircles5241]

Mr. Bean Bag if you had 11 a buttons you could do it in 5.5 A presses

[@Lizuma]

I had no idea that was possible until now!

[@spudsbuchlaw]

The amount of polish is incredible.

[@abandonedchannel1290]

When I was a very little kid, I would purposely get grabbed by chuckya because I thought he was giving mario a hug or something

[@boo24998]

that last example cracked me up very much

[@porygonlover322]

well you forced me to relearn what the hell a hypotenuse is since id forgotten in the years since high school, thanks

[@ltlynx77]

Very interesting! I didn't know anything of this :o

[@FatMan2539]

So THAT'S why I sometimes had chuckya "throw me way shorter than usual"

[@Varooooooom]

I imagine the developers testrunning this game and spamming joystick/A inputs to get out of Chuckya's grip and being like ".......let's reward them for that."

[@SuperAWaC]

>map of control stick comes up mm yeah this is what i've been waiting for

[@dootdoot6130]

Pancake man!

[@masicbemester]

Doot Doot Uncommented Pancake

[@ShaunDreclin]

Til a new mechanic in a game I've been playing for 20 years

[@jj-cz3rq]

nice visuals bro

[@Pennaz]

Wow... I've never really thought about mashing the A button to escape its grasp! Fantastic video as always, helpful for pr0s but also normies like me!

[@Princess_Leaf]

That sound when Mario is grabbed is so epic xD

[@MagnusXL]

I actually figured this out as a kid. I was trained by certain fighting games, so mashing to escape grabs was natural to me. lol

[@gapplssb]

Huh *U LUCKY*

[@xluck3y47]

Pannen, would there ever be a possibility of doing yearly/ half a year updates on remaining a presses? since alot of methods in the few youve done (eg methods and courses that demand a presses) are obsolete. (also I loved this video, never knew about this)

[@Henry00]

Love the ending

[@AWISECROW]

0:59 lol It almost feels like a meme when pannens videos go from fairly simple to super complex and technical at the drop of a hat.

[@WhimsicottFanatic]

Man, I miss Chuckyas I always found it interesting how a branch of Bob-ombs traded their explosive capabilities for strength and the ability to send Mario sailing I just wish they'd show up in more games nowadays, maybe being able to not only chuck Mario, but also their explosive cousins

[@Blucario90]

I predicted this video would happen on a FramePerfection livestream

[@shapeless628]

Question. Would moving the control stick from side to side (i.e., from all the way to the left to all the way to the right) work?

[@speeddemon1092]

"Two method which to do this: Press A" Correction, there is ONE method which to do it and that is move the control stick. Pressing A is heresy.

[@oledakaajel]

Can you do a video about jumping? You probably know a lot about it (contrary to popular belief) and I don't.

[@YoWuzUp]

Seeing this comment on this channel is hilarious

[@DebugCat]

hmm... could you pause buffer and press the control stick out on only the unpaused frames to get a consistent 0x a press escape method?

[@RagdollArtwork]

Years of mashing out of grabs in Smash Bros has trained me for this moment.

[@kazatraw707]

It's like knowing you could kill the shark in Banjo-Kazooie: it's great! There are a lot of shadowed parts of game like this that really can be useful.

[@vaprin2019]

well done

[@ademkarakaya834]

Thank you!

[@TheXppp1]

I wonder if they implemented this in the DS version

[@SonikkuAtrue]

Xppp1 Maybe

[@FireSonicYT]

they probably did.

[@HeyKevinYT]

try

[@R1ch4rd_N1x0n]

No. It does not work on the DS remake.

[@terminusest9179]

Now all speed runners will say "credit to panned for this strat"

[@ToriningenGames]

Once again, interlacing saves the day!

[@cyndaquilpikachu6603]

I watched the whole video :D

[@billsmathers7787]

How does the RNG for the number of frames chuckya waits before throwing work? Is the RNG value just taken modulo 30 and 12 added?

[@estebson]

Could you theoretically pause buffer in order to get in 11 A presses in 11 frames?

[@F0nkyNinja]

5:46 this animation is so satisfying.

[@over00lordunknown12]

Damn it Pannen, stop distracting me from my homework... XD I can't do my homework AND read your video at the same time.. XD :)

[@NonTwinBrothers]

Escaping from the pain

[@samuelmitschele-dauenhauer2984]

Can somebody just give this man a doctorate in Mario 64? He's definitely earned it

[@ItsYee64]

its like teaching your kids (your viewers) how to escape a strangers grab

[@maxwellandrews509]

Pannen I hope you read this, memes aside I think a lot of us in the community owe you our gratitude and respect. You have consistently proven to possess an understanding of this game the rest of us could only imagine having. Thanks for the years of content and I really do hope you eventually come back to your other channel with more longform Mario 64 videos. Do you play anything else? have you deconstructed any other games to this level? Thanks again.

[@thomaslocke5626]

"Getting grabbed by chuckya is usually undesirable." Time to look for beneficial chuckya positions

[@__-wq3rm]

Yes, you need chuckya to throw you upwards in ABC challenge. But he isn't talking about that.

[@Ambidextroid]

Thank you pannen :)

[@orangy57]

how did so many people not realize this? every time I got grabbed by a Chuckya I'd spam the shit out of my inputs and sometimes he'd drop me

[@devilishjester7718]

"Since he can throw Mario off ledges ane even into death" Chuckya: DIE MONSTER! YOU DON'T BELONG IN THIS WORLD!