Wallkicks
Getting the timing for this wallkick in 8-1 can be tough but optimally saves 11 frames over running right.
Wallkicking is one of the main ways we get to max speed quickly in this game. It is the fastest way to go from zero to max speed if you are near enough to a wall. When doing a wallkick, make it as small as possible (press 2 for as short as the situation permits). The smaller the wallkick, the faster you will accelerate! Wallkicking instantly sets Mario’s speed to ~2.25.
Wallkicking is also extremely fast for vertical climbing. Keep in mind, in order to wallkick:
1) You must be a certain height above the ground.
2) You must be near the peak of a propeller spin.
There are a couple special types of wallkicks you should be aware of.
Fire/Ice Wallkicks
If you have fire, ice, or penguin, shoot fire/ice as you wallkick and you will get an acceleration boost.
Shooting a projectile gives you an acceleration boost in the direction you are holding on the dpad, which makes one-sided wallkicks possible.
One-Sided Wallkicks
To one-sided wallkick:
1) Wallkick, holding the direction facing the wall. Hold this direction the entire time.
2) Shoot fire/ice immediately.
3) Twirl at the peak of your wallkick.
4) You will return to the same wall at a higher point. Repeat.
This is done in 6-5 in the optimal Any% No World 5 route.
LCKs
An “LCK” or *Lachurs Clip-Kick” is a trick that is done to “clip” into a corner and wallick off the wall on the other side. This is an advanced trick not really worth applying in runs until the intermediate/expert level.
Hitting LCK first try in 3-Castle saves over 30 seconds over not attempting it.
The trick is a bit hard to understand at first but the inputs are mostly intuitive:
1) With speed, crouch jump into a corner, aiming to bonk Mario’s head on the last block of the ceiling.
2) As you hit the ceiling, uncrouch by releasing DOWN.
3) Immediately hold the direction facing the wall.
4) Press 2 to wallkick.
Look at the example’s input display and practice to get a feel for this trick.
Now that we’ve looked at the many applications of wallkicks, we’ll explain how to deal with slopes.