Noki Doki | RTA-Viable Gelato Beach Skip – 0x A Presses [S/H] @NokiDoki | Uploaded September 2017 | Updated October 2024, 32 minutes ago.
I collect the Gelato 8 Shine in Gelato 1 without pressing the A button, using only the Spray and Hover Nozzles. The setup is new, but SBlectric already showed that GBS was possible under these same constraints: youtube.com/watch?v=OFvtOYz76BM

Although some of the optimal ABC strats are definitely TAS-only (like Pianta 3 0x or Sirena 2 4x), Mathgeek came up with the idea of low-A-press RTA runs, that would have to be completed under a certain number of A presses (for example, 50x for any%, not counting save prompts or Shine selects). GBS would be a big issue in such a run, for two reasons:
1) The Cataquack we lure to the hut dies while returning to its home, limiting the number of attempts to 11 (1 per blue Cataquack).
2) There was no proper setup, making each attempt a lot harder than in normal runs.

Though we still can’t get infinite attempts without A, there is now a consistent setup!
Step 1: Get tossed by a Cataquack near the hut
Step 2: Press L in mid-air
Step 3: Once the camera stops behind Mario, hold down on the control stick and try to land behind the juicer (without falling off the roof)
Step 4: Adjust your position by sidestepping or walking forward

There is a variant to that setup, that lets you perform the clip on the front side of the hut as usual. To do so, land before the juicer instead of going over it, push the control stick down very slightly until Mario faces the camera, move the camera to the left and press L.

So how does it work? Well, you may have noticed that when tossed by a Cataquack, Mario often faces a different direction than before the toss. It turns out that the direction Cataquacks make Mario face is always the same, and it’s the exact opposite of the angle used for the normal GBS setup. Which makes it perfect to do GBS on the opposite side of the roof!

However you can change that angle (by unnoticeable amounts) with the control stick during the toss, which is why you need to press L, and go straight down once the camera is in the right place. You also can’t just land on the roof without touching the stick, because the toss resets your horizontal speed, meaning you’d move straight up and land exactly where you came from –on the ground.

This video is RTA, played on Dolphin 5.0 with the PAL version of the game.