Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Hotel Mario offers a deceptively simple core mechanic: closing all the doors on each level before enemies can sneak through and undo your progress. You navigate Mario (or Luigi in two-player mode) horizontally across hotel floors, pressing the “2” button to slam doors shut. While it might sound basic on paper, the game’s challenge comes from managing multiple doors, timing your movements precisely, and reacting quickly to enemy incursions.

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Beyond the staple door-closing action, Hotel Mario layers in power-ups that add strategic depth. Mushrooms grant you an extra hit point, turning what would be a one-hit defeat into a margin for error. Upgrading further to a fire flower enables you to dispatch certain enemies outright by pressing buttons “1” and “2” together. This mix of puzzle planning and light action keeps the gameplay loop engaging across the game’s many stages.

Each hotel (stage) is split into up to 10 levels, culminating in a face-off with one of Bowser’s Koopalings at the top floor. The ascending structure forces players to juggle stair navigation and door management simultaneously, providing a fresh twist on familiar platform-puzzle hybrids. When you finally close the last door at the summit, a brief FMV cutscene rewards your efforts before marching you off to the next creatively named hotel.

Graphics

The visual presentation in Hotel Mario is a curious blend of straightforward sprite work and colorful backgrounds. Mario and Luigi are rendered in bold reds and greens that pop against the pastel hotel interiors, making it easy to track their movements amidst the flurry of doors and enemies. While the characters lack the refined detail of console Mario titles, they retain enough charm to feel recognizably “Nintendo.”

Background designs lean into the hotel theme with whimsical, pun-laden names like Morton’s WoodDoor-Hysteria and Lemmy’s High-ate Regency. Each level’s backdrop features subtle touches—floral wallpaper, patterned carpeting, framed pictures—that flesh out the resort setting. Though repetitive after prolonged play, these visuals help differentiate one stage from the next, giving each hotel its own personality.

The game’s animated FMV cutscenes were a major selling point at the time and still stand out today. While rudimentary compared to modern standards, the CD-i clips offer an amusingly campy look at Mario’s quest, complete with quirky character animations. They may not win awards, but they inject moments of levity between the door-slamming action.

Story

Hotel Mario’s narrative setup is delightfully straightforward: Princess Toadstool invites Mario and Luigi for a picnic in the Mushroom Kingdom, only for the brothers to discover Bowser Koopa has usurped the realm and turned it into his personal resort. With the princess kidnapped once again, Mario and Luigi must trek through a series of hotels, shutting doors to thwart the Koopa hordes and reach the tyrant’s lair.

Each hotel stage represents a different corner of Bowser’s overhauled kingdom, from the brick-themed Roy’s HardBrick Hotel to the regal Bowser’s Seizures Palace. These punny monikers pepper the journey with lighthearted humor, contrasting nicely with the imminent threat of rescue. The simple “close the door to save the princess” premise keeps the focus firmly on gameplay rather than convoluted plot twists.

Though the story won’t win narrative awards, it serves its purpose admirably: setting clear objectives, providing context for each hotel environment, and delivering bite-sized FMV interludes that propel players forward. Fans of the Mario universe will appreciate the familiar characters and the tongue-in-cheek portrayal of Bowser’s resort ambitions.

Overall Experience

Hotel Mario is a niche gem for players who enjoy puzzle-and-reaction hybrids with a dash of 2D platforming. Its straightforward mechanics make it easy to pick up, while the escalating level design and strategic use of power-ups ensure that seasoned gamers still find a challenge. The door-closing concept is simple yet surprisingly addictive once you get into the rhythm of slamming portals shut under pressure.

However, its repetitive stages and the occasionally sluggish controls—particularly in two-player mode—may deter those looking for a deeper or more varied experience. The graphics and FMV sequences offer a nostalgic charm, but they do highlight the game’s CD-i origins, which some players might find dated compared to mainstream Mario outings.

All things considered, Hotel Mario carves out its own quirky space in the franchise catalog. It’s not a replacement for classic platformers like Super Mario Bros., but it provides a light, puzzle-focused diversion that’s perfect for short bursts of play. If you’re intrigued by arcade-style challenges and don’t mind a bit of pixelated nostalgia, Hotel Mario is worth checking into—just be ready to close a lot of doors.

Retro Replay Score

6.2/10