Mouse Trap Hotel

"A unique platformer game that may be a little difficult"

Introduction:

The game Mouse Trap Hotel is made by Electro Brain in 1992. Originally released in the US, this game is a 2D platformer for the Nintendo Game Boy. The main character is a mouse named Maxie. The object of the game is to survive all the levels and to reach the penthouse of the hotel. To help achieve your goal, Maxie's primary weapon is his tail, which can be upgraded by picking up cookies.

Graphics: 7/10

For a Game Boy game, this game has graphics that are good for its time. The character is not blurry and is drawn quite well. Maxie's tail is portrayed accurately in terms of length depending on what power ups he possesses. Although backgrounds are somewhat repetitive as they are made from tiling the same design, never the less, they fit the location and do not look like they were just thrown in. For the enemies, they boast enough detail for the gamer to know what they are.

Gameplay: 7/10

As a 2D platformer, it has a decent amount of action. Some of the patterns that enemies come are quite predictable, which is good as it is possible to overcome them. For the most part, there is not too much repetition as all the levels are unique and feature their own level specific enemies and obstacles. In terms of difficulty, it may be hard for the novice player, but veteran gamers should be able to beat it while finding a satisfying challenge. In terms of originality, Mouse Trap Hotel does quite well as it does not follow the classic Mario style of defeating enemies. The levels are all different so repetition is avoided and the combat style is not seen in other games.

Sound: 5/10

The thing that this game lacks is probably sound. Sound effects are not exaggerated, as there are no loud explosions, which may turn off some gamers. Although the sound effects are not ear catching, they are realistic and suit the occasion well. For the background music, Mouse Trap Hotel has simple tunes that are somewhat catchy, but are not too memorable. As a result, this game does not excel too greatly in this category and gets an average mark.

Replay: 5/10

Although this game is quite fun the first time, it is probably not going to have a high replay value. For the novice gamer, seeing the frequent Game Over screen may turn them off. The most damaging factor to the replay value is the difficulty. Novice gamers would probably give up quickly as this game is quite difficult. As a result, Mouse Trap Hotel receives an average mark in this category.

Other Comments:

Overall, this game is not too bad. In terms of buying or renting this game, it is probably better to rent it as it may turn off the new player. Since this game is somewhat difficult, some players may think that it is too hard and give up on it. Because of this fact, it may be better to rent this game instead of buying it in case it is too hard. As of today, buying this game is probably going to be quite difficult as it is very old. If I were to buy it again, I would probably look for it at a garage sale and probably would not pay more than $5 for it.

June 21, 2006

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 06/21/06