Highlights
- Super Mario 64 fans have finally opened the “unopenable” door after nearly 30 years.
- A YouTuber shared the method to open the cabin door in Cool, Cool Mountain without using ROM mods.
- Unlocking the cabin door doesn’t offer real benefits, just a complex way to access mandatory game section, but it’s still a fun discovery.
A Super Mario 64 fan has found a way to open the one-way cabin door in the Cool, Cool Mountain without any mods or hacks. As Super Mario 64 nears its 30th anniversary, gamers worldwide continue to explore its secrets and discover new exploits in the game’s enduring code. And one fan seems to be making impressive progress in that area.
Super Mario 64′s secret Stars and hidden doors are well known to veteran players. After all, this Nintendo classic has been full of Easter Eggs since its launch. Interestingly, doors have often been the key to finding many of these out-of-sight features. However, one particular door has puzzled fans since 1996 because it seemed impossible to open. In the Snow World region, near the Mother Penguin’s home, there is a wooden cabin that links the slide area to the mountain. The problem with this door is that it has a doorknob only on the inside and cannot be opened from the outside. At least, that’s what gamers believed to be the case for the past 29 years.
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YouTuber Pannenkoek2012 released a video showing how to open the previously unopenable door in the Cool, Cool Mountain without any Super Mario 64 ROM modifications. They explained how another player, who goes by Alexpalix1 on Discord, used the Mother Penguin exploit to start the process but added a crucial step: a timely turnaround. First, the player lures the Mother Penguin near the locked door by grabbing her baby. Then, they jump over her head, manipulating her hitbox to bypass the door’s invisible wall. Finally, before Mario hits the ground, they initiate a turnaround move, causing Mario to walk toward the door and open it.
Technically, this method works only because two movement codes overlap. When the player jumps over the Mother Penguin’s head, the free-fall animation activates. However, doing the turnaround move causes a well-known SM64 glitch in the air that overwrites this with the walking animation’s code, creating one frame of walking toward the door before landing. This happens because in Mario games, a turnaround move triggers an immediate walking animation, forcing the character to walk in the air.
What’s Behind the Unopenable Door in Super Mario 64?
While this technique is impressive, fans should know it offers no real benefits besides personal amusement. Unlocking the cabin door from the other side doesn’t save time or reveal any behind-the-scenes Super Mario 64 secrets. It’s just a complicated way to access an already mandatory section of the game.