Mario is Missing! (Nintendo Entertainment System)

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Mario is Missing!
The box-art for Mario is Missing! (NES)
For alternate box art, see the game's gallery.
Developer The Software Toolworks
Radical Entertainment
Publisher The Software Toolworks (U.S.)
Mindscape (Europe)
Platform(s) Nintendo Entertainment System
Release date USA June 1993[1][2][3]
Europe October 1993[4]
Language(s) English (United States)
Genre Educational
Rating(s)
ESRB:K-A - Kids to Adults
Mode(s) Single player
Format
NES:
Game Pak
Input
NES:
Serial code(s) USA NES-MQ-USA
Europe NES-MQ-UKV

Mario is Missing! is a port of the DOS game of the same name released in June 1993.

Story[edit]

In his latest scheme, Bowser decides to flood the Earth with hairdryers from Hafta Havit Hairdryer Hotline Corp to melt Antarctica. In order to buy the hairdryers, Bowser has his Koopas travel all over the world and steal various important landmarks he plans to sell. Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi follow Bowser to Antarctica to stop him. However, Mario proceeds on his own and is captured by Bowser. A Koopa throws a bag over Mario as he is fuming about the game's title claiming he is missing as he walks through the ice and snow.

With Mario captured, Luigi finds himself faced with the task of returning all the stolen artifacts and saving both his brother and Earth. He bravely enters the castle, leaving Yoshi outside.

Story from console instruction booklet[edit]

Bowser's Plot[edit]

Oh no! Bowser and his bad boys are back to a life of crime. This time, it's not Mario World — it's your world! From his Antarctic castle, Bowser hustles his cold-blooded crew of cantankerous Koopas into his powerful Passcode Operated Remote Transport And Larceny System (PORTALS). The twisted turtles transport themselves throughout the globe, where celebrated cities suffer shell-shocking crime waves, as turtles trash landmarks and loot ancient artifacts. With dough from his slimy scales, Bowser hoards hair dryers from the Hafta-Havit Hotline. His plot? Melt Antarctica and flood the planet! Whoa!

Mario's Fate[edit]

Will the brave brothers from Brooklyn permit this abominable snow plan? The boys say "Not!" Mario, Luigi and Yoshi trek across ice and snow to shellac the shelled ones' schemes. But Bowser's slick; in one last trick, he takes the dearest thing of all...Mario is Missing!

Luigi's Mission[edit]

Luigi must stop the Koopas, foil Bowser's plan, and find Mario. Sneaking into each Portal, Luigi is transported to a city in trouble. There, Luigi needs to nab each Koopa, grab its loot, and return the artifact to its proper landmark. Along the way, Luigi explores the city, chats with the locals, reads maps, and solves puzzles. Help him do this before time runs out! Once he figures out where he is on the globe,

Luigi must use the Globulator to call Yoshi. Only after Yoshi scares Pokey away, can Luigi return to Bowser's castle and lock the Portal for that city.

Ending[edit]

Luigi and Bowser have a boss battle and "Bowser" turns out to be a normal Koopa in disguise, who turns the key to Mario's cell, freeing him.

Characters[edit]

Playable[edit]

Supporting[edit]

Antagonists[edit]

Gameplay[edit]

In each level, Luigi must retrieve several artifacts which were stolen by several Koopas within the city and return them to their rightful places. Luigi must jump on the Koopas to defeat them and reclaim the artifacts, which he then takes back to the landmarks they were stolen from. He must answer trivia questions about the landmarks before the Curators will take the wares back.

As well as returning the artifacts, Luigi must also deduce what city he is in so that he can use the Globulator and call Yoshi to his aid for double the walking and running speed. Without Yoshi, Luigi cannot finish the level, as the exit pipe is occupied by a Pokey.

Once Luigi has secured all the cities whose doors are located on a floor of the castle, Luigi must engage in a small boss battle with a Koopa. However, the bosses cannot hurt Luigi, and must be stomped on a certain number of times to be defeated in this and the SNES version. The console versions also differ in that the Koopas are not defeated when they are knocked about and forced to leave in an undignified manner, but rather a sound stomp with destroy them upon impact (including the shell).

Cities[edit]

First room
Second room
Third room
Fourth room
Fifth room
Sixth room
Seventh room;

Mistakes and errors[edit]

This section is under construction. Therefore, please excuse its informal appearance while it is being worked on. We hope to have it completed as soon as possible.

Although Mario is Missing! is intended to teach its players geographical facts, it contains numerous errors and oddities in its teaching material.

Globulator
Beijing
  • A boy states that China is the largest country in Asia, even though Russia has the most territory (without even including its territory in Europe).[5]
  • A reporter states that Beijing has been the capital of China for 800 years. However, the timeline does not work out: considering that Beijing was officially made the capital in 1279,[6] just above 700 years would have passed by the time of Mario is Missing!'s release. This also ignores the two gaps in which Beijing was not China's capital: from 1368 to 1420, when Nanjing was made the capital during the Ming dynasty,[7] and from 1928 to 1949, after the 1928 Chinese reunification and numerous other events until the formation of the People's Republic of China.
    • The statement could be an incorrect quote of a Chinese saying that describes Beijing as a 3,000 year old city that has served as a capital for 800 years.[8]. This saying refers to Zhongdu, the capital city of the Jin dynasty established in 1153 in modern-day Beijing. [9]
  • A boy says that the Gate of Heavenly Peace leads to the Emperor's home in the Forbidden City, which is misleading: the Forbidden City itself was the Emperor's home.
  • A scientist says that the gate was created in the fourth century. This is incorrect: the gate was built in 1417.[10]
    • The scientist also says that the reigning emperor, the Yongle Emperor, was the one who built the gate. While he ordered its construction, it was designed by Kuai Xiang in conjunction with other architects.[11]
  • It is stated on several occasions that only the Emperor could pass through the Gate of Heavenly Peace, when it was actually the Gate of China that had this restriction.[10]
  • It is stated on multiple occasions that the Great Wall of China is the only man-made object that is visible from space, despite this being completely false; other objects are visible from space[12][13] and the wall itself is not even visible.[14][15]
  • The building that is stolen from the Temple of Heaven is called the Hall of Good Harvest, the Good Harvest Hall, and the Great Hall in-game, none of which are actually names for it. It is officially the "Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests".[16]
  • One of the questions for returning the hall involves answering what was not used during its construction; though "air conditioning" is a technically valid answer, it is not accepted for the question.
Cairo
  • The Mosque of Muhammad Ali is shown on the in-game map as being located on the west side of the Nile River; in actuality, it is located on the east side of the Nile.


Montreal
The Dome in Mario is Missing! (NES)
The Dome
  • A reporter says that "Montreal is an island in the St. Lawrence River", which is misleading: the player visits the city of Montreal, which is contained within, but distinct from, the Island of Montreal.
  • A scientist says that Montreal means "royal mount," which is misleading: it actually takes its name from "Mount Royal" which is a mountain located in the center of the island, in the 16th century, "Réal" was a common way of saying "Royal" in French.
  • The image of the Dome looks nothing like the actual dome of Saint Joseph's Oratory (perhaps coincidentally, it resembles the Montreal Biosphère).
  • A reporter suggests that the Dome is only smaller than that of the one on St. Peter's Basilica in Rome; this is very much incorrect.[17]
  • A policeman mentions 158 light bulbs on the mountain, where there are actually 30 (originally 240 before being changed in 1992).[18]
  • A tourist says that the Olympic Stadium seats 70,000 people; its actual max capacity is around 60,000.[19]
  • A reporter says that the Tilted Tower was built for the 1974 Olympics, and not the 1976 Summer Olympics as in reality; neither the summer nor winter versions of the Olympic Games were held in 1974. Additionally, the Titled Tower is actually known as the Montréal Tower in reality.[20]
Moscow
  • Most NPCs act as if the Soviet Union still exists, despite the game being released well after its dissolution on December 26, 1991. The sole exception is a tourist who gripes how "First it was Russia, then the Soviet Union, now it's Russia again!" This line further introduces an inaccuracy of its own, as the Soviet Union officially acknowledged Russia as a constituent republic (one of fifteen that made up the USSR), and "Russia" was frequently used in English-language vernacular as a byword for the entire union during its lifetime.
  • While a boy points out GUM's letters in the Cyrillic script, the text misspells Cyrillic as "Cyrlik".
  • The largest lake in Russia is said to be the Caspian Sea. However, the Caspian Sea is not fully enclosed within Russia, but merely connected to it, and even then, the largest lake to be connected to Russia is actually the Black Sea. The largest lake to be fully enclosed within Russia is Lake Baikal.
  • The height of the central structure of St. Basil's Cathedral is stated to be 107 feet; it is officially 47.5 meters tall, around 156 feet.[21]
  • The term "Holy Fool" is said to mean "saint" in Russian. This is incorrect: a holy fool refers to anyone who surrenders themselves to God at the expense of themselves and societal norms, even if they are not a saint, and the concept of Foolishness for Christ appears outside of Russia, even within the Bible itself.
  • The names "Bolshoi Ballet" and "Bolshoi Theater" are used interchangeably (for example, it is stated that the Bolshoi Ballet has been closed for visitors). However, the Bolshoi Ballet is a dance troupe, whereas the Bolshoi Theater is an actual building.
  • It is claimed that the Bolshoi Theater "sells out every show." This is despite a period where it struggled to gather an audience,[22] which is to say nothing of canceled shows in the past.[23]
  • A tourist says that the Emperor's Bell weighs 210 tons. Officially, it is about 202 tons.[24]
  • A reporter claims that Ivan III had the bell placed in the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. This tower has 22 bells, none of which are the Emperor's Bell; it has never once been suspended or rung.[25]
  • A policewoman says that the bell has been in the Kremlin since the 17th century. It has actually been there since it was constructed in 1735 (i.e. the 18th century);[25] it was also moved to its current location in 1836.[26]
Nairobi
  • Many of the buildings in Nairobi are old and dilapidated, with some even being held up with sticks and straw roofs; this is a far cry from the contemporary city in reality.
  • A tourist said that he had to fight off lions and elephants when traveling from Mombasa to Nairobi, which is unusual given that there is a highway that directly connects the two cities.
  • A scientist comments that female Asian elephants cannot grow tusks, which is incorrect. Some of them have smaller tusks, called "tushes," that are notably more brittle than males' tusks, but are still present. The scientist also implies that male Asian elephants always grow tusks, which is also incorrect.[27]
  • The Maasai Headdress, in both its NES and SNES sprites, look nothing like the enkuraru headdresses worn by actual Maasai warriors.[28][29]
  • The National Museum of Kenya's actual name is the Nairobi National Museum.[30]
  • The Human Skull was discovered by Bernard Ngeneo, a member of Richard Leakey's expedition team, and not Leakey himself.[31]
    • Also, unlike what the game claims, the skull depicts a member of the Homo rudolfensis species and not Homo habilis (although initial claims thought the skull to be Homo habilis, it was first classified as a new species in 1986[32]).
New York City
  • King Kong is stolen from the Empire State Building and must be returned to its supposed rightful place, despite King Kong being entirely fictional, though this is mentioned in the game.
  • An NPC can say, "So nice they named it twice, NY, NY." While this is colloquially acceptable, this technically refers to the borough of Manhattan specifically.
    • The same NPC can say, "Catch a cab, or take the subway, not many private cars in this island city." This implies that it is on a single island when in reality the city is mostly part of an archipelago (with the main exception being the Bronx, located on the mainland). The islands are not represented on the Globulator, though the City Map and artifacts indicate that it is geographically centered around Manhattan.
Paris
  • The Tricolor is stolen from the top of the Eiffel Tower, but in real life, it was never flown there to begin with.
  • A boy mentions that France is the biggest country in Europe after the Soviet Union has broken up; in reality, Russia's European portion and Ukraine are each larger than France.[33]
  • A tourist misspells "aéroport" as "airport" in L'Aéroport d'Orly.
  • A business woman mentions obtaining French fries, though their origin as a French food has been disputed, with sources citing possible origins in Belgium or Spain.[34]
Rome
  • A tourist uses the name "Latin Manhattan" for Rome. This has never been a nickname for the city; in fact, it is an alcoholic drink.[35] However, the nickname has been associated with Buenos Aires.[36]
  • A scientist says that "Sistine" means six in Latin. Six in Latin is "sex" or "sextus"; "Sistine" refers to any of the Sixtus popes, although "Sixtus" is derived from "sextus".[37]
  • The Trevi is said to be the oldest fountain in Rome, which is incorrect due to the Fountain in Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere.
San Francisco
  • A scientist says that "no one" was interested in San Francisco until the California Gold Rush in 1848, which is a rather flippant statement. Although the gold rush brought droves of new people to the settlement, it still had a sizable population; it was the initially steady influx of immigrants that allowed people to explore the surrounding territory in the years leading up to the gold rush.[38]
  • Despite there being multiple fog horns along the Golden Gate Bridge, only one Fog Horn appears as an item.[39]
  • A boy states that the Bridge is 260 feet above the San Francisco Bay, although it is actually 220 feet above water from bridge itself and 500 feet above land from the top of the tower.[40]
  • It is stated that the Bridge was built in 1937, which is misleading when construction started in 1933 and finished in 1937.[41]
  • The Coit Tower was purportedly built in 1934; it was actually in 1933.[42]
Sydney
  • A woman explains that "I always thought Australia's capital was spelled like "Sid's-Knee"", referring to Sydney, when in reality it is Canberra that is Australia's capital, a fact which is stated by another NPC in the game.

Gallery[edit]

Main article: Gallery:Mario is Missing!

Quotes[edit]

Main article: List of Mario is Missing! quotes

Pre-release and unused content[edit]

It has been requested that this article be rewritten and expanded to include more information. Reason: include information about lots of unused sprites from NES version

Reception[edit]

Steve Merrett and Robert Whitfield of Nintendo Magazine System both commend the game for succeeding in being both educational and entertaining, unlike most other educational games.[43] They also praise the variety of locations to explore and objects to collect, though they criticize that the core gameplay is slightly repetitive and the city graphics are lackluster. While they acknowledge that Super Mario fans and older demographics may not derive much enjoyment from the game, they do recommend the game to those who have an interest in geography or under the age of eleven.

Electronic Gaming Monthly's "Review Crew" gives the game a combined average score of 5.75/10.[44] Steve Harris, Ed Semrad, and Martin Alessi all recommend the game to only young audiences and praise the educational content. However, Alessi criticizes that the game has very little challenging action sections. He points out that even boss fights "offer little to no challenge". Sushi-X, who gives the game the lowest score of 3/10, criticizes that the game plays like a slow Super Mario game and that the graphics were not lively enough to keep him interested.

Sales[edit]

In an August 1993 press release, Software Toolworks claimed that sales of the console versions of Mario is Missing! exceeded $7,000,000 for the fiscal quarter and that the game boosted the company's revenue during a slow quarter.[45] One employee also claims that the game sold over one million units.[46]

References to other games[edit]

  • Super Mario World: The Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi sprites were taken from this game. Bowser's sprite appears to use an edited version of Morton, Ludwig, and Roy's body from this game, along with an edited version of Lemmy's head. As such, he is uncharacteristically short in this game. When retracted into his shell, it uses the normal Koopa Troopa shell sprite from this game, except with all original detail removed and spikes drawn on. Finally, after defeat, he is knocked out of his shell and appears as an unshelled Koopa, specifically from a Koopa Troopa. Some backgrounds in the NES version are derived from similar backgrounds in Super Mario World.

References in later games[edit]

Staff[edit]

Main article: List of Mario is Missing! staff

References[edit]

  1. ^ Vincent L. Turzo (August 4, 1993). SOFTWARE TOOLWORKS REPORTS 41-PERCENT GAIN IN REVENUES FOR THE JUNE QUARTER; QUARTERLY LOSS NARROWS TO -2 CENTS PER SHARE. Free Online Library. Retrieved July 1, 2024. (Archived January 18, 2018, 12:24:23 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
  2. ^ June 1993. Mario Is Missing!. GameFan 1(7). Page 18, 66. Retrieved July 1, 2024. (Archived via archive.today.)
  3. ^ July 1993. Mario Is Missing!. Nintendo Power (50). Page 26-27. Retrieved July 1, 2024. (Archived via archive.today.)
  4. ^ October 1993. Mario is Missing review (NES). Total!.
  5. ^ Pariona, Amber (November 3, 2017). "Which Are the 10 Largest Asian Countries By Area?". WorldAtlas.
  6. ^ Wang, Yi (July 20, 2016). "Dadu in the Yuan Dynasty" - A Century of Change: Beijing's Urban Structure in the 20th Century, illustrated ed.. Springer International Publishing. ISBN 978-3319396330. Page 14. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  7. ^ Fang, Jun (May 23, 2014). China's Second Capital – Nanjing under the Ming, 1368-1644. Routledge. ISBN 978-1135008444. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  8. ^ 北京三千年,定都八百载
  9. ^ http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/beijing/30785.htm
  10. ^ a b November 26, 2010. "People's Daily Online" - "The History of Tiananmen Gate". eBeijing. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  11. ^ 2010. "Designer of Tiananmen". Beijing Attractions. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  12. ^ Miles, Kathy A. (2004). "Viewing Earth: How Much Can Be Seen from Space?". Starryskies.com. Retrieved January 24, 2018. (Archived February 12, 2006, 05:21:43 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
  13. ^ Sweeney, Chris (August 11, 2010). "The World's 18 Strangest Gardens". Popular Mechanics.
  14. ^ Adams, Cecil (January 31, 1986). "Is the Great Wall of China the Only Manmade Object You Can See from Space?". The Straight Dope. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  15. ^ Mikkelson, David (July 20, 2014). "Can You See the Great Wall of China from the Moon?". Snopes.com. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  16. ^ "The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests". en.tiantanpark.com. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  17. ^ Wikipedia contributors (January 4, 2018). "List of largest domes". Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  18. ^ Wilton, Katherine (January 6, 2015). "The Cross on Mount Royal: a Storied History". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
  19. ^ "The Stadium". Parc Olympique. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
  20. ^ January 6, 2015. "The Cross on Mount Royal: a Storied History". Parc olympique (English). Retrieved June 21, 2024. (Archived April 14, 2024, 03:37:06 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
  21. ^ "Церковь Покрова Пресвятой Богоматери". Панорама 360 (Russian). Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  22. ^ Michelman, Fran (2007). "Alexander Gorsky". Abt.org.
  23. ^ July 11, 2017. "Bolshoi Theatre Postpones Rudolf Nureyev Ballet". BBC News, BBC. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  24. ^ "Tsar Bell". Kreml.ru. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  25. ^ a b Timofeychev, Alexey (October 24, 2017). "The Tsar Bell: How Russian Craftsmen Made the Impossible". Russia Beyond. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  26. ^ Richardson, Dan; Reynolds, Jonathon (February 2, 2009). "Red Square and the Kremlin" - The Rough Guide to Moscow. ISBN 978-1848361782. Page 85. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  27. ^ August 15, 2017. "Asian elephant" - Smithsonian's National Zoo. The Smithsonian. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  28. ^ 2016. "Maasai Peoples - Enkuraru Headdress" - Spencer Museum of Art. University of Kansas. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  29. ^ 2012. "Maasai Warrior with Red Ochre Face Paint, Kenya". Carol Beckwith & Angela Fisher. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  30. ^ "Nairobi National Museum". National Museums of Kenya. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  31. ^ Leakey, R. E. F. (April 13, 1973). "Evidence for an Advanced Plio-Pleistocene Hominid from East Rudolf, Kenya." - Nature, vol. 242, no. 5398, doi:10.1038/242447a0. Page 447–450. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  32. ^ Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History (March 1, 2010). "Homo rudolfensis". The Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program, The Smithsonian.
  33. ^ The Largest Countries in Europe. World Atlas. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  34. ^ Rupp, Rebecca (January 8, 2015). Are French Fries Truly French?. National Geographic. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  35. ^ Dietz, Frieda Meredith (1948). "Latin Manhattan" - Let's Talk Turkey: Adventures and Recipes of the White Turkey Inn. Dietz Press. Page 79. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  36. ^ Lloyd, Harvey (1999). "The Appeal of Buenos Aires" - Voyages: The Romance of Cruising. Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 0-7894-4617-0. Page 115. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  37. ^ Harper, Douglas. "Sistine (Adj.)". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  38. ^ Richards, Rand (2007). "The Gold Rush (1848-1849)" - Historic San Francisco: A Concise History and Guide, illustrated ed.. Heritage House Publishers. ISBN 978-1879367050. Page 57–62. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  39. ^ "Fog Horns". Golden Gate Bridge Highway & Transportation District (goldengatebridge.org). Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  40. ^ "Bridge Design and Construction Statistics". Golden Gate Bridge Highway & Transportation District (Goldengatebridge.org). Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  41. ^ Weingroff, Richard (June 27, 2017). "Two Bay Area Bridges - The Golden Gate and San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge". U.S. Department of Transportation/Federal Highway Administration (fhwa.dot.gov). Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  42. ^ "Coit Tower". The Official San Francisco Recreation and Park Department Website. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
  43. ^ November 1993. Nintendo Magazine System (AU) Issue #8. Page 28-29.
  44. ^ June 1993. Electronic Gaming Monthly #47. Page 28.
  45. ^ July 19, 2014. "Software Toolworks reports 41-percent gain in revenues for the June quarter; quarterly loss narrows to -2 cents per share.". PR Newswire Association LLC.
  46. ^ Henrik Markarian (former Director of Software Development at The Software Toolworks) profile. LinkedIn. Retrieved September 9, 2017.