Mario is Missing!
Platform: Super NES
Region: USA
Media: Cartridge
Controller: Gamepad
Genre: Educational
Release Year: 1993
Developer: The Software Toolworks
Publisher: The Software Toolworks
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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 shocking crime waves, as turtles trash landmarks and loot ancient artifacts. With dough from his slimy sales, Bowser hoards hair dryers from the Hafta-Havit Hotline. His plot? Melt Antarctica and flood the planet! Whoa!

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 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 the 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.

--From the SNES Mario Is Missing! instruction manual.

Overview:

OH NO!!! Mario has gone missing. What's even worse is that Bowser has set up a castle in the Antarctic and plans to melt the ice to flood the world. In order to do this he is going to use a crap load of hair dryers. In order to fund this plan, he has sent his Koopa Troopas to steal artifacts from across the world. Now it's up to Luigi to get the artifacts back, stop Bowser, and save Mario, who is imprisoned somewhere in Bowser's castle. So good luck, Luigi!

Mario is Missing! is a fun game that is not only entertaining but also educational. The graphics are good and stay true to the classic Mario look. The music is the classic Mario music, but it plays in the style of wherever in the world you happen to be. All in all, this is a worthwhile game to play.

Directions:

You play Luigi as you visit cities across the world to return artifacts to their rightful place. Wander the streets of cities all over the world, such as San Francisco to Rome. 

Each level has five cities, all of which need to have their artifacts returned to them. Luigi must go through and stomp on Koopas to find them. Once Luigi has the artifacts, he must go to the information points to talk to Princess Toadstool (who oddly enough works at every one of them). Get information about the artifacts from pamphlets that the princess gives you, or from people walking around the street. Then you must take the artifact to the Princess and answer her questions about it.

After restoring all the artifacts, you must figure out where Luigi is in the world, and move Yoshi there with the Globatron, which can be accessed in the Menu. With Yoshi, you can scare the guardian of the Blue Tube which takes you back to the castle. Also in the Menu are: what artifacts you have; your computer, which keeps track of the information you have gathered; and your camera, which lets you take pictures.

One word of advice: restore all the artifacts before leaving. If you leave early, you have to do it all over again. Once all five cities of one stage are complete, the Koopa Kid guarding the level must be defeated to progress to the next level. Don't worry though, there is no way for you to be hurt, the Koopa Kid just runs around and is difficult to jump on. Ludwig, Roy, and Iggy are the only Koopa Kids that get involved. After defeating them, you must fight Bowser and save Mario. Good Luck, Luigi, and hurry to save Mario! 

Controls:

A Button - TALK
B Button - JUMP
L Button - NOTHING
R Button - MINI MAP
Start Button - MENU
Select Button - MAIN MAP

Tips:

Passwords:
ZPF86 Fight Bowser
JPF13HT Fight Roy Koopa

Passwords: to complete the cities.
RHMWQ1 Buenos Aires becomes completed.
RHQWQ2 Cairo becomes completed.
RHVWQF Everything becomes completed.
R0MW71 London becomes completed.
RHNWQ0 Mexico City becomes completed.
RCMWB1 Montreal becomes completed.
R8MWG1 Moscow becomes completed.
RHLWQ6 Nairobi becomes completed.
6GM281 New York becomes completed.
RFMW91 Paris becomes completed.
4GM081 Rome becomes completed.
8GMC81 San Francisco becomes completed.
0GM481 Sydney becomes completed.
RGMW81 Tokyo becomes completed.

Reviewer: grimjockey
http://www.consoleclassix.com/snes/mario_is_missing.html
