Mario is Missing! (NES)

Mario is Missing!
Developers: The Software Toolworks, Radical Entertainment Publishers: The Software Toolworks (US), Mindscape (EU) Platform: NES Released in US: July 1993 Released in EU: 1993 This game has unused graphics. This game has unused items. This game has unused text. This game has a prerelease article

Mario gets trapped in a physics-defying MS Paint bag by Not-Bowser, so it's up to Luigi and Yoshi to save him. Unfortunately, the result is a lame educational game that attempts to teach geography but fails miserably.

Fortunately, if you'd rather not count this as Luigi's first starring role, you can always bring up obscure McDonald's promotional item Luigi's Hammer Toss, which predates this and the DOS version. It's helpful to scapegoat the LCD watch game.

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Prerelease Info

Unused Graphics

Present in the graphics of the main hub castle is a rectangle with a red dot. Purpose unknown.

Sprites of Luigi on the world map, Yoshi sticking his tongue out, and alternative sprites of Luigi riding Yoshi.

Bowser has two unused facial expressions.

A smaller version of the key.

An alternative sprite of a Koopa and its shell, along with it sliding and world map sprites of it facing forward and backwards. In the final game, if you stomp on a Koopa it just explodes.

An off-model Pokey, which never appears in the final game.

An alternative sprite for one of the NPCs.

Alternative sprites for Mario (look at his shoes). Also unused sprites for the ending.

An unused building, presumably the Empire State, that is supposed to be part of the map.

Unused and alternate big graphics of the tools. The clock and key are never used and the computer is an alternative version of the one used.

Unused letters for the Radical datafax.

Various unused tiles.

Hidden Details

Like other Radical Entertainment NES games, changing the second palette will reveal some details that cannot normally be seen.

Luigi and Yoshi have a brown outline that normally can't be seen.

Mario's shoes are supposed to be brown like normal but it can't be seen.

The computer is supposed to have a brown outline around the monitor.

The copyright screens have extra shading that normally can't be seen.

The artifacts have shading that normally can't be seen.

(Source: Mister Man)

Unused Text

At 0x1F792 is either an unused string or a little message for those poking around in the ROM:

gotcha