Mario is Missing! Deluxe

An expanded take on Mario’s educational adventure

Mario is Missing! Deluxe was a 1993 UK release that built upon the original game with enhanced content and graphical improvements. As an edutainment title, it swapped traditional platforming for geography-based learning, tasking players with travelling the world to recover stolen artefacts. Luigi took centre stage, making this one of the rare Mario games where the green-capped brother was the protagonist.

Learning through exploration

Players guided Luigi across famous global landmarks, from the Great Wall of China to the Eiffel Tower, solving clues and answering questions to return stolen treasures. The game encouraged problem-solving and world knowledge, blending simple point-and-click mechanics with educational objectives. Though light on action, it aimed to teach players in an engaging way, reinforcing historical and cultural facts.

A rare variant in the UK market

Unlike the standard Mario is Missing! release, Deluxe was a less common version with slight enhancements, making it a notable piece of software history. Published by Mindscape, Inc. and developed by The Software Toolworks, Inc., this version remains a curiosity among collectors, representing a time when Nintendo’s characters ventured into the educational genre.

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