Mario's Time Machine: Difference between revisions

{{Infobox

|image=[[File:Mario's Time Machine Box Art.jpg|250px]]

|released='''MS-DOS:'''<br>1993, 1994 (re-release)<br>'''SNES:'''<br>December 1993<br>'''NES:'''<br>June 1994<ref name=List>Nintendo. [https://web.archive.org/web/20050501150012/https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/downloads/completeoldgameslist.pdf Complete List of Games]. Retrieved March 21, 2016.</ref>

|input={{input|nes=1|snes=1|pcmouse=1}}

'''''Mario's Time Machine''''' is an [[Genre#Edutainment|edutainment]] title developed by [[Radical Entertainment]] that was released for MS-DOS and [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]] in 1993; it was later released for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] in June, 1994<ref name=List/> alternatively spelled ''Mario's Time Machine!'' It is the successor of ''[[Mario is Missing!]]'' It is meant to teach younger players basic world history and is the last ''[[Mario Discovery (series)|Mario Discovery Series]]'' game before discontinuation. The original PC release was distributed through floppy disks, but there was a ''Deluxe'' version provided as a CD-ROM in 1994 which added voice acting and a Library reference file featuring [[Bowser's mother]].

In the year 1993, [[Bowser]] uses a time machine, traveling backwards to different points in [[Earth|human history]] and stealing significant artifacts to place in his personal [[Bowser's Museum|museum]] inside his [[Bowser's Castle|castle]]. With his collection nearly completed, Bowser gloats that not even Mario can stop him now. Mario realizes that history will change forever if he does nothing, so it is up to Mario to use Bowser's own device against him by returning the artifacts to their proper places in time.

The home console releases add that Bowser plans to destroy his time machine (called a ''[[Timulator]]'' in console manuals), deliberately planning to irreversibly damage history and send the world back to the Dark Ages. In the NES game, Bowser's Museum has been fully built and already established itself with history's greatest artifacts. [[Yoshi]] joins Mario in his quest to stop Bowser's plot, but instead gets captured when he scouts ahead. In addition to fixing the timeline, Mario must also rescue Yoshi from peril.

[[File:MariosTimeMachineMario.png|right|thumb|140px|Mario time traveling]]

The central hub of ''Mario's Time Machine'' is the museum within [[Bowser's Castle]]. The museum is three floors high, and on each floor lies five artifacts, giving Mario a total of fifteen periods of time to travel to. Mario must take an artifact from a pedestal, look at the date and location labeled on it, and then program that information into the time machine and travel to that point in the timeline. Mario surfs the ripples of time, collecting [[mushroom]]s and avoiding hazards.

When the player arrives in the time period, he must explore and converse with the various residents that live there. In doing so, the player learns about the artifact, the time period, and the person associated with it. To get more information, the player must receive items that some residents possess and give them to others in order to satisfy their needs. For example, in Vienna, one resident will complain about the heat until Mario retrieves a fan and hands it to the person, who will then continue to give information. After the player has talked to everyone, the player fills out a History answer sheet. The answer sheet consists of a two-page biography about the person associated with the artifact and the time period, with blanks replacing several words. The player must use the information they received to correctly fill in the blanks. If the player fills in the wrong answer more than twice, they are forced back into the present; if they succeed, Mario can return the artifact to its owner and return back to 1993. After all of the artifacts on a floor have been returned, Mario moves upward to the next floor.

There are three different endings which are decided by how many points the player has scored and the order in which the artifacts are returned. If the player spends too much time returning all the artifacts or returns any artifacts in the wrong order, there is a non-standard [[Game Over]] in which Bowser escapes to "[[Paradise]]" using the time machine; or Mario gets sent to the Cretaceous period where he looks in different directions of the screen (both being notable for being the only ways to get a Game Over). A message reminding the player to return all the artifacts either in a more timely manner or in the correct order appears on the screen. After that, the player must start over from the beginning, or use a password to go back to a previous point. However, if they meet these two objective conditions, the time machine overloads, self-destructs and sends Bowser to the Cretaceous period where he gets stepped-on by a Tyrannosaurus Rex (humorously, right beforehand when he notices it, his eyes shrink with realization of what will happen to him and he meekly opens an umbrella in the hopes it will protect him), and a raptor then grabs his squished remains and throws them like a Frisbee.

[[File:Mario in Mario's Time Machine.png|thumb|50px]]

[[File:Mario In Mario's Time Machine (NES).png|frame]]

*1601 — [[Stratford-upon-Avon]] ([[William Shakespeare]]'s [[Skull]])

*1863 — [[Washington]] ([[Abraham Lincoln]]'s [[Spectacles (Washington, D.C.)|Spectacles]])

*1994 — [[Novato]] ([[David Grenewetzki]]'s [[Floppy Disk]])

*1601 — [[Stratford-upon-Avon]] ([[William Shakespeare]]'s [[Skull]])

*One of Cleopatra's guards asks Mario to give one of Cleopatra's handmaidens a [[Wooden Snake]] to demonstrate his love for her, and after receiving the gift, she makes a comment about being bitten by the "love scarab". Neither animal is associated with romance or love: snakes are the aggressive guardians of royalty,<ref>Arnold, Dorothea. "49. Cobra on Pharaoh's Forehead." ''An Egyptian Bestiary'', Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1995, p. 43.</ref> that can also symbolize chaos.<ref>Pinch, Geraldine. "Magic Figurines and Statues." ''Magic in Ancient Egypt'', University of Texas Press, 1995, p. 103.</ref> and scarabs symbolize the arrival of the Sun and the reincarnation of humans<ref>Pinch, Geraldine. "Amulets." ''Magic in Ancient Egypt'', University of Texas Press, 1995, p. 109.</ref>

*Several characters also use dates with {{wp|Anno Domini|before Christ}}, for example when the handmaiden says that Caesar arrived in Egypt "in 48 B.C.". Though these dates are not incorrect, they would have not been used by people who lived close to fifty years before the birth of {{wp|Jesus}}, and furthermore, this dating system was not created until 525.

*The history pages mention that Cleopatra had three sons with {{wp|Mark Anthony}}, despite one of them, {{wp|Cleopatra Selene II}}, being female.

*A councilman mentions that [[Plato]]'s [[Academy]] was founded "in 387 B.C." - while technically correct, a dating system based on {{wp|Jesus}} would not have been used by someone who lived over three hundred before he was born.

*Halley also says that he tracked a {{wp|Halley's Comet|comet}} orbited around the Earth in 1862. This is a typo; the comet passed by in 1682.<ref>Elizabeth Howell. "Halley's Comet: Facts About the Most Famous Comet." ''Space.com'', 19 Sept. 2017, 09:17pm ET, www.space.com/19878-halleys-comet.html. Retrieved December 19, 2017.</ref>

*An old fresco painter describes [[Leonardo da Vinci]] as a "Renaissance Man". Beyond how the term "Renaissance" was not used during the period.<ref name="Renaissance"/>, the whole expression first appeared in 1906<ref>"Renaissance Man." ''Merriam-Webster'', www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Renaissance%20man. Retrieved December 19, 2017.</ref>

*He also says that he is in line to become the King of England, but wants to become a scientist instead. This character is most likely intended to be either {{wp|Albert, Prince Consort}} (who only became king after marrying {{wp|Queen Victoria}} in 1840,<ref>Darby, Elisabeth and Nicola Smith. "In Mourning for Prince Albert." ''History Today'', vol. 33, no. 10, Oct. 1983, p. 22. EBSCOhost.</ref> who he only met in 1836<ref>Hobhouse, Hermione. "'The Little Fellow Is the Pendant to the Pretty Cousin'." ''Prince Albert: His Life and Work'', Hamish Hamilton Limited, 1983, pp. 15–16.</ref>) or {{wp|Edward VII}} (who was born in 1841<ref>"History - Edward VII." BBC, BBC, 2014, www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/edward_vii_king.shtml. Retrieved December 19, 2017.</ref>); as such, neither candidate fits the time period.<ref>"Was There a King of England, or an Heir to the Throne, in 1831 Who Idolized Michael Faraday?" ''History.stackexchange.com'', 31 Aug. 2017, history.stackexchange.com/q/39949/23764. Retrieved December 19, 2017.</ref>

;[[Novato]] (1994)

*In the PC version, Mario travels to 1994 and helps the development team ''Mario's Time Machine'' finish the game, despite the SNES version having been released in 1993. However, even that release carries a 1994 copyright.

*An opera singer claims to be preparing to act in Wolfgang's {{wp|Così fan tutte}}, even though performances for the opera ended in 1790 and only began anew in 1794.<ref>Brown, Bruce Alan. "The myth of the failed premiere." ''W.A. Mozart: Cosi€ fan tutte'', Cambridge University Press, 1995, pp. 163–164.</ref>

*[[Joseph Haydn]] is shown to be still in Vienna in 1791, despite him leaving for London in 1790.<ref>Townsend, Pauline D. "First Visit to London." ''Joseph Haydn'', edited by Francis Hueffer, Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, 1884, p. 84.</ref> He also stayed there until Wolfgang's death in 1791<ref>Hughes, Rosemary. ''Haydn'', Dent, 1956, p. 78.</ref>

*Haydn and the history pages claim that Mozart wrote his first symphony when he was six years old; he was actually eight<ref>Sadie, Stanley. "Playing for the English Court." ''Mozart: The Early Years 1756-1781'', Oxford University Press, 2006, pp. 63–66.</ref>

*Wolfgang becomes instantly inspired to compose {{wp|The Magic Flute}} after seeing a [[Flute (Mario's Time Machine)|Flute]], despite him actually pulling inspiration from a number of sources (none of which seemingly included a physical flute)<ref>Branscombe, Peter. "Sources." ''W.A. Mozart, Die Zauberflöte'', Cambridge University Press, 1991.</ref>

*The history pages state that Constanze's nickname for Wolfgang was "Wolfie". This comes from the film {{wp|Amadeus (film)|Amadeus}}, which is a highly fictionalized telling of Wolfgang's life. Constanze never once called him "Wolfie" in reality.<ref>"Was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Ever Called 'Wolfi' or 'Wolfie' by His Wife?" ''history.stackexchange.com'', 5 Sept. 2017, history.stackexchange.com/questions/40045.</ref>  

*They also say that Wolfgang was appointed as a concertmaster in 1769 when he was thirteen; it was actually in 1773 when he was seventeen<ref>"Who Is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart? Everything You Need to Know." ''thefamouspeople.com'', www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart-479.php. Retrieved December 30, 2017.</ref>{{better source}}

*They also claim that he was buried in an unmarked grave because he was poor, when this was standard practice at the time<ref>Wilde, Robert. "Why Mozart Wasn't Buried in a Pauper's Grave." ''ThoughtCo'', Jul. 2, 2017, thoughtco.com/where-was-mozart-buried-1221267. Retrieved December 30, 2017.</ref>

Since its release, ''Mario's Time Machine'' has received negative reception. It holds an aggregate score of 60.25% on Game Rankings based on two reviews. Nintendo Power gave it a 10.6 out of 20, while Electronic Gaming Monthly gave it a slightly better rating of 6.75 out of 10. GameSpy's Brian Altano and Brian Miggels criticized the ending of the NES version for its depiction of Bowser crying.<ref>Altano, Brian, and Brian Miggels.[https://web.archive.org/web/20090815224512/http://www.gamespy.com:80/articles/101/1013829p1.html "The Worst NES Endings, and Why We Deserved Better."]  GameSpy, 14 Aug. 2009. Retrieved December 20, 2017.</ref> The {{wp|Australian Broadcasting Corporation}}'s ''{{wp|Good Game (TV program)|Good Game}}'' described it as one of many "awful" games that used the ''Mario'' license, and said that it was "too complicated" for its young target audience.<ref>"Edutainment." ''Good Game'', ABC, 11 May 2009, www.abc.net.au/tv/goodgame/stories/s2567035.htm. Retrieved December 20, 2017.</ref> Similarly, authors David Wesley and Gloria Barczak include both it and ''[[Mario is Missing!]]'' in the "flood" of poor-quality 1990s ''Mario'' games and media made by third parties with no supervision from Nintendo, accusing these two games, ''[[Mario's FUNdamentals]]'', and the ''[[Super Mario Bros. (film)|Super Mario Bros.]]'' film of "nearly destroy[ing]" the entire franchise.<ref>Wesley, David T. A., and Gloria Barczak. "Nintendo's Dark Ages." ''Innovation and Marketing in the Video Game Industry: Avoiding the Performance Trap'', CRC Press, 2016, p. 40.</ref> Patrick Felicia, who focuses on learning through video games, criticizes ''Mario's Time Machine'' and ''Mario is Missing!'' for their "mismatch" between the gameplay and the presentation, while also praising ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' due to everything being in service of platforming.<ref>Felicia, Patrick. "Matching Basic (Cognitive) Activities." ''Handbook of Research on Improving Learning and Motivation through Educational Games: Multidisciplinary Approaches'', Information Science Reference, 2011, p. 334.</ref>

|''"Unlike Carmen Sandiego games, you don't have to know the subject to play the Game. You can actually learn a thing or two. [However,] Non-intuitive commands can make the game frustrating to control. Players expecting a traditional [[Mario (franchise)|Mario]] game will not find it here."''

*''[[Super Mario World]]'': Most of the other sprites in the NES version, including those for Mario, Yoshi, and the Koopas, are those from this game, though modified to fit the graphical limitations of the NES. A number of other assets directly reference this game, such as the opening where Mario and Yoshi walk up to Bowser's Museum, which is identical to the cutscene shown before Mario enters a [[Ghost House]] or [[Castle]], except Yoshi runs inside the museum after Mario dismounts him rather than waiting outside. Most of the music cues in the SNES version, and the non-time period music cues in the MS-DOS and PC versions, are direct arrangements of music cues from ''Super Mario World'': for example, the SNES title screen music is an arrangement of the [[Vanilla Dome]] theme which also incorporates the melody from ''Super Mario World''{{'}}s [[Castle]] theme. Finally, the Dinosaur Egg in the NES version also bears some slight resemblance to a [[Yoshi Egg]].

NES Box - Mario's Time Machine.png|[[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] system box art.

Timulator in MiM SNES opening.png|Bowser and his minions with the [[Timulator]].

MTM SNES Good Ending.png|Ending #3: A dinosaur foot starting to crush Bowser.

Mario In Mario's Time Machine (NES).png|[[Mario]]  

|Fra=''Mario et la machine à remonter le temps''

|FraM=''Mario and the time machine''

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