Editing Mario's Time Machine (section)

==Gameplay==
[[File:NES Marios Time Macine.png|thumb|left|200px|Screenshot of the Nintendo Entertainment System version of ''Mario's Time Machine'']]
''Mario's Time Machine'' is set in the year 1993. [[Bowser]], who has built a time machine called the "Timulator", travels back in time and steals essential [[Artifact (archaeology)|artifact]]s from various points in [[human history]] to place on display in a [[museum]] inside his castle. Because these actions will eventually [[Temporal paradox|change history permanently]], the [[player character]] [[Mario]] takes control of the Timulator to return the artifacts to their proper areas in time. In the NES version, Bowser also kidnaps [[Yoshi]], who is freed upon completing the game. The gameplay focuses on teaching the player the historical significance of each artifact (and of the associated historical person); to progress through the game, the player must correctly answer questions relating to the learned information. ''Mario's Time Machine'' uses a [[Side-scrolling video game|side-scrolling]] perspective, with a [[game engine]] that varies across all three versions. The player controls Mario using a [[point-and-click adventure|point-and-click]] interface in the MS-DOS version, while the [[video game console|console]] versions use a [[platform game|platforming]]-based control scheme adapted from ''[[Super Mario World]]'', in which Mario can move left or right and jump. Like ''[[Mario Is Missing!]]'', the console versions use a [[Password (video gaming)|password system]] to order to resume play from a particular [[saved game|game state]].

The player begins ''Mario's Time Machine'' in Bowser's museum. The museum is the main [[Overworld#Platform games|hub]], where the player obtains the artifacts and directly accesses all the game's [[level (video gaming)|level]]s (which consist of locations on [[Earth]] in different time periods) using the Timulator. In the Super NES and MS-DOS versions, for each artifact, the player is given the year and place it originated from. For example, the player learns that the "[[Isaac Newton#Apple incident|Apple]]" artifact originated from 1687 [[Cambridge]]. The player can then time travel using this information; time traveling itself is a [[minigame]] in which Mario [[surfing|surfs]] through a wide ocean, collecting [[Mushroom (Mario)|mushroom]]s. Collecting enough mushrooms will transport Mario to the time period and location programmed into the Timulator. The player is given a short document describing the life and notability of the historical person associated (e.g. [[Isaac Newton]]), but the document itself has some of its terms missing. The player thus is required to converse with the [[non-player character]]s depicting the local denizens of the time period in order to learn various facts and be able to fill in the blanks. The player chooses the words from a list of pre-determined words; if the player incorrectly fills a blank more than twice, he is sent back to 1993 and is required to try again. When the player fills all the blanks correctly, he can then successfully return the artifact to its original owner.<ref name="ign">{{cite web |author=Buchanan, Levi |url=http://retro.ign.com/articles/901/901621p1.html |title=The Other Mario Games, Vol. 4 - Super NES Feature at IGN |publisher=[[IGN]] |date=2008-08-21 |access-date=2011-01-19 |archive-date=2008-09-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080916070126/http://retro.ign.com/articles/901/901621p1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In the game's ending [[cutscene]], Mario manages to confront Bowser, who then steals back the Timulator to make his escape. At this point there are three [[Types of fiction with multiple endings|possible outcomes]] based on the player's overall performance: in the worst outcome, in which the player fails to return the artifacts quickly enough, Bowser successfully escapes to an area known as [[Paradise]]; in the other two outcomes, the Timulator experiences [[mechanical overload]], sending and trapping Bowser in the [[Jurassic|Jurassic era]].

The NES version of ''Mario's Time Machine'' has a heavier emphasis on platforming than the other two versions. Despite the presence of enemies, Mario cannot lose [[health (gaming)|lives]] or even take damage, so obtaining a [[game over]] is impossible. To obtain an artifact in Bowser's museum, the player plays a ''[[Mario Bros.]]''-inspired minigame in which he fights [[Koopa Troopa]]s. The player can then use the Timulator and travel to one of the fourteen selectable time periods. Unlike the other versions, the player is not explicitly told which time period the artifact originated from. The player is instead encouraged to explore the time periods and obtain hints, either from local denizens or from message blocks. Once the player figures out the artifact that belongs in that time period, he can then place the artifact in its original spot. After all the artifacts have been returned, the player is tasked to answer three random [[multiple choice]] questions pertaining to the historical periods visited. Answering the questions correctly will lead the player to the final [[boss (video games)|boss]] fight with Bowser. The player wins the game upon Bowser's defeat.