believed that adult players would not be interested. Cavanaugh noted the colorful graphics yet criticizing the repetitive gameplay and the "virtually identical" appearances of each city. AllGame's Skyler Miller reviewed the NES version and noted that the graphics were washed-out and lacking in detail, but stated that the overall game was "as good as can be expected" for an NES Mario game that was not created by Nintendo. Miller mentioned that the game should appeal to younger players because of its "relatively seamless" combination of instruction and action. Lisa Karen Savignano of AllGame reviewed the Macintosh version and considered it to be an enjoyable game with adequate graphics, but also stated that it was a simple game intended for young players. Savignano called the music "quite nice" but noted the basic sound effects and the lack of voiceovers. Critical consensus of the game has changed over time. Luke Plunkett of Kotaku wrote in 2012 that unlike the NES and SNES versions the PC version "was the star, featuring not only more content but better visuals as well". He considered the game "awful" and not very educational. Kevin Wong of Kotaku noted in 2015 that the game was poorly received in many online reviews, although Wong himself praised the character animations and music and wrote, "I think the backlash against Mario Is Missing comes down to measured expectations; what is suitable or primally engaging at a young age could be dull and tedious at another." In 2016, Samuel Roberts of PC Gamer noted that the computer version had poor pixel art and that "every street has the exact same buildings on it, and all the NPCs are exactly the same no matter where I go." Roberts also wrote that the game was "conceptually baffling and hated by Nintendo fans." In 2017, Seth Macy of IGN included the game on a list of the "Weirdest Mario Games Ever Made", writing that the game's weirdest aspect "is how Bowser weaponizes climate change to melt the ice of Antarctica, flooding the Earth so he can steal landmarks. It's a super villainous plot and would cause the deaths of billions." In James Rolfe's review for his Angry Video Game Nerd series, he criticized the educational aspect, the awkward controls, enemies that can't hurt you, having to use Yoshi to get more information at the help desk, and the idea that you have to get King