Tag Archives: Luigi’s Mansion

Luigi’s Mansion 3 (Switch)

Luigis Mansion 3

Developer – Next Level Games

Publisher – Nintendo

Director – Bryce Holiday

Producer – Alex McFarlane, Bjorn Nash & Kensuke Tanabe

PEGI – 7

Originally intended for release on the Wii U, Luigi’s Mansion 3 was eventually released on Halloween of 2019 for the Nintendo Switch. And garnished both critical and commercial acclaim for new ideas. After having played through this game myself, I was thoroughly impressed by what it had to offer. So much so that I consider it to be one of the best releases on the console so far. 

Graphics – 9/10

The latest installment of the series is set not in a mansion, or a series of mansions like in the previous games, but in a 15-floor hotel. Each floor with its own distinct themes, such as one for Medieval England, another themed on film, one on fitness, and one on Ancient Egypt to name but a few. From the point of view of conceptual design, it’s certainly a lot more diverse than the previous two games. Whilst they remained fresh with different kinds of rooms throughout, the third game simply enhances what was already great about the first two games. This will be a recurring point I’m going to be making throughout this entire review.

The only minor gripe I had with the game in terms of graphical quality was the areas surrounding the mansion. I.e. grassland, trees, mountains, etc, are greatly simplified compared to everything else in the game. But it’s only a minor issue since they’re just that. They’re additional background details that aren’t to be paid too much attention to anyway. The real attention to detail is perpetuated within everything besides. The textures the developers used for Luigi, in particular, are extremely impressive. With everything down from visible stitching on his clothes to the internal machinery in his latest weapon. The Poltergust G-00.

Gameplay – 9/10

Again, the gameplay in this title is yet another example of how the developers took the blueprint of the original two games and greatly expanded upon them. It perpetuates most of the ideas that were established with Luigi’s Mansion 2. Such as the dark light mechanics to uncover hidden secrets and the strobulb used to stun enemies. But also combines them with the Gooigi mechanic that was first preliminarily introduced as a co-op mechanic in the 3DS remake of the original Luigi’s Mansion and making it an integral part of the single-player campaign. Players have to use Gooigi to traverse through insubstantial barriers such as drainpipes and shuttered doors to either uncover more secrets or solve puzzles. It reminded me of the mechanics in the original Soul Reaver that allows Raziel to pass through similar obstacles.

Cont…

The setting of the game also clearly allowed for expansion on the general idea of the gameplay. Giving players a lot more to do than in the previous installments. Which in my opinion, was greatly needed if Nintendo ever did decide to develop a series of sequels to the original Luigi’s Mansion. The second one came close to being better than the first. As there was more added to that game in comparison to the original. But the third expands on this idea to an even greater extent. Making for an extremely enjoyable gaming experience overall. 

Another aspect in which this game improves on its predecessors is the quality of the boss fights. The boss fights in the first game were particularly good and the second game offered creativity in this respect but failed to top those of the original game. But the boss fights in the third are even more well thought out and even more challenging. As some of these require the use of Gooigi and therefore require the player to periodically switch between him and Luigi to beat some of the bosses. The best example of that is the boss fight against Hellen Gravely. Whereby the player must use Gooigi to switch off security systems that can hurt Luigi from underneath the floorboards. Whilst also using Luigi to avoid Hellen’s attacks and defeat her. 

Controls – 10/10

The control scheme of Luigi’s Mansion 3 is taken largely from Luigi’s Mansion 2. Which in itself, was a largely simplified variation of the control scheme for the original game. But it also introduces a lot of new mechanics to keep things fresh. But at the same time, it presents no issues. The combat system is largely refined in comparison to both 1 and 2. And the increased ghost types also necessitate the modification of strategy to best suit them. It all makes for one of the most unique titles to have ever come out of Nintendo in my personal opinion. 

Lifespan – 8.5/10

Whilst not quite as long as Luigi’s Mansion 2, it still makes for a delightfully lengthy gaming experience. Requiring at least 20 hours to complete to 100%. Again, it’s the idea of having a hotel with multiple floors is the means by which Nintendo has expanded the lifespan of a game within this series. I think If they were to make a fourth game, a good idea would be to set it inside a haunted skyscraper with over 100 floors. And more side quests complete with a courtyard at the base. But I digress. An expanded lifespan is exactly what was needed to further develop the ideas perpetuated by the original two games. And Nintendo delivered on this greatly with the third game. 

Storyline – 7.5/10

Luigi’s Mansion 3 begins with the Super Mario Bros along with Princess Peach, three Toads, and Luigi’s pet ghost dog Polterpup taking a vacation to The Last Resort Hotel. Whereby once they all check in and settle into their rooms, Luigi falls asleep whilst reading a book. When he wakes up, he finds that the hotel has turned into a ghostly apparition of itself and that the others are missing.

It turns out that with the help of the hotel’s owner, Hellen Gravely, King Boo has returned. Possessing the hotel and capturing Mario and the others, and trapping them in picture frames. Luigi must defeat King Boo whilst finding and freeing the others from him with the help of Luigi’s old ally Professor E. Gadd. He sets up a secret lab in the hotel basement once Luigi finds and rescues him from his own picture frame. Whilst also offering Luigi advice from afar and modifying his Poltergust G-00 with new abilities throughout. 

I like this game’s story for the same reason why I liked Super Mario Odyssey’s story. Despite the fact that both games simply perpetuate the same idea in terms of story as most of every other game in their respective series. Before it, Luigi’s hardships and successes are conveyed better through emotion and body language than in previous games. This is most likely part of the reason why this game won the award for best in-game animation of 2019. Spoken dialogue within the game is strangely a lot more diverse than what players would normally find in a Super Mario game. With Luigi saying various phrases upon defeating bosses.

Originality – 10/10

As I pointed out before, this game perpetuates some of the most original ideas that I’ve found in any Nintendo game before it. Not only because of the modifications that have been made to the game’s control scheme. But in every other aspect as well. From the gameplay to the conceptual design. It always baffles me how Nintendo is able to take their series’ and expand on the ideas perpetuated by previous installments. And the third Luigi’s Mansion game is no exception.

Deliirious

To summarize, when I first started playing Luigi’s Mansion 3, I immediately thought it was going to be at least on par with the original two games. But having played it through to the end, I put it above the other two. Luigi’s Mansion 3 is unanimously the best game in the series. It takes the best of Luigi’s Mansion 1 and 2 and expands on them to introduce new gameplay mechanics, and better boss fights. And an overall far more enjoyable gaming experience. I can’t recommend this title enough. 

Score

54/60

9/10 (Excellent)

Luigi’s Mansion 2 (3DS)

Luigis Mansion 2

Developer(s) – Next Level Games & Nintendo SPD

Publisher(s) – Nintendo

Director – Bryce Holliday

Producer – Shigeru Miyamoto

PEGI – 7

Released in 2013 to worldwide critical acclaim, Luigi’s Mansion 2, or Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon as it’s known in the US is the sequel to the much-loved GameCube launch title, Luigi’s Mansion. It takes the formula of the original game and expands upon it. As well as introducing gameplay elements that were ultimately cut from its predecessor. My verdict is that whilst I didn’t enjoy this game as much as I did the first, it’s still a particularly good game in its own right for a variety of different reasons.

Graphics – 7/10

On a technological level, the second game is about on par with the first. But what makes this game different from its predecessor is that the player is not just confined to one place to explore. But rather there is a much wider variety of locations in and around the mansion to explore in addition. Such as a museum, a dining area, and a botanical garden. All with their own unique look further adding to the lore of the series.

The biggest problem I had with this game’s visuals in comparison to the first is that there is much less effective use of lighting to create the same kind of atmosphere that the first game had. Mainly due to the fact that there is more light shone in each area even before ghosts are subdued. As a result, it doesn’t have the same sense of wonderful foreboding that the original game had. The soundtrack to this game is also much less imposing too, which to me further bogged down the experience.

Gameplay – 8.5/10

Luigi’s Mansion 2 provides players with a very different experience to the first game. Structured as individual stages within each area of the map as opposed to letting the player come and go around the individual areas as they, please. This is to encourage replay value, as previous stages require newly acquired items to explore in full. There are also many more side quests, with collectibles rife throughout, along with a further incentive to collect coins. As this is now done to upgrade Luigi’s equipment, giving the game a small RPG feel to it. There is also the addition of boss fights located in each area of the game.

Boss fights are an element that Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto wanted to put particular emphasis on. The further scope provided for backtracking throughout the game was a good idea on Nintendo’s part. It made the overall experience far more interesting than what I thought it would be going into it. Although I miss being able to explore the given areas at will like in the first game, the new structure of gameplay nevertheless made this game an extremely enjoyable experience, and it made me glad that Nintendo decided to expand on the series further. The boss fights are just as creative as they were in the first game, if not more so, as some require more varied strategies to defeat.

Controls – 10/10

With the second game, there also came the refinement of the control scheme. In my reviews of the original Luigi’s Mansion, I mentioned that it could take some time to adjust to the control scheme, as there was simultaneous action required to direct Luigi whilst capturing ghosts with both the C-stick and main control stick on the GameCube. But the second game doesn’t have these issues, with players having a choice between using the 3DS’s gyroscopic controls or using the X or B buttons to look up or down respectively. This playstyle makes it much easier to capture ghosts more easily than it was in the first game.

Lifespan – 8/10

The second game can also be made to last considerably longer than the first. To complete this game to 100%, players must invest at least 16 hours into it, as opposed to the mere 6 hours it can take to complete the last game. Since the original Luigi’s Mansion was an unjustifiably short game, the lifespan certainly needed to be extended, and with the sequel, Nintendo has not failed to deliver; not only is there a longer game to enjoy, but there are also many more things to do within it to keep players occupied.

Storyline – 7/10

The story of Luigi’s Mansion 2 takes place sometime after the events of the original Luigi’s Mansion. Professor E. Gadd has found a way to pacify ghosts using a device called the dark moon. However, trouble soon starts as King Boo shatters the dark moon causing the ghosts to once again become hostile. Gadd immediately enlists Luigi’s help to re-capture King Boo and all of the other ghosts in and around the mansion and restore the dark moon to working order.

Although the series is kept fresh with a new story to again further expand upon the lore of the series, and by proxy Luigi’s part in the Super Mario series in comparison to Mario, the problem I found with it was a problem I find with many other survival horror sequels; I knew what to expect going into it. If the threat remains the same, the sense of tension or horror doesn’t. The fact that the game is less atmospheric also contributed to the marring down of this game’s story. But nonetheless, it is a solid plotline that does also contains a small comedic element to balance the scales.

Originality – 8/10

Whilst the overall concept of the series has remained relatively the same with the release of the second game, the elements within the series have been kept fresh with the introduction of new ideas and elements in most of every value that players can come to expect. It introduces new ideas in terms of gameplay, it introduces more scenery and more enemies to match and it also constitutes a longer in-game experience; something that this series desperately needed if it were indeed to be expanded upon.

Happii

In summary, Luigi’s Mansion 2 is one of the best Nintendo-exclusive experiences on the 3DS. It delivers on everything that players can come to expect from a sequel and more. It’s not quite as good as the original game, but it’s close.

Score

48.5/60

8/10 (Very Good)

Luigi’s Mansion (GameCube & 3DS)

Luigis Mansion

Developer(s) – Nintendo EAD

Publisher(s) – Nintendo

Director – Hideki Konno

Producer(s) – Shigeru Miyamoto & Takashi Tezuka

PEGI – 7

Released as a launch title for the GameCube after undergoing an extremely in-depth and long-winded development cycle, Luigi’s Mansion took on a much darker and grittier tone than anything seen in the Super Mario series prior. Featuring Mario’s brother Luigi as the main character, as he traverses through a creepy mansion. Wielding nothing but a vacuum cleaner to clean the house of a ghost infestation in the style of Ghostbusters. Going on to become the best-selling game of November 2001, and garnishing a great deal of critical acclaim, the game has rightfully earned its place among the best of Nintendo’s repertoire. And is a game I have personally come back to again and again.

Graphics – 8/10

Unlike any other Super Mario game, the title took the scary and dark atmosphere of the many ghost house levels found in the rest of the series and ran with it. Not only is there a huge haunted house with many twists and turns. But the surrounding area is also extremely morbid and out-of-place. Signifying death and the foretelling of death with elements such as crows and dead trees.

But of course, it’s inside the mansion where the majority of this game’s chills are housed. Featuring not only a wide range of eerie apparitions haunting the place for Luigi to deal with but extremely effective use of lighting throughout. In areas that have yet to be explored thoroughly, light is limited only to Luigi’s torch. And it does an extremely good job of building tension, which is one of the most popular tropes of horror in general. Be that in books or films as well as games.

Gameplay – 9/10

The objective of the game is to clear the mansion of as many ghosts as possible using Luigi’s newly acquired weapon, the Poltergust 3000. There are many hidden areas in the mansion, as well as a fair few side quests in each stage. Including tracking down 50 Boos hidden within different parts. The game also has somewhat of an arcade feel to it. Players have to collect as much money and treasure as possible throughout each segment. Thus racking up as impressive a high score as possible. It plays out unlike any other Super Mario game ever developed. Or any other Nintendo game ever developed for that matter. It’s extremely satisfying to do everything there is to do, and uncover every secret there is to find.

Controls – 9/10

In terms of controls, the game doesn’t pose too many problems. It can take a little bit of time to get used to how Luigi both moves and aims with the Poltergust 3000. Since the c-stick is used to move him around whilst he is using the weapon to collect things like money and treasure throughout each room. But thankfully, this does nothing to hinder the quality of the combat system. As control is then swapped out for the main analog, making things much easier without the worry of over-complication.

Lifespan – 6.5/10

Disappointingly, the game can only be made to last around 5 to 6 hours. Early in development, there was talk of the inclusion of an RPG element in the game. And I’ve always wondered how that would have worked out. As a fan of the genre, I can’t help but think that the introduction of such mechanics would have drastically improved the game and made it even more interesting than it turned out to be. And most definitely added much more longevity to it.

Storyline – 8/10

Luigi’s Mansion follows Mario’s brother, Luigi, as he wins a mansion in a competition he strangely didn’t even enter. Upon arriving at the mansion, he soon discovers that it is wrought with danger. And he meets a new character in the series, Professor E. Gadd. Gadd trains Luigi to use his invention, the Poltergust 3000 to rid of the ghosts inside. And to free his brother, who is trapped somewhere inside the creepy haunted house. Whilst it does ultimately play out in the fashion of a typical Super Mario game (only this time, it’s Mario who’s in danger), it’s the dark and gritty atmosphere that keeps it interesting and unique to every other Super Mario game. And it showed that the series creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, was not scared to take risks by taking the normally innocent series in a more interesting artistic direction.

Originality – 9.5/10

Aside from standing out from the rest of the Super Mario Bros games that players have been challenged with over the years, this game also offers an extremely unique twist on the survival horror genre. Which at the time, was becoming increasingly popular after the advent of both Resident Evil and Silent Hill. The genre would go on to become extremely prominent on the GameCube itself, with the likes of Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem. As well as a ton of Resident Evil games released for the system. But out of all of them, none had quite the same atmospheric feel as this game did. And consequently, I think it’s the best experience of its kind on the console.

Happii

Overall, Luigi’s Mansion is not only one of the best Super Mario games released but also one of the best games to have ever been released by Nintendo. It showed that Luigi didn’t have to constantly live in the shadow of the more commercially successful brother, but instead, he could be made to traverse through the shadows in order to rescue him.

Score

50/60

8/10 (Very Good)