One of my earliest gaming memories is laying the original Luigi’s Mansion. It was christmas in 2002, my mom and dad had bought me a gamecube and 4 games; Super Mario Sunshine, Starfox Adventures, Sonic Adventure 2 Battle and Luigi’s Mansion, which was my favourite. I liked that Luigi was given top billing for a change and he was the one rescuing his brother. YEAH!! LUIGI’S A HERO!! HE’S GONNA BE A STAR FOR AGES!! Alas, it wasn’t to be. It took Nintendo 10 years to give Luigi another go… so how does it fare?
Developer: Next Level Games
Platform: Nintendo 3DS
RRP: £34.99
Release Date: Out Now
Luigi’s Mansion 2 (Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon in the U.S.) takes place some considerable years after the original Luigi’s Mansion. Since the last adventure, Professor E. Gadd has moved to a new mansion, and is working together with the resident ghosts to conduct experiments and maintain the mansion’s upkeep. Suddenly, King Boo appears, the main antagonist of the series, and uses a powerful jewel in his crown to destroy the Dark Moon, a mysterious and powerful gem hanging in the sky that keeps all the ghosts in check. Naturally, it breaks up and 6 pieces are sent to different mansions across Evershade Valley. E. Gadd turns to the only person he knows who can wrangle ghosts to help him retrieve the pieces to restore order to Evershade Valley.
The story is nothing special. Just a simple sequence of events to facilitate the adventure. However, all the cutscenes and Communication sequences are fun and not tedious in any way. The game seems to be more cartoon-like than the first one, as Luigi, the ghosts and E. Gadd all use over the top expressions and the ghosts seem more playful and cheeky. These features give the game a cheerier feel and make playing the game a nice experience. Next Level Games did a really good job to make this game feel fun and happy in a setting about haunted mansions. Not easy, even with italian plumbers trying to suck up ghosts with a vacuum cleaner…
The graphics and character models have all been overhauled and upgraded, which is understandable, considering the game needed to be developed with 3D compatibility in mind. Luigi’s character model looks sharper and animates better, E.Gadd looks… weirder, all the mansions and outdoor environments are beautifully detailed and the ghosts are more cheeky and playful, especially the polterpup, which is my new favourite video game character ever.
The gameplay is also slightly changed, to adapt to a new console. Movement is naturally reserved for the thumb stick, and hoovering up things is done with the Right shoulder button. The flashlight cannot be switched on or off this time, however, and to stun ghosts, Luigi needs a power up for the Poltergust 5000, that lets the flashlight create strobe flashes that stun ghosts, making them easy to capture. Aiming vertically with either the Poltergust or the flashlight is either done with the X or B buttons, or you can aim by moving the 3DS system up or down. The controls feel a bit fiddly at first, but with a few minutes to get used to them, the control layout actually feels intuitive. It all makes sense and makes capturing ghosts quick and simple.
Another thing that helps the game cement a place in my heart is the music. One of my favourite moments in Luigi’s mansion was that while travelling around the mansion, Luigi would hum and whistle along with the song that plays in the background, and it warms my tiny, apple-pip of a heart that this feature still is intact. Also the main music and themes remain relatively unchanged from the old game, but with a few bells and whistles attached, which invokes hours and hours of nostalgia in my brain case. The music in Nintendo games has always been a high point in most of the games the develop, and this game is really no exception. The music really helps cement the feeling of eeriness that is present whenever you enter a new area or room in any of the mansions that have ghosts in.
The game is a great adventure and a really strong title for the failing 3DS. It will win over fans new and old with its cartoony nature and funny cutscenes that can make even the most unhappy, miserable person laugh every once in a while. If you own a 3DS, you need this game in your life. Seriously. It’s li- I mean, I wont talk to you until you at least try this game. Go on… No. Nope. Buy it.