Luigi’s Mansion under test

Everyone knows Luigi as the frightening sidekick from the cult Super Mario games in which he helps his brother save the mushroom kingdom from Bowser’s clutches. In 2002, he was allowed to play the lead role in his own creepy Nintendo GameCube game Luigi’s Mansion for the first time, which has now been re-released for the Nintendo 3DS. So Ghostbusters soundtrack on and off we go!

If there’s something strange in you neighborhood

Luigi won a mysterious villa in a lottery, but strangely enough he didn’t take part at all. Upon his arrival, it turns out that his new home is teeming with evil spirits. Fortunately the famous plumber is assisted by the experienced ghost specialist Professor I. Gidd, who equips him with the ghost sucker Schreckweg 08/16 to free the villa from the spook. You can also use the “Game Boy Horror” machine, which displays the map and inventory on the lower display. But that’s not all, because a disbanded toad appears on behalf of Princess Peach and tells him that Mario has travelled to the villa immediately after he learned of Luigi’s win and that nobody has heard from him since. Now it’s up to Luigi to overcome his fears and free his brother from the clutches of the spirits.

Co-Op mode for fighting ghosts together.

Who are you gonna call?

Optically the game is very similar to Ghostbusters. You are equipped with a ghost sucker on your back that helps you catch ghosts. But also your flashlight is a faithful service in battle, because the creepy creatures fear the light and that’s exactly what you can use to your advantage, for example by blinding them with a bright flash of light. Once you have successfully caught an enemy in your maelstrom, you will need to move in the opposite direction for a certain period of time until it is completely sucked in. A timer above the opponent shows you the remaining seconds. Luigi is controlled either sideways or in line of sight, this setting can be adjusted at any time in the menu according to personal preference. But with both variants the control has unfortunately turned out rather spongy, so that some ghost hunts turn out also in the later play progress more laboriously than expected.

Bustin’ makes me feel good

You explore the villa by removing all ghosts in each room and searching the furniture for objects such as coins or energizing hearts. As a reward, a chest will appear containing the key to open the next room. Which door can be opened next will be shown on the map. Of course different types of ghosts are waiting for you there. In addition to small ghost mice scurrying through the corridors of the villa, there are also enemies who, even though they are already caught in the maelstrom, still throw objects like banana peels around them to free themselves again. Bigger spirits are not so easy to catch, but must first be distracted so that they can be attacked for a short moment. Here again our faithful friend Schreckweg 08/16 comes to our aid, because his suction power can also be used to move for example a curtain, whereby a ghost could feel disturbed by the sudden draught. No room is like another , and it’s fun to find a way to outwit the ghosts and explore more and more areas of the villa. To save your progress, you can always return to one of the toads located throughout Luigi’s villa.

Luigi exploring the scary villa.

I ain’t afraid of no ghost

Typical for the genre, at the end of each section you can expect a bigger boss fight in which Luigi has to prove himself against a particularly powerful ghost. Unfortunately, these are not particularly demanding, because the movements and attacks of the opponents can be guessed very easily and do not pose a great threat. Optically the game looks nice and always runs smoothly. The 3D mode is well done as usual and proves to be especially helpful in battles. Should a trip alone through the villa be too scary, you can also play Luigi’s Mansion with someone who also owns a Nintendo 3DS and the game. And to give you an added advantage, you can also use one of the four compatible Amiibos (Mario, Luigi, Toad and Buu Huu). By scanning the Toad-Amiibo you activate for example that you can not only save in the game, but also fill your life with Toad.

FAZIT

Luigi’s Mansion is aimed primarily at a younger audience and lovers of the original, which was released in the early 2000s. If you are a fan of Mario games in principle, you will undoubtedly enjoy this title as well. Unfortunately, the game fun is clouded by the extremely spongy control, because Luigi is not the fastest or most agile. Nevertheless, the 3DS version of Luigi’s Mansion was well entertained in many parts, which was not least due to the varied, albeit relatively simple puzzle interludes. In the end, however, it proves to be a rather “light fare” for a quick game in between, as a contender for this year’s top game.

What is Luigi’s Mansion? Re-issue of the GameCube classic for the Nintendo 3DS where you go ghost hunting?
Platforms: Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 2DS
Tested: Nintendo 3DS
Developer / Publisher: Nintendo
Release: October 19, 2018
Link: Official Website