Luigi is often referred to as the eternal understudy, and rather unfairly in my opinion as he is just as super as his older brother. He’s ruthlessly efficient in Mario Kart, can jump higher than his brother, and took ghost-busting to the next level. Now that Luigis Mansion 2 HD is here (minus the Dark Moon moniker,) Luigis fans get to experience the 3DS game with a makeover to suit the Nintendo Switch. What’s It Like? Put on some fresh overalls, grab your vacuum cleaner, and don’t worry about who you’re going to call as we review Luigis Mansion 2 HD on Nintendo Switch.
Let’s start off by addressing the haunted wooly mammoth in the room. This is a 1-to-1 remaster of Luigis Mansion 2 on 3DS. There is no new content added to the game, and to me, this isn’t a bad thing. I’ve seen some very odd takes on this particular remaster since it was launched, and I’m honestly baffled as to why. Hopefully, we can take an objective look at this further into the review.
Luigi’s Mansion 2 is the follow-up to the wildly popular GameCube title that originally debuted on the 3DS in 2013 and was a part of the “Year of Luigi” that Nintendo declared, seeing Luigi momentarily take the spotlight off his bigger brother. The story revolves around King Boo returning to create chaos by destroying the Dark Moon, a gem-like object that keeps the Ghosts in check in Evershade Valley, the game’s setting. Luigi is reluctantly called into action by Professor E Gadd to wrangle the ghosts and return the pieces of the Dark Moon to restore peace to the valley. It was originally developed by Canadian Studio “Next Level Games while Shigeru Miyamoto supervised, but the HD remaster was handled by Tantalus Media who previously handled the The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess HD project on Wii U.
As Luigi’s Mansion was designed as a portable experience originally, the gameplay revolves around bite-sized missions that take 20 to 30 minutes to complete as you bust ghosts, solve puzzles, and hunt for treasure. The departure from the first game is that instead of being set in a singular mansion, you have 5 main Mansions to explore, each with its own mystery, mechanics, and adventure. There’s a lot of variety between the mansions which keeps the gameplay interesting, as well as introducing new ghost types and strategies to defeat them right up to the final mansion. The bite-sized mission structure works perfectly for short bursts, although some gamers who want to do a solid session may get frustrated by being teleported out by Professor E Gadd every 20-30 minutes. For those looking to take a break from the single-player narrative, there’s an option to matchmake or play online with 3 other friends and attempt to clear a tower of ghosts. This mode saw some fast and frantic action which I enjoyed as a nice distraction.
Controls have been reworked slightly since the original models of the 3DS lacked a secondary control stick, and the twin-stick setup now allows for more precise ghost busting. There are also gyro controls which I usually dislike in-game, but I found myself using them a lot, especially when it came to aiming the torch, which made gameplay so much smoother.
Graphically, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD has had quite the glow-up, with a much higher poly count on models, improved lighting and environmental detail, and of course, the HD upgrade making everything sharper. This isn’t a simple upscale as every character model and location has been meticulously rebuilt in higher detail. While the graphics aren’t the same level as Luigi’s Mansion 3, they are still impressive, and the game doesn’t falter from a locked 30 FPS. There are some artifacts like 2D shapes left behind, but I honestly think people won’t notice a lot of them unless they are specifically looking for them.
The real stars of Luigi’s Mansion 2 are the animation team who managed to make Luigi say so much despite his limited dialogue. Luigi is very animated in his reactions to the world around him, and the comical look of fear and surprise never wears thin. Luigi nervously tiptoes through sections of levels that are still haunted, cautiously opens doors, and happily trots around well-lit and cleared areas. This character and charm is what makes Luigi’s Mansion 2 such a delight, and makes it hard for the player not to both sympathize at his situation, while simultaneously laughing at it. Luigi is the quintessential reluctant hero, the unassuming underdog, and it makes the game so much more enjoyable when you beat a level. There are also endearing personality quirks like escorting Toads, carefully ushering them into new areas, and high-fiving them when you solve a puzzle together.
There are some minor frustrations with Luigis Mansion 2 HD however, like having to restart the entire mission should you be defeated. This really only came into play for me on the final mansion, as there are some difficult battles that require you to defeat an army of ghosts. Slip up, and you might have to spend another 20-30 minutes duking it out to progress.
For my vision-impaired ghost hunters, there are no accessibility options, and the game is rather dark at times. As always, I recommend doing some further research to find out if Luigis Mansion 2 HD is for you. At $80 AUD, Luigis Mansion 2 HD falls under a very premium price, and this seems to have divided gamers and critics alike. On one hand, people are saying the price point is high for a game that doesn’t add anything new. For me, as a big fan of the original, I found the graphical upgrade and control rework to make this the definitive version of the game. While I did receive a review copy of Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD, I also purchased a copy for my kids who have been thoroughly enjoying playing through. In my opinion, if you haven’t played this game before, then this is an essential purchase and a thoroughly enjoyable adventure that will last around 20-30 hours… even more for completionists. For those who did experience the original, then I would say that this is a great way to revisit this classic game.
Luigis Mansion HD is a faithful, gorgeous, and fun remaster that will have you smiling when the credits roll. It has a gorgeous graphics engine that brings the world to life, complemented by outstanding animation that oozes personality and charm. It’s a grand adventure that’s hard to put down, and while it does have some minor frustrations, the gameplay keeps you engaged until the very end. The price point may haunt some gamers, but those who invest are in for a great time revisiting this amazing game.
So What’s It Like? Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is like Mario Brothers crossed with Ghost Busters.
I award it a 90/100, securing Luigis Mansion 2 HD as a What’s It Like Certified Exceptional game.
In the interest of full disclosure, a review copy was provided by Nintendo Australia, but this does not influence my score.
