Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD Review – A Charming Remastering

Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD on Nintendo Switch

Released over a decade ago, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon became a best-seller for the Nintendo 3DS. Now, Nintendo hopes to repeat that success by releasing a remastering of the title on the Nintendo Switch with better-than-ever graphics so fans can enjoy it in all its glory on a larger screen.

If you have never had the chance to play Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (Luigi’s Mansion 2 outside of the U.S.) then this is a fine opportunity to try it. The game still holds its own despite being based on a decade-old title.

The storyline takes Luigi on a fun ghostly cavort in the semi-open environment of Evershade Valley. Professor E. Gadd sends our reluctant hero to retrieve five fragments of the shattered Dark Moon, capturing ghosts as he goes.

The gameplay is essentially linear, but you have the freedom to investigate every room in that level’s area, giving the impression of more open exploration. Completely free reign over each haunted biome could be fun, but imagine how long each puzzle would take if you had double the number of rooms to check for clues.

Also, going back to Professor E. Gadd’s bunker between levels is frustrating if you are impatient to continue the adventure. Not only does Gadd drag Luigi back to the base periodically, but he also rings to check in during each level. That gets pretty annoying, even if he is only trying to help!

Luigi must make his way through each section, collecting coins and crystals, and finding each piece of the Dark Moon. The professor arms the nervous plumber with various tools — the Poltergust 5000 and his flashlight complete with a Strobulb and a Dark Light add-on.

You use the tools to not only capture ghosts but also discover secrets and solve puzzles. I appreciated the game introducing each of these tools gradually as you journey through the first Mansion area. Part of the first few levels involves finding your flashlight add-ons and figuring out how to use each one effectively.

It does feel a little fiddly sometimes trying to move Luigi and point him at a ghost during a fight. More than once I found I zapped in the wrong direction and ended up getting ghost-slapped. It takes a while to get used to as the controls feel a bit awkward at first. Once mastered, however, ghost hunting is really enjoyable. The satisfying physicality of stunning a ghost, and then snagging them with the vacuum makes for some interesting combat! Far more fun than a simple point-and-shoot.

As I progressed I found some levels seemed repetitive and the ghosts were easy to predict at times. This wasn’t enough to bore me or put me off playing, however. The characters are full of charm, from the ghosts to our protagonist. Luigi’s personality and movements are goofy and fun, his character is truly endearing. The quest to discover every piece of the Dark Moon is engaging enough to keep you interested and, once you unlock the multiplayer feature, you’ll want to jump back in again and again.

The puzzles Luigi has to solve are surprisingly crafty and occasionally baffling. There were a few moments when I had to go through each room vacuuming every object and shining the flashlight on every wall. Thankfully the areas are beautifully detailed and never dull. It is worth this extra exploration, however, as you will come across hidden collectables and secret coin stashes. If you are the type of player who loves to achieve a 100% run-through of a game and find every collectable, then you may be playing for a while!

Thankfully, for anyone stuck during a level or trying to find a certain hidden crystal, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is exactly like the original. Don’t get me wrong, the remastering is fantastic. The enhancements to the graphics and sound design are both superb, but the gameplay is no different. This will make zero difference to you if this is your first time playing this second instalment of Luigi’s Mansion, but if you have already played it on the Nintendo 3DS, this remastering does not bring anything else to the table.

As expected, the story is the same, but so is every puzzle and ghost hunt. You may be disappointed if you are looking forward to extra features or varied levels. The only bonus is that it looks so good on a larger screen. This makes the ScareScraper multiplayer mode particularly effective. You get to see every little Luigi bumping into each other, clamouring for coins and vacuuming up ghosts as you attempt to complete levels together.

The ScareScraper mode is good fun, especially if you connect via voice chat on Discord. A group of friends come together online to attempt to beat any one of three different modes: Hunter, Rush, or Polterpup.

Hunter mode is a straightforward ghost-hunting mode, Rush has a time-limit extended if your team fights ghosts and searches objects, and Polterpup uses your Dark-Light device to track down ghostly puppies. They are all really enjoyable, but Polterpup is my favorite. The glowing pawprints are adorable and the Polterpups are cheeky little scamps!

Overall, I really enjoyed Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD. The polished graphics are impressive and the gameplay is engaging. The game is infused with the classic Mario Bros. humor we all know and love, the story is fun, and our protagonist is a loveable goofball.

The only thing that lets it down is the lack of extra features. It is a simple, straight-to-the-point remastering, perfectly produced for a new audience. Unless the 3DS version is your all-time favorite game, the fresh graphics are not enough to justify spending the full whack just to replay it on the Switch.