Up until the Gamecube console Nintendo had always launched their consoles with a new Mario title. That’s why it was such a surprise when at release they gave us Luigi’s Mansion instead. Yes, I know. If we wanted to get technical one could say this is still a ‘Mario game’ but at it’s core it really isn’t. It’s also worth noting that before this Luigi had never had a starring role in a video game (unless you can’t the educational games. I don’t). This also wasn’t a platformer and instead was more of an action adventure game with hints of survival horror. Regardless it wasn’t what Nintendo fans were expecting, nor was it something most wanted. Reviews were good but not great at time of release. I actually passed on it at the time, but decided to give it a spin for Halloween. Is it any good? You bet.
The game starts with Luigi trekking through some dark woods. It turns out he won a mansion in some contest. Some competition, am I right? He and Mario made plans to meet up at it but upon arrival Luigi’s brother is nowhere to be found. What’s more is the place is a whole lot creepier than he probable expected. Unfortunately it’s overrun by ghosts and he is saved only by an eccentric old scientist named Professor E. Gadd. This guy arms him with both a basic flashlight and a vacuum cleaner. This isn’t any old household appliance though. This is the poltregust 3000, and it sucks up ghosts and traps ghosts. Think Ghostbusters, but with a lot of classic Nintendo charm. Oh and he’s also given the Game Boy Horror. This is less hands on and is used for game hints by communicating with the professor.
Let me start off by saying that I appreciate that Nintendo tried something different. They had stuck with the classic Mario formula for so long, and it had been a while since they expanded the franchise universe in any interesting way. Luigi’s Mansion accomplishes this in a real cute way. There are no characters, mechanics different from literally every other Mario title, and it’s even a genre the series had not dabbled in yet. The horror setting (even as kid friendly as it is here) is really unique for the franchise. For a launch title it’s an odd choice (I think Nintendo should have held this one off for the Gamecube’s first Halloween) but I can appreciate them trying something different.
As we’ve already touched upon Luigi’s Mansion is an action adventure game where you fight ghosts using what’s basically a vacuum cleaner. You explore 3D environments as Luigi and this is one of the early dual analog titles. Basically the left joystick moves Luigi around, but the right one changes the direction he faces and where he’s aiming the flashlight/vacuum. It’s a bit clunky at first but I get what Nintendo was going for here. It works, and doesn’t take long to get used to. Mostly it’s the second analog stick that’s the problem. I would almost have preferred tank controls in this case because I found myself struggling to make Luigi face the right way in a lot of cases. I’m used to dual analog controls now, and so I can’t imagine how gamers dealt with this back when the scheme was new.
Basic gameplay has you exploring a series of rooms in said mansion and sucking up any ghost that moves. You must do so by first shining your flashlight on the foe to stun them and reveal their heart, and then you can start vacuuming them up. They don’t sit still however and move around as they try to escape. You have to turn Luigi to face them in order to keep the stream of air current aimed at them. There’s a counter on each ghost that counts down as you are targeting them with the poltergust, and when it reaches zero they’re sucked up forever. Neat. When you aren’t battling ghosts you’re solving light puzzles. Most of the time this involves simple things like sucking up specific elements of the environment with the poltergust, or by interacting with the environment in some other way.
These are barely head scratchers at best. It’s clear Luigi’s Mansion is geared toward kids, and I found simply experimenting with the vacuum was more than enough to progress through this game. With that said Luigi’s Mansion isn’t insulting. The puzzles may be simplistic but they’re pretty interesting as far as implementation goes. Even though combat isn’t super difficult it requires you to pay attention just enough. It’s also unique enough to be interesting even for older gamers. It’s also dynamic enough with the different environments and ghost types that it stays interesting from start to finish.
Nintendo is one of the world’s most renowned developers. Of course they’re going to expand the gameplay as Luigi’s Mansion goes on. The poltergust gets expanded at specific points in the story. You gain the ability to shoot both fire and water out of it. While this does affect combat (you can use these elemental affinities to damage ghosts) these upgrades are primarily focused on puzzles. It’s very basic, but at specific points you’ll have to water plants to progress or burn away objects blocking your way forward. Basic yes, but the change in dynamic is appreciated. I’ve never complained about power-ups or upgrades so I’m not going to start now.
There are also boss fights. Let me start by saying that these are by far the most interesting moments in Luigi’s Mansion. The mini bosses, or ‘portrait ghosts’ as they’re called are super interesting. It’s a puzzle not only to unlock them but also to defeat said ghosts. This is where the challenge of the game is. These guys not only have more life, and move more, but they have tricks up their sleeves as well. The main bosses are a bit less interesting in my opinion. I do like the new dynamics that they introduce, but honestly, the mid bosses were more interesting to me. Upon defeating one of the major enemies a new area of the mansion is unlocked which adds an interesting level style progression to the game.
Luigi’s Mansion is not a scary game. It’s not even startling. We’re talking about software aimed at kids, after all. It would be unfair to expect survival horror jump scares in Luigi’s Mansion. With that said I do love the goofy horror atmosphere. Nintendo went all in here, and this was basically where they established Luigi’s entire personality. He hums along with the music to great effect, and pressing the A button causes Luigi to call out to his brother. It’s pretty cool and these little additions add so much personality to the game. You don’t need to use caution with little ones playing it. Luigi’s Mansion has some great cartoon horror themes, but it’s far from being even the slightest bit scary. Regardless of age this one is a fun choice for Halloween.
Luigi’s Mansion is a decent looking game. It doesn’t stress the hardware very much but it’s a launch title after all. The environments almost look as good as pre-rendered ones from previous generation games. The best part however is in the animations and physics. Nintendo went to great lengths to make sure that the game moves beautifully, and it does. Every action Luigi performs is fluid and has a ton of work behind it. This is especially true when you’re sucking up random elements of the environment. While the character models aren’t amazing I can look past it because of how well they animate. In motion Luigi’s Mansion looks incredible. When just looking at screenshots it’s a bit ‘meh.’ The music is great as well. It uses a distinct Mario style but fits the horror theme well. I appreciate how well the music establishes the atmosphere.