Tag Archives: Luigi’s Mansion 3

Luigi’s Mansion 3 (Switch)

Luigis Mansion 3

Developer – Next Level Games

Publisher – Nintendo

Director – Bryce Holiday

Producer – Alex McFarlane, Bjorn Nash & Kensuke Tanabe

PEGI – 7

Originally intended for release on the Wii U, Luigi’s Mansion 3 was eventually released on Halloween of 2019 for the Nintendo Switch. And garnished both critical and commercial acclaim for new ideas. After having played through this game myself, I was thoroughly impressed by what it had to offer. So much so that I consider it to be one of the best releases on the console so far. 

Graphics – 9/10

The latest installment of the series is set not in a mansion, or a series of mansions like in the previous games, but in a 15-floor hotel. Each floor with its own distinct themes, such as one for Medieval England, another themed on film, one on fitness, and one on Ancient Egypt to name but a few. From the point of view of conceptual design, it’s certainly a lot more diverse than the previous two games. Whilst they remained fresh with different kinds of rooms throughout, the third game simply enhances what was already great about the first two games. This will be a recurring point I’m going to be making throughout this entire review.

The only minor gripe I had with the game in terms of graphical quality was the areas surrounding the mansion. I.e. grassland, trees, mountains, etc, are greatly simplified compared to everything else in the game. But it’s only a minor issue since they’re just that. They’re additional background details that aren’t to be paid too much attention to anyway. The real attention to detail is perpetuated within everything besides. The textures the developers used for Luigi, in particular, are extremely impressive. With everything down from visible stitching on his clothes to the internal machinery in his latest weapon. The Poltergust G-00.

Gameplay – 9/10

Again, the gameplay in this title is yet another example of how the developers took the blueprint of the original two games and greatly expanded upon them. It perpetuates most of the ideas that were established with Luigi’s Mansion 2. Such as the dark light mechanics to uncover hidden secrets and the strobulb used to stun enemies. But also combines them with the Gooigi mechanic that was first preliminarily introduced as a co-op mechanic in the 3DS remake of the original Luigi’s Mansion and making it an integral part of the single-player campaign. Players have to use Gooigi to traverse through insubstantial barriers such as drainpipes and shuttered doors to either uncover more secrets or solve puzzles. It reminded me of the mechanics in the original Soul Reaver that allows Raziel to pass through similar obstacles.

Cont…

The setting of the game also clearly allowed for expansion on the general idea of the gameplay. Giving players a lot more to do than in the previous installments. Which in my opinion, was greatly needed if Nintendo ever did decide to develop a series of sequels to the original Luigi’s Mansion. The second one came close to being better than the first. As there was more added to that game in comparison to the original. But the third expands on this idea to an even greater extent. Making for an extremely enjoyable gaming experience overall. 

Another aspect in which this game improves on its predecessors is the quality of the boss fights. The boss fights in the first game were particularly good and the second game offered creativity in this respect but failed to top those of the original game. But the boss fights in the third are even more well thought out and even more challenging. As some of these require the use of Gooigi and therefore require the player to periodically switch between him and Luigi to beat some of the bosses. The best example of that is the boss fight against Hellen Gravely. Whereby the player must use Gooigi to switch off security systems that can hurt Luigi from underneath the floorboards. Whilst also using Luigi to avoid Hellen’s attacks and defeat her. 

Controls – 10/10

The control scheme of Luigi’s Mansion 3 is taken largely from Luigi’s Mansion 2. Which in itself, was a largely simplified variation of the control scheme for the original game. But it also introduces a lot of new mechanics to keep things fresh. But at the same time, it presents no issues. The combat system is largely refined in comparison to both 1 and 2. And the increased ghost types also necessitate the modification of strategy to best suit them. It all makes for one of the most unique titles to have ever come out of Nintendo in my personal opinion. 

Lifespan – 8.5/10

Whilst not quite as long as Luigi’s Mansion 2, it still makes for a delightfully lengthy gaming experience. Requiring at least 20 hours to complete to 100%. Again, it’s the idea of having a hotel with multiple floors is the means by which Nintendo has expanded the lifespan of a game within this series. I think If they were to make a fourth game, a good idea would be to set it inside a haunted skyscraper with over 100 floors. And more side quests complete with a courtyard at the base. But I digress. An expanded lifespan is exactly what was needed to further develop the ideas perpetuated by the original two games. And Nintendo delivered on this greatly with the third game. 

Storyline – 7.5/10

Luigi’s Mansion 3 begins with the Super Mario Bros along with Princess Peach, three Toads, and Luigi’s pet ghost dog Polterpup taking a vacation to The Last Resort Hotel. Whereby once they all check in and settle into their rooms, Luigi falls asleep whilst reading a book. When he wakes up, he finds that the hotel has turned into a ghostly apparition of itself and that the others are missing.

It turns out that with the help of the hotel’s owner, Hellen Gravely, King Boo has returned. Possessing the hotel and capturing Mario and the others, and trapping them in picture frames. Luigi must defeat King Boo whilst finding and freeing the others from him with the help of Luigi’s old ally Professor E. Gadd. He sets up a secret lab in the hotel basement once Luigi finds and rescues him from his own picture frame. Whilst also offering Luigi advice from afar and modifying his Poltergust G-00 with new abilities throughout. 

I like this game’s story for the same reason why I liked Super Mario Odyssey’s story. Despite the fact that both games simply perpetuate the same idea in terms of story as most of every other game in their respective series. Before it, Luigi’s hardships and successes are conveyed better through emotion and body language than in previous games. This is most likely part of the reason why this game won the award for best in-game animation of 2019. Spoken dialogue within the game is strangely a lot more diverse than what players would normally find in a Super Mario game. With Luigi saying various phrases upon defeating bosses.

Originality – 10/10

As I pointed out before, this game perpetuates some of the most original ideas that I’ve found in any Nintendo game before it. Not only because of the modifications that have been made to the game’s control scheme. But in every other aspect as well. From the gameplay to the conceptual design. It always baffles me how Nintendo is able to take their series’ and expand on the ideas perpetuated by previous installments. And the third Luigi’s Mansion game is no exception.

Deliirious

To summarize, when I first started playing Luigi’s Mansion 3, I immediately thought it was going to be at least on par with the original two games. But having played it through to the end, I put it above the other two. Luigi’s Mansion 3 is unanimously the best game in the series. It takes the best of Luigi’s Mansion 1 and 2 and expands on them to introduce new gameplay mechanics, and better boss fights. And an overall far more enjoyable gaming experience. I can’t recommend this title enough. 

Score

54/60

9/10 (Excellent)