For years the Luigi’s Mansion series remained firmly in the shadow of big brother Mario’s many adventures, but 2019’s Luigi’s Mansion 3 proved to be a bit of a breakout hit, garnering enthusiastic reviews and eventually selling nearly 15 million copies. In the wake of that success, Nintendo is doubling back and reviving the somewhat-overlooked previously-3DS-exclusive Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon for Switch under the title Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD (the game has always been known as Luigi’s Mansion 2 in Europe for those confused).
Luigi’s Mansion 2/Dark Moon was quite an ambitious game by 3DS standards, but is it still a scary-good time here in 2024? I’ve had the opportunity to go hands-on with Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD and can comment on roughly the first third of the game (up until the midpoint of the second mansion). Tip-toe on down for my early impressions…
Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD largely sticks to the series’ standard set-up. That rascal King Boo has escaped his bonds and shattered the Dark Moon which protects the Evershade Valley, causing it to become infested with g-g-g-ghosts. Luigi is again recruited by friend/tormentor Professor E. Gad to don the upgraded Poltergust 5000 and cleanse multiple themed mansions of their pesky paranormal activity.
While there’s always debate about where the line between remasters and full-on remakes lies, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is unquestionably on the remaster end of the scale. While the game sports updated textures, character models, and improved lighting, actual level layouts and geometry doesn’t appear to have changed, with everything having a rather chunky, angular 3DS look. That isn’t to say the game is ugly, but it’s a solid notch below Luigi’s Mansion 3, which is one of the most visually-polished first-party Switch titles.
Not a ton has changed in terms core gameplay, either. As in all games in the series, Luigi uses his Poltergust vacuum to both interact with the environment and suck up specters. In battle, your goal is to stun ghosts with your flashbulb, then vacuum them up. Ghosts will try to break free from you, but pulling in the opposite direction fills a meter which allows you to unleash an extra burst of suction power. None of the moves added in Luigi’s Mansion 3, including the satisfying ability to smash ghosts into objects and each other, have been reverse-engineered into Luigi’s Mansion 2 – combat plays out like it always has.
Well, that’s not entirely true. The game was, unavoidably, a bit awkward to play on a 3DS owing to its lack of a second analog stick, but that’s obviously not a limitation Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD has to deal with. You can now move Luigi with the left stick and aim the Poltergust independently with the right stick, much like you can in Luigi’s Mansion 1 and 3. That said, continuing this series’ history of inexplicable control limitations, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD doesn’t offer a single-stick option where your vacuum always point the same way you’re facing. Sure, more experienced types will want to go with the twin-stick controls, but younger, less experienced players may appreciate a simpler control scheme.
Like other aspects of the game, the level design of Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is largely identical to how it was on the 3DS, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Each of the game’s multiple mansions are laid out in a satisfying Metroidvania-like fashion, with plenty of goodies and secrets hidden around ever corner. While puzzle design isn’t quite as creative as Luigi’s Mansion 3, there are some surprisingly challenging brainteasers to be found here that require you to examine ever nook and cranny of your environment. Bosses, like the giant spider lurking at the end of the first mansion, are puzzles in their own right, which require very specific steps to overcome and provide an unexpected level of challenge.
Unfortunately, Luigi’s Mansion 2’s generally impressive level design isn’t always well-served by the game’s mission structure. Unlike Luigi’s Mansion 1 and 3, which give you a degree of freedom to explore the world as you wish, Luigi’s Mansion 2 is strictly mission-based, with areas of a mansion that don’t serve said mission typically being blocked off.
Also frustrating is the game’s save system, which only records your progress after you’ve completed a mission, some of which can be 30 to 40 minutes long. Have to quit midway through a mission? Too bad, back to the beginning. Die during a mission? Unless you find a hidden golden dog bone item during a mission, too bad. Perhaps the structure of Luigi’s Mansion 2 made some sense on the 3DS – portioning the game up into missions arguably makes it more “pick-up-and-play,” and for whatever reason, Nintendo was fixated on getting people to put their 3DS games and system into sleep mode instead of quitting. But in 2024? This approach to missions and saving feels antiquated and like something Nintendo could have modernized without that much effort (give us a more generous autosave like LM3 at least).
Current Thoughts on Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD
Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is still packed with plenty of spooky charm, but beyond more versatile controls and a limited cosmetic spit shine, Nintendo hasn’t been terribly brave with this update. Hardcore Luigi’s Mansion maniacs have plenty to look forward to, but those who became acquainted with the series with its popular third entry may have to adjust. I still have more to play (I haven’t tackled the online ScareScraper multiplayer mode at all yet) and am enjoying my time thus far, but I can’t help but notice some of the dust that’s accumulated on this Mansion.
Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD arrives on Switch on June 27. You can expect a review from Wccftech prior to the game’s launch.
