As much as Luigi has morphed into a character to laugh at over the years (excluding the sacredYear of Luigi in 2013), he’s never gotten the credit that he’s deserved. He’s always been portrayed as the gangly, awkward brother of the two Mario Bros., but Luigi has his own special breed of bravery that I think goes unnoticed. Even with his cowardice, he’spartied alongside Mario and Co., playedcountless rounds of tennis, and evenescaped the clutches of Deathto get where he is today. Of course, this is all aside from the fact that he’s now ventured three times into increasingly spooky places in theLuigi’s Mansionseries. Thankfully, if Luigi didn’t get the attention that he deserved before,Luigi’s Mansion 3surely proves that he deserves it now.
Coming off their work onLuigi’s Mansion: Dark Moonon the 3DS, Next Level Games’ return to the series withLuigi’s Mansion 3truly feels like the next installment that we’ve been waiting for. That isn’t meant to be a slight againstDark Moonby any means, which is a game that I quite liked a lot. However, with the benefit of more powerful hardware,Luigi’s Mansion 3not only shows off Next Level Games’ talents at making an exceptional first-party title, but also delivers what is easily the best entry in the series yet and a frightfully good time.
After the events ofDark Moon,Luigi’s Mansion 3finds Luigi, Mario, Peach, Toad, and a few other Toads all embarking on a well-deserved vacation with an invitation to stay at a luxurious hotel, The Last Resort. At first, all seems fine and dandy: the hotel is impeccably furnished and almost certainly ghost-free. Until then of course, it isn’t, and everyone other than Luigi and his Polterpup wind up in the clutches of the hotel’s ghoulish owner, Hellen Gravely, and a revenge-seeking King Boo. From there on out, it’s up to Luigi to explore the rest of the Last Resort to try and find his companions, armed with his new and improved Poltergust and the help of Professor E. Gadd.
Despite the fact that this essentially makes the gameLuigi’s Hotelinstead ofLuigi’s Mansion, The Last Resort is a brilliantly constructed setting and a wonderful diversion from the mansions that we explored two times before. Closer to the original game,Luigi’s Mansion 3jumps back towards a more open-ended, exploration-driven experience rather than the segmented missions thatDark Moonspread across multiple smaller areas. While in the pastLuigi’s Mansiongames this structure often ended up in having to backtrack through the same rooms and areas several times,Luigi’s Mansion 3circumvents this cycle of repetition thanks to its clever design and loop of exploration.
[pullquote]“Luigi’s Mansion 3delivers what is easily the best entry in the series yet and a frightfully good time."[/pullquote]
While the basic structure ofLuigi’s Mansion 3doesn’t veer too far from the previous games–exploring areas, sucking up ghosts, solving puzzles, and fighting bosses–the variety and pacing of the game is what really makes exploring The Last Resort so compelling. The hotel features over 15 floors that Luigi traverses through over the course of the game, with each floor featuring a completely unique theme and setting that sets it apart from the rest, ranging from what you would expect to find in a hotel (the foyer, the restaurant, etc.) to more outlandish areas. Your guess is as good as mine as to why The Last Resort has a medieval battle arena and an Egyptian pyramid, but the incredible variety of environments thatLuigi’s Mansion 3brings the player through ensures that you are always moving on to something new and exciting, especially with so many puzzles to solve and ghosts to capture.
The gameplay inLuigi’s Mansion 3especially feels like the best that the series has ever had, as both the Poltergust and the game’s puzzles have seen some significant upgrades. The Poltergust is now more powerful and far more capable of sucking in (almost) everything in sight, making it a blast to venture into a new room and vacuum until it’s bone dry for money and other valuable items. Likewise, Professor E. Gadd has also given the new and improved Poltergust G-00 some fancy new tricks, such as an air blast that shoots Luigi up into the air, the Dark Light to reveal hidden objects, and the suction shot that allows him to move objects that might be in the way or rip off doors.
[pullquote]“The incredible variety of environments thatLuigi’s Mansion 3brings the player through ensures that you are always moving on to something new and exciting."[/pullquote]
The Poltergust has also gotten even more handy for sucking up ghosts, as Luigi now also has the ability to slam ghosts back and forth into the ground for added damage, making the process of ghostbusting far more fun and less repetitive than it could sometimes be in previous games. That said, the controls of the Poltergust can still be a bit of a hassle, which is an issue that has plagued the previous two games, even with the addition of a reticle when Luigi sucks up an object to shoot at an enemy and the option to use motion controls. This is especially noticeable in some of the boss fights, which are a delight visually, but can be a pain gameplay-wise by demanding more precise timing and movement thatLuigi’s Mansion 3doesn’t quite deliver on.
By far, my favorite new addition to Luigi’s toolkit inLuigi’s Mansion 3is Gooigi, the aptly-named clone of Luigi that is, yes, made out of goo. While Gooigi was first introduced inthe 3DS remake of the originalLuigi’s Mansion, inLuigi’s Mansion 3he takes on a more vital role as Luigi’s companion, especially when it comes to puzzle solving. By clicking the right analog stick (or giving another player a Joy-Con in co-op), Luigi can summon Gooigi from the Poltergust to act as a second set of hands, which gives the player a whole new set of environmental choices to consider. Given his gelatinous form, Gooigi is able to move through grates and other areas that Luigi wouldn’t be able to get past by himself, and can also slide his way into pipes and other hidden areas, making him an essential part of the game’s puzzles and environments. However, don’t get him wet or light him on fire, or you’ll regret it.
[pullquote]“My favorite new addition to Luigi’s toolkit inLuigi’s Mansion 3is Gooigi, the aptly-named clone of Luigi that is, yes, made out of goo."[/pullquote]
With players either now having control of two characters at a time (or the help of a friend) and so many tools at their disposal, the way that Next Level Games designed each puzzle and area inLuigi’s Mansion 3makes it a joy to discover every hidden secret that the hotel has to offer. Each room and floor is intricately designed and meant for the player to search through and consider new ways to use Luigi’s Poltergust, from using the suction shot to grab an item and smash it into something else, or calling on Gooigi to help add some extra suction power on an obstacle.
While the puzzle solving inLuigi’s Mansionwas always one of my favorite parts of the series, inLuigi’s Mansion 3it has only gotten better thanks to the clever ways that Next Level Games has used Luigi’s new tools to make exploring these new environments interesting and fresh on every floor. And given that there are a wealth of collectibles to find, Boos to fight, and other surprises in store, it only ensures that you’ll have a much longer stay at The Last Resort than you might have anticipated.Luigi’s Mansion 3is already a pretty lengthy experience on its own, but with its assortment of Gems and Boos to find, there is a wealth of secrets to uncover.
[pullquote]“Given that there are a wealth of collectibles to find, Boos to fight, and other surprises in store, it only ensures that you’ll have a much longer stay at The Last Resort than you might have anticipated."[/pullquote]
The environments and gameplay inLuigi’s Mansion 3have seen great strides since we first ventured intoLuigi’s Mansionon the GameCube, but what really brings Luigi’s third eerie adventure together are its humor and visuals. I think it’s easy to say thatLuigi’s Mansion 3is one of the best-looking games on the Nintendo Switch, especially when it comes to the animations that really enhance Luigi’s fright and cowardice, to the lighting effects and visuals that bring The Last Resort to life.
Everything brims detail as players explore the hotel, from the varied assortment of ghosts that you’ll fight and their distinctive personalities, to the ghostly rats and other critters that scurry around each floor that Luigi explores. All in all,Luigi’s Mansion 3just feels cartoonish in the best way possible, and seeing Luigi’s intricate animations and reactions to things genuinely made me laugh out loud at times while exploring.Luigi’s Mansion 3is as charming and funny as it is beautiful to look at and play, and it is striking to see how far the series has come with this being only its third installment across several console generations.
[pullquote]“Seeing Luigi’s intricate animations and reactions to things genuinely made me laugh out loud at times while exploring."[/pullquote]
Outside of the core storyline,Luigi’s Mansion 3also features several different multiplayer options in case your friends get tired of second-wheeling as Gooigi. The first of these is the ScareScraper mode, which assembles a team of four Luigis to suck up ghosts (or complete other objectives) across numerous floors in a randomly-generated tower, which encourages competition as much as it emphasizes cooperation, especially with a timer on each floor to add some pressure.
ScreamPark is the other multiplayer option forLuigi’s Mansion 3, which offers several different mini-games for up to eight players. Assembled into Team Luigi or Team Gooigi, these mini-games–Ghost Hunt, Cannon Barrage, and Coin Floating–are fun and light team-based options that are better-suited for quick one-round bursts with friends. Think of them essentially as slightly more enhancedMario Party-style mini-games; they’re a fun diversion if you have friends over, but in the grand scheme of things they aren’t a core component ofLuigi’s Mansion 3compared to the main story.
[pullquote]“Luigi’s Mansion 3is as charming and funny as it is beautiful to look at and play."[/pullquote]
While this is only our thirdLuigi’s Mansiongame in nearly 20 years, a rarity for most of Nintendo’s other franchises,Luigi’s Mansion 3is an experience that easily justifies the longer wait sinceDark Moon. This full-fledged sequel delivers on just about every aspect from gameplay, to visuals, and especially to giving players a well-crafted, spooky adventure of puzzle-solving and exploration. Though I hope we get a return trip to the series sometime sooner rather than later,Luigi’s Mansion 3shows better than ever that Luigi is more than capable of carrying his own game, even one that’s meant to give us happiness at his expense.
