Luigi's Mansion 3DS Game Review

By: Max Cannon

Luigi's Mansion is a beloved 2001 game that released alongside the console it was originally made for: the Nintendo GameCube. 17 years later, Luigi is returning to the original mansion on the Nintendo 3DS and while the gameplay may have not aged all that well the charm and atmosphere of Luigi's Mansion make it one of the most charming games in Nintendo's library. 

A Return to the Mansion

After mysteriously winning a mansion in a competition, Luigi decides to meet up with Mario to check it out but he's nowhere to be seen. So he teams up with Professor E. Gadd, a nearby scientist, to find Mario and remove each of the ghosts haunting the mansion. This game is brimming with charming atmosphere, and it all centers around Luigi's personality. While Mario is always smiling, cheering, and jumping around, Luigi is in constant fear and firmly rooted on the ground. As he moves from room-to-room in the eerie mansion, Luigi is always jumping at everything around him while also trying to keep himself calm by humming the game's memorable theme. 

Luigi’s Mansion - Launch Trailer - Nintendo 3DS

Lightning will crack outside and fill rooms with light while ghosts will cackle at your character. Some of the textures don't look quite as good as the original game did and I noticed a few moments where the shadows and lighting weren't as detailed but, for the most part, the game looks better than ever. It's also a perfect excuse to turn up your 3D because it works really well when navigating the mansion's spooky hallways. Fun fact: playing Luigi's Mansion in 3D has been a longtime goal of Nintendo's, considering the original was intended to work in 3D through the GameCube before losing the ability close to launch.

The game's puzzles are often clever and quick to solve.Courtesy of Nintendo

Getting the Ghosts

The meat of the actual gameplay, aside from exploration, is around sucking up those pesky phantoms with your Poltergust 3000. Once you've hit them with your flashlight and exposed their heart, you can suck them up as they pull you around their room. Some of the tougher ghosts require a little more puzzle-solving to reveal their hearts, like removing a hungry ghosts food to upset them or cutting in on a couple's dance. The many characters have a great design to each of them but, aside from figuring out how to reveal their heart, the gameplay does start to feel pretty repetitive. 

Luigi's Mansion has as much personality as ever.Courtesy of Nintendo

While snagging ghosts is simple it is sometimes frustrating because of the game's controls. When trying to finetune your aim, especially to grab the cash that flies around the room, it's often difficult to point Luigi right where you want him. A few times I wound up missing my attack on a boss or was attacked by an enemy because I couldn't aim as precisely as I wanted to. It's not a problem enough to bog down the whole experience but the game's controls certainly could've been tightened. 

Luigi is a charming character throughout the whole game.Courtesy of Nintendo

Final Thoughts

Luigi's Mansion is brimming with charm and the silly-spooky atmosphere makes it a perfect October game. While the controls haven't aged as well, and the gameplay is a little simplistic, this short game is still unique enough to feel like a breath of fresh air nearly 2 decades later.

Pros

• Great Atmosphere
• Unique Gameplay

Cons

• Dated Controls

Luigi's Mansion 3DS Game Rating:

Luigi's Mansion Box ArtCourtesy of Nintendo

Available now for Nintendo 3DS

Tell us what you think!

Have you played the original Luigi's Mansion? Are you excited for the Nintendo Switch's Luigi's Mansion 3? Share your thoughts below in the comments!