With Halloween just around the corner, it’s time to explore one of Nintendo’s spookiest titles!
Credit: Nintendo
Luigi’s third solo adventure is a puzzling journey that gives the younger brother his chance to shine.
About
Luigi’s Mansion 3 follows the core components of the previous games. The game offers a range of puzzles connected by the story.
The setting of a hotel provides plenty of ghostbusting opportunities. Each room contains new secrets and treasures to collect.
The game was released on the 31st October 2019 as an Nintendo Switch exclusive. After releasing, the Mario spin-off received lots of praise and earned a score of 86 on Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/switch/luigis-mansion-3
Story
The opening scene shows Luigi and the rest of the gang heading to the Last Resort hotel. They have been invited to stay as VIP guests by Hellen Gravely, the hotel owner.
Obviously, this invitation is another one of King Boo’s traps. The alliance of Gravely and King Boo manage to capture Mario, Peach, and the Toads into paintings.
Credit: Nintendo
However, Luigi and Polterpup escape through the laundry chute.
After Polterpup assists Luigi in finding the Poltergust G-00, the two stumble across series favourite Professor E. Gadd and free him from the painting.
The professor then guides the duo to his lab in the basement. From here, Luigi receives all that is necessary to explore the hotel in an attempt to rescue the others.
New upgrades and abilities will force you to return to the lab at later stages of the game.
Whilst exploring, Luigi encounters a plethora of ghoulish bosses as well as some tricky puzzles to solve.
Credit: Polygon / Nintendo
Each completed floor reveals a new elevator button, allowing Luigi to get one step closer to saving his friends.
The context of the story remains simple throughout, with brief cutscenes appearing after every few floors.
The main story lasts around 15 hours, but there are plenty of collectibles that will have you returning to previous floors for more destructive exploration.
Although, the ending did feel quite abrupt which could have been solved by adding a few extra floors.
Gameplay
The story’s simplicity emphasises the true strength of the gameplay in Luigi’s Mansion 3. The level design and mechanics produce a shockingly good gameplay experience.
The hotel concept designates a floor to each level which makes it really easy to track progression. Also, each floor has a designated theme, making them feel different from one another.
What makes each level fun though, is the intricate level design. The floors are packed with details such as items and secret pathways.
Furthermore, the ghost encounters feel well timed with each level offering an increase in difficulty. The most spooktacular encounters came from the boss ghosts.
Credit: SegmentNext / Nintendo
Whether it was an ancient Pharaoh or a hotel maid, each boss is glowing with personality. The move sets and styles of each boss matches the theming of each floor, adding to the spectacle.
When it comes to gadgets, our petrified protagonist has a wide arsenal to slam ghosts with.
Professor E. Gadd’s inventions play a key role in Luigi’s adventure. These act as the main mechanics of the game.
Like its predecessors, Poltergust G-00’s main functions are to hoover or blow objects. However, the upgraded ghost vacuum now allows Luigi to swing his paranormal enemies around incredible Hulk style.
Credit: Nintendo
It also possesses a plunger that can be fired to attach to nearby objects and a dark light mode to reveal hidden pathways.
However, the standout feature is Gooigi. Luigi’s gelatinous counterpart is a crucial new element to the series.
The malleable companion is used to slide through drains and other tight spots within the hotel. But beware of his vulnerability to water!
Combining these abilities bolsters the exploration options throughout the game and offers players multiple ways of cleaning up evil ghosts.
Audio + Visuals
Perhaps one of the most underestimated parts of Luigi’s Mansion 3 is the graphics. Screenshots often fail to portray the game’s graphical prowess.
Normally, a game that has darker lighting would be considered a weakness. However, it works as an advantage in this game because it adds to the horror theme.
Despite this, the game is not afraid to implement splashes of bright colours when needed. For example, ghosts are extremely luminous in order to make their position clear.
Credit: Nintendo
These visual elements work together to create scenery that feels tense and full of lurking threats.
The audio within the game adds to the tense atmosphere. Sound effects of ghosts screaming, and doors creaking are abundant throughout.
On the other hand, animations and character interactions are also used to create moments of comedy.
Whether its Luigi stumbling around in terror or the shocked faces of ghosts after being flashed with light, these moments shows how charming this game can be.
My Experience
I started playing through the main story of Luigi’s mansion around a year ago. After playing one level at a time, I recently completed the adventure.
This slow approach is something I don’t tend to take. However, the game’s structure made this approach feel beneficial.
Credit: Nintendo
Focussing on one level at a time allowed me to explore each floor thoroughly. Moreover, staggering the playthrough made me appreciate the detailed level design.
I found the puzzles and problem solving to be more challenging at the beginning. But as I become more accustomed to the mechanics, the difficulty decreased.
It was a similar story with the boss fights. The encounters gradually became more comfortable as I learnt more about Luigi’s abilities.
As previously mentioned, the ending felt slightly rushed and a drastic change of pace in comparison to the rest of the story. A few extra levels to flesh out the story would have significantly improved the finale.
Overall, this spooky spin-off is a thrilling take on the haunted house experience that is filled with well crafted puzzles and entertaining boss fights.
Rating
My rating for Luigi’s Mansion 3 is a 4 out of 5 stars.
Luigi’s paranormal adventure is an intriguing puzzler, but a simple story and shorter ending makes it fall short of greatness.
Where To Get It
Luigi’s Mansion 3 can be found exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.
The retail price in the UK is £49.99.
A multiplayer pack is also available for £8.99.
Find out more by clicking this link: https://store.nintendo.co.uk/en_gb/luigis-mansion-3-000000000010002034.html?&source=ppc&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlOmLBhCHARIsAGiJg7lL6r9G3UMnMKDYA6iC9aQ27WPK-EOLU-ympBTByKMj3dcmyN_6BYUaAg5KEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
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