Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD
Developer: Next Level Games
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms: Switch
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $59.99 – Available Here
Overview
Once in Mario’s shadow, Luigi now has a pretty significant space when it comes to Nintendo characters. Over a decade ago, the mascot saw a release of Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon on the Nintendo 3DS, which fared well, but didn’t give it the same exposure as its sequel that would go on to sell over 12 million copies. Now we are seeing a re-release on the Switch, now titled Luigi’s Mansion 2. How does it fare on a new platform? Let’s find out.
Story
The basis of this narrative is the same as it was in Dark Moon, but that doesn’t make it any less interesting. King Boo shatters the “Dark Moon” that keeps ghosts calm within Evershade Valley, and E. Gadd enlists everyone’s favorite sidekick to pick of the pieces, stop boo, and explore some new locales along the way. This title was obviously built to feel “bigger” than the first with multiple mansions and a slightly bigger story. The issue I have with this title’s narrative is the same I had years ago. Its a fine story, it just isn’t as interesting as the first or even its sequel. The game feels very mission-based. That’s fine for portable titles, but for a full-priced Switch title, things feel a bit lackluster in comparison.
Gameplay
The gameplay is pretty well optimized for the Switch. Players can suck up ghosts quickly and utilizing the vacuum, which now has gimmickry attached to it with various power-ups. You can now get vacuum pieces that show doors, or that can tackle larger or variant foes with ease. Yeah, the gimmicks run strong with this one, but the transition feels natural and gives the exploration segments a greater sense of depth or meaning.
Luigi himself also controls quite easy, and while the format is a bit different from other installments, it still makes sense on the Switch. One of my biggest issues are how the missions are cut up amongst Evershade. Instead of a nice flow, where we build up to bosses – there is a lot of puzzles in-between. This isn’t new for the franchise, but due to the gimmick vacuums, its a crutch used a bit too much that only adds a feeling of tedium as you backtrack over the same spots in a game that already should be big enough to compensate for the need for padded length.
That may sound a bit negative (and in comparison to the rest of the franchise, it is), but I do feel that there is a very enjoyable game here, despite the flaws. Ghosts are fund to nab down and the boss battles, while sometimes gnawing – are inventive and delightful. Its great to see what the 3DS attempted to put on there then, and even more interesting to see it optimized in this modern port. There is a tacked on multiplayer mode here which brings us Scarescraper mode. This acts like a mission-based objective for up to four players. I remember playing this a bit on the 3DS, and its on the Switch and functions fine – however, it is a huge missing of the mark to only have this mode in online only or with multiple consoles. I get it due to the screen-peaking and so on, but a few adjustments could have made this a lot of fun to play with multiple people – just like Luigi’s Mansion 3 offered.
Audio
The music here is fine and still brilliant. I love when Luigi hums along and his voicework is still a large plus for the game. The eerie yet goofy atmosphere also come together perfectly, creating a fun yet campy time for all who enter these mansions. There haven’t been any retractions here due to its size, but the tracks do loop and while that does not bother me, I can see some having an issue with less music involved in this offering.
Visuals
Honestly, this game looks fine. It isn’t an absolute knock-out like Luigi’s Mansion 3, but that game had more colors and a different vibe. Luigi’s Mansion 2 keeps with the dark tones and manages to look solid, with steady animations and performance. The visuals and art style can be a bit of a takeaway however, as its easy to miss little things that are important to progression as the colors can blend together a bit. This may have been a bit more focused on a 3DS screen, but I did get lost a little often due to the way the colors kind of blend here, meaning its easy to miss little details.
Overall
Luigi’s Mansion 2 is a stretched out version of the 3DS installment, yet is still fine in most ways. The puzzles are not as engaging without the portable nature, but the charm is still there, allowing a good chunk of players to experience the game for the first time in a decently built port. While it won’t be for everyone and bares a full price-tag, despite its limited nature, Luigi’s Mansion 2 is still good enough to join the Switch library in a late fashion, as it may be a nice title to pad out your library with if your looking for one more overlooked gem.
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