Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is an impressive remaster of one of the Nintendo 3DS’ less-remembered first-party titles. The price is pretty extreme for a remaster, but the game itself is a mostly enjoyable and creative one that’s worth experiencing.
Credit: Nintendo
Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD
Developer: Next Level Games & Tantalus Media
Price: $80
Platforms: Nintendo Switch (reviewed)
MonsterVine was provided with a Switch code for review
I was enormously excited about Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon before its release back when I was in high school. I obsessively played the first game again and again as a kid, then delved into the sequel upon release and had a great time. After getting over the intense terror that struck me upon realizing the game is now just over 11 years old, I jumped at the opportunity to play this new HD rerelease to see if my teenage opinions on it have remained true.
Unlike the first one, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD takes a more segmented, arcade-esque approach to busting ghosts. The game is spread across several big locations, like a creepy manor and a frozen mine. The settings are fitting spots for ghost-hunting, though the inside areas tend to blend between a few of the different locales. This is especially true as a result of the mission-based design of Luigi’s Mansion 2, which doesn’t let you get quite as used to each location as you would in the more singular and exploration-based location of the first title. Regardless, there’s a lot of charm to exploring these freaky places as a comically creeped out Luigi.
Credit: Nintendo
The gameplay itself is rather fun, as the balance of sucking up ghosts and solving environmental puzzles is a strong one. The core loop of blinding ghosts and nabbing them remains exciting the entire way through, while being able to do additional damage to ghosts but pressing “A” after consistently holding the stick away from their direction is a welcome extra reward for consistent skill. The boss fights are more hit or miss, but the more creative ones can be a blast to figure out on the fly.
“The colorful ghosts really pop in Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD thanks to the major visual upgrade.“
ScareScraper is the multiplayer component of this rerelease, which sees you team up with several other multicolored Luigis to complete objectives while ascending the titular building. It can be briefly fun to team up with others to hunt Polterpups or fight bosses, but I found myself getting a bit tired of it after a few rounds.
Credit: Nintendo
Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD’s visuals received an impressive update in the move to the Nintendo Switch, with the models and locations looking much smoother all around. Though there’s no 3D component now that the game is off of the Nintendo 3DS, the colorful ghosts really pop here thanks to the major visual upgrade. I’m not certain that alone makes this remaster worth selling at full price, but I digress.
My only big issue with Luigi’s Mansion 2 is the same one I had when the original game was released 11 years ago – the major shift in tone from the original game. Granted, the 12-year gap between games means it would never be too similar, but the original title had a darker and weirder tone to it that isn’t present in the sequel. I don’t entirely mind the more cartoony and colorful vibe, but there aren’t any eerie or slightly unsettling moments here, which is a bit of a shame.
The Final Word
Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is a great remaster of an overall enjoyable 3DS sequel. Though the price point is a bit steep, the visual upgrade and core gameplay make this a solid rerelease of a somewhat overlooked Mario spin-off.
MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
