Right off the bat, I need to compliment the game on how it looks. It’s a well-known fact that Nintendo tends to drag behind their competitors in terms of graphics and resolution. However, sacrificing ‘realism’ for more stylised, cartoony graphics usually benefits them in the long run as they age brilliantly. I have no doubt that Luigi’s Mansion 3 will fall into that category. The animations are fluid, there’s great attention to detail, which is mostly apparent in close ups of Luigi, and the lighting is absolutely exceptional. The lighting alone makes it one of the best looking games on the Switch, as well as increasing the atmosphere and immersion of the game.
A pretty looking game doesn’t guarantee a good one, but thankfully Luigi’s Mansion 3 doesn’t fall short in other areas either. The game is set in a hotel and Luigi has to find Mario, Princess Peach and 3 Toads after they are captured by the hotel owner, Hellen Gravely, as she attempts to impress King Boo. Pretty soon, you’ll find and rescue Professor E. Gadd and be busting ghosts with the best of them. Your Poltergust is as robust as ever, allowing you to jump, flash, uncover hidden objects and give ghosts a satisfying slam before sucking them up. Many of the games puzzles revolve around one of E. Gadd’s newest inventions, Gooigi. This totally green replica of Luigi can’t come into contact with water but it can slip through drains and vents. There’s multiple times where you’ll have to switch between them as only one of them will be able to access certain locations. There are also a couple of boss fights where you’ll have to utilise them both.
There are 17 floors in this hotel and every time you defeat a boss you’ll receive an elevator button, allowing you to access a new floor. The setting never becomes stale either, thanks to the brilliant gimmick of each floor being based around a different theme, from pirates to Ancient Egypt. Some of my favourite floors revolved around a movie set and a dance floor. Each Boss Ghost fits its floor perfectly too. There are also various types of ordinary ghosts for you to capture and the simple act of doing so is fun.
As well as this, there are a few collectables to find, namely Gems and Boos. There are six Gems per floor and one Boo per floor (except the top floor). The Boos aren’t too hard to find as Gooigi starts vibrating the closer you get to one (each of their names is also a terrible/beautiful pun based around the theme of the floor they are found on). The Gems on the other hand will require you to search every nook and cranny of the hotel.
Topping off the story mode, which took me around 20 hours to beat, there are a couple of multiplayer modes to enjoy – ScreamPark and ScareScraper. ScareScraper consists of 2-8 players working together to complete whatever challenge is thrown at them, from capturing ghosts to collecting coins, before the time runs out. It can be played locally or online and is actually harder than it seems, especially if everyone isn’t co-ordinated in their approach. ScreamPark contains a few versus minigames, including capturing the most ghosts and hitting targets with a cannon. The collecting coins one can be especially tense as you manoeuvre around the pool.
Squad
Overall, this game is the complete Luigi’s Mansion experience. Presentation and gameplay is spot on and it’s full of character. Luigi’s Mansion 4 might have to go in a different direction to keep the series feeling fresh because the formula seems to be perfected here.
Occasional Video Game Reviews 