Now let’s talk about the most famous game series Luigi has been a part of throughout the years. I say that knowing the series only has three games at the time of writing, but hopefully there may be more in the future. Let’s just talk about the games in the Luigi’s Mansion series that we have right now. As I already mentioned, there are three different games in the series. The first was originally released for the GameCube and was later remade for the 3Ds system and was simply called Luigi’s Mansion. It wasn’t until over ten years later that there would be a sequel as part of the Year of Luigi with the title Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon. Then about two years ago in 2019, we were given another sequel in Luigi’s Mansion 3. Now I personally really love this game series as it gives Luigi a chance to shine. However, for a game based around one of the Mario brothers, it has very little in the way of platforming. Instead the main gameplay loop involves sucking up different varieties of ghosts. Now Luigi is not the biggest fan of them going by how he shrieks in terror each time one gets the jump on him, but he still manages to hold his own. I guess I just respect the way he keeps trying his best to get the job done and save the day despite being absolutely terrified. I mentioned in my previous post that Luigi acted more light he wanted some spotlight in the Paper Mario games. In these games I am pretty sure Luigi would much rather just go home if he had the option. Poor guy can’t catch a break. So, I want to talk a little about the different games in the series and I want to start with the second game first. So, let’s discuss Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon for a bit.
Now this game is in my opinion the weakest one in the series. The main reason is probably the mission based structure. You are only able to complete certain objectives each mission and then you are forced to exit the area after reaching a certain point. There are also areas that were previously accessible that get blocked off since they aren’t necessarily areas to complete your mission objective. So exploration is kind of limited. Not to mention that interacting with certain areas in one mission can give you completely different rewards in another mission so things can get a little repetitive. The other gripe with the game is that there isn’t much in the area of boss fights since you only get to do mostly hoard battles and only fight a boss during the final mission of an area. However, I do think the puzzles in this game can be very interesting, especially when the dark light comes into play and you can observe hidden objects and stuff. Also the game honestly just controls better than the first one did. And this is comparing the 3Ds to a GameCube so you know that has to mean something. Truth be told, I feel like the second one has a bunch of ideas, but they just really killed most of the exploration from the get-go so the game feels a bit weaker. The original game, perfect segue I know, focus on trying to find all the ghosts and finding as much money as you could fill your pockets with so you could achieve a higher rank. Since the original was one big area you fought ghosts to unlock new areas of the house and find what happened to Mario. All of the ghosts that you fight in this game are unique in design and have some sort of personality. The problem is that their capture is one of the components to getting a high rank and the controls for catching ghosts aren’t the best. In fact it can be very difficult to pull off getting platinum for each painting. The only other ghosts you fight are the boos who are hidden throughout the mansion with a certain amount being needed to reach the final area where Mario is being kept by King Boo. So exploration is very heavy is this game, especially once the element medallions are introduced so you have new ways of interacting with the environment. Although, usually this is only for money and what house Luigi gets at the end of the game. The thing is that every last bit counts if you want to get the best ranking so it can require a lot of trial and error to fully beat the game. It also involves a lot of different boss fights with each having their own unique puzzles. The combat itself is not nearly as complex as it would be in later games.
Now Luigi’s Mansion 3 feels like a balance between the two games where it spends time fleshing out the combat of Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon while making it feel as though you are exploring a big open area like the original Luigi’s Mansion. Typically you spend most of your time solving puzzles and fighting waves of ghosts until you make it to the boss ghost and figure out it’s attack patterns so you can proceed on to the next area. Although most of their patterns tend to be pretty simple. Especially if Gooigi is a part of the battle because with the exception of one boss fight, there is no reason you need to switch between characters during the boss fights and so Gooigi is just regulated to puzzles for the most part. Also the gems have no other purpose except as collectibles and you don’t even get a cool Luigi trophy or anything. It is only for an achievement which is a little disheartening. Especially when some of them are so annoying to find. To the games credit they do give you easier ways to find Boos and gems but it does cost some amount of money. Although there is still more than enough coin to collect if you want to get the best ending so go nuts and feel free to spend irresponsibly. Of course that only applies to the game and definitely not in reality. I have never done anything irresponsible with money and my bank is secure enough so that you can’t find the statements to prove I’m lying. At least I hope it is because if not then I will be pretty embarrassed among other things. So back to the game, I do appreciate that a lot of the puzzles give you something to show for it even if they may not be very difficult. I also appreciate the boss ghosts each having unique personalities even if most of them aren’t very difficult. I also really enjoy the new combat of smacking enemies against each other until they drop. I just kind of hope that when they come up with a new game for the series there is more to wealth than just your overall rank or achievements. to be honest, I don’t have much more to say. I just wanted to talk a bit about this series. You should check these games out if you haven’t already just to give Luigi some love. Anyway, see you all next time.
That Casual Gamer Guy 