Disclosure: This game was provided to us free of charge for the purpose of this review. However, as per my PR Info page, this review represents our honest opinion of the game. This post may contain affiliate links.
Product: Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD
Price: £49.99
Age Range: 7+
Manufacturer’s Description: In this visually enhanced adventure, you’ll visit the chilling locales of the eerie Evershade Valley, a place where until recently, the peculiar Dark Moon hung in the sky. According to ghost researcher Professor E.Gadd, it pacified the ghosts of the valley… that is until one night when the Dark Moon mysteriously shattered!
Now, the place is screaming and teeming with troublemaking ghosts! Can Luigi recover the missing pieces of the Dark Moon and restore peace to the valley?
Rating: (5/5 stars) Review: Luigi’s Mansion 2, otherwise known as Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, was first released back in 2013 on 3DS as a sequel to the 2001 GameCube game. I was very busy with a toddler and a newborn baby back in 2013 so didn’t get the chance to play this game the first time around but, as a fan of Luigi’s Mansion 3 which I have completed on the Switch, I was looking forward to this updated remaster of the second game in the franchise as soon as it was announced. In the game, you explore Evershade Valley as Luigi, trying to find pieces of the broken and scattered Dark Moon. Professor E. Gadd has discovered that the moon had been keeping the multitude of ghosts in the valley pacified, and without it shining over the valley everything has gone haywire. So far I have completed an initial play through of the first area of the game, the Gloomy Manor. I’ve been playing on and off over a few days to get that far, and I’ve yet to go back to collect everything – I’m missing a number of the gems hidden in the manor, I’ve only captured two of the five Boos, and I am sure there is more to discover as I explore each level more thoroughly on a second go around. I am the sort of player that likes to get all the achievements I can, and uncover all the secrets. You get all of the equipment you need to solve all the puzzles and capture ghosts while playing through the first area – the Poltergust 5000, Stro-Bulb, and Dark-Light Device. With all this, you can then vacuum money, objects and ghosts, stun ghosts & activate light switches, and uncover hidden objects. A lot of the puzzles in the game are solved with one or more of these functionalities, and even the boss battles will have you solving puzzles to mount your attack. With four more locations yet to explore at all, each with several levels (or ‘missions’), a boss level, and a bonus level, I certainly have hours of gameplay left to enjoy. Each of the locations has 13 gems to hunt for as well as one Boo per level to discover and capture. In addition to the main gameplay, there is a multiplayer game that you unlock partway through your Gloomy Manor missions, which allows you to join in with local network or online players to tackle some ghosts as a team. There are three styles of play in Scarescraper; Polterpup Mode, Rush Mode, and Hunter Mode. Completing all three unlocks a hidden mode, too – though I’ve yet to do this. In Polterpup Mode, you have to track down Polterpups with your dark-light device. When playing Rush Mode, you have to find the exit before your time runs out – but defeating ghosts and searching objects can extend your time limit, giving your team more time to look. Hunter Mode has you hunting ghosts to clear each floor as fast as possible lie. As I said, I didn’t play the 3DS version of this game but Georgie did have a 2DS before the Switch came out, and so we are familiar with the graphic quality of the games. I’ve also looked at comparisons between the original version and the Switch remake, and it looks like they have done a great job of updating the game for the console. Obviously, the original game was on two screens with the map and info on the bottom screen, but they have dealt with this by showing the map thumbnail in the top corner of the screen. You can hit the – button to bring this up on Luigi’s Dual Screen device to explore the map and mission information. I have really been enjoying playing Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD, and I definitely recommend it to players like me who enjoy solving a good puzzle, battling ghosts, and hunting for collectibles. If you enjoyed Luigi’s Mansion 3 you should also get a lot of enjoyment from this remake of the predecessor. Luigi is full of character and the ghosts are mischievous, and it’s basically a whole heap of fun. Now, I’m off to hunt for a few more ghosts, I’ve got the Haunted Towers to explore.
