Nintendo released its game Luigi’s Mansion 3 last fall, and with having to stay home, there was plenty of time to play this game and write a review.

Story 

Luigi and the gang have been invited to the grand opening of a new hotel, called The Last Resort, located in the middle of nowhere. Everything is so luxurious it seems too good to be true! Lo and behold, it really is too good to be true! Once everyone has settled into their rooms, Luigi is woken up by Princess Peach’s screams in the middle of the night. Frightened and worried, Luigi goes to investigate, finding everyone missing from their rooms. The once-lavish hotel transforms before his very eyes into a decrepit hotel filled with ghosts! Now, it’s up to Luigi to save the day once again!  

Gameplay 

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A few new items and moves have been added since the game’s predecessors: Luigi’s Mansion and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon. There’s the plunger which allows Luigi to grab and throw items as well as slam ghosts on the ground or into each other for additional damage. There’s also a new action called burst which allows Luigi to jump to avoid danger or disperse any ghosts crowding him.

Luigi also has a new companion named Gooigi: a green blobby copy that you can summon from your Poltergust G-00. He’s useful when co-op is needed or to get into places Luigi can’t. You cannot move both characters simultaneously while in single player, but you can use Gooigi for co-op story-mode. Be careful not to get Gooigi wet otherwise he will return to your pack and you’ll have to summon him again!   

Floors 

The hotel has 17 floors total, including two basement level floors and the penthouse, with the final boss on the roof. The floors are distinct, making each one exciting and challenging. Certain floors will make you say, “How in the world is this in a hotel?!” Make sure to explore every nook and cranny. Even if you don’t find everything on the first playthrough, there are hints and puzzles hidden everywhere that may help you on other floors. Don’t forget to use your spectral light because you can find unexpected treasures! 

Ghosts

There are several types of ghosts you can defeat and capture. The basic ghosts are the Goobs, Hammers are red angry-looking guys, Oozers hide and throw things at you, Slinkers sneak up on you, and Trappers– they trap. Then there’s mini-Goobs and mini-Hammers who appear in droves. They do minimal damage and are a distraction more than anything.  

Bosses 

Each floor has a boss to defeat who matches with the theme, which is a nice touch. Not all floors have a friend that needs to be rescued. However, in order to venture to new floors, bosses must be defeated. This allows the player to regain the missing elevator buttons. Each boss has a unique strategy in order to be defeated. The final boss was definitely deserving of being the last because it was challenging!

There is one side boss that I didn’t enjoy. At some point the hotel owner’s cat steals an elevator button from Luigi. You have to recapture the stolen button by chasing and fighting it three times before the cat will drop it. After defeating the cat the first round, having to revisit this scenario a second time exacerbated me.

Fun Finds & Achievements 

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Each floor has six hidden gems and one Boo to find for some additional play (or those who like to complete at 100%, like me). You’ll get the Suction Shot Type-C for collecting all of the Gems, Flashlight Type-B for collecting all of the Boos, and Poltergust Type-G for completing all 53 of the achievements.   

Extra Items   

Once you’ve rescued Professor E. Gadd, who was also tricked with an invitation to the hotel, he’ll set up home base in the parking garage of Basement One (B1). Using E. Gadd’s newest invention, the Virtual Boo, an homage to the classic Virtual Boy, you’ll be able to visit the lab without having to use the elevator. You can dump any ghosts and gems you’ve captured and collected throughout the hotel. 

You’ll also be able to buy items from E. Gadd with the money you’ve found. They each cost 1000G. The items include Boo Finders and Gem Finders. These items are as they suggest: they locate one Boo or one Gem on each floor. The Gold Bones are a fail-safe item. If you completely run out of HP, Luigi faints. PolterPup will come and wake him up right where he fainted. Without these bones you will get the Game Over screen and have to start over from your last save point. 

Multiplayer Gameplay 

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In addition to the story mode, there are also two multiplayer games. Scare Scraper is co-op for up to eight players: four Luigis and four Gooigis. Players have five minutes to complete a set number of floors or a random generated amount. Scream Park is also up to eight players, but split into two teams of up to four. There are six games to choose from: Cannon Barrage, Coin Floating, Dodge Brawl, Ghost Hunt, River Bank, and Tricky Ghost Hunt. These mini games are reminiscent of the Mario Party games. These are also where you’ll collect Rare Ghosts.   

Downside 

The only downside to the game is that there is no final save after the end credits. Any currency or gems you’ve accumulated prior to defeating the final boss will be lost. However, the game does auto-save after ten seconds of entering a new room or floor, so make sure to do so BEFORE fighting the final boss.  

Verdict 

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While I didn’t play the other Luigi’s Mansion games, I felt like this story gave enough information to learn what happened prior. I’ve always had a soft spot for Luigi and was so happy that he finally had his own game where he is player one, albeit making him a “scaredy-cat.” It just goes to show that fear =/= weakness. You can still be a hero even though you’re scared. I really enjoyed this game, and I hope you will too! 

What Mario games do you like to play?

Read more of Melissa Joy’s articles.

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Featured image credit: Nintendo