Luigi's Mansion
| |
| Luigi's Mansion | |
| Developer | Nintendo |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| System | Gamecube, 3DS |
| Release Date | Gamecube JP September 14, 2001 US November 18, 2001 EU May 3, 2002 AU May 17, 2002 3DS JP October 12, 2018 US October 12, 2018 PAL October 19, 2018 |
| Gallery | GH Gallery |
| Rating | ESRB: E |
Luigi's Mansion was a supernatural adventure game starring Luigi that was one of the launch titles for the Nintendo Gamecube. It marked a departure from Nintendo's launch titles up to that point, as it starred Luigi rather than Mario and was not a platforming adventure.
Story
Luigi finds out he won a mansion in a contest that he did not even enter. Mario goes to check out the mansion and disappears, forcing Luigi to go in alone. Within the mansion, Luigi finds trap after trap set up by the evil ghosts of the mansion. Luckily, he also meets an eccentric old inventor, Professor E. Gadd, who provides him with ghost-catching technology in the form of the Poltergust 3000.
Gameplay
This is Luigi's first official solo adventure (excluding the licensed title Mario is Missing), and its gameplay is different from other Mario games. Luigi explores the mansion room-by-room, finding the ghosts within, shining his flashlight on them and sucking them into the vacuum-like Poltergust. There are twenty-three special ghosts that can only be captured when certain conditions are met. There are also a number of Boos that also must be caught.
One of his tools, The Game Boy Horror, has a built-in map and can be used to scan objects and provide vital clues. Along the way, Luigi also collects money - not only coins, but dollar bills, pearls and jewels, that will come into play at the end of the game. Luigi also finds three elemental medals that allow him to shoot fire, ice and water from his Poltergust.
Legacy
Although the game did not receive an official follow-up for over a decade, the game itself has become a vital part of Luigi's character, and his personality in this game has influenced his portrayals in most of his appearances since then. The actual mansion itself is the basis for many Mario Kart tracks, tennis courts, and locales for other spinoff games, including a stage in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
This game is also notable for introducing E. Gadd, who has since made a few more appearances and is credited for several inventions in later Mario games.
Ports/Remakes
- In 2018, it was remade for the Nintendo 3DS. This version featured enhanced graphics, stereoscopic 3-D and amiibo support. The 3DS's second screen was utilized for a map function, and the gameplay was also tweaked, including the option to use the Strobulb from Dark Moon. This version also featured a new Gallery mode, where the player could have rematches with the Portrait Ghosts that have been fought in the main mode. The Gallery mode also featured the option of two-player cooperative gameplay.
Sequels
Over a decade after the original game was released, it finally received a sequel in the form of Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon for the 3DS in 2013.