Is this HD port of the 3DS classic worth a look?
Luigi is back on a mission to remove a bunch of stubborn ghosts from some spooky mansions. Armed with his trusty Poltergust ghost-sucking vacuum cleaner, Mario’s brother takes center stage to capture these pesky phantoms.
I’ve been a fan of the Luigi’s Mansion series since the original GameCube launch title, which I still own! I was surprised to see it get a 3DS sequel and was really pleased with the third entry on Switch. The original also got a 3DS version, but that left the first two games unavailable to Switch players and while we didn’t get the original game, Switch owners now have the chance to play its sequel in full HD…
For a game that some would think is just a HD port, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is seriously impressive in the visual department. It shows that there’s still a bit of life in the Switch yet with vibrant colours, a decent framerate and great animation throughout the experience.
The controls are easy to get to grips with as Luigi captures ghosts with his trusty flashlight and vacuum cleaner. The great advantage of the sequel to the original is that there’s several mansions as opposed to just the one, so naturally it’s a lot longer. There’s a good variety of ghosts and puzzles for Luigi to conquer and each mansion is unique in its design, so you never get complacent on what to expect.
If you haven’t played the 3DS version, it works a bit different to the GameCube original and Luigi’s Mansion 3. It handles more like a bunch of short missions where Professor E. Gadd tells Luigi where to go and you complete a task before being teleported back the professor’s bunker for a debrief. It’s designed well this way for those who want to play the game in short bursts, which was probably the intention for it as a handheld game. As a game on Switch, it still works well either way.
The Verdict
Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD does exactly what it promises to deliver, but also shows off some of the best visuals for Switch to date. It would have been nice to get the original game as a bonus, but it’s still a great game worthy of your Switch library.