Luigi’s Mansion 3 review: Extremely fun, unique Mario game

Luigi is back in his own adventure in the spooky Luigi’s Mansion 3, but how does it compare to other Mario games?

Ever wondered what would happen if you combined the Mario and Ghostbusters franchises? Well strap in because our favourite Italian plumber is back in this spooky new adventure just in time for Halloween, and no I’m not talking about Mario, but Luigi of course!

Mario may be one of the most iconic and recognisable video game characters on the planet, but it’s not often his cowardly little brother Luigi gets some time in the spotlight, and Luigi’s Mansion 3 proves he can be the star of the show.

Charming and captivating from the very beginning, Luigi’s Mansion 3 sees Mario and friends set off on a dream holiday after receiving an invitation to the luxurious, yet ominous Last Resort hotel.

Luigi proves you don’t need Mario to be a hit in this game. Picture: Supplied

However all is not as it seems, and on the first night the evil King Boo appears, revealing the invitation was a trap to capture the gang. Now Luigi must reluctantly explore the haunted hotel armed only with a flashlight and his anti-ghost vacuum cleaner to rescue his friends.

Developed by Next Level Games and published by Nintendo for the Switch console, Luigi’s Mansion 3 is visually stunning, with amazing animation, lighting, use of colour and even extra detail like fog to make each unique level design stand out.

It’s also very funny in parts, while the near-gibberish dialogue of Mario and Luigi is also very cute.

Every level has its own theme, with players exploring to solve puzzles, find money and hidden secrets, as well as defeating enemy ghosts and boss fights to progress to new levels. With five collectable crystals on each level and even hidden Boo ghosts to find throughout the hotel, players will want to spend a lot of time exploring in order to 100 per cent complete this game.

Luigi armed with his trusty ghost vacuum. Picture: Supplied

The only problem with exploring and collecting money is that there isn’t much to spend it on outside of buying extra life tokens (which are capped at three at a time), so if exploring and collecting loot isn’t for you then you can finish this game much quicker.

Gameplay and combat in Luigi’s Mansion 3 are extremely unique and quite unlike any other game on the market right now. Luigi doesn’t wield any conventional weapons, but rather uses his torch to stun enemies and the essentially the Poltergust G-00 vacuum cleaner to suck up enemy ghosts and slam them on the ground (or even at other ghosts). If timed well you can even suck up multiple ghosts at once, which really makes combat easier.

Combat is varied, with different ghost types requiring different methods to defeat them, meaning you’ll need to adapt to in order to win fights, especially when surrounded by multiple ghosts at once.

Luigi must save his trapped friends. Picture: Supplied

Luigi can also fire projectiles he has sucked up, shoot plungers to pull on things like doors, or use the darklight function to spot hidden objects. The controls are mostly easy to remember, but I did at times find the spinning controls are a bit clunky, especially when playing in the handheld mode.

But by far the most interesting gameplay mechanic is the introduction of Gooigi, a liquid clone of Luigi who can squeeze through tight spots and access areas that Luigi cannot, adding an extra dimension to exploration. Gooigi also gives players to option for a co-op campaign mode, allowing to you play with someone else.

Luigi – or in this case Gooigi – armed with his torch. Picture: Supplied

Speaking of, there are two multiplayer modes that allow you to play with up to 8 friends online in either the ScareScraper mode, which ScareScraper sees players race against the clock to complete objectives, or by playing minigames in the ScreamPark.

VERDICT

Luigi’s Mansion 3 is extremely charming, funny and even a bit creepy at times and overall a lot of fun to play. While the story is a bit light, gameplay is so fun that I’d have to say that it’s up there among some of the best titles on Nintendo Switch, especially compared to other Mario games considering how different it is.

To complete the game, you must defeat various spooky foes. Picture: Supplied

The gameplay is incredibly unique, and it’s approach to combat is a breath of fresh air and part of what makes Luigi’s Mansion 3 so much fun. The game will take around 15 or so hours to complete, but will take a bit longer if you spend lots of time exploring or trying to 100 per cent complete it.

Luigi’s Mansion 3 is a blast, and proves you don’t need to have Mario as the main character to be a successful Mario game.

SCORE: 4/5

Luigi’s Mansion 3 is available for purchase on Nintendo Switch today on Halloween, October 31 2019 and while regular retail price is around $79.95, you will be able to get it for $69 if you shop around.

Wilson Smith is a games writer for News.com.au. Continue the conversation with him on Twitter at @wilson_smithdt

Originally published as Luigi’s Mansion 3 review: Extremely fun, unique Mario game