Game Info
Game Name: Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon
Developer(s): Next Level Games/Nintendo SPD
Publisher(s): Nintendo
Platform(s): 3DS
Genre(s): Action/Adventure
Release Date(s): March 20, 2013 (Japan)/March 24, 2013 (US)
ESRB Rating: E
This clock kills my will to live…
The ghosts of the Evershade Valley are growing violent after King Boo destroys the Dark Moon. Now, Professor E. Gadd has recruited Luigi to strap on the Poltergust 5000 to capture the evil ghosts and rebuild the Dark Moon pieces. King Boo doesn’t plan to go peacefully, and Luigi will have to face his fears to stop him.
Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (sometimes called Luigi’s Mansion 2) is a puzzle action-adventure video game released for the Nintendo 3DS. The game is a sequel to the 2001 GameCube video game Luigi’s Mansion (which was remastered in 2018 for the 3DS), the game was received upon its release.
I really enjoyed Luigi’s Mansion. The game was different, the controls were different, and Mario’s lovable loser brother was finally getting his due as the lead of a “real” video game. I wanted a sequel to Luigi’s Mansion for ages…and had to wait years for it to happen.
Everybody’s doing the Locomotion
I will say that while I enjoy Luigi’s Mansion, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon is more expansive. The game seems to go on and on. It is largely a puzzle-based game with Luigi having to figure out how to find and capture the ghosts who constantly set up road blocks in his path. I kind of wish that the game was actually a bit shorter than it was (a weird comment I realize), but I felt after a while I was just trying to finish the game to finish the game…I had lost some interest since the gameplay didn’t vary enough.
The controls are good, but I feel like the vacuuming of the original was a bit more challenging and here, it feels like you were going to get the ghosts with little skill or challenge. I really dislike “balancing” sequences where you have to keep the 3DS level to get Luigi across boards and sometimes targeting stuff is frustrating (but generally because you know the end result of a puzzle and don’t know the steps between).
Bring this puppy home, Luigi!!!
The graphics are great. The room-based aspect of the game really caters to the 3D aspect of the 3DS. The game is rich and layered. It has fun music and there is a real rush when you hook a ghost in the vacuum. It is a fun visual ride.
Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon is a solid 3DS game which provides a lot of playtime. The first game was criticized for the length and this game more than compensates for it. You can argue if longer = better, but the game is better than the original simply due to advances in the technology and style. Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon is followed by Luigi’s Mansion 3 in 2019 for the Switch.
