Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire may have been a box office hit, but fortunately, there’s another ghost-chasing adventure to enjoy this year – albeit a very familiar one. Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD – a remaster of the 2013 Nintendo 3DS original that was also known as Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon in the US – has arrived on Nintendo Switch looking better than ever, but almost completely unchanged in terms of its exhilarating gameplay For ghosts. Worried. Thus, it’s the best way to experience Luigi’s second foray to catch the ragtag Caspers, but it’s no longer the best entry in the series since this Dark Moon-based adventure was later surpassed by Luigi’s Mansion 3 in 2019.
Here’s what our reviewer said in his review of the 2013 original:
That feeling remains, and Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD remains an entertaining ride that’s as terrifying as it is silly, with the dual-screen setup seamlessly integrated into a single panel and refined to a visual level that only matches up to that of Luigi’s Mansion 3. The team at developer Tantalus, which was Also responsible for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD in 2021, he not only boosted the resolution of this remaster, but also added noticeably more detailed textures, right down to the reflective sheen on the suits of armor and the threads on Luigi’s clothing. Additionally, the greatly improved lighting means that the haunted holograms in this Switch version are given enough depth that I’m not really saddened by the absence of the original 3D hologram. (Although to be fair, I’m not sure I ever used stereoscopic 3D technology in the first place.)
It’s not likely to win any awards for Best Visual Design in 2024, but compared to the 2013 original, the difference is night and day. I remember Luigi’s Mansion 2 had an attractive cast of characters and a fun scary setting to explore, but it was a surprise to revisit the 3DS original 11 years after its release only to have my eyeballs assaulted by edges jagged enough to grate cheese with. However, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD has been polished to a level that allows the playful nature of its imaginary threats and numerous beautifully designed corridors to shine on screen.
These enemies and environments are still virtually the same as they were a decade ago, though. Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD has no extra ghosts to destroy, levels to quest, or bosses to direct the Poltergust 5000 to. None of Luigi’s moves from Luigi’s Mansion 3, such as his piston-powered suction shot or his ability to summon the Gummi Bear-like Gooigi, are incorporated into this adventure, making it a ghost-hunting and puzzle-solving experience that maintains the clever level design of the 3DS original, but lacks… Notably due to the expanded variety of interactions enjoyed by the third installment of the series.
However, it features dual-stick controls similar to those in the third game. For whatever reason, the original release didn’t support the use of the Circle Pad Pro, the bulky Nintendo 3DS hardware that added a second stick to the system while also increasing the likelihood of a seam breaking in your pants pocket. This meant that in Luigi’s Mansion 2 on the 3DS, Mario’s taller brother was stuck facing one direction any time he needed to aim his flashlight or discharge a stunned spirit. This is no longer the case in this remaster, which allows you to rotate Luigi’s target with the right stick. This certainly feels more fluid and intuitive, and while the difficulty curve here is still very gentle – the goofy ghost enemies are more goofy spirits than dark – I was relieved to find that the control system never frustrated me as much as it did in the original game.
I wish more had been done with Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD multiplayer. Unlike Luigi’s Mansion 3, which allowed two people to play on the same system, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is only one player per console, whether you’re playing online or locally on a LAN. The multi-level multiplayer mode, Scarescraper (known as Thrill Tower in the original release), is still a lot of frenetic fun and mock brawls, but it’s the kind of fun I wish I could share with my kids without having to buy multiple games. Additional keys and copies of Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD to enjoy. Unfortunately, there’s no split-screen support here.
However, I definitely still had a good time fighting ghosts throughout the dozens of hours I spent with Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD. While I prefer the single, sprawling structure of the third game’s hotel setting, I appreciate that the more subdivided levels of Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD’s five distinct environments make it easier to narrow down the search for any missing collectibles when completing the main story. Plus, there are some great delusional moments that I’ve forgotten about in the decade since I first played it, from the fantastic puzzle-filled first boss fight with an oversized spider, to the fall down a long, haunted staircase later on that feels more like a more R-rated version of the climatic sequence From John Wick: Chapter 4.
