Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon is another fantastic adventure starring the iconic green plumber as he battles against supernatural forces with his trusty vacuum. Once again, Luigi must gear up and face his fears as he ventures into multiple haunted locations searching for shards of the mystical Dark Moon. With the Dark Moon broken into pieces and the spirits of Evershade Valley infested with ghoulish specters, it's up to Luigi to save the day. Not only does the game include a great single-player campaign, but you can also enjoy some ghost-hunting online with friends. If you were a fan of the first game or just like things that are spooky and fun, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon is a sequel worth trying!

Main Game Features

• Explore five unique haunted mansions
• Solve puzzles and defeat ghosts
• Four-player cooperative multiplayer mode

Story

After defeating King Boo in the events of the first Luigi's Mansion game, Luigi must return to his ghost-hunting ways after the villain escapes from his painting and unleashes his ghostly horde. Returning to the Evershade Valley and using his magical jewel to shatter the Dark Moon, the ghosts in the area are resurrected, shrouding the area in darkness. Left defenseless in the madness, Professor E. Gadd calls in Luigi to collect the Dark Moon shards and restore Evershade Valley. The story in Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon is fun and lighthearted, despite its creepy vibes. The game's narrative is perfect for kids, but has enough suspenseful moments to keep adults intrigued as well. There's a lot more variety in terms of environments and characters, as Luigi must explore five mansions to reverse the curse. Even with its decidedly dark and spooky tone, the game is still humorous and charming, enough to leave a huge smile on your face.

Gameplay

Much like the first game, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon plays like a kid-friendly version of Resident Evil, where players are tasked with exploring dark mansions filled with ghosts. In order to defeat them, Luigi is equipped with the Poltergust 5000, a powerful vacuum made specifically for sucking up ghosts. However, you must stun the ghosts first by using your flashlight, which makes them vulnerable to the vacuum's power. While catching ghosts is easy enough, you'll often need to solve puzzles and investigate rooms closely to progress, as many doorways are locked and keys must be discovered. During your adventure, you'll travel through a satisfying variety of mansions, including a beautiful greenhouse, a decrepit clock tower, and more.

In addition to the single-player campaign, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon also includes a cooperative multiplayer mode called the ScareScraper, which supports up to four players online. In this exciting experience, players work together to clean up one floor of a ghost-infested skyscraper before moving to the next floor. There are four unique objectives that you might have to complete, including defeating every ghost on the floor, catching elusive ghost dogs, or racing to the exit. Thanks to its randomly-generated layouts, the ScareScraper is highly replayable and tons of fun.

Conclusion

While it might lack the cohesive nature of the original game, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon makes up for it with a slew of cool areas to explore, fun new gameplay mechanics, and an exciting cooperative mode. The game balances simple ideas with satisfying gameplay and effective humor, making it a hilarious and enjoyable adventure.

Pros

• Awesome variety of haunted houses
• Lots of funny moments and animations
• Satisfying combat against ghosts

Cons

• Not enough checkpoints
• Odd difficulty spikes
• Needs more unique ghost bosses