Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Tantalus Media
Medium: Digital/Cartridge
Players: 1-4
Online: Yes
ESRB: E
Hereโs the problem with Luigiโs Mansion 2 HD: itโs not Luigiโs Mansion 3.
This is a little unfair, obviously, since Luigiโs Mansion 2 HD is undeniably a very good game. If it existed in a vacuum everyone would be over the moon about it. It not only improves on the first Luigiโs Mansion game that came out way back when, itโs aged well, all things considered. Whereas other recent Nintendo remasters require some allowances for age, thatโs really not the case here โ it plays like a modern game.
And yetโฆitโs not Luigiโs Mansion 3. Luigiโs Mansion 3, of course, took everything that made the previous game good and expanded on it in ways that were substantially better. Its world was bigger, it was easier to explore, and it featured a slime version of Luigi that allowed the game to get even more imaginative in how it asked you to solve puzzles. It was a great game in every way, and Luigiโs Mansion 2 HD doesnโt quite measure up.
Because weโve seen how that fully fleshed-out Luigiโs Mansion looks, itโs easier to spot the flaws in Luigiโs Mansion 2 HD. Or, if weโre being honest, the one flaw that stops it from matching its successor: its mission-based structure.
Obviously, this made sense on the 3DS, where games were meant to be played in short bursts rather than in extended play sessions. You go in, you clear the ghosts out of a level in 10 minutes or so, and youโve reached wherever you were headed while you were playing on your 3DS. You could close up the game and not feel like youโd lost your place.
Notwithstanding the Switchโs hybrid nature that would enable you to play the game the same way, it feels a lot less enjoyable here. Where Luigiโs Mansion 3 enabled you to explore the eponymous building and uncover all its secrets, here it feels like youโre constantly being pushed towards your next goal: Professor E. Gadd gives you a mission, sends you directly to where you have to go to achieve it, and then whisks you back to his lab the moment itโs done so he can give you your next assignment. It makes the game feel more like a series of quests and chores than something you can really sink your teeth into.
But again, this is mainly an issue because weโve seen how the game could evolve into something spectacular. On its own, Luigiโs Mansion 2 HD does lots of things right. The missions โ while over too soon โ are a lot of fun, and the game is always finding ways to give you more to do. Likewise thereโs a nice variety between the buildings youโre tasked with exploring, so it never feels like youโre searching through the same rooms again and again. And, of course, as a star, Luigi is always fun and funny enough to hold down the fort without his brother.
And thatโs why, even if it was outshined by its successor, Luigiโs Mansion 2 HD is still worth your time. It may not be the GOTY contender that Luigiโs Mansion 3 was, but if you give it a chance, youโll still find it worth your while.
Nintendo provided us with a Luigiโs Mansion 2 HD Nintendo Switch code for review purposes.