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Luigi’s Mansion 3 is the latest Nintendo Switch exclusive and the second sequel to the classic GameCube launch title.

In 2001 the idea of Mario’s green-hatted brother headlining his own game was something of a joke. However, Luigi’s Mansion did much to define the brave but cowardly personality we now love. Luigi’s Mansion 3 sees the nervous ghostbuster return with an entire hotel to explore and from the evil clutches of the dastardly King Boo.

Next Level Games – who previously worked on Luigi’s Manson Dark Moon for 3DS – are once again on development duties. The new game follows a familiar gameplay pattern but is enhanced by the addition of Gooigi, a spectral doppelganger that can assist with Luigi’s quest.

Is Luigi’s Mansion 3 a Halloween spooktacular, or does it suck like a Poltergust G-00? Here is our pick of the game’s reviews.

Luigi’s Mansion 3: Review round-up

Game Informer

“The entire adventure is well-crafted, with environmental cues giving you just the right amount of breadcrumbs you need to feel like you discovered the hidden paths yourself. However, the clues sometimes fall too far on one end of the difficulty spectrum; I sometimes was hot on the trail of solving a puzzle when Professor E. Gadd would pipe in with too much information and spoil the discovery, while other times I aimlessly explored an area before finally finding what I needed to do.”

8.5/10 – Review by Brian Shea

Videogamer

“When it comes to the actual ghosts, Next Level has continued its tradition of subtle refinement. A bright blast from the Strobulb stuns them before you hit them with the Poltergust and get pulled around the room. It’s as satisfying as it ever was, and now – owing perhaps to years of quietly mounting frustration – Luigi can hurl his foes to and fro, slamming them into the furniture amidst an explosion of splinters.”

8/10 – Review by Josh Wise

Ars Technica

“Classic series voice actor Charles Martinet has Luigi’s panicked demeanor down pat, while Next Level and Nintendo’s animation squad has pumped every polygon and animation sequence possible into his tall-yet-squishy frame. Since you don’t always get to see his impressively emotive face, his body does a ton of the visual work, whether because he’s trotting giddily through a previously visited zone or hunched and sneaking through a new, terrifying corner of the mansion. Luigi is always charming, always endearing, and always someone you root for by controlling him past his apparent, body-filling anxiety to victory by way of vacuuming up massive, handsomely animated ghosts.”

Ars Technica Approved – Review by Sam Machkovech

USGamer

“If you ever find yourself severely cheesed after a tussle, you can cool off with the Scarescraper or ScreamPark options, both of which are separate features from the main game and story. Scarescraper is a multiplayer mode that challenges you to clear out ghost-infested levels, and ScreamPark is a series of mini-games that’s also for two or more players-a “Luigi Party,” if you will. Both are fun additions that don’t hurt the final product, but I enjoyed Luigi’s Mansion 3 best when I cuddled up alone with my Switch and soaked in all the ghostly goodness.”

4/5 – Review by Nadia Oxford

IGN

“My favorite thing about Luigi’s Mansion 3 is how it never keeps you doing the same thing for very long. There may only be a small handful of overall ghost types, but thanks to the environments they battle you in and oftentimes their accessories, you’re constantly forced to tweak your strategy for how to make them vulnerable so you can suck them up, slam them around the room, and capture them. (And pounding them into the floor is extremely satisfying, by the way.)”

8.3/10 – Review by Ryan McCaffrey

Eurogamer

“Gooigi, though – what a star he is. A blank-faced avatar for your co-op partner, or just a gelatinous double for when you need a second pair of hands. He’s quietly terrifying – a living Haribo man, barely sentient, unable to move unless being controlled by someone else – and yet he is frequently part of the game’s most testing puzzles. Yes, there are only a few new mechanics to learn past those available from the get go – but the game squeezes a lot out of those. Whether that’s ghosts requiring a particular sequence of actions to render them vulnerable, or a puzzle which requires both the strength of Luigi and Gooigi combined to unlock, there are moments I sat marvelling (a little frustrated) at why everything I had tried had not yet worked.”

Recommended – Review by Tom Philips

Game Spot

“Much like Dark Moon, Luigi’s Mansion 3 makes clever use of your small clutch of abilities. Every puzzle you encounter while exploring the Last Resort can be surmounted by observing your surroundings and employing some combination of these skills, although it certainly won’t seem that way for many. You’ll frequently come across puzzles that offer no obvious solution, which makes finally sussing out the answer all the more satisfying. The game rarely reuses ideas as well, so each challenge you face feels fresh.”

Recommended – Review by Kevin Knezevic

Other publications


Title: Luigi’s Mansion 3
Developer: Next Level Games
Publisher: Nintendo
Release date: October 31, 2019
Platform: Nintendo Switch


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