Luigi’s Mansion 3 sees Mario’s younger yet taller brother in a spooky new adventure, exploring a haunted hotel with a different theme for each floor of the hotel. The level I had some hands-on time with let me explore a medieval setting.
Luigi’s abilities from previous entries in the series are all accounted for: Most of the time you’ll be using your modified vacuum cleaner to suck in objects (and ghosts) or you’ll reverse the mechanic and blow wind/shoot objects away. The flashlight also makes a return, used to make ghosts visible, stun them or reveal hidden objects.
Polterpup is back for more!
But the green plumber is also sporting a few new tricks: Luigi can now shoot out a plunger with a rope attached to it, used in exploration to grab and pull objects or in combat to remove shields from some ghosts. One particularly useful new ability is a “panic” move that casts out a blast of wind to distance ghosts in case you get surrounded.
But perhaps the most important new asset to his skillset is the ability to summon Gooigi; a slimy doppelganger that can pass through gates, spikes and help you out whenever you need a second pair of hands (or vacuum sucking/blowing power). It’ll be interesting to discover his origins and role in the story.
Pass through certain roadblocks as Gooigi
The most fun I personally have with these games is exploring every nook & cranny of each level, looking for hidden secrets that were previously inaccessible until the moment you learn a new ability. It seems like Luigi’s Mansion 3 will offer us the biggest playground yet, with hours of fun before you’ve unearthed everything there is to find.
Waiting for us at the end of the medieval level is a ghost king in a shiny suit of armour. Defeating him requires applying all the skills we’ve learned on the way there: Stunning him with lights and using our rope to tug away his shield & armour, then slamming him senseless once he’s vulnerable.
Luigi’s mansion games have always been a bucketload of fun and I can’t wait to get back to the hotel and explore all the other floors in the full game.
Luigi’s Mansion 3 will arrive on Nintendo Switch on the 31st of October, or Halloween if you prefer!
