Luigi has strapped on the hoover once again to be the hero in a brand new ghost-busting adventure that‘s scarily good and brilliantly funny, and is easily one of the best Switch exclusives so far. Next Level Games has once …
Luigi has strapped on the hoover once again to be the hero in a brand new ghost-busting adventure that‘s scarily good and brilliantly funny, and is easily one of the best Switch exclusives so far.
Next Level Games has once again taken over development duties, after doing such a good job on Luigi’s Mansion 2: Dark Moon, and you can really feel the love and detail poured into this stunning game.
Right from the opening cutscene, which sees Luigi and co. on their way to a glamorous hotel that they’ve been mysteriously invited to, you’re immediately hit with humour and sheer charm. It doesn’t let up until the very end either, with some brilliant writing and set-pieces throughout.
Once you arrive at the hotel, you take charge of proceedings. We were instantly hit with how gorgeous the series is in its first ever HD iteration. We’re astounded by the visuals that Nintendo has proven capable of squeezing out of such a tiny device, and we’re sure we’re not alone in stating that Luigi’s Mansion 3 would look right at home on a PS4 or Xbox One.
The art style, lighting, and animation are sublime, with the latter contributing significantly to the one of the game’s biggest assets: its humour. There are plenty of visual gags as Luigi moves and interacts with the environment. I particularly loved the way luigi clumsily climbed onto the sinks whenever he had to turn on a tap, as his character is too short to reach.
The game is full of moments like this, and it encourages you to explore everything that Luigi’s Mansion 3 has to offer, as you’re almost always rewarded. The music is also terrific, and does a great job of setting the scene of each of the 15 floors you explore throughout the game.
Our favourite aspect has to be the writing though. The script is genuinely hilarious, and had us laughing out loud many times. There are loads of self-deprecating references to Nintendo’s past failings, including a brilliant poke at the Virtual Boy in the form of the suitably-titled Virtual Boo.
Luigi’s Mansion 3 plays as brilliantly as it looks too. It starts off fairly simple, with opening few floors easing you gently into the experience. Then, you’ll unlock your gooey sidekick Gooigi, which is when the game really starts to come alive. Gooigi can reach places Luigi can’t, and getting them to work together provides a multitude of puzzling situations that are complex but never frustrating. Another player can also take charge of Gooigi, providing a nice slice of co-op play.
Combat is fun but does occasionally feel a bit clumsy – especially during the more difficult boss battles, when you often feel like you weren’t at fault for taking damage. Having said that, combat is varied enough that it never gets boring and working out how to get each of the ghosts caught in your hoover is a rewarding puzzle in itself.
It also has a nice weight and feel to it – particularly when you’re sucking up multiple ghosts at once or using them to hit the other ghosts. Each boss has its own style and personality too, and they’re often hilarious.
If we had any complaints, it would be that Luigi’s Mansion 3 occasionally suffers from repetition and backtracking. Luigi often loses vital items too, which results in you having to find them again. Instances like these don’t occur very often, but when they do it feels like it was only designed to pad the experience rather than add to it.
But it doesn’t change our mind that Luigi’s Mansion 3 is the best Switch game of 2019. We had an absolute blast exploring the stunning hotel, hoovering up ghosts, and taking on some of the most well-designed bosses we’ve encountered in some time – and that’s all without mentioning the storytelling and animation, which never failed to make us chuckle.
