Introduction
Basic information
- Developer Name: Next Level Games
- Full Name: Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD
- Release Date: 2024 (HD Remaster)
- Released on: Nintendo Switch
- Cross Play: Not Available
Initial thoughts
My wife and I have always been fans of the Luigi’s Mansion series, so when we heard that Luigi’s Mansion 2 was getting an HD revamp for the Switch, we were both eager to relive the experience. Naturally, a debate broke out on who would get to play it first—my wife won, of course. We had high hopes for this remaster, but as much as we enjoyed parts of it, it didn’t quite live up to the expectations we had.
Story and setting
Plot overview
The story begins with King Boo escaping yet again, and Luigi is called upon to stop him. However, right from the start, the story presents some plotholes. There’s no clear explanation as to how King Boo escaped, and Mario’s involvement feels shoehorned in, as if he’s only there to tick a box. The pacing is also off due to the mission-based structure. Just as the story starts to build momentum, you’re dragged back to the lab between missions, which kills all the immersion.
World building and immersion
The world feels well-crafted, with multiple mansions to explore, each with unique themes. However, the constant interruptions between missions and lack of deeper lore make it hard to fully immerse in the story. It feels like the game is holding back on developing its world, which is a shame given how atmospheric the series should be.
Character development
Luigi remains the lovable, reluctant hero, but there isn’t much in the way of character development. While his animations and interactions are fun, the lack of meaningful growth or new character dynamics leaves the narrative feeling a bit thin. Mario does not even get any kind of character development, or gives an explanation how he ended up there.
Emotional impact
The emotional stakes are low, especially compared to Luigi’s Mansion 1, where the eerie, more serious tone kept you engaged. Here, the story is more comedic and lighthearted, which undercuts the tension and suspense.
Rating for story and setting
I have visited multiple aspects of the story and after some thought and objective thinking, I rated the story and setting with an 6.5
I wanted to rate the story lower, since Mario gets shoehorned in, and there are plot holes, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.
Gameplay and mechanics
Core gameplay mechanics
The core mechanics of sucking up ghosts with the Poltergust 5000 and looting treasures still hold up well. Combat is simple but satisfying and each ghost has a weakness. Upgrading your Poltergust adds some variety. However, the mission-based structure presents problems when it comes to exploration. If you miss a gem or collectible, you’re forced to replay an entire mission just to get another chance, which quickly becomes frustrating.
Difficulty and balance
The difficulty curve is all over the place. The first boss fight is oddly the hardest, with later encounters being far easier by comparison. There’s also a lack of balance in enemy difficulty, with some areas feeling far too easy and others spiking in difficulty for no apparent reason. The difficulty can skyrocket out of nowhere.
Pacing of the game
Pacing is the biggest issue here. Each time you start to feel the tension build, the game pulls you out and sends you back to the lab, breaking the flow of the experience. The mission-based design works against the sense of adventure, making the game feel disjointed and repetitive.
Innovation and uniqueness
There are moments of creativity, especially in how you use the Poltergust to solve puzzles, but the game doesn’t introduce anything significantly new to shake up the formula. The lack of special ghosts (a feature from Luigi’s Mansion 1) makes the gameplay feel more monotonous, with the major boss fights feeling like re-skinned versions of the same encounter.
Controls and user interface
The controls are responsive, and the Poltergust feels great to use. Navigating through the various missions is straightforward, though the repetition of going back to the lab often can get tiring. There is also no save button when playing missions, and they can last up to fourty minutes.
Microtransactions
Thankfully, there are no microtransactions in Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD.
Rating
After combing through many of the mechanics, the pacing and other factors of this game, I rated the gameplay and mechanics with a 6
While the combat works good, and exploring is fun, the tedious mission system, the repetitive missions, unbalanced difficulty, and pacing hurts this ranking badly.
Graphics and art style
Quality of graphics and art direction
The HD upgrade does wonders for the game’s visuals, with sharper textures and a cleaner look overall. That said, I couldn’t help but feel that the game had lost some of its charm. The ghosts in this version look more cartoony and goofy compared to the more menacing, eerie spirits from Luigi’s Mansion 1. There’s also too much light, which takes away from the atmospheric tension that the first game nailed.
Technical performances
The game runs smoothly without any major technical issues. Load times are short, and the environments are polished, though there’s nothing groundbreaking about the graphical overhaul.
Environment and design uniqueness
While the environments are varied, with each mansion offering a different theme, they don’t feel as foreboding or atmospheric as they should. The lighthearted tone detracts from the immersive, spooky atmosphere that made the original so memorable.
Rating
It took me some time to give the graphics and art style an objective rating. There are many things to consider, but ultimately, I rated this section with a 7.5
You can see how much the developers put into making this game more beautiful compared to the original version.
Sound and music
Music score and how it contributed to the game
The soundtrack is definitely one of the strongest elements in Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD. The music fits the mood perfectly, adding a spooky, playful vibe to the game. Each track feels tailored to the environment and action on-screen, enhancing the atmosphere in ways that the visuals sometimes fail to do.
Sound effects quality
The sound effects are crisp and well-done, from the hum of the Poltergust to Luigi’s nervous humming. Every sound contributes to building the tension, even when the gameplay falls short of doing so.
Voice Acting
Luigi’s minimal voice acting remains charming, as does Professor E. Gadd’s gibberish dialogue. It adds a touch of humor that fits perfectly with the game’s lighter tone.
Rating
After a lot of consideration, I rated the sound and music section with an 8.5
Luigi humming the tunes is best!
Replayability
Game Length and content volume
The game offers a decent length, with multiple mansions to explore and several collectibles to find. However, the mission-based structure drags things out unnecessarily, making it feel longer than it needs to be.
Extra Content
The game has a lot of extra content, but it can feel more like busywork than engaging gameplay. Completing every mission with three stars, finding all the gems, and capturing all the Boos takes a lot of time but offers little reward. It’s a completionist’s dream, but it borders on artificial difficulty, especially with how tedious it can be to replay missions.
Replay value
Despite the extra content, the replay value is low unless you’re determined to 100% the game. Once you’ve finished the main story, there’s little incentive to go back, aside from the three-star system and collectibles, which feel like more of a chore than a challenge.
Rating
After thoughtful consideration, I decided to rate the replayability and game length of Luigi’s Mansion 2 with a 6.5
While this is a lengthy game, collecting everything feels more like a chore.
Suggestions and comparisons
Suggestions and feedback
- Better Storytelling: Simplify the plot and focus on Luigi rather than shoehorning in characters like Mario, whose presence feels unnecessary.
- More Atmospheric Tone: Bring back the more menacing, eerie tone of Luigi’s Mansion 1, with darker lighting and scarier ghost designs.
- Refined Mission Structure: Allow more freedom to explore without constantly being pulled out of the action and sent back to the lab. This would greatly improve pacing and immersion.
Comparisons
Compared to Luigi’s Mansion 1, the sequel feels more lighthearted and less tense. While Luigi’s Mansion 3 improved on many of the issues from this game, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD struggles to find the balance between spooky atmosphere and playful adventure. The mission structure and lack of meaningful progression make it feel more like a collection of small tasks than a cohesive adventure.
Personal experiences and anecdotes
While playing through the game, we had fun during the early stages, but the high difficulty spikes caused a lot of frustration. The replaying of missions to find missed gems and boos became tiresome quickly. The repeated boss fights were not fun either. But the cutscenes even if they were not logical or full of plotholes were fun.
Rating
Taking in all the personal experiences with Luigi’s Mansion 2, I give it a personal rating of 7
That ghost vault should be bursting open!
Last words
Pros
- Fun core mechanics with the Poltergust and ghost-catching
- Great HD upgrade in terms of graphics and visuals
- Soundtrack and sound design are atmospheric and fitting
- Several mansions offer varied environments and themes
Cons
- Mission structure disrupts pacing and immersion
- Difficulty spikes feel unfair, especially the early bosses
- Lack of special ghosts makes combat feel repetitive
- Tedious replay value with too many collectibles and stars to achieve
- Mario is shoehorned into the game for no reason
Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is a fun, polished experience but doesn’t quite live up to the expectations set by its predecessor or its successor. The mission-based structure, along with some odd difficulty spikes and lack of deeper exploration, holds it back from being a great game. While it’s still enjoyable for fans of the series, it feels like a step down in terms of atmosphere and pacing. We had a good time with it, but it left us wishing for a bit more substance and cohesion, perhaps, back to Luigi’s Mansion 3?
Final Rating
6.5
Please let me know what you think of Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD in the comments!
I hope you enjoyed reading this review, I hope to see you in the next review!
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Cool review as always
Thanks a lot!
Actually it would be fun playing on Halloween.
I played the original at the end of the year a long time ago.
Weird that this game has difficulty spikes, seem like a type of game that shouldn’t be really hard
It is not per se too difficult, but the fact the difficulty keeps ramping up and down randomly is not fun.
Very good review, congrats. I think it looks and sounds good, it can be pleasant to play. That it looks like original version also looked very good so not sure if it was worth to recreate graphics and in that in other more goofy style, same problem often repeat with other game remakes. Maybe try setting your gamma lower if it too bright or too much lights, i will maybe tell more after seeing more of the gameplay video.
Maybe setting gamma lower would help, I remember in old games this was not even a thing, to lower the gamma.
Thanks for the review! I’ve been kind of wanting to play this ever since I first heard of it. I’m *slightly* disappointed though, not because it’s bad, but just because it’s not entirely like how I expected, haha.
It is better to play one of the other Luigi games.
Too bad this one didn’t live up to your expectations, it looked pretty good. Still, great review once again!
I am glad you liked the review! Better to go back to one, or up to three.
It’s perhaps an overpriced remake, and a little disappointing for a game that’s not that old.
As you said … no need for Mario in a Luigi game … King Boo is awesome! Good thing that they didn’t change too much compared to the original.
oh so the ghost is from this game. saw some people using it as avatar on discord.
eeey what’s that?
I translated what ComBooter said and it doesn’t make sense. That’s not even letters :-O
booooooooohoo ^^
Thank you for the review. I like Luigi even though this game leaves me a little uncertain.
Glad you liked the review!
I expected the game to be more polished than this since that’s how it usually is with Nintendo’s main IPs, but it’s quite a surprise that it’s not the case.
Thank you for the review!
You are welcome!
Awesome review! Too bad this game doesn’t have any coop, would be really cool
Seems for super fun to playing this game. Toad did little joke about Luigi’s name lol
the sequel to the prequel of the sequel of mario mansion 3
vacuuming ghosts seems fun, but sad that the game didn’t meet your expectations.
We need higher quality for a Luigi game – the brother deserves it! Even when you saved that Toad, he says “Thanks Mar-Luigi! Is that you?”, which just tells us how forgotten Luigi gets. But he’s as cool as Mario (and I like green more than red 😀 ).
I’m curious if it’s still fun for a complete beginner to the series. Thanks for the insight!
This review is perfect! I like this gameplay and atmosphere. Thanks for the review!
Still looks really nice but it does seem like it’s missing a bigger sense of creativity and personality the 1st and 3rd ones have! Especially with the bosses, but when they keep adding in the same common ghosts it takes all sense of adventure away because you know what to expect!