It would all the time be Luigi’s Mansion: Darkish Moon to me.
I keep in mind again when Luigi’s Mansion Darkish Moon (or Luigi’s Mansion 2 relying in your area) was introduced for Nintendo 3DS, my preliminary response was stunned confusion. Whereas I loved the unique Gamecube sport again at launch, it by no means struck me as one thing that may turn out to be a sequence. Then I performed Darkish Moon, and all these doubts melted away. I completely liked Luigi’s Mansion Darkish Moon again in 2013. Subsequent Stage Video games’ interpretation of this universe is charmingly animated, visually astounding, and simply enjoyable to discover. Now in 2024, this remaster of Luigi’s Mansion Darkish Moon involves us by way of Tantalus, the crew behind the remasters of The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword. I can say and not using a second of hesitation, that is the most effective remaster they’ve ever produced of a Nintendo sport.
Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is strictly what you’d count on from the title. That is, from a content material perspective, the very same sport you performed on 3DS a decade in the past. That comes with each the positives, and the negatives. The sport is cut up between a number of completely different mansions this time round. Every one has its personal distinctive visible theme and mechanical hooks. As Luigi you’ll enterprise into these mansions in the hunt for items of the titular Darkish Moon, which has been shattered by King Boo. Navigating these mansions will imply fixing puzzles, combating ghosts, and uncovering secrets and techniques. Many of the sport’s problem comes right down to determining the way to get the place you’re making an attempt to go. Locked doorways and secret passages weave via each mansion making exploring your environment totally the important thing a part of each mission.
Distinctive to Darkish Moon, is a mission system that breaks up your journeys to every mansion into particular targets. As soon as an goal is full, you’ll be whisked away again to a bunker to plan your subsequent outing with Professor E. Gadd. Early on these missions are very brief and the fixed journeys to and from the mansion could be a little grating. Nonetheless, by a number of missions in, your targets will turn out to be extra expansive, and also you’ll be free to discover the mansions extra totally. You’ll even be given incentive to return to missions later to seek out hidden targets and see when you can finest your earlier rating. Whereas this construction actually has its moments of being overbearing early on, I discover that it jogs my memory a little bit of 3D Mario. Sure you’re visiting the identical space a number of instances, however every time issues may have barely modified to accommodate your present goal.
I discovered that Luigi feels a bit extra intuitive to regulate on a conventional twin analogue controller quite than the 3DS. The best stick can now be used to switch Luigi’s goal independently of his motion. Whereas it isn’t as fluid as both of the opposite video games which had been constructed with house consoles in thoughts, it does lots to assist Darkish Moon slot in with the remainder of the trilogy. However aside from controls, Darkish Moon is mild on modifications. That is primarily the 3DS sport in HD. That being mentioned, the HD within the title means rather more than a decision increase.
Whereas not as instantly apparent as one thing like Metroid Prime Remastered, Luigi’s Mansion Darkish Moon has acquired an intensive visible overhaul. That is the place I’ve to provide Tantalus a whole lot of credit score, as whereas practically every thing within the sport has been rebuilt to a better diploma to element, you might not instantly discover. This all comes right down to how flawlessly they’ve preserved the unique inventive intent of Subsequent Stage Video games. I’ve all the time liked the way in which Darkish Moon regarded in comparison with the opposite video games within the sequence. It’s clear with a whole lot of straight edges used to construct a barely off steadiness world. All of this has been highlighted within the Swap model with model new or modified 3D fashions in each scene. The objective was very clearly to not get this to the identical have a look at Luigi’s Mansion 3, however quite to easily current the artwork of the 3DS sport in a means that might maintain up on the massive display screen, and I’d say they succeeded.
When it does come to technical efficiency and determination, I can’t actually give you any complaints. Actually this is perhaps the most effective picture high quality we’ve ever seen in a primary celebration Swap sport. Enjoying docked you’ll hit a full 1080p whereas handheld hits the Swap display screen’s native 720p. Each of those configurations not solely hit their most potential decision, in addition they each have a pleasant cross of publish course of anti aliasing. I believe that is particularly essential given the sport’s artwork fashion. All the cruel straight edges seen all through the mansions would present very apparent pixel stair stepping with out correct therapy. As is, even performed on an enormous 4K TV, this appears to be like implausible. Body price additionally smooths out the considerably uneven efficiency of the unique and maintains a gradual 30 fps all through. The one instances I used to be in a position to see any fluctuation in efficiency was when taking part in the web Scarescraper mode. However I’d attribute that to on-line connectivity quite than an precise efficiency drawback. I’ll notice on the subject of Scarescraper, that whereas I’m glad the mode stays from the unique sport, I do want it had an up to date system for becoming a member of video games. Relatively than simply with the ability to shortly discover the following obtainable sport, you’ll need to sift via an inventory searching for the mode and problem you need, then hope it hasn’t stuffed up earlier than you hit the A button.
Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD doesn’t reinvent the unique by any means. If the mission primarily based gameplay construction bothered you on 3DS, it received’t be any higher right here. Whereas that exact subject largely goes away as the sport goes on, I might have appreciated some high quality of life updates for multiplayer. That being mentioned, that is indisputably the definitive model of Darkish Moon. The love and care with which it has been remastered deserves calling out. Tantalus has achieved an unbelievable job right here. The unique work of Subsequent Stage Video games actually shines as their animation and underlying artwork course stay unchanged. That is simply one of the best ways to play Luigi’s Mansion Darkish Moon.