I’ve been a fan of Luigi since Luigi’s Mansion. Sure, Mario’s lanky bro may not be the one who gets attention, and sure he’s a bit of a coward, but he’s still a hero in his own right. I usually avoid the lines for Nintendo’s games at E3, cause I’m not that patient, but this year I was smart and was one of the first ones in line. After a relatively short wait, about a half hour, I got hands on time with Luigi’s latest spooky adventure, Luigi’s Mansion 3.
While I loved the first Luigi’s Mansion, it was too short and relatively simple. The sequel, Dark Moon, expanded on that in many great ways, such as new mechanics and great bosses, but it still left me wanting more. If the demo for Luigi’s Mansion 3 is anything to go by, this one might be the best entry. For one thing, it doesn’t just take place in a haunted mansion, but a haunted hotel! And not a small one either. I fully suspect this will be a huge tower of a building, which will provide more opportunities for sucking up ghosts. I also am excited about the ScareScraper mode, which lets you and a friend race against the clock as you exorcise multiple stories full of spooky menaces. However, that wasn’t what I experienced in the demo, so now I’ll focus on that.
One of the highlights of the demo was some of the new functionality of the Poltergust. Now you can do more than just draw ghosts in with it. If they get spirited and try and escape, you can Slam them around like a pro wrestler, stunning them and letting Luigi finish the job. That was incredibly satisfying, especially as someone who remembered being dragged around by ghosts in the previous games. I also rather enjoyed the Suction Shot, which was firing a plunger from the Polgergust and then sucking it up to drag things off of surfaces and reveal hidden treasures. But perhaps coolest of all was the new Gooigi.
Professor E. Gadd has outdone himself this time. Gooigi is a miracle of science, and can squeeze past otherwise dangerous traps, such as surfaces full of spikes. He can also use that vacuum, letting him and Luigi tag team puzzles. Best of all, you can summon him with a simple press of the right joystick, which is quite handy. You can literally summon Gooigi at any time. Just keep in mind that while he’s on screen, you’re not controlling the real Luigi, so you’ll have to keep switching between the two. The only complaint I had is that you use the joystick that summons Gooigi to aim the Poltergust, and on occasion when I was trying to do that, I instead summoned him.
The demo had Luigi explore a few rooms and defeat a variety of ghosts. There was a medieval theme, and several of them had quirks such as shields to protect them from flashbulb strobes. Thankfully, armed with plungers and my gooey doppleganger, I was able to get past these foes and reach the boss. He was a kingly ghost who was protected by a suit of armor, which required a well timed flashbulb and Suction Shot to disarm him. Then you could slam him around like any naughty specter.
I really enjoyed Luigi’s Mansion 3, and cannot wait for its release later this year. Be sure to stay tuned for more Nintendo coverage from the showfloor.
