Lost in Luigi's Mansion 2 HD

Quick impressions on my time with the Luigi's Mansion 2 HD game so far.

Hey everyone,

I hope you’re all recovering well from the hype overload that was the June Nintendo Direct.

It’s great to know what games are coming for the remainder of the year. And it’s been fun starting to speculate about Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Super Mario Party Jamboree, and more.

Deep Into Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD

It’s been fun revisiting the second Luigi’s Mansion game. I haven’t played it since its release year, so I was happy to get re-aquainted with through the Nintendo Switch remaster, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD. Over the years, I’ve called Luigi’s Mansion 2 (or how I knew it, ‘Dark Moon’) one of my favorite 3DS games. Revisiting it today, I would say that still holds up.

I’m working my way through the game’s last mansion right now. That means I’m nearly at the end of the main story. I plan to fully review the game in a future video. But I’ll say this about it right now. While the mission structure is a big departure from the more open-ended single mansion of the original game, I do enjoy Luigi's Mansion 2 HD’s focus on collecting. It’s satisfying treating each mission like a set of check boxes. Mastering a mission by clearing it in time for a top rating, finding its hidden Boo, and picking up any gems along the way. It’s its own kind of fun. This gameplay style works great in a series like Luigi’s Mansion too. Naturally, players are drawn to exploring each room for hidden secrets and interactions.

Obviously, Luigi’s Mansion 2 looks the best it’s ever looked on Switch. The visual upgrade is even more apparent going from handheld to home console.

Playing the game again, I’m reminded of its impressive scale. It’s amazing that some of these large areas, boss fights, and multi-room puzzles worked on Nintendo 3DS. It almost feels “too big for 3DS.” If that makes any sense. It feels right at home on Switch though. Now, we just need a remaster of the original Luigi’s Mansion and we’ll have the entire series on one console. :)

I’m loving these HD remasters from Nintendo. Hopefully they keep coming— since every new remaster is an excuse to revisit these (now classic) games.

Don’t forget, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is next— coming in January 2025!

I’ll see you next week!