Review: Luigi’s Mansion (GameCube)

This assessment was initially published in October 2010. We’re revising and reissuing it to commemorate the game’s debut in the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack GameCube catalog on Switch 2. Enjoy!

Nintendo has consistently had a hidden aspect. While it has established a reputation as a family-oriented company, every so often, when it can no longer be contained, its darker nature appears in the form of a Super Metroid or a Majora’s Mask. Although we expect a hint of gloom and despair in our Zeldas and Metroids, it may seem rather odd that one of Nintendo’s most shadowy adventures features a platforming hero previously celebrated for some of the most cheerful, family-friendly games around.

However, nearly every facet of Luigi’s Mansion will appear more than somewhat peculiar to many. Nintendo had launched each of its three prior consoles with a vivid and colorful Mario platformer, yet for the GameCube, the company opted for a dark, atmospheric title featuring the mascot’s lesser-known sibling. Moreover, Luigi’s Mansion was about as distant from a conventional Mario game as possible. It didn’t even include a jump button.

Maybe it’s for these reasons that Luigi’s Mansion didn’t achieve the recognition and response Nintendo anticipated, at least upon release. It simply wasn’t the experience that people were looking forward to. It’s unfortunate, truly, because in reality, it’s quite an impressive little title, a distinctive and atmospheric adventure that’s as enjoyable as it is technologically astounding.

The story is straightforward: Luigi has won a mansion in a contest… except he has no recollection of entering any competition. To investigate the situation, he sets out to explore the mansion himself.

Upon entry, he is instantaneously confronted by a band of disgruntled specters; fortunately, the infamous Professor E. Gadd (creator of such classic creations as the Portraitificationizer and Mario Sunshine‘s F.L.U.D.D.) comes to your rescue with one of his latest gadgets. He reveals that Mario is being held captive inside. Naturally, Luigi must devise a way to rescue him.

Alongside your dependable flashlight, the Professor provides you with two of his most innovative inventions to navigate the haunted residence: the Game Boy Horror (GBH) and the Poltergust 3000.

The former — which is literally a Game Boy Color with a rather cringeworthy name — might be compared to the Scanning Visor in Metroid Prime. The GBH screen acts somewhat like a window, and pressing the ‘X’ button permits you to look through it and scrutinize your surroundings. This item becomes essential as you face some of the game’s more challenging bosses, allowing you to examine them and glean insight into their possible vulnerabilities.

Nevertheless, the emphasis is undoubtedly on the Poltergust 3000, which served as both an incredibly enjoyable gameplay element and a technological highlight for the then-new console. When combined with the flashlight, the vacuum-like device simply acts as a means to capture the eerie dwellers – first shine your light on the ghost to catch it off guard, then swiftly suck it up using the ‘R’ button and control stick.

Nonetheless, it quickly demonstrates itself to be much more than a mere vacuum. The GameCube’s pressure-sensitive trigger buttons were quite avant-garde at the system’s launch, and Luigi’s Mansion was one of the early titles to demonstrate their application. Being able to precisely control the airflow of the Poltergust lays the groundwork for some truly enjoyable boss encounters and puzzles, and this, coupled with the game’s still-impressive physics engine, makes engaging with the environment a real delight.

The way your vacuum interacts with items like tablecloths, shelves, beach balls, and carpets remains remarkably impressive even today, significantly immersing you in the game. Interactions with the environment do not go unrewarded, either – exploring every nook and cranny for cash, gems, and gold bars becomes addictive and adds a score-chasing angle to the game.

In terms of structure, Luigi’s Mansion is as far removed from a Mario title as one could get – in fact, the closest comparison might be dungeon exploration in The Legend of Zelda. Gone are the expansive and whimsical terrains of Mario 64. Instead, you are presented with one dimly lit, claustrophobic, eerie mansion that must be explored room by room. Upon entering a room, you are met with darkness; darkness, that is, paired with the ghostly giggles of hidden phantoms. One by one, these apparitions will reveal themselves, and it falls to you to capture them.

Clearing all of them in a given space will cause the lights to illuminate and, more often than not, a treasure chest to materialize. Nine times out of ten, these will contain keys that enable access to previously blocked doors, creating a cyclical formula.

It might risk becoming monotonous if the central gameplay mechanics weren’t so enjoyable, but thankfully the peculiar satisfaction derived from seeing Luigi being yanked around the room by unruly ghosts never diminishes, and the game’s ability to create a mood ensures that each new room feels consistently thrilling.

This being a launch title, it’s not surprising that it isn’t the most visually stunning GameCube game, but what it lacks in pixels, it compensates for with artistic flair and technological brilliance. Besides the aforementioned physics and excellent controller utilization, Luigi’s Mansion was also a trailblazer in realistic lighting effects. The flashlight was an immediate marvel, and its effect continues to impress, following other games that utilize flashlights like Silent Hill: Shattered Memories and, more recently, Alan Wake that furthered the concept.

But one of the most consistently enjoyable elements is how much effort went into transforming Luigi, who began as Mario’s bland palette-swap, into a humorous and endearing character with a distinctive personality. Simply put, the character animations in this game are extraordinary: the way Luigi’s hand quivers as he opens a new door, or how his teeth chatter as he walks down a dim hallway. He flattens into a thin sheet when something falls on him, and he stretches and expands while screaming in fear — with attention and detail, Nintendo transformed a once carbon-copy figure into one as expressive and flexible as something out of a Bob Clampett cartoon.

Furthermore, Luigi’s Mansion’s audio design is still among the most clever you’ll encounter in a video game. There’s essentially only one theme present, but it’s astonishing how much mileage Nintendo extracts from it. Occasionally, it plays hauntingly in the background. Other times, in the eeriest and quietest of rooms, Luigi will nervously whistle and hum it to himself, as if to divert his mind from the ominous threat looming.

And in rooms where sly ghosts choose to remain hidden, if you listen closely, you can hear them cackling the melody to better ascertain their location. Brilliant.

Conclusion

What Luigi’s Mansion lacks in content and duration, it compensates for with a remarkably well-designed and distinctive single campaign that will keep you continually entertained from start to finish. It’s not quite on par with Mario’s superior outings, but the game is so entirely different from anything Mario has ever headlined that it feels unjust to draw comparisons; and, genuinely, it’s this complete departure from the Mario model that makes the game so successful in the first place.

The gameplay design is so unusual that it’s rather challenging to apply a genre label to it, but suffice it to say that if you consider yourself a gamer or a Nintendo enthusiast, you owe it to yourself to experience Luigi’s inaugural spooky adventure.