Released alongside the GameCube in 2001, Luigi’s Mansion was judged warily by Nintendo fans before launch, but has become a bona fide classic – one that saw two eventual sequels, on 3DS in 2013 and Switch in 2019. With Switch 2 on the horizon and relatively few games in the pipeline, Nintendo has decided to release an enhanced conversion of the second game, Dark Moon, with HD visuals and other quality of life changes. The package is certainly intriguing, but how does the game hold up and what’s changed in terms of its presentation?
As an enhanced 3DS game, I wasn’t initially sure what to expect from Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD. After all, 3DS games occupy a curious space: suitably modern in some respects, but with significant texture and geometry constraints designed around a relatively weak processor and small, low-resolution screen. Dark Moon is an interesting example though, as it stands as one of the more visually impressive games on 3DS – something special that perfectly leverages the system’s capabilities.
Luigi’s Mansion 2 has also a fundamentally different design to the original, with mission-based gameplay that makes sense for short spots of handheld play. The core of the action, however, remains decidedly Luigi’s Mansion: you’re solving puzzles, battling ghosts and generally causing havoc along the way.
