Luigi’s Mansion 3 is on the horizon for this Halloween, bringing a wealth of new innovations to the series. It’s been 6 years since the last installment and Luigi’s Mansion 3 is set to introduce a collection of exciting new additions.
From new companions to innovative new game modes, here are seven cool new features to experiment with in this new installment.
Two Luigi’s Are Better Than One
Presumably, the most notable inclusion into Luigi’s Mansion 3 is Gooigi. Made up of mysterious goo, Gooigi is a doppelgänger that can assist Luigi in a variety of ways
Want to navigate past a spike trap? Gooigi’s your guy. Have to squeeze through a narrow passageway? Gooigi’s the man. Need to stand on two pressure plates at once? You guessed it — Gooigi.
What’s even better is that once Gooigi is unlocked in the story (which is fairly early on), the whole game can be played in co-op with another player
Even when the puzzles don’t rely on the two players, Gooigi can assist in combat encounters, especially against bigger enemies which require co-operative teamwork to take down.
You ACTUALLY Do Some Plumbing This Time
Equipped with a trusty plunger, Luigi finally has the opportunity to bring his day job to life. Every room is brimming with secrets and collectibles just begging to be found and using his plunger can be the key to finding an array of these.
By firing the plunger and sticking it to the environment, Luigi then has the opportunity to perform a suction shot and pull something towards him. Most of these instances can be found through visual cues in the environment and will require an eagle-eyed perception to discover.
From loose walls which can be broken down, to objects in far to reach places, there’s a use for a variety of occasions, adding a versatile range to how rooms can be interacted with in Luigi’s Mansion 3.
This can also be applied to the combat, which sees some of our ghostly enemies defending themselves with shields. By firing the plunger onto the shield, Luigi can then pull said shield off, allowing for an opening to attack the ghoul.
The variety of the plunger opens up as the game continues on, and finding unusual uses can yield satisfying results.
Slam Away, Luigi
Luigi’s signature Poltergust G-00, the vacuum weapon used in Luigi’s Mansion 3 to stun and suck the ghosts away, has a new upgrade –the ability to slam ghosts around.
Once sucked in, Luigi can then throw his enemies around, smashing them to the ground. This can cause a significant damage boost and quickly eradicate a room of any enemies.
Slamming can also be used to harm other ghosts, as throwing an enemy around can cause ricochet damage to others. This ensures there’s visceral excitement to encounters and a satisfying engagement to the fight.
Previous installments followed a rinse and repeat combat style, while here, a more hands-on approach is given.
Explore a Whole New World
The past two entries have seen a fairly similar visual art style. While Luigi’s Mansion 2: Dark Moon on the Nintendo 3DS attempted to mix things up with different locales, it’s Luigi’s Mansion 3 where the level design really shines.
Things start off fairly straightforward, with the hotel following the same flair of past entries. As you advance the floors, the game is let off its leash, as an extensively varied range of levels provides a breath of fresh air
Here you are given the ability to explore each floor which can vary from an Egyptian realm, which it’s very own pyramid or even an entire floor dedicated to being a disco.
Revealing more would spoil the fun, but secrets lay around every corner and a constant array of surprises is thrown at you.
Each floor also has its own boss, specific to the theme of that area. Having to deduct the weaknesses of each boss gives each floor a thrilling conclusion for you to partake in.
One such floor contains a knight, who’s shield must be sucked off before you are able to engage.
Exploration is key in these environments and with the aesthetic consistently changing, it’s up to your own deduction to carefully scout each room of its secrets and collectibles. The constantly changing backdrops are one of Luigi’s Mansion 3’s biggest strengths.
Venture Into Dungeons as a Team
Accompanying the main campaign are multiplayer modes, which calls for cooperation to emerge victorious.
Scarescraper, a mode that returns from past entries, plays as a procedurally generated dungeon, in which a team of up to 8 players can tackle the gauntlet of floors.
As you progress through the floors, you are tasked with completing a variety of missions, such as clearing all the ghosts or finding all the hidden toads.
How you choose to complete these objectives is entirely up to you and your team, as Luigi’s Mansion 3 doesn’t punish you on how you want to play.
Want to split up and attempt to complete the objective faster? You can. But if sticking together feels like the best means of survival, that can be done too. It’s an engaging distraction from the single-player story and tremendous fun in a group.
Luigi’s Mansion is also Luigi’s Party
Also featured is the brand new Screampark mode, which sees up to 8 players in a variety of Mario Party-style challenges.
Teams are split into two and play a variety of mini-games, pitted against each other until one team becomes the victors. There are games such as Ghost Hunt, which aims to see which team can wrangle as many ghosts as possible, to other party games like Cannon Barrage, where each team must compete to fire at a cannon at moving targets.
It’s this sort of variety which ensures Luigi’s Mansion 3 has something for everyone, creating a complete overall package for games of all ages.
Nintendo has stated that DLC will be incorporated into Luigi’s Mansion 3, so no doubt we will see an extension to both multiplayer modes as they evolve in the future.
Yes, You Can Pet the Dog
Perhaps the most important feature that you’re all probably wondering about is if you can pet the dog. The short answer is — yes!
Appropriately named Polterpup, he has appeared in both Luigi’s Mansion 2: Dark Moon and in the 3DS remake of the original Luigi’s Mansion (when Luigi’s
He’s a good boy and deserves all the pets he can get when Luigi’s Mansion 3 releases on the Nintendo Switch on Oct. 31st.
For our thoughts, you can read our full review of Luigi’s Mansion 3 here.
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