It’s been more than a decade since the release of Luigi’s Mansion 2 (2013) on the 3DS, which sold almost twice as many copies as the original Luigi’s Mansion (2001) on the GameCube. Along with the huge install base of the Nintendo Switch (it recently surpassed the DS to become the best-selling game console of all time in Japan), Luigi’s Mansion 3 (2019) also managed to double the sales units of its predecessor, making the action-adventure series more popular now than ever before. For the millions who were introduced to the world of Luigi’s Mansion with a triquel, Nintendo brings the 3DS sequel to the Switch, now enhanced with superior HD graphics. Removing the North American “Dark Moon” subtitle from the original, presumably to prevent any confusion for casual consumers, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD launches later this month, but is the Switch remaster a good enough replacement for the 3DS version?
Exclusive 3DS games ported to the Switch were very rare, as the 3DS’s dual screens were often used in such a way that it would be difficult to convert them into a single-screen experience. Fortunately for Luigi’s Mansion 2, the bottom screen was only used to view the map, health points, and currency total, so it didn’t have any major gameplay significance. For the Switch version, the map is reduced to a mini map in the top right corner of the screen (although it disappears while using Poltergust 5000 so as not to obstruct your view) which can be maximized by pressing the ‘-‘ button. After that, the sides of the screen resemble the layout of the bottom half of the DS, a nice reference to the game’s “dual scream” device. Health points are now visible in the upper left corner of the UI at all times (as well as important items like keys), and the currency total appears in the lower left corner only briefly after collecting treasure.
Aside from those minor changes and a few minor menu tweaks, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is almost exactly the same game as the 3DS original, with the main selling points being, of course, the graphical jump, updated controls, and the ability to now play on your TV via the Nintendo Switch dock. Although I was only able to play the first 7 levels for the purposes of this review, I wouldn’t get your hopes up that there will be anything new here. At least with the Switch generation, Nintendo usually uses the word “Deluxe” when a port includes extra content (ie Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe, and Pikmin 3 Deluxe), while Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is, as the title suggests, Luigi’s Mansion 2 but in HD; nothing more, nothing less. The only semi-noticeable thing that actually was removed from the original it’s stereoscopic 3D, but that’s an unavoidable omission given that the Switch hardware doesn’t have the necessary technology to enable it.
While it’s immediately apparent that Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD isn’t quite on par with the visuals of Luigi’s Mansion 3, which was built from the ground up for the Switch and is one of the best-looking games on the platform, Nintendo (and development subsidiary Next Level Games) are putting a lot more work into the remaster from simply increasing the resolution. Textures, lighting, character models, and even some of the animations have been drastically improved, and Luigi himself often looks much more expressive and noticeably more frightened by his surroundings than before. While not a full blown remake like Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, there are more than enough graphical improvements to make Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD feel like a modern release (especially when played on more the impressive screen of the Nintendo Switch OLED model).
Since the announcement of Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD at Nintendo Direct in September 2023, a big topic of discussion has been the unfortunate price. When the game originally launched for the 3DS, it was priced at $39.99/£39.99, only to drop to $19.99/£19.99 a few years later when it was released as part of the budget Nintendo Selects line. Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is priced at $59.99/£49.99 (the same as Luigi’s Mansion 3), which is quite a hike considering the game is over a decade old at this point. Compared to Metroid Prime Remastered, which received a similar graphical overhaul and costs just $39.99/£34.99, the problem becomes more apparent. A remake of the original Luigi’s Mansion was released for 3DS in 2018, so it would be really nice to see an HD port of that game bundled with Luigi’s Mansion 2, providing even more value and making the entire trilogy available on Switch, but I guess that idea is too good to pass up. would be true. Game development is becoming more expensive as time goes on, and prices are rising across the industry.
Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is a more than welcome addition to the Nintendo Switch game library. Early impressions already show that it’s arguably the definitive way to play the sequel to the family comedy/horror series that puts Mario’s often underrated brother in the chilling spotlight. While not as graphically impressive as Luigi’s Mansion 3, the visual differences between the 3DS and Switch versions will make it worth a double dip for many, even with the price increase over the original. While there doesn’t seem to be anything new in terms of content, the remaster will definitely be a special treat for those who have never owned a 3DS and haven’t played the acclaimed game before. Keep an eye out for our review to hear our final thoughts before Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD launches for Switch on June 27, 2024.
A copy of Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD was provided by Nintendo UK for review purposes.