Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD Hands-On Impressions – Resurrecting a 3DS Specter

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For years the Luigi’s Mansion series remained firmly in the shadow of big brother Mario’s many adventures, but 2019’s Luigi’s Mansion 3 proved to be a bit of a breakout hit, garnering enthusiastic reviews and eventually selling nearly 15 million copies. In the wake of that success, Nintendo is doubling back and reviving the somewhat-overlooked previously-3DS-exclusive Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon for Switch under the title Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD (the game has always been known as Luigi’s Mansion 2 in Europe for those confused).

Luigi’s Mansion 2/Dark Moon was quite an ambitious game by 3DS standards, but is it still a scary-good time here in 2024? I’ve had the opportunity to go hands-on with Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD and can comment on roughly the first third of the game (up until the midpoint of the second mansion). Tip-toe on down for my early impressions…

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Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD largely sticks to the series’ standard set-up. That rascal King Boo has escaped his bonds and shattered the Dark Moon which protects the Evershade Valley, causing it to become infested with g-g-g-ghosts. Luigi is again recruited by friend/tormentor Professor E. Gad to don the upgraded Poltergust 5000 and cleanse multiple themed mansions of their pesky paranormal activity.

While there’s always debate about where the line between remasters and full-on remakes lies, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is unquestionably on the remaster end of the scale. While the game sports updated textures, character models, and improved lighting, actual level layouts and geometry doesn’t appear to have changed, with everything having a rather chunky, angular 3DS look. That isn’t to say the game is ugly, but it’s a solid notch below Luigi’s Mansion 3, which is one of the most visually-polished first-party Switch titles.

Not a ton has changed in terms core gameplay, either. As in all games in the series, Luigi uses his Poltergust