On Trial Today:
Name: Luigi's Mansion 2Platform: 3DS
Developer: Nintendo
Game Type: Puzzle/Adventure
Audience: 7+
Gaming Style: Casual
Franchise: Luigi's mansion
The game begins with a short overview of Evershade Valley, the spooky setting for the game, being engulfed in a mysterious purple smoke, after the Dark Moon fell from the sky. The absence of the dark moon has caused all of the ghosts to go hostile, kick the professor out of the valley and rampage around all of the mansions. After the opening we join our hero once again being, reluctantly, enlisted by professor E.Gadd to vacuum up those spooks using his trusty Poultergust 5000 equip with new Strobulb and Dark Light.
Gameplay
Overall the entire game is fun to play and the in game puzzles really spice up the endless ghost hunting. Once you have found a ghost you must stun it with the Strobulb before using your Poultergust to clean the floor (get it... floor...vacuum...oh never mind) with their spectral butts. The controlls can be a tad sticky when trying to stun the ghosts as while your bulb is on you can not turn and all movements see you facing one direction. During you ghost capturing you can fill the A Pull bar and use the A button to give the poultergust an extra whack which is a huge help for some of the bigger ghosts that are reluctant to yield.The Dark Light is another useful feature enabling you to reveal hidden objects that can aid you in your missions, weather it be a door to a hidden room or flower pot containing coins. All you must do is shine the Dark Light around the room and reveal the spectral balls that are hiding the object from you, simply hoover up the little blighters to bring the object back into existence.
The way the levels are designed is very intuitive and is one of the best aspects of the game. Each mansion has its own theme that is superbly designed and gives each of it's levels a different character. The way that the puzzles are worked seamlessly into each room makes the game seem even more like a real world, as the puzzles use the natural environment to solve them, such as collecting water in a bucket, from a leaky tap, to put out a fire, to climb into the fireplace and drop into a locked room. The way to solve each puzzle requires some lateral thinking and will be familiar to anyone who has played a LEGO game. I will admit that a little guide or hint feature would have been helpful as some times if I looked away during a cut-scene or couldn't figure it out I spent ages roaming the house in desperation.
Each of the Ghosts has a humorous design that really makes you believe they could be part of the fun bubbly Mario universe. Your common ghosts are called greenies (nice and original Nintendo!) they are small, green mischievous little fellas that enjoy messing with objects they shouldn't! and protecting themselves from your Strobulb with sunglasses and shovels. Other types of ghost include hiders, that hide in the furniture, boffins, big brained ghosts that can posses objects and gluttons, fat ghosts that spit at you while your hoovering the up (lovely!).
Other little details make each level engaging even if your not looking for them, moving staircases, self playing pianos and spooky shadows all add to the atmosphere. I will say my favourite little hidden gem is leaving the game idle for a few seconds and hearing Luigi hum along to the background music.
Graphics
The graphics for this game are stunning especially for Nintendo, who are not known for realistic CG. Nintendo's fun cartoony style really brings the world to life, making it feel like a real place, without it looking childish and young. Little details such as the torch glow when you face the screen and the movement of background scenery make the world less static and alive. The design of the ghosts is superb as well; the glows they give off and the way they move truly create the illusion of real characters, still keeping in with the "Mushroom Kingdom" art style that Nintendo have created, to make them feel like another character not supporting cast.Soundtrack
I love the soundtrack to this game! It creates a spooky atmosphere without making the game seem creepy or scary. The old creeks of the door and spider scuttles again add to the realism of the game, and the alternating music between ghost captures keep the soundtrack fresh and un-repetitive, unlike other games with repeating soundtracks. Each action you perform has a different sound effect which fits perfectly with the control. The suck and blow of the poultergust both are differ as does the strobulb flash and dark light giving the game added depth. Each ghost also has a slightly different voice, adding to the character, and to help identify what you are dealing with if the ghost happens to remain invisible.Closing Comments
On the whole I have really enjoyed playing the game and will continue on my quest to re-unite all of the dark moon pieces and save evershade valley! This game is perfect for it's intended audience and creates a realistic, charming world that isn't terrifying to children. it's the kind of a casual, puzzle adventure wrapped up in one and, for those of you who know I'm an avid Professor Layton fan, it really appeals to my gaming style. The puzzles are challenging enough to satisfy the more daring of you lot but can get a bit tough at times and if the ghost circle around you well.... best not press your strobulb too early!The best price I found for the game was £32.99 on Amazon which is where I ordered my copy
Overall I give Luigi's Mansion 2 (Dark Moon) a score of:
4.5 out of 5 clicks!
I love the charm that the game has to offer and think the character and level design is absolutely superb! It would have gotten the full five if it wasn't for the few control errors and the parts that left me with not even an incling of what to do next. I would defiantly recommend this game even to players who never played the original, like me, as I feel this game is less a sequel and more a revival and it certainly has come back with a bang!
That's all for now
Happy Clixing
Josh
