A remaster that wants to suck Luigi's Mansion 3 players in
Once again, Nintendo is not taking big risks by re-releasing Luigi's Mansion 2 on Switch. Luigi's Mansion 3 is one of the essential hits of the hybrid console, and it is understandable that the Japanese company wants to offer this new audience something to wait for before a possible (but probable) new opus on their next machine. The choice still remains strange. We would have preferred to see the first opus released first, initially launched on GameCube and remastered on 3DS, or even a collection bringing together the two games. Perhaps the unique, darker atmosphere of the first game didn't quite fit the image of a family game.
Luigi's Mansion 2 is perhaps the most divisive of the three opuses, but it remains an excellent title among Nintendo's licenses, plunging us into a particularly wacky “fake” horror game. The story mainly serves as a pretext to send our hero in green on an adventure. The strange black moon, which soothed the ghosts of the region, has been mysteriously shattered, plunging the place into a dense fog and freeing the ghosts. Professor K. Tastroff then calls on Luigi to restore order by finding all the fragments of the Moon.
Like a lonely Ghost Buster, Luigi will have to explore different gloomy places to complete his mission. During his adventure, he will often be slowed down by aggressive ghosts who will attack him. Fortunately, he is equipped with the Ectoblast 5000, a ghost vacuum, and a flashlight to combat these ectoplasms. The software skillfully combines ghost hunting and exploration. The suction and exhalation of your vacuum cleaner allows you to interact with all kinds of decorative elements (like carpets) to find money or new passages.
Unfortunately, the game retains a mission system that was not very successful during its first release, unlike the more organic exploration of the first game in the mansion and the third opus in the hotel. Thus, it is necessary to relaunch the corresponding missions to have the best possible rank. Nevertheless, Luigi's Mansion 2 HD is constantly renewed with the appearance of new ghosts to hunt down. To capture them, the process is simple: just dazzle them with the flashlight, then suck them up to reduce their resistance to zero. The difficulty gradually increases with more robust ghosts and the introduction of new gadgets, such as the Reveloscope, which reveals invisible elements.
HD smoothing that does the minimum service
Luigi's Mansion 2 HD is essentially a simple port that benefits from a notable graphical refresh. As with its original release on 3DS, the gaming pleasure remains intact, but don't expect anything new if you have already completed the title on the portable console. We are nevertheless waiting for the release of our test to see if there is any new multiplayer side, which we were not able to experience during this preview.
It's impressive how well Nintendo's big 3DS titles age, even with a simple graphical update on Switch. In terms of visual improvements, we have new 3D models, new textures and better lighting effects. Although it does not reach the level of Luigi's Mansion 3, this second opus in HD version performs admirably well on Switch. The rendering is impeccable, whether in portable or docked mode. The main weak point remains the difficulty in understanding perspective in different environments, a complication due to the absence of stereoscopic 3D which offered a feeling of depth on the 3DS.
With this Switch version, it's a little more difficult to judge distances, especially during fights. The sound design is also successful, with well-adapted music and this charming feature where Luigi hums the levels' themes to encourage himself. Charles Martinet's performance as Luigi remains, as always, a treat for fans.
Luigi's Mansion 2 HD will offer a great opportunity for fans of Luigi's Mansion 3 to discover another excellent installment of the series this year. If you have already played the 3DS version, it will be wise to wait for a more complete preview to decide if the new features justify a new purchase. Despite everything, it is not certain that all players are ready to pay a high price for this remaster. However, it's hard to mask our excitement at the prospect of finding Luigi in a horror adventure that promises to suck us in from start to finish. Having already finished it ourselves at the time, we are not going to create false suspense because we know that the quality is assured. Furthermore, with this first approach, we can already say that it has aged very well and that the graphical improvements give it a sufficient facelift to renew the experience on Switch.