Console Corner: Luigi’s Mansion 3 review

It has been six years since the last Luigi’s Mansion game and the third in the hit series in nearly 20 years means they are a rare treat.

Cleverly released on Halloween recently, Luigi’s Mansion 3 sees the lesser-heralded brother from the world famous plumbing duo reprise his role as reluctant ghost-buster extraordinaire.

For those that don’t know Luigi’s Mansion 3 is an action-adventure game where you control Luigi from a fixed third-person perspective.

The goal? To capture ghosts across a large tower hotel setting.

The game features two modes of gameplay - a single-player story mode, and a set of multiplayer game modes - in which ghost catching functions in the same manner as previous installments, that being stunning the ghoulies with Luigi’s flashlight, snagging them with his Poltergust hoover and literally sucking the (after)life out of them.

Those familiar with the first two games will undoubtedly have been waiting with great anticipation for the Nintendo Switch’s installment. And they will not be disappointed.

Taking on the ghosts is exhilarating from start to finish and there are now a host of different ways to take on your varied opponents as Luigi and his Poltergust boast brilliant new abilities. Bagging a ghost, particularly after some of the more difficult, intense battles feels every bit as satisfying as watching the Ghostbusters bagging Slimer in that famous hotel scene from our childhoods.

If you are into collectibles and suffer with gaming OCD then Luigi’s Mansion 3 will keep you busy for hours upon hours on end.

The game is literally bursting at the seams with collectibles, gems, money, rewards and Easter eggs that beg for every inch of the world’s spookiest hotel since The Shining to be explored to the fullest.

I found playing on handheld just as enjoyable and intuitive as it was on the big screen which will encourage Switch Lite gamers too.

There is the odd annoyance when it comes to aiming, but once you get to know the nuances of the controls they are pretty easy to overcome. I actually started playing with the pro pad on the big screen and it improved the experience to a new level.

The puzzles and bosses demand that you utilise all of the Poltergust’s weird and wacky add-ons in a way Nintendo always does so expertly.

The crowning achievement in LM3, though, is co-op play. Not only does it make things a touch easier when facing the tougher bosses, it makes it so much more enjoyable.

I found the ScareScraper and ScreamPark enjoyable but they did not hold my attention like the main game or co-op modes.

If you liked the original games then you will love this. LM3 is a celebration of all the things that make Nintendo original games great.

Full of charm, fun and memorable gameplay, let’s hope this is the kickstart for a more regular staple to our gaming diet over the coming years.