Common Sense Media Review
By Chad Sapieha
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based on child development research. How do we rate?
Remastered classic has cartoon ghosts and mild jump scares.
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Luigi's Mansion 2 HD
Parent and Kid Reviews
What’s It About?
LUIGI'S MANSION 2 HD, a remastered version of the Nintendo 3DS classic Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, tells the story of Luigi's visit to a new haunted mansion. Professor E. Gadd, a paranormal specialist, is studying a celestial object called the Dark Moon that calms the ghosts of Gloomy Manor. One day the Dark Moon vanishes from the sky and the ghosts suddenly become aggressive. He calls on Luigi to help restore the dark moon and Luigi goes in search of the broken pieces of the Dark Moon, but also needs to wrangle any ghosts that get in his way. Armed with the Poltergust 5000 -- a Ghostbusters-like vacuum that sucks up phantoms for storage -- a flashlight to keep the shadows at bay, and a customized DS console that acts as a map, communicator, and adventure log, Luigi enters the mansion and begins exploring room by spooky room, sucking up specters, finding keys and cash, locating more gadgets, and solving puzzles along the way. Outside of the story players can take on mini-challenges with friends in a haunted tower.
Is It Any Good?
Luigi's Mansion is one of Nintendo's most underappreciated franchises, and it's exciting to see this second chapter get its time to shine. Originally made for an older handheld, Luigi's Mansion 2 HD looks fantastic on the more powerful Switch hardware, with environments bursting with personality and characters that feel like they've stepped right out of a cartoon. Nintendo has done a great job adapting the dual-screen design for a single display, and the game benefits from clever physics—you can pull curtains off rods, spin gears, and blow out candles. Imaginative lighting effects involving fire, lightning, and flickering bulbs make the game feel as modern as anything else on the Switch.
The gameplay is equally fun. Exploring every room by peeking into drawers, rolling up carpets, and tearing off wallpaper gives a strong sense of discovery. The ghost-catching mechanic—stunning them with a light before pulling back on the thumbstick to suck them into the vacuum—is still unique to the series. The only downside is the control scheme, which can be tricky. Managing the direction of the flashlight and vacuum while moving isn't entirely intuitive, and it's easy to get turned around. While this isn't a deal breaker, smoothing out this aspect could have made Luigi's Mansion 2 HD a must-have Switch experience.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Luigi has to explore every room carefully to find hidden treasures and solve puzzles in Luigi's Mansion 2 HD. What do you think makes a good problem solver? How does being patient and looking closely help Luigi succeed? How do you think this might help you in real life?
Luigi is easily scared, but he keeps going to help others, displaying courage. Why is courage an important character strength? Can you think of a time when you felt afraid but pushed through anyway. How did it feel to face that fear, and what helped you do it?
Game Details
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
- Pricing structure: Paid ($59.99)
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Nintendo
- Release date: June 27, 2024
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Adventures , Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Character Strengths: Courage
- ESRB rating: E for Mild Fantasy Violence
- Last updated: September 4, 2024
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