Luigi's Mansion

Review - Strange goings-on in this Nintendo launch-title.

I finally succumbed to the next-generation consoles spate, and bought myself the Nintendo GameCube. It sits in a slightly less favourable position than my PS2, but since playing Luigi’s Mansion and Star Wars: Rogue Leader, the dust is definitely beginning to settle on my beloved Playstation 2.

One day Luigi received an unexpected message: Congratulations, you have won a hug mansion! Naturally, Luigi got excited and called his brother, Mario. “Mario? It’s me, Luigi. I won myself a big mansion! Meet me there and we’ll celebrate, what do you say?” After speaking to his brother, Luigi tried to follow the map to his new Mansion. However the night was dark, and he became hopelessly lost in an eerie forest along the way. Finally, he came upon a gloomy mansion on the edge of the woods. According to the map, this Mansion seemed to be the one Luigi was looking for. As soon as Luigi set foot in the mansion, he started to feel nervous. Mario, who should have arrived first, was nowhere to be seen. Not only that, but there were ghosts in the mansion!

Suddenly, a ghost lunged at Luigi! Then out of the blue a strange old man with a vacuum cleaner on his back appeared out of nowhere! This strange fellow managed to rescue Luigi from the ghost, and quickly the two of them escaped…. It just so happened that the old man, Professor Elvin Gadd, who lived near the house, was researching his favourite subject; ghosts. Luigi told Professor E Gadd, that his brother Mario was missing, so the Professor decided to give Luigi two inventions that would help him search for his brother.

Luigi’s not exactly know for his bravery. Can he get rid of all the prank-loving ghosts and find Mario? Thus begins Luigi’s Mansion.

Mario is lost in a haunted mansion, and only you can save him. Professor Elvin Gadd gives you all the equipment and training you need to work your way slowly through the Mansion, catching ghosts big and little, fire ghosts, water ghosts, and “boos”, to name but a few.

Much of the fun involves solving puzzles, such as working out how each of the main ghosts need to be captured. For example, a huge baby ghost shrinks you and starts having a tantrum throwing rocking horses and balls at you. It took me ages to work it out, but by sucking the ball up and then blowing it at the baby you can overcome it. Each boss is to be handled differently, too, and with annoying boos flying around the house hiding; your work is certainly cut-out for you. You are also equipped with a Gameboy “Horror”, that allows you to search areas and also check the map to make sure you know where you are and don’t get lost. The Gameboy Horror also flickers a red warning light when boos are near. Once you have captured a few bosses you can look at them in the art gallery, where Professor E Gadd has turned them into paintings.

The Mario brothers have come along way since I first played them; being just little blips on the screen that jumped over and onto blocks. The graphics bring Luigi alive, as he shivers and whistles to himself as he walks around the scary mansion, sucking up ghosts in a Ghostbusters-esque style.

The atmosphere is amazing as you creep around the mansion. Luigi is obviously scared, and he shakes, whistles and jumps as ghosts appear. The air is so cold you can see his breath in the haunted rooms. All in all, this the first time in a long time I have actually been interested in the Mario brothers. The controls are a little awkward to begin with - but as you progress, it gets easier and you get used to the different control sticks, and all the different things that the gameboy horror does.

I love this game, and it’s certainly going to be keeping me up many a night until I complete it and save poor old Mario.

Mario returns in light-hearted and refreshing fashion,

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