Before this game, Luigi in the Super Mario franchise was always seen as just a third wheel and not a fully realized persona. While Luigi would be given some attractive qualities in previous Mario installments, they were very short and did not elaborate as much as the series elaborates on Mario. In 2001, Nintendo changed things by cutting Mario from a brand-new spooktacular adventure and putting Luigi in his place. This was one of the first games to be released on the Nintendo Gamecube, and it became a success for its great atmosphere and giving a personality to Mario’s green brother, who was once just an afterthought. After over 20 years, this game may have some dated elements, but this is still one of the most memorable and great Gamecube games to ever be released.
When Mario’s brother Luigi suddenly wins a mansion in a contest that he never entered, he is curious to find the mansion and explore its admittees. Little does he know that it is all a trap to capture Luigi so he can become trapped in a painting by King Boo and his ghost minions alongside his already trapped brother, who also fell for the same trap. Luckily Luigi bumps into a scientist called Professor E-Gad, and with his help, he equips Luigi with a poltergeist 3000 to capture the ghosts around the mansion so he can get closer to freeing his brother Mario. Can Luigi succeed? Or will Luigi’s paranoid personality get the best of him?
The story has that unmistakable charm and humor that Nintendo is known for. It also creates a spooky but intriguing environment for the player to explore and admire. It’s not necessarily scary like in a realistic horror game, but the cartoony nature and creative concepts make the game fun and interesting. Twists and turns are few and far between, but the game will always keep the player on their feet with exciting ghosts to suck up and a pretty cool final boss. Luigi is put in the center of everything, and it's the first time that he’s actually given a fully fleshed-out personality in that he’s easily scared and clumsy but has a good heart and will brave any danger to save the ones close to him. During the adventure, Luigi encounters other exciting characters, such as Professor Egad, an old scientist who supplies Luigi with the tools necessary to survive the mansion. Even the boss ghosts the player meets have their own exciting personas that make the mansion even more mysterious and creepy. I’m not going to act like this is the most profound and thought-provoking storyline in a video game ever. Still, this game’s narrative is a lot of fun with its ideas and spooky environment that, in the end, is still a fun story to experience for any gamer of any age.
The gameplay works differently from other Mario games. The game follows a formula and a good one at that. Basically, you go from room to room, suck up some ghosts and boss ghosts, and collect money, gems, and keys around the mansion. In any other game, this would get repetitive, but trying to do the following tasks feels so satisfying, especially when it comes to sucking up ghosts. There are two different types of ghosts. First, there are casual ones that are easy to suck up, and then there are the boss ghosts that will require more thought in how to capture them using your surroundings. The controls in using your Poltergust 3000 are very well laid out and simple to master, and putting them in action just feels right. Exploring the mansion is easy enough, and the lights will come back every time a room is completed. Thanks to a map on your Gameboy horror, some rooms will require a key to access and are easy enough to find. After beating the game, the money and gems will add to the amount of change used to build a new mansion, thus showing your letter ranking. The only thing that may be a turnoff for experienced players is that the game is very easy to beat. Still, all the side challenges and extra collectibles keep every gamer of every level coming back for more and improving their scores.
The graphics look very good for 2001 but may look a little too rubbery for modern gamers. Let's give credit where credit is due; even when the graphics look a little off, the cartoony designs of the characters and the environment create much interest and encourage the player to explore as much of the mansion as possible. The rooms in the mansion are fun and well-designed, and the character designs would redefine the Mario series for years to come. The spooky atmosphere is superb and a welcomed change of pace for a game series that is primarily bouncy and bright. The ghosts have a fun and spooky feel that is authentic to the room you find them in. As on of the first GameCube games, it looks primarily suitable. Even when it looks a little dated in some areas, it’s still very interesting in most of them.
The Music was composed by Kazumi Totaka and Shinobu Tanaka, who, with their combined talents, created an Erie but also playful melodies that plague the entire game. These sounds help to enhance the spooky feel that the game goes for, and some of the tracks can be seen as some of the most memorable sounds in the entire Mario series.
Luigi’s first solo adventure turned into a significant success that possibly forever changed how we see Luigi in the entire Mario franchise. While the graphics aren’t as polished as future Mario games, and the gameplay may be a little too easy for some gamers, Luigi’s mansion is still a solid offering from Nintendo that is way better than it had any right to be. This is a great game to play around the Halloween Season or if you are in for something spooky yet lighthearted. This game would launch many sequels in the following years that, in some aspects, would continue to improve upon this game’s success. This was, in some ways, a considerable risk for Nintendo, so with great enthusiasm, I say that this game is still quite the adventure worth jumping into even years later.
(Final Grade: A-)