With the arrival and success of Luigi’s Mansion 3, players have been exploring the haunted castle to save everyone imprisoned by King Boo and Hellen Gravely. Veterans might feel right at home with the series, but for everyone else, here is a beginner’s guide to everything you need to know to complete Luigi’s Mansion 3 like a pro.
“Single” Player Mode
By default, the game contains a single player campaign with control over Luigi, but after completing only a few short missions, players will also gain access to Gooigi. After returning E.Gadd’s briefcase to the lab, players can select “Co-Op” in the game’s menu, and both controllers will be available for use. Almost the entire campaign can be played in this way, so consider playing most of the game as a two-player adventure!
The Gameplay Mechanics Are Unlike A Traditional Mario Game
Unlike traditional games in the Super Mario series of games, action is considerably slower in Luigi’s Mansion 3. Whereas Super Mario Odyssey is a wide-open action platformer, Luigi’s Mansion 3 focuses on smaller locations inside different rooms of the hotel, and there is no jumping from platform to platform.
Luigi won’t be stomping on Goomba or Koopa Shells, and instead will deal with the ghosts of the hotel with his Poltergust, a weapon almost identical to what was used in the previous games in the series, along with a flashlight.
To fight the many ghosts who will come at you throughout the story, players first need to use their flashlights to shock the opponent for a moment, allowing you to start sucking it up with the Poltergust. The flashlight will also be used on lights in the game, and essentially becomes an activator for switches. Later on, your secondary black-light will reveal secrets as well.
ZR is used to suck inwards, which is not only used to grab ghosts and slam them around, but also to explore the environment, look for hidden clues, and pick up coins that are littered all throughout the hotel. ZL is used to the opposite effect, pushing away opponents or environmental objects.
Pressing both ZR and ZL at the same time unleashes a burst in an area around Luigi, which is a new feature to the series, and more than anything it will come in handy for solving puzzles. However, it is also a great way to deal with too many ghosts who may be crowding you, giving you a brief moment to re-position and attack.
Gold Coins And Bars Everywhere!
As mentioned, gold will be found all over the hotel. The most efficient way of earning earning gold is to catch Gold Ghosts, but they require a bit of effort since they are hidden on each of the floors in the hotel. Like regular ghosts, these should be stunned with a strobe from your flashlight, and then sucked up, but needs to be done quickly since they only appear once and then never again. Gold Bars are another big part of the game that add substantial amounts of gold and can be found in the same places as normal coins.
This money can be spent on one of three things. First, there is a Gold Bone, which is basically an extra life. If your health total drops to zero, Polterpup will dash in to provide assistance. These are great to have just in case, but it largely depends on how well a player handles each boss. Second, a Boo Finder and Gem Finder are cartridges that show the location of either item on the player map. Each of these items costs 1,000 coins each.
The good news is that it is not difficult to accumulate gold - quite the opposite. Especially if each room is explored and searched, players will find themselves with an abundance of extra coins in no time.
Tips And Tricks
Clean everything! The sucking of the Poltergust is not only meant to solve the occasional puzzle and fight ghosts, it often reveals secrets, helps you find more coins, and look for gems. Players looking to learn everything about the hotel should leave no corner untouched.
Backtrack for success and keep searching. Much like Super Mario Odyssey, players quickly earn the ability to move on from a level to the next, but there is no reason to rush. Once a floor’s boss has been defeated, players should head back and explore areas that might not have been accessible before to find more coins or other secrets. Perhaps most important of all are the Hearts which can increase your overall health. These are hidden and are mostly found with careful examination, and so there is even more reason to investigate everything before moving onto a new floor.
Throughout all of the examining, it can be easy to forget about a primary objective. Pressing the + button and speaking to E. Gadd will provide access to the game log and what the current task is supposed to be.
Multiplayer Modes
Asides the local co-op story mode with Gooigi, the game features additional multiplayer modes. Players with a Nintendo Switch Online membership can jump into the ScareScraper, which is co-op ghost fighting. Up to eight players can join in locally or online and work to save Toads and capture ghosts.
ScreamPark is a mode that splits the players into one of two teams of Luigis and Gooigis. Each team faces off in either Cannon Barrage, Coin Floating, or Ghost Hunt. These are the only multiplayer modes right now, but Nintendo has hinted at more coming the future in the form of DLC.
