It seems absurd now, but the 3DS didn’t get off to the best start. Remember when Nintendo cut the price and gave out a bunch of free games as an apology? Us neither, it was so long ago. Since then, they’ve done a bang-up job of supporting a handheld which, as they found out the hard way, simply needs good games.
And it’s games like Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7 and Star Fox 64 3D that contributed to the sharp turnaround. It’s not rocket science – these are system-sellers. And the latest must-have is Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon. For starters, it looks even better than the GameCube’s first ghost-hunt, approaching Wii U levels of fidelity that provides parity – a universal visual scheme – between the two Nintendo platforms.
Of course, the 3DS’s processor has more to play with than in Super Mario 3D Land’s primary coloured, soft-edged world. Luigi’s torch illuminates patches of shadow, while your vacuum (an upgraded of Professor E. Gad’s invention from the first game) sucks and rattles entire rooms.
These two devices are central to the game. Freeze ghosts in their tracks with the torch and hoover them up with the vacuum. There are now multiple mansions to discover, each requiring differing tactics and containing new threats. One sees a giant purple spider descending on Luigi, with the unlucky plumber scrambling to get away. Another’s set in a snowy graveyard, showing off amazing 3DS visuals.
Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon will further justify the 3DS later this year.
