Luigi’s Mansion : Le frisson comique du frère de Mario

Luigi's Mansion: The Comic Thrill of Mario's Brother

1526 words | Reading time : 7 minute(s)

SeriesLuigi's MansionGhosts

The series that turned Luigi into a hero — by terrifying him in every single room. Launched in 2001 on GameCube by Nintendo EAD, the saga hands the vacuum cleaner to Luigi before Next Level Games took over for Dark Moon and the third instalment. This guide walks through the three games, their macabre humour, their puzzles and everything the series changed for Mario's brother.

Luigi’s Mansion is a video game series developed by Nintendo starring Luigi, Mario's brother, in an unexpected role: that of ghost hunter. A one-of-a-kind blend of exploration, puzzles and macabre humour, the saga let Luigi step out of the shadows and become a hero who is endearing, funny and easily frightened. With its gothic cartoon look, its inventive mechanics and its immersive atmosphere, Luigi's Mansion is today one of the most original series in the Mario universe.

Contents

Luigi's Mansion (2001) – The revelation on GameCube

Released in 2001 as a launch title for the Nintendo GameCube, Luigi's Mansion took players by surprise by putting Luigi at the heart of the action and demoting Mario to the rank of "princess to rescue". Far from the usual running and jumping, the gameplay here is built on slowness, caution and observation.

Luigi receives a letter telling him he has won a mansion. When he arrives, he finds a place infested with ghosts, and Mario nowhere to be found. With the help of the eccentric scientist Professor E. Gadd and his special vacuum cleaner, the Poltergust 3000, Luigi will have to face his fear to clear the place out.

Key features

  • A single mansion divided into rooms, with semi-linear progression
  • A cast of ghost bosses with strong personalities, each demanding its own strategy
  • Use of the Game Boy Horror, a tool that lets you scan the environment
  • Minimalist sound design and dynamic lighting to ramp up the tension

Despite a fairly short running time, the game was praised for its originality and its atmosphere worthy of a Halloween cartoon.

Luigi moving down a dark mansion corridor, Poltergust vacuum in hand
The whole first game fits into that one gesture: pushing forward in the dark, flashlight raised.

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (2013) – The universe expands on 3DS

Twelve years later, Nintendo came back with Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, developed by Next Level Games. Released on Nintendo 3DS in 2013, this instalment multiplies the settings and the situations by offering five distinct mansions, each with its own architectural style and its own puzzles.

The story revolves around the Dark Moon, a magical gem that keeps the ghosts peaceful. When it shatters, the spirits turn aggressive. Luigi, in spite of himself, is called in to help once again.

Notable new features

  • Exploration expanded with regular returns to each mansion for new missions
  • New special lamp, the Dark-Light Device to reveal invisible objects
  • Collectibles: hidden gems, Boos to capture and mission rankings
  • The ScareScraper mode, in local and online multiplayer for up to 4 players

The game was praised for its inventive level design, its humour and its expressive animations, as well as for bringing in more varied mechanics and real replay value.

Luigi's Mansion 3 (2019) – The masterpiece on Nintendo Switch

Released on 31 October 2019 on Nintendo Switch, Luigi's Mansion 3 takes the series to a new peak. Luigi, Mario, Peach and the Toads are invited to a luxury hotel called The Last Resort, a trap set by Hellen Gravely and King Boo.

Every floor of the hotel is a theme of its own: film studio, botanical garden, prehistoric museum, medieval suite… The game is bursting with visual surprises and cultural references.

Major additions

  • Poltergust G-00: slams, suction shot and a burst that sweeps whole groups of ghosts
  • Gooigi: a gooey double for solo or co-op play, slipping through grates and spikes
  • Environments that are highly interactive and partly destructible
  • Graphics and animations among the most detailed on the Switch
  • Expanded multiplayer modes: the minigames of ScreamPark and ScareScraper co-op

Why is Luigi's Mansion a cult series?

  • A unique tone blending slapstick humour, gentle tension and haunted-house atmosphere
  • Gameplay like no other built on physics, light and capture
  • A coherent universe with iconic gadgets: Poltergust, Dark-Light, etc.
  • The spotlight on Luigi, now a hero in his own right
  • Critical and commercial success: Luigi's Mansion 3 has passed 14.25 million copies (March 2024)

Recurring characters

  • Luigi – reluctant but determined hero
  • Professor E. Gadd – eccentric inventor and mentor
  • The Boos – iconic mischievous ghosts
  • King Boo – recurring antagonist
  • Gooigi – gooey invention that adds a layer of strategy
Vincent Van Gore, the mansion's painter ghost
Every ghost has a job and a personality of its own — that is what makes the bestiary so memorable.

Legacy and future of the series

With three acclaimed instalments and plenty of spin-off appearances, Luigi's Mansion is now a flagship franchise for Nintendo. In 2023, a remake of Luigi's Mansion 2 was announced for the Switch, and fans are already hoping for a fourth instalment that is even more paranormal and even more co-op friendly.

Quick facts: Luigi's Mansion

Type Video game series (adventure/action)
Developer Nintendo (original game by Nintendo EAD; Dark Moon and 3 by Next Level Games)
Hero Luigi, ghost hunter
First game Luigi's Mansion (2001, GameCube launch title; released on 14 September 2001 in Japan)
Iconic item The Poltergust vacuum cleaner (3000 in the original game, then G-00 in Luigi's Mansion 3)
Number of games 3 main games (2001, 2013, 2019)
Best seller Luigi's Mansion 3: around 14.25 million copies (Nintendo figures, March 2024)

🍄 Want to keep the adventure going? Check out our Luigi products in the store.

FAQ

  • Who is the hero of Luigi's Mansion?
    Luigi, Mario's brother, in the unexpected role of ghost hunter. The series brought him out of the shadows and made him a hero in his own right.
  • How many main games does the series have?
    Three: Luigi's Mansion (2001) on GameCube, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (2013) on 3DS, and Luigi's Mansion 3 (2019) on Nintendo Switch.
  • What is the Poltergust?
    It is Luigi's special vacuum cleaner, the one used to capture ghosts. It evolves from game to game, from the Poltergust 3000 (original game) to the Poltergust 5000 (Dark Moon) and then the Poltergust G-00 (Luigi's Mansion 3).
  • Which game sold the most?
    Luigi's Mansion 3, which had passed 14 million copies according to the Nintendo figures published in March 2024, making it one of the series' biggest successes.
  • Is a new game on the way?
    A remake of Luigi's Mansion 2 (Dark Moon), titled Luigi's Mansion 2 HD, was announced in 2023 and then released on Switch on 27 June 2024. Many fans are also hoping for a fourth instalment.

Conclusion

Luigi's Mansion has carved out a place of its own in the Nintendo pantheon. By playing on the contrast between comedy and chills, by giving Luigi a real personality and by reinventing its mechanics with every instalment, the series has won over a huge audience. Proof that even in the dark, the beam of a flashlight (and of a souped-up vacuum cleaner) is enough to make Mario's brother shine.

The whole saga

Forty years of Mario games put back in order: the main episodes, the spin-offs and the oddities.

🎮 All the Mario video games →
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