Added Multiplayer is Fun
One of the biggest additions in Dark Moon is its multiplayer mode. Teaming up with four players online to complete ghost hunting objectives in almost endless floors is a thrill. Set in a tower where there are multiple levels, you and your friends will be doing missions together such as eliminating ghosts to clear the area, track down invisible ghost-dogs or race to find a hatch that leads towards the next level. There are twenty-five levels available and for every five finished, a boss is waiting. Those who have friends to play with or enjoy sucking up ghosts, the added multiplayer portion might be worth trying out.
NOT
Exploration is Restricted
Instead of giving players the chance to fully explore the mansion at any given time, players will be restricted to different levels. As mentioned before, with the new layout that has been introduced in the game, players will be doing a lot of unnecessary back tracking which can get very tedious at times. It would be great if the mansions were designed similar to the first game as it would provide a better sense of exploration since it was one of the things that fans loved about the first game.
Sucking Up Ghosts Can Feel Tiring
Don’t get me wrong, I love the gameplay of Dark Moon and the first game, but there was one point that I felt like I was doing the same ghost busting sucking ghost job for more than three hours. While it’s fun at first, the breaking point where you will simply just put down the 3DS and decide to come back to it later when you are more relaxed will happen quite often. The gameplay remains unchanged which may not appeal to a lot of fans who are looking for a change.
VERDICT
Having not played exclusively with Luigi for over a decade, his comeback in Dark Moon is quite refreshing, but there are some flaws that hold it back. Though the gameplay is largely the same with practically no differences in techniques, other areas make up for these tedious parts. Probably the best part of Dark Moon is how it retains the charm from the original, so fans of the first will probably enjoy it. In the end, fans of Luigi’s Mansion will be pleased with Dark Moon, though be warned it’s more of the same. If this doesn’t sound bad to you, then you’ll probably have a fun ride going though the various locations fighting ghosts.
[Editor’s Note: Luigi’s Mansion Dark Moon was reviewed on the Nintendo 3DS platform. The game was provided was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]
