Summary
With the HD remake ofLuigi’s Mansion 2on the Nintendo Switch, fans of the series get to experience one of the main gimmicks of the game. While the first game set the standard and the third game had a variety of themes across every single floor,Luigi’s Mansion 2 HDoffers five different mansions for Luigi to traverse andhunt ghosts in.
Since there are five distinct mansions to explore, all with very specific themes compared to each other, some feel more like a haunted house than others. Although each level captures the general feel of a haunted, abandoned, and spooky location, someghost-infested abodesloom far above the others. From those that least fit the theme of a haunted mansion to those that embody it, the mansions rank clearly.
5Secret Mine
A Frozen Hideaway
One of the more extreme environments for the various mansions, theSecret Minecertainly lives up to the title. While the building initially just seems to be a snowed-in chalet, the titular hidden mining operation quickly reveals itself to Luigi. The chalet and frigid depths create a wonderfully intriguing air to the “mansion” as a whole, especially with what hints of story are scattered about, but all that said, it doesn’t quite fit the feel of a haunted house.
The chalet itself does appropriately feel within the realm of a snowed-in, long-forgotten home now taken over by ghosts and Boos, complete with a possessed polar bear rug, but once the level reveals that most of the mansion is the mines below, the theme shifts. While an abandoned mine in the dark, frozen pits of a glacier definitely captures the G-equivalent of ahorror movie setting,the haunted atmosphere fades. The Secret Mine inspires a small sense of intrigue and dread but doesn’t quite hit the connotation of haunted.
4Old Clockworks
Lost In The Sands Of Time
Perhaps the exact opposite of the Secret Mine’s environment, theOld Clockworksis in a similar position as the snowed-in chalet, only with tons and tons of sand. Unlike the Mine, the Old Clockworks is clearly and explicitly an abandoned factory in an ancient desert, with mummies deep below the sandstone. While the theme isn’t necessarily any closer to that of a haunted mansion, the Old Clockworks definitely feels more in line with a giant, creepy building.
With plenty of odd gadgets abandoned to the ever-growing sand piles,desks withpaperworkleft behind long ago, and the clock itself that teeters on a strangely fantastical and creepy design, the Old Clockworks isn’t quite a haunted house. Still, it does include enough details that grant it enough of a fit to the theme.
3Haunted Towers
Only Plants Left Alive
The second location inLuigi’s Mansion 2,theHaunted Towers,marks the turn into mansions that truly fit the description of a haunted house. Featuring two looming towers, and plenty of plants consuming the mansion inside and out, the air of an abandoned and forgotten mansion shines through.
Thanks to rain, dark and damp corners, and plenty of hotel-like amenities in the Towers, the theme of a haunted mansion is clear. Not to mention a creepy doll, a creepy bedroom, and a creepy graveyard. The Haunted Towers knows how to feel (as the name might suggest) haunted. With crawling vines and deadly plants, this may be only the second location in the game, but it certainly knows how to fit the look.
2Gloomy Manor
The Classic Haunted House
Like the first mansion in the game,Gloomy Manoris truly just a classic haunted house. A perpetually-rainy atmosphere, a rundown exterior and interior filled with dust and debris, haunted sets of armor, and plenty of spider webs, every area of the Manor screams haunted,from the Mudroom to the Foyer.
While Gloomy Manor is everything players would expect out of a mansion completely overrun with ghosts, it doesn’t offer much beyond that. Although the spider infestation adds extra detail, with hundreds of webs all throughout the house and a Cellar that’s turned into a spider’s nest, it is simply a basic haunted house. Compared to the mansion of the originalLuigi’s Mansion, the odd quirks and additions are sorely missed. Still, a truer haunted mansion will not be found.
1Treacherous Mansion
A Globetrotting Haunted House
The final mansion in the game, theTreacherous Mansion,captures precisely the atmosphere of a haunted house, but adds a fascinating story to boot. Filled to the brim with treasures from regions beyond, stationed above a bottomless waterfall, andfilled with plenty of ghosts,this ultimate haunted house perfectly encompasses everything a detailed haunted mansion should.
While the Treacherous Mansion was at risk of simply being a rehash of the previous locations in the game, the details of the atmosphere and the approach to many repeated aspects set this final mansion apart from the others. The danger found within and outside this location is clear, between the deadly entryway and the numerous weapons (and probably stolen relics) within. Beyond the physical hazards, the constant presence of ghosts within in every nook and cranny of the Mansion make the danger even grander for Luigi. The Treacherous Mansion is an elevated haunted house, wielding an air of dread and a creeping danger around every corner.
