Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, also known as Luigi's Mansion 2 in European and Australian regions (or Luigi Mansion 2 in Japan), is an upcoming Nintendo 3DS game that will serve as the sequel to Luigi's Mansion (which was released for the Nintendo GameCube). The game is to be released on March 20th in Japan, with North America getting the game on the 24th. European and Australian releases are also in March, but a specific date for both regions has yet to be announced.

Plot
Professor E. Gadd has been researching ghosts in Evershade Valley, but when the Dark Moon shatters, the once friendly ghosts turn evil. He then calls upon Luigi to search for the scattered pieces of the Dark Moon and solve this problem and mystery.

Gameplay
In this game, the Dark Moon has shattered and Luigi needs to find the Dark Moon pieces. So far six mansions have been confirmed (with one mansion being exclusive to multiplayer mode.), which will have multiple missions each in them. The game also introduces the Poltergust 5000, the Poltergust 3000's upgrade. Shining light via flashlight is no longer sufficient to stun all the ghosts in the game; players now need to activate the Strobe Light to stun ghosts. The Flash Light has another feature called Dark Light, which will shine a rainbow colored light to find things such as the path of Boos or invisible objects. Luigi will also be given the Dual Scream, which is an original Nintendo DS. It will act the same way as the Game Boy Horror and will display a map on the 3DS's bottom screen. Cash and gems help with the mission score, as well as with upgrades to the Poltergust 5000. The game is said to be a lot more puzzle-oriented.

Scarescraper
Unlike its predecessor, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon includes a multiplayer mode called the Scarescraper, a series of floors where Luigi and up to three other players have to defeat the ghosts in the room before moving on to the next floor. Along with being local multiplayer, it is also online multiplayer. The types of games include "Hunter Mode" and other unconfirmed game types.

Protagonists

 * Luigi

Supporting

 * Professor E. Gadd
 * Toad
 * Toads (Blue & Yellow)
 * Chaser

Species

 * Boos
 * Ghosts

Locations
Unlike the first game, where there was only one mansion, Dark Moon features different themed mansions that Luigi can explore, thanks to E. Gadd's new teleport system. Every Mansion has various number of missions. So far, there are five Mansions confirmed (with a sixth mansion being exclusive to Multiplayer), each with a theme in a similar fashion to the mainstream Mario games. Two of these have been given offical names:

Mansions

 * Gloomy Mansion - A standard mansion. (Similar to the mansion in the first game.) (Plains)
 * Old Clockworks - A clockwork mansion in a desert environment. (Desert)
 * ScareScraper (Multiplayer only)

The other three, which are unnamed are:
 * A snowy mansion. (Snow)
 * A mansion built around a giant tree. (Forest)
 * A mansion with a ship at the side, Boo shaped statues near the stairs and a tower with a Moon shaped roof. This is presumably King Boo's main hideout in the game.

Other

 * Secret Lab - Professor E. Gadd's location in the game.

Items and Treasures

 * Coins
 * Bills
 * Treasure Chests
 * Keys
 * Gold Bars
 * Hearts
 * "New Amethyst" (found in "Ghostly Manor")
 * "New Sapphire" (found in "Secret Lab")

Enemies
(Some Ghosts have sunglasses which protect them from the strobe light. The sunglasses must be vacuumed before capture.)
 * Green ghosts with 10 HP. (May appear in different forms. Examples are, one has a pan on its head and is holding a rolling pin and others may appear with sunglasses)
 * Red ghosts with 30 HP. (May appear with sunglasses)
 * A slim Light Blue ghost with 15 HP. It attacks by throwing pots and plates at Luigi.
 * A Magenta Ghost with 25 HP.
 * Mummy-like ghosts which rise from the ground.
 * Suits of armor which attack with their swords if Luigi goes near them.
 * Spider that changes colors from purple to brown.
 * Gold spiders
 * Gates that are similar to the vines that block doors from the original Luigi's Mansion. Unlike the vines, though, the gates block not just doors but also paths like the middle of a stairway.
 * A gold ghost. It seems to be the golden version of a green ghost. Appears to be playing hockey and one is found in a mirror. Yields a large amount of money when vacuumed in similar to Gold Mice and Speedy Spirits.
 * Robotic-like bombs. Can be activated and deactivated by the strobe light
 * Carnivorous plants that resembles Venus flytraps.
 * Gourmet Ghost (a fat yellow ghost)
 * Purple gelatinous ghosts that can engulf Luigi inside. It has infinite HP.
 * A Yellow-Green ghost with at least 398 HP. (Multiplayer only)
 * A Purple Boo with yellow eyes.
 * Boos

Bosses

 * A giant purple spider which chases Luigi.
 * King Boo

Sub Bosses

 * Telekinetic ghost with 75 HP.

Rooms/Areas

 * Guard Hall
 * Front Yard
 * Study
 * Lab
 * Library
 * Dining Room
 * Foyer
 * Common Hall
 * Entrance
 * Garage
 * Secret Pocket
 * Chalet Approach
 * Chalet
 * Chalet Porch
 * Ice Lake
 * Fishing Hut
 * Ice Cave
 * Ice Hall
 * Mine Tunnel
 * Mirror Hall
 * Crystal Pond
 * Elevator Landing
 * Mudroom
 * Mudroom Exterior
 * Coatroom
 * Safe Room
 * Clockworks Court
 * Warehouse
 * Workshop
 * Clock Tower Gate
 * Cargo Room
 * Drafting Office
 * A pyramid themed room.
 * A Courtyard of some sort. It features Plants which give a key if they are flashed on with the strobe light.
 * A Greenhouse
 * A Bathroom
 * A Lab like room
 * A Graveyard
 * A Room with blue floating orbs with the door blocked by glass
 * A snow filled room similar to the Cold storage Room in the First game
 * A living room where Luigi gets sucked into the chimney
 * A bedroom with giant spider-webs Luigi can sit on the bed and it mysteriously flips over
 * A cellar type area with sand piles that slow Luigi down similar to the cellar in the first game
 * A kitchen.
 * A clock-like room similar to the Clockwork Room
 * A room with a large staircase that could possibly lead to the final boss
 * An Arts studio
 * A elevator Luigi would get trapped in

Nintendo eShop Description
''This action-filled follow-up to the original Luigi's Mansion for the Nintendo GameCube launches for the Nintendo 3DS this holiday. Players can expect more haunted mansions to explore and new ways for Luigi to take on a wild assortment of ghosts in this new adventure. In addition to using the strobe function of his flashlight to stun ghosts, Luigi must solve various puzzles and reveal hidden details in the environment to unlock new areas in the mansions.''

Trivia

 * In the latest trailer, which was released in the 3DS Software Showcase at E3 2012, the arrangement of pause menu BGM of Mario Strikers Charged is heard at the last elevator scene. Both games were developed by Next Level Games.
 * In the previous game, Luigi had the Game Boy Horror for communication, which was based off the Game Boy Color. In this game, Luigi uses the Dual Scream, which resembles yet another Nintendo handheld console, also for communicating. Its ringtone is the first game's main theme as well as E. Gadd's theme.
 * In the first Mansion, Luigi opens the main door and says "...Hello?" in a scared voice. This is a tribute to the first game's opening sequence.