Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, known internationally as Luigi's Mansion 2 (ルイージマンション2 Ruīji Manshon 2, lit. Luigi Mansion 2), is a Nintendo 3DS game that serves as the sequel to Luigi's Mansion, a Nintendo GameCube launch title. The game was released on March 20th in Japan, on March 24th in North America, and on March 28th in most regions of Europe and Australia, but on March 27 in other selected European countries.

Story
Professor E. Gadd has been researching ghosts in Evershade Valley, with some assistance from his friendly Greenies. When King Boo appears and shatters the Dark Moon, breaking it into six pieces and scattering them to each Mansion of the valley, the once friendly ghosts become aggressive.

Luigi, who is at home sleeping with his TV on, wakes up when E. Gadd suddenly appears on his TV screen. He informs Luigi about the situation and asks for his assistance. E. Gadd uses his Pixelator to teleport Luigi through the screen, much to Luigi's objection, into E. Gadd's Bunker in the Evershade Valley to search for the scattered pieces of the Dark Moon and solve this problem. Luigi must explore the Gloomy Manor not far from the Bunker, the Haunted Towers found in a forest, the Old Clockworks found within a nearby desert, the Secret Mine found in the snowy mountains, and finally the Treacherous Mansion, found on a cliff with a waterfall beneath it.

After Luigi gets 4 Dark Moon pieces and rescues two Toads in Treacherous Mansion, the two Toads show the picture as the other Toads did for Luigi when he rescue them. E. Gadd fixes it for a clearer view, it's revealed that Mario is once again kidnapped and trapped in the painting again. It also revealed that it was King Boo who captured Mario, because of this, Luigi heads to rescue him. Once Luigi reaches the Terrace in Treacherous Mansion, King Boo appears and opens up the Paranormal Portal and releases all of the undead. E. Gadd tells Luigi to capture them all before their very dimension collapses. Luigi succeeds at this.

After Luigi obtains all of the Dark Moon's shattered pieces, he is sent back to E. Gadd's lab, but King Boo reverses the Pixelator for him, and sends him into another dimension. He then reveals Mario to Luigi when he arrived. King Boo also reveals that he broke the Dark Moon in order to put all the ghosts under his control. He did this to create an army to invade the Mushroom Kingdom. As such, Luigi battles him, succeeding and returns to his dimension. Mario is freed by Luigi's Dark-Light. Luigi and the Toads then rebuild the Dark Moon and the ghosts in Evershade Valley become friendly again. A Greenie comes in and takes a photo of Luigi and his allies. Luigi returns back home and hangs the picture on his wall. He then goes to sleep on his couch with a Polterpup who comes and nap with him.

Gameplay
In this game, the Dark Moon has shattered and Luigi needs to find the Dark Moon pieces. There are 5 mansions in the main game (with a seperate sixth mansion being exclusive to multiplayer mode), which housing multiple missions in them and has a puzzle-oriented theme. . This game also introduces the Poltergust 5000, an upgrade to the 3000 model. Shining light via flashlight is no longer sufficient to stun all the ghosts in the game; players now need to activate the Strobulb to stun ghosts. Luigi is also now able to jump while capturing a ghost to dodge incoming projectiles. 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. There is also an "extra life" system. The Gold Dog Bones will serve as extra lives; this will cause a Polterpup to take the bone and revive Luigi just by licking his face when Luigi loses all of his HP. Luigi can still yell using the D-pad, as well as hum with the music if standing still for a while. The various Toads that are trapped in paintings each have a different phobia which requires more problem solving. There is a Boo in each mission that when captured works towards additional missions.

ScareScraper
Unlike its predecessor, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon includes a multiplayer mode called the ScareScraper (known as Thrill Tower in European and Australian versions), a series of floors where up to four players can play. The ScareScraper can be set to have 5, 10, 25, or infinite rooms. There are also three difficulty settings: normal, hard, and expert. The game mode is compatible with both local multiplayer and online multiplayer.

Playable

 * Luigi

Supporting

 * Professor E. Gadd
 * Toad Assistants
 * Mario

Species

 * Boos
 * Ghosts
 * Polterpup

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 Pixelator teleport system. The game has six mansions in total (one mansion is exclusive to Multiplayer), each with a theme in a similar fashion to the mainstream Mario games, as well as a various number of missions within each mansion.

Mansions

 * Gloomy Manor - A standard mansion similar to the mansion in the first game. (Plains)
 * Haunted Towers A greenhouse mansion built around a giant tree. (Forest)
 * Old Clockworks - A clockwork mansion in a desert environment. (Desert)
 * Secret Mine - A snowy mansion built near an abandoned mine. (Snow)
 * Treacherous Mansion - The fifth and longest mansion in the game, where King Boo resides. It has a museum-themed style and contains exhibits of the other four mansions on its first floor.

Other

 * King Boo's Illusion - Where the final battle with King Boo takes place.
 * ScareScraper (Thrill Tower in European and Australian versions) - A multiplayer-exclusive mansion.
 * Bunker - E. Gadd's lab outside of Gloomy Manor.

Items and Treasures

 * Coins
 * Bills
 * Treasure Chests
 * Keys
 * Gold Bars
 * Hearts
 * Dark Moon pieces
 * Gold Bones - They will serve as extra lives and a Polterpup will take one and revive Luigi when his HP is depleted.
 * Amethysts - Collection of gemstones from Gloomy Manor.
 * Emeralds - Collection of gemstones from Haunted Towers.
 * Rubies - Collection of gemstones from Old Clockworks.
 * Sapphires - Collection of gemstones from Secret Mine.
 * Diamonds - Collection of gemstones from Treacherous Mansion.

Ghosts

 * Greenie
 * Slammer
 * Hider
 * Gobber
 * Sneaker
 * Creeper
 * Strong Greenie
 * Strong Slammer
 * Strong Hider
 * Strong Gobber
 * Strong Sneaker
 * Polterpup
 * Mummies which rise from the ground and attack Luigi by charging into him. When it hits a wall, it falls onto it's back, then Luigi must pull on the bandage to uncover it. However, if it touches a torch, the bandages will burn off, which will also uncover it. When uncovered, they are just a Greenie in disguise.
 * Suits of armor which attack with their swords, maces or spears if Luigi goes near them, some can be defeated by sucking up the carpet while they are on them to trip them over and uncover them. They are a Greenie in disguise, but many of them including the ones in the first corridor of the Gloomy Manor cannot be uncovered since they stay put in their positions.
 * Gold Greenie (リッチルノーマ, Ritchirunōma) - A gold ghost, which is the golden version of a Greenie. This ghost is hidden in furniture or objects and will spring out at Luigi when he shakes the furniture or object and then will run away in the same manner as Speedy Spirits from Luigi's Mansion. In the E3 2012 Demo, one is found in a mirror, which is not found in the final version of the game. Yields a large amount of money when vacuumed in similar to Gold Mice and Speedy Spirits.
 * Spirit Ball

Other Spooks

 * Trapdoor
 * Spiders (red and gold) - When using the Strobulb on Spiders, they will yield out a Coin, Bill or Heart. However, a Gold Spider will yield a Gold Bar, but Gold Spiders do disappear after a short while and often appear when Luigi inspects certain furniture.
 * Bats (Black or Gold) - Black Bats will circle around Luigi and attack him if he activates his Poltergust 5000. Using the Strobulb may make them drop a Bill, Heart or nothing at all, they sometimes are hidden inside furniture. Gold Bats on the other hand will fly in a certain direction before disappearing for good, they will yield 25 Bills if the Strobulb is used on one.
 * Crows (Purple or Gold) - Purple Crows will swoop down on Luigi and attack him if he goes near one, using the Strobulb on them may make them drop a bill, Heart or nothing at all. Gold Crows will fly in a certain direction before disappearing, when the Strobulb is used on one, it will drop 25 Bills.
 * Mice (Gray or Gold) - One Gray Mouse first appeared at the entrance of the Gloomy Manor holding the key to the door of the mansion, which Luigi had to chase the Mouse to grab to snatch the key from it. Mice can appear in corridors or rooms inside a mansion from small holes in the wall, the gray ones will often run around inside a room. Gold ones can appear after either walking to a certain location in the room or by defeating all the gray mice coming out from their holes, Gold Mice will drop a Gold Bar when the strobulb is used on one.
 * Beetles (Green or Gold) - Beetles only appear in the Old Clockworks and Treacherous Mansion and will come out of the ground as a green spike at first and then start flying slowly towards Luigi and damage him if he comes in contact with one. When the Strobulb is used on one, it will either drop a Heart, coin, bill or nothing at all. They can sometimes fly out of furniture when Luigi inspects it. Gold ones can rarely be found, and when the Strobulb is used on one, it will drop a Gold Bar.
 * Robotic Bombs (Red or Gold) - Can be activated by the Strobulb. When activated, some can be stationary while some will chase Luigi before exploding. The gold ones however are much more rarer and faster, once it explodes will yield 25 Bills or 5 Gold Bars.
 * 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.
 * Carnivorous plants that resemble Venus flytraps.

Sub Bosses

 * Poltergeist (Gloomy Manor)
 * The Three Sisters (Haunted Towers)
 * Ancient Poltergeist (Old Clockworks)
 * A Strong Greenie (100 HP), Strong Slammer (250 HP), and a Strong Gobber (300 HP) with paranormal chains around themselves. (Secret Mine)
 * Strong Poltergeist (Treacherous Mansion)

Main Bosses

 * Grouchy Possessor (Gloomy Manor)
 * Harsh Possessor (Haunted Towers)
 * Overset Possessor (Old Clockworks)
 * Shrewd Possessor (Secret Mine)
 * Big Boo (Treacherous Mansion)
 * Tough Possessor (Treacherous Mansion)
 * King Boo (Treacherous Mansion)

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.''

Beta Elements
Early trailers featured minor differences in asethetics, enemy placement and level design.

References to Other Games

 * Luigi's Mansion: The mansion poster featured in the this game can be seen briefly on the wall during the opening. Luigi's house bears a strong resemblance to the Rank D Mansion during the end of the game. 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. The Toads trapped in paintings is very similar to Mario's situation from Luigi's Mansion, but Mario himself is again trapped in a portrait. Boos also have names that play on the word Boo just like in the first game. Also in the later missions in the Treacherous Mansion, Luigi calls out "Mario" when using the + Control Pad instead of calling out "Hello" or "Yoohoo", another reference to Luigi's Mansion.
 * Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time: The Safe Room is shaped like E. Gadd's head on the outside, much like his lab on Thwomp Volcano.
 * Mario Strikers Charged: an arrangement of pause menu BGM of Mario Strikers Charged is heard in the elevator in Gloomy Manor. Both games were developed by Next Level Games.
 * Donkey Kong Country Returns: In the Treacherous Mansion the spears used by Greenies have Kalimba tikis on them.

Trivia

 * The game features some references and Easter Eggs, most of which appear in the intro sequence:
 * There is a trophy over the fireplace which has a plunger and a wrench on it, suggesting that Luigi does work as a plumber from time to time.
 * The scene when Luigi inspects his TV is a reference to a scene in the movie Poltergeist.
 * This is one of the rare Nintendo games that was not released on Friday in Europe. The game was released on Thursday, March 28, 2013, because Friday, March 29, 2013 was Good Friday. In some European countries, the game was released on March 27, 2013.
 * For a limited time, players in Europe could purchase the retail version of the game with a glow-in-the-dark cover, and a Boo stress ball as a pre-order bonus.
 * Luigi keeps his flashlight out even in a lit room, unlike in the previous game.
 * A Swapnote message regarding this game was sent by Shigeru Miyamoto prior to the game's release. According to the note, the Polterpup is Miyamoto's favorite ghost in the game.
 * On the 24th of March a New Puzzle Swap panel based on the game was sent out through Spotpass.
 * The first letter of each mansion, possessor, and bonus mission, in the order of the story, make out the word, "ghost".

Official Sites

 * Japanese website
 * North American website
 * European website
 * Australian website

Videos

 * E3 2011 Trailer
 * New Luigi's Mansion 2 gameplay
 * Luigi's Mansion 2 TGS Trailer
 * Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon Gameplay
 * Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon Overview Trailer
 * Luigi's Mansion 2 Commercial (Japanese)
 * Luigi's Mansion 2 Commercial (European)
 * Final Boss Battle + Ending