It's hard to turn down an all-expenses-paid vacation, especially at a luxury hotel. That's why Luigi accepted the invitation of the Eternal Rest, on the condition of being accompanied by Mario, Princess Peach, Toad and the Ectochian. The name of the establishment should have given him a hint, but our coward in the green cap is also renowned for his great naivety. After being welcomed by the owner Ambre Brusquade, the merry band takes up residence and takes a little nap. However, when he wakes up, Luigi realizes that his friends have disappeared and that the hostess is none other than King Boo's accomplice. Moreover, he has already imprisoned the rest of the group in a painting; fortunately, the mustachioed hero manages to slip narrowly through a garbage chute. If Luigi's Mansion 2 asked to bring together the five fragments of the Black Moon, this time it will be necessary to explore the different floors of the hotel (17 in total), knowing that the ghosts each keep a button of the elevator. Before going to kick their ass, the Ectochian makes sure that our equipment works perfectly. First-time fans will not be disappointed, since the new Ectoblast GL-U still allows you to suck up ghosts after having dazzled them with a Spectroflash shot. On this subject, in order to inflict maximum damage and capture them more easily, it is now possible to crush them against a wall, the ground, or even one of their congeners. So, when dealing with more robust spirits, we can very well weaken them at first, and when Luigi is about to let go, press A and send them flying into the background.
Despite everything, the rest is ultra solid with a square physics engine, graphics with small onions, exhilarating cooperation, top sound design, ubiquitous humor, better embodied ghosts, or even oiled gameplay.
Of course – and this was already the case in Luigi's Mansion 2 – clever little guys don't hesitate to equip themselves with a bouquet of flowers, a pair of sunglasses, a mirror, even a a lampshade to protect against the Spectroflash, which requires breaking through their defense first. A blow of vacuum is sometimes enough to destabilize them, but it is especially the gust (ZL+ZR) which is most often effective, in addition to benefiting from a jump. Like its predecessors, Luigi's Mansion 3 gives pride of place to exploration: the sets are full of a million treasures that you can miss if you don't open your eyes. By force, it is not uncommon for us to aspire everywhere to make sure that a slightly unstuck wallpaper, or a poorly tidy wardrobe, does not hide a gem and a mess of banknotes. Completists will therefore be able to have fun, while others will no doubt be reassured to learn that the Révéloscope avoids going around in circles when you want to advance in the adventure. On the whole, the puzzles do not solicit our gray matter to the extreme, and even in the event of a galley, we can contact Professor K. Tastroff via a replica of the Virtual Boy so that he gives us a helping hand. thumb – a switchable option, by the way. In fact, it must be borne in mind that the solution is necessarily among our paraphernalia. If it's neither the Spectroflash nor the Révéloscope, then maybe you should turn to the Suction Cup Launcher. After placing the rubber bell, Luigi must then suck up the rope and pull it to trigger the mechanism or throw the object in question. Better, cracks in the decor make it clear that something can happen if you use the Suction Cup Launcher correctly.
THE GREEN SLEEVE
There is also the blast that the Ectoblast GL-U can generate via ZL; handy for aiming before sending a projectile. All aspects of the gameplay that we have just mentioned are renewed throughout the ten hours that Luigi's Mansion 3 lasts, which means that each floor of the hotel offers an experience of its own. We're not going to give you a list of all the levels, but we fell in love with the shooting studio where we have to juggle between the reality of the set and the scene seen through the camera. Awesome. We could also cite the pharaonic suite and its enigmas, the country suite and its circular saw, or even the illusory suite whose arrangement of rooms changes each time you cross the threshold of a door. In short, we were not bored for a single second; and to avoid any length, some floors boil down to a boss fight. Since we're talking about it, we observe a gap in this area compared to the other two Luigi's Mansion, whether it's the staging or the humor. The ghosts are better embodied too, to the point that one would almost regret that Luigi did not chat with them. Jacter, on the other hand, is the favorite pastime of Professor K. Tastroff, who has set up his laboratory in the underground car park. History of not having to multiply the round trips, you can teleport there from any place, which is convenient when you need a golden bone (to resume the game immediately in case of failure), a DetectoBoo (to hunt Boos), or a Detectogemme. Unlike previous models, the Ectoblast GL-U does not require paying its designer to benefit from developments. We can deplore it, but it is also a way of not forcing players to search every corner.
On the other hand, our vacuum cleaner has the latest invention of the mad scientist: Gooigi. With a flick of the right stick, our goo double takes shape, ready to squeeze through tight air vents and through the tiniest grille. Naturally, Next Level Games took the opportunity to set up puzzles/actions requiring coordination between the two characters. If the ideal is to have a friend by your side to go through the adventure together, do not panic for the lonely souls because you can very well switch from one protagonist to another without any worries. It's even very well done, since the first character will maintain the initiated gesture while we switch to his partner. Afterwards, despite all the efforts of the developers, some passages remain difficult to manage solo; we think in particular of the fight against Ambre Brusquade where, clearly, a player would not have been luxury. And then, we must not forget the specificities of each: made of flesh and bone, Luigi compensates with his 99 hearts; while Gooigi, immune to portcullises, fears the fleet and only has 25 hearts. This reinforces the complementarity of the pair. As for the realization, Luigi's Mansion 3 is teeming with details to no longer know what to do with it. Each stroke of Ectoblast is an opportunity to lift/vacuum/turn over clothes, sheets, furniture, sand, leaves, tablecloths, plants, curtains, etc. With such a weapon in your hands, it's fun to mess things up just to test the limits of the physics engine. Optimization being second nature to Nintendo, even when the elements are unleashed on screen, zero framerate drops from start to finish.
Unsurprisingly, each of the floors has its own visual identity with constant mastery of lighting and light effects. But the most exhilarating remains all these little animations that we do not see at first glance, a bit like in Mario Kart 8.
Unsurprisingly, each of the floors has its own visual identity with constant mastery of lighting and light effects. But the most exhilarating remains all these little animations that you don't see at first glance, a bit like in Mario Kart 8. When you pay attention to them, you notice the grimaces that the ghosts make when you try to strip them of their protection, or when they beg us not to bump them against another ghost. Same for Luigi who, beyond chattering his teeth, regularly casts a worried look when he inspects the premises. The little “Hello? » that he launches from time to time before entering a new room, it's pure delight, in the same way as the sound design in its entirety. On the multiplayer side, Luigi's Mansion 3 tries to vary the pleasures with the "Strange Games" and its three playable modes up to eight on a single console (four Luigi, four Gooigi). In 'Minned Pool', the goal is to collect as many coins as possible without bursting your buoy, while 'Shovel' requires you to capture as many ghosts as possible – some are worth more points than others. Finally, "Big guns" consists of destroying as many targets as possible, even if it means stealing cannonballs from the opposing team. Regarding the online game, you have to turn to the "Haunted Tower" where up to eight players must work together to complete each stage in the allotted time. Deliver the Toad, suck up all the specters, recover all the parts; objectives vary from floor to floor. Note that the mode can also be launched locally with four Switches (for as many participants), and that this walk to reach the top of the tower is an opportunity to stock up on bonuses.
