5/5 ★ – philip_acquaro's review of Luigi's Mansion.

Started: July 7th 2024 Beaten: July 7th 2024 (Re-Playthrough) I’ve said it in my last two reviews and I’ll say it again, this is my favorite game of all time. it’s like the only game i’ve replayed every single year because it means that much to me. Does that mean I think it’s the greatest, flawless, most highest form of art in the history of video games? No, it’s just my personal favorite out of all the games I’ve ever played since my very early childhood. If I were to do an actual deep dive review of this game, I’d probably end up typing way too much so i’ll just briefly sum up my thoughts upon this replay. Now that I replayed the entire series back to back, I can confidently say the gameplay, atmosphere, music, exploration, portrait ghosts/enemies, bosses, and overall charm peaks in this game out of the whole series in my personal opinion. The other two games do hit those marks as well but there’s just something about the original that is so unique, eerie, and admirable all together. From the isolated silence throughout your exploration, to the mansions design, to Bowser’s head turning 360 degrees there’s just something I can’t explain about it but can’t help but love so much at the same time. Every room in this mansion feels so lived in and with each portrait ghost inhabiting each one with their own distinctive designs and back stories, it is definitely one of the few mario related titles with the most personality. The bosses are all amazing with the final boss being the most challenging yet also the best one. The ending with Luigi crying after saving Mario is always so emotional and heart warming to see every time I replay. Sucking up ghosts while re-exploring this mansion will never get old and neither will this game in general. Despite my very high praise, if I were to point out any flaws I would say that capturing the last few boos could be a little tedious if you’re going for all 50 boos. It’s optional so I don’t see it as a big deal but to me, I just go for it anyways. Is it a very short game? Yes, but I’d much rather take a shorter more replayable experience than one that becomes a tedious snooze fest after being patted out to no end. That’s not to say all long games get boring, there’s lots that handle a long length well but there are also many that suffer from it too. Regardless, i’m very grateful for this game. I got rank D this time around which is the canon ending so I’ll take it. Can’t wait to play it again next year.