Released in 2001 alongside the GameCube, Luigi's Mansion was met with skepticism from Nintendo fans before its release, but has gone on to become a true classic, eventually spawning two sequels: in 2013 on the Nintendo 3DS and in 2019 on the Nintendo Switch.
While the Switch 2 is getting closer and relatively few new games have been announced, Nintendo has decided to release an improved version of the second part with HD graphics and other quality improvements. But has anything changed here? Digital Foundry has taken a closer look at Luigi's Mansion 2 HD watched.
Advertisement
How Luigi's Mansion 2 HD performs on the Nintendo Switch
There is always some uncertainty with 3DS games, as they are modern in some respects but have significant texture and geometry limitations due to the relatively weak processor and small, low-resolution screen. Luigi's Mansion 2 is one of the more interesting examples, however, as it is one of the most visually impressive games on the Nintendo 3DS and makes perfect use of the system's capabilities.
Luigi's Mansion 2 has a fundamentally different design from the original, with mission-based gameplay that makes sense for short handheld play sessions. However, the core of the game remains true to the series: you solve puzzles, fight ghosts, and cause all sorts of chaos along the way. The developers of the remake, Tantalus, had to adapt the graphics to the Switch without completely changing the look of the game. Technically, the result is no comparison to Luigi's Mansion 3, but it's still a respectable update to the original graphics. Characters and environments have more geometric detail, textures and shadows are higher resolution, and lighting has been significantly improved – even the clouds look fluffier.
When you first look at the Switch version, you might think that's how the game has always looked. It's only when you go back to the 3DS original that you realize the effort that went into improving the presentation. Even the first property shows everything you need to know about the upgrade to the 3DS version, according to Digital Foundry. They describe it as a very smart, clean improvement that perfectly retains the original look of Luigi's Mansion 2, but introduces enough improvements to make it look like a definitive version.
Advertisement
Image quality is perhaps the remake's strongest point, then. Luigi's Mansion 2 HD targets native 1080p in TV mode and 720p in handheld mode, with both modes offering great anti-aliasing. The result is some of the best image quality Digital Foundry has ever seen on the Switch – a super sharp, clean game from start to finish. It's seen as a perfect example of how good image quality and sharp graphic design can create something attractive even on weaker hardware. The same goes for the UI elements, which have been completely reworked for 1080p, resulting in sharp, clear fonts and menus.
The frame rate is also interesting. In its original form, Luigi's Mansion 2 on the 3DS runs at an unfixed frame rate that is mostly unstable and hovers around 30 fps. On the Switch, there is no 60 fps mode, but a fixed 30 fps frame rate, which makes sense given the gameplay. And there are no problems with that either. Digital Foundry therefore concludes that this version of Luigi's Mansion 2 is better in almost every way. The only thing that's really missing here is support for stereoscopic 3D, which worked well on the 3DS but is of course not supported on the Switch.