Introduction 

I can still remember when Luigi's Mansion was first shown twenty four years ago in 2000, along with the GameCube. It was shown at the Spaceworld 2000 event held in Japan. Nintendo's American website had a banner featuring the GameCube, and a GameCube section with coverage of Spaceworld 2000. 

I played Luigi's Mansion for the first time, briefly, at a Zeller's store in December 2001. They, like many other stores, had a GameCube Kiosk which I got to play for a few minutes. I wouldn't play the game again until 2003, the year I got my GameCube. I rented it several times and finally bought it in 2004 or so. It was and remains one of the most played games I have for the GameCube. 

The game remains fun, despite the fact that I've played it hundreds of times since 2003. It's like '80s or '90s movies or games in that I can still play it once a year and still enjoy it. 

In more recent years, I've bought the October 2001 Interactive Multi-Game Demo Disc (a promo disc containing a demo of Luigi's Mansion that was playable on GameCube Kiosks in stores) and the Japanese release of Luigi's Mansion that, while pretty similar, has several differences. 

I'll talk a little about my history of finding out about the game and playing it, then I'll talk about why I believe it is still a fun game after twenty three years. 

Pre-Release Hype

Spaceworld 2000 Event 

Luigi's Mansion was shown in Japan at the Spaceworld 2000 event in August 2000, a whole year before the game's release. At the time, it was a tech demo showing off the GameCube's capabilities. It was shown along with other tech demos, such as "Super Mario 128" (a tech demo showing 128 Mario's and the GameCube's capability of showing lots of characters on the screen, an idea that was used in the Pikmin games), a Legend of Zelda demo showing Link and Ganondorf, and Metroid Prime.

It was on the Spaceworld 2000 section of Nintendo's American website that I found out about Luigi's Mansion. At the time, I didn't actually know that it was a tech demo. It was Luigi, so I was certain that it was a game that I'd be able to play in the future...which it was. Both Luigi's Mansion and Metroid Prime were released.

E3 2001 

Luigi's Mansion later become a full-fledged game, shown at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 2001 and scheduled for release on the GameCube's launch. This demo version of the game featured recognizable halls and rooms, but numerous differences compared to the released version of the game. The ghost that scares Luigi near the beginning, for example, isn't even in the released version. Guess he was just there to entertain the audience. The ghost has since become a fan-favorite. Some things from this demo were kept in the released version, such as Luigi being able to use his vacuum to collect coins.

Magazine Previews 

Luigi was featured on the covers of various magazines, and magazine companies were providing their preview coverage of the game. The hype was real, and the game proved to be one of the most anticipated games of 2001. 

TV Commercial 

In the Winter of 2001, the American Luigi's Mansion commercial started airing on various Channels in the U.S. and Canada. 

GameCube Kiosks 

Near the consoles' American and Canadian release in November, GameCube Kiosks were setup in major retailers in both Countries containing a Kiosk demo disc (the first of many) that included both a playable demo and a Trailer video for Luigi's Mansion. The Kiosks and the disc were shown in the December 2001 issue of Nintendo Power. The Trailer in this demo disc shows a lot of beta features not in the released version of the game. 

I actually have this disc, and uploaded a video of it on YouTube on the GameCube's American 15th Anniversary. The demo is basically identical to the released version, with the only differences being you can't save you progress (the game tells you there's no Memory Card in the console, even if there is one inserted) and the demo plays for twenty minutes then goes back to the discs' main menu. This "demo" seems to include the entire game. When I got this disc several years ago, I remember seeing how far I could get within twenty minutes. I got as far as the Storage room, located in the Ball room in the game's second area (of four areas). In other words, just under halfway through the game. 

Luigi's Mansion Website 

Nintendo's Luigi's Mansion website, like a lot of sites at the time, was a flash site requiring a Flash plug in if you wanted to view the full site (as well as other Flash sites). The website featured some interactivity. The site took place in Professor E. Gadd's Underground Lab which, in the game, is located near Luigi's Mansion. Sometimes a ghost would appear and turn off the lights, then your cursor would turn into a Flashlight and you needed to find the Light Switch. The site's content featured a book with a list of Mario games released up to that point, and some minigames to play. 

One of the games featured a Pool table and Luigi's Vacuum. The goal of the game was not necessarily to play Pool, but use Luigi's Vacuum to do a certain number of Bank Shots (bounce the ball on the sides) a certain amount of times before the ball goes into one of the holes. This minigame is loosely based on the Billiards room in the actual game of Luigi's Mansion, except it's you (as Luigi) playing instead of a ghost. 

If you completed the minigame, the site would reward you with a Luigi's Mansion Desktop Wallpaper showing Luigi standing near the Mansion. You can see the entrance to Professor E. Gadd's Lab near the gate and fence.

The Story 

Luigi's Mansion's story isn't deep, but it doesn't really need to be. Luigi is informed that he has won a Mansion in a contest that he didn't even enter. Mario tells Luigi to meet him there and sets off to the Mansion. Luigi, holding a map and flashlight, leaves to find his Mansion. He opens the door and enters the Mansion ("Hello?"). Mario is nowhere to be found. Luigi, with Flashlight in hand, heads upstairs and enters the only room that isn't locked. There, a ghost appears and scares Luigi. A scientist named Professor Elvin Gadd (usually shortened to "E. Gadd") appears and attempts to catch the ghost. He's unable to do so, saying he's too old to be capturing ghosts. After they meet, several ghosts appears and Luigi and E.Gadd run out of the Mansion. 

E. Gadd shows Luigi his underground Lab, located near the Mansion. He tells Luigi that he saw a guy with a red cap enter the Mansion earlier and then Luigi tells E. Gadd that was his brother. E. Gadd informs Luigi his only hope of getting through the Mansion and finding Mario is to capture the ghosts with a vacuum, so he gives Luigi a vacuum called the Poltergust 3000 and offers to train Luigi how to capture ghosts before he heads back to the Mansion. E. Gadd also gives Luigi a device called the Game Boy Horror, which displays the items Luigi has collected and maps of the Mansion and allows Luigi to keep in touch with E. Gadd. After the training, E. Gadd invites Luigi to his Gallery to take a short break. He tells Luigi that the Gallery is mostly empty because several portrait ghosts escaped and all that remained were frames (as well as some Statues).

After getting training and exploring the Gallery, E. Gadd wishes Luigi good luck and Luigi heads back to the Mansion. Armed with only a vacuum and flashlight, he searches the Mansion to capture E. Gadd's portrait ghosts and find Mario.   

Why Luigi's Mansion is Still a Fun Game 

And now, our feature presentation (tee hee)... 

Each Room Offers Different Things To Do 

Luigi's Mansion isn't just about catching ghosts with Luigi's Poltergust 3000. It can be fun searching each room. You can press the A button to have Luigi search chests, cabinets, drawers, and vases. You can use the Poltergust 3000 to make ceiling fans spin faster or blow out candles. Some rooms have pads that cause Luigi to flip upside down and stand on ceilings, and drop back down to the floor. You can find fire, water, and ice elements to light candles, water plants, or freeze water. There are lots of things that you can find and do in each room.  

Some of my favorite rooms are the following: 

Music Room 

What haunted Mansion/House would be complete without a Music Room? The Music Room has various instruments that you can play. If you search each one, the Super Mario 
Bros. theme starts playing.

The Kitchen 

The Kitchen features flying pots, a fridge that can hit Luigi if he stands in front of hit and searches it, a stove that has a ghost inside of it, and the water element that allows Luigi to use his Poltergust 3000 like a squirt gun. 

Storage Room 

The Storage Room has some buttons Luigi needs to press. A button near the rooms entrance can only be seen in the mirror or pressing the X button to look at things from Luigi's perspective (due to the games' camera views), Pressing this button causes the wall to move, revealing another button that releases the classic type of Mario ghosts ("Boos") who hide in each of the Mansion's rooms. Luigi has to capture as many these Boos as he can so he can access the Secret Alter later in the game.

Mirror Room 

The Mirror Room has a big mirror. When you first enter the room, you can't see any ghosts but can see their reflections. This is similar to the Haunted Mansion at Disney Land/World, which has a section featuring mirrors and ghosts that can only be seen in the mirror. 

The Well 

While in the Courtyard, you can hear Mario's voice saying "Hey Luigi! What's the hold uuuuuuuuuppppp?!". The voice is coming from the Well and is a little hard to hear, but it's a little easier to hear while Luigi climbs the ladder down to the Well. 

The Well doesn't have very much, just a ladder, a lantern, and a ghost with a key. However, it is a notable part of the game because this is where you find Mario! The Well has a tunnel that leads to the Secret Alter. A cutscene plays and Luigi finds Mario trapped inside a painting. You can't actually enter the Secret Alter until later in the game, because its blocked off with a Bowser face from where the Well is. So Luigi has to turn back to the Well, get a key from the ghost, head back up to the Courtyard, and continue searching the Mansion. 

The Observatory 

A Space-themed room with a Telescope. Luigi looks through the Telescope and sees the Moon. The walls crumble and stars appear. Luigi needs to shoot the Moon with these stars using his Poltergust 3000. A path then appears, leading to one of Mario's missing items (a Star). Magical stuff.

The Game Boy Horror 

This is a device that Professor E. Gadd gives to Luigi after meeting him. It looks like a Game Boy Color, and displays maps of the Mansion (including Luigi's current Location), displays the items you've collected, shows which door the key you've collected can be used on, and shows a list of ghosts you've captured with information about each one. The Game Boy Horror also has a "Boo Radar", which blinks if there's a Boo inside the room Luigi is in. If Luigi is near a ghost, the Boo Radar starts blinking red and really fast. Luigi can also use the Game Boy Horror to keep in touch with E. Gadd. When E. Gadd contacts Luigi, the Game Boy Horror shakes (which can be felt with the rumble on the GameCube's Standard Controller) and starts playing catchy, Game Boy style music. 

The Game Boy Horror also has a search function. If you point it at something or someone (just about anything or anyone), Luigi starts talking about whatever you're searching or whoever you're looking at. Pointing it at ghosts and searching gives you hints about how to capture the ghosts. Pointing it at a mirror and searching transports Luigi back to the Foyer (and plays really cool Game Boy style sound effects). 

Blackout 

Later in the game, when Luigi reaches the Mansion's roof, lighting strikes the Mansion causing a blackout. With the lights off everywhere in the Mansion, ghosts swarm every room, hall, and outdoor area. Luigi needs to go the Breaker Room in the basement to turn the lights back on. 

If you enter the door on the roof that was unlocked right before the lightning strikes the Mansion, you can go to the Telephone Room for some hidden conversations that only occur during the blackout. One phone has Luigi talking to someone who won't say who his until he knows who he's talking to. If Luigi answers "It's Luigi", the caller reveals himself to be Toad and talks to Luigi about the blackout (if you answer a name beside Luigi, he'll just hang up). The other phone has Luigi talking to Professor E. Gadd, who decides to contact Luigi via phone rather than the Game Boy Horror. 

Ghost Portrificationizer 

The Ghost Portrificationizer is a machine Professor E. Gadd uses to turn the portrait ghosts Luigi captures back into portraits. After Luigi clears an area (each "Area" consists of different rooms and sections of the Mansion), he returns to the Lab and Luigi and E. Gadd use the Ghost Portrificationizer. It's fun to watch the machine after catching ghosts.

The machine also  works in reverse. After Luigi rescues Mario, who is trapped in a painting, the machine is used to turn Mario back into his normal self (with the paintings' frame humorously stuck around his head).

Cool Easter Eggs and Extras 

It's not Easter and the game doesn't have an Easter theme, but Luigi's Mansion has several little extras that require a little searching to find. 

The Super Mario Bros. Theme 

As mentioned above, if you search the instruments in the Music Room, the full Super Mario Bros. Theme plays. In addition, Melody, the ghost in the Music Room, will also play music from either Super Mario Bros. or Super Mario Bros. 3. 

Poison Mushrooms 

A mushroom from the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2 that causes to Luigi to shrink. Classic Mario sound effects play if you collect this Mushroom and 
when Luigi goes back to his normal size. 

The Boos 

Boos are the classic type of Mario ghosts who first appeared in Super Mario Bros. 3. There are fifty of them in Luigi's Mansion, and they all have different names, say different things, and have different personalities. There are ghost named "GameBoo" (Game Boy), "GameBoo Color" (Game Boy Color), GameBoo Advance" (Game Boy Advance), and lots of others. They have a good sense of humor. 

Game Boy Horror 

Have I talked about this device enough? It's looks like a Game Boy Color. When you collect jewels, it shows a classic image of Luigi from Super Mario All-Stars. It plays a tune when E. Gadd contacts Luigi, then plays Game Boy style music while E. Gadd talks. When you look at the Game Boy Horror's menus by pressing the Z button, it also plays Game Boy style sound effects. These are Game Boy style versions of the sound effects that play on Luigi's Mansion's regular menus. Screenshots of early versions of the game showed that the Game Boy Horror had a clock. This clock is still in the games' memory, but it is unused (see beta leftovers below).  

Totaka's Song 

Secret music tracks from one of Nintendo EAD's composers, Kazumi Totaka, have been hidden in various Nintendo games, including Super Mario Land 2, Mario Paint, and Yoshi's Story. In Luigi's Mansion, Totaka's Song plays if you stay on the Controller screen (right before E. Gadd's training) for three and a half minutes. Even after you've completed the training, you can go back to the Training Room in E. Gadd's Lab again, stay on the Controller screen, and listen to Totaka's song again. 

Kazumi Totaka also voiced Professor E. Gadd.

Gallery Frames 

The portrait ghosts Luigi finds throughout the Mansion are turned back into portraits, and have a different frame depending on how long it takes for you to capture them. If it takes a while for you to get a ghost, that portrait gets a bronze frame. But if you're fast, you can get gold frames. 

After the portrait ghost are turned back into portraits, they are displayed in the Gallery.

Falling Chandelier 

If the lights are off in the Foyer, sometimes the Chandelier will fall onto Luigi if he's standing underneath them (you can avoid it). This was actually shown in a video from the game's tech demo days, except in that video the Chandelier breaks while in the released version of the game it just falls then goes back up. This is followed by laughter from a ghost.

Posters 

In some rooms are posters. Some of these show the outside of the Mansion, based on what it looked like in early versions of the games (and the title screen). In one room, there's also a big poster. This is used for the projector, showing Luigi's and the ghosts shadows. If you pull on it with the Poltergust 3000 and let go, it changes into a large poster with a Boo that says "Get out of Here!".

Pikmin Video

A Pikmin Trailer Video can be found in the options menu. The same video was also included in the October 2001 Kiosk Demo disc mentioned above, which also includes a Luigi's Mansion Demo and Trailer Video. The Pikmin Trailer video is not included in the Japanese release of Luigi's Mansion. 

Endings 

Depending on how many coins, cash, jewels, and other items you collect in the game, you'll receive a different ranking and Mansion at the end of the game. If you don't get anything (other than King Boo's Crown), you'll get a Tent with a Window. A picture of your Mansion is displayed in the Gallery, along with the total amount of money/gold you collected. 

The Hidden Mansion 

Unlocked after completing the game. In the Japanese and American releases, the Hidden Mansion is the same as the regular Mansion. The only differences are that Luigi's Vacuum is stronger, some of Luigi's voice clips are different, and there's a star on the screen indicating that you're in the Hidden Mansion. 

In the PAL release of Luigi's Mansion, the Hidden Mansion is a mirrored version of the regular Mansion. Really, everything's flipped (even Luigi). The Hidden Mansion in the PAL release also uses the darker lighting from the demo shown at E3 2001, but the regular Mansion still uses the brighter lighting from the American and Japanese releases. 

Stereoscopic 3D Support 

Source: X/Twitter

Not used (well, not in this version anyway), but something very interesting. Long before 3D movies and TV's were widespread, Nintendo planned to give Luigi's Mansion Stereoscopic 
3D. You may be surprised to learn that the GameCube has Stereoscopic 3D support, and Nintendo tested this with Luigi's Mansion. A 3D screen was in development for the GameCube, but was canceled because there was basically no market for it at the time and it would've cost more than the console. This screen was shown at E3 2002. Luigi's Mansion does have Progressive Scan and Dolby Surround Sound, however. It also has a brightness option that is a basically a guide for adjusting your TV's brightness to get the best image quality possible. 

Japanese Release 

Luigi's Mansion was released in Japan in September 2001, two months before its release in the U.S. and Canada. As it had to be released on the consoles launch and it was released in Japan first, the Japanese release is less polished than the American and PAL releases. The Japanese release lacks several music tracks and even some of the sound effects included in other releases. For example, the spiked balls that "Bowser" (King Boo) throws are silent in the Japanese release. The music that plays when capturing regular ghosts is the same as the music that plays when capturing portrait ghosts, while the American release adds another music track used specifically when capturing regular ghosts. Some music tracks were changed, like the victory music which has a drum roll in the Japanese release while in the American release it has a double bass drum and clashing symbols. The Pikmin video isn't included in the Japanese release. Luigi also has less voice clips, like saying "Whoa!" when he gets hit (which is a leftover from beta versions of the game) while in the American release this voice clip was replaced with several others. 

Beta Leftovers 

Luigi's Mansion has a ton of leftovers from beta versions, including a clock for the Game Boy Horror (mentioned above), Nozzles for the elements, blue and cyan Shy Guy ghosts, early versions of the Gallery, a Test Map, and numerous other things. Most of these can be accessed on a real GameCube with an Action Replay.

This is a Test Map. It resembles the Mansion's Foyer. Toad can be seen sitting on the floor, there's a "severed Luigi arm" (which is actually Luigi's arm/hand from the game's door opening cutscenes), King Boo without he Crown, you can see the Mario painting used in one of the game's rooms (the Secret Alter), Luigi can walk through doors (but can also still open them like normal), the room on the left has one of the portrait ghosts (the dancing couple), and the room on the right has another King Boo (if you walk up to him, the game freezes). You can still look around with the Game Boy Horror (press the X button), but you can't search anything. If you look around with the Game Boy Horror, you'll notice that there are no walls where you normally can't see (just blackness) which is not the case with the Mansion. The Test Map is actually a little creepier than the Mansion...everywhere you look, it's dark (the only light is from Luigi's flashlight). 

An early version of the Gallery that resembles the used version. It's dark here too, Professor E. Gadd is nowhere to be found, there's no music (just sound effects), and there's no way out (other than turning off or resetting the console). 

An unused 2-player co-op mode. There are models of Mario with a vacuum hidden in the game's memory, possibly indicating that Mario was going to be playable. A second Luigi is seen instead. When the two Luigi's are together, they're shown on the same screen. When they split up, the screen splits into two. There doesn't seem to be any way to control the second Luigi on a real GameCube (with Emulators, it's possible). Even with a second Controller, the second Luigi doesn't move...he just stands there and looks around, as the real Luigi does when the player doesn't press any buttons for a few seconds. 

Using an Action Replay, it is possible to move Luigi while in E. Gadd's Lab. There's a ladder you can climb, and you can see other doors that can't be opened but appear to lead to the Training Room and Ghost Portrificationizer (a machine E. Gadd uses to turn the portrait ghosts back into . You can check the map on the Game Boy Horror. This is normally only possible in the Training Room and in the Gallery (since you don't normally have control of Luigi in the other rooms), but E. Gadd's Lab is actually shown on the Game Boy Horror's map. All of these things seem to hint that originally Luigi could be controlled while in the Lab, but instead the Lab is only used for talking to E. Gadd, and entering the Training Room and Gallery and going back to the Mansion/Hidden Mansion via a menu. 

There is an unused music track that, if used, would've been played by Melody, the ghost in the Music Room.

Sequels, Arcade Game, Other Games, and Possible Movie 

The success of Luigi's Mansion led to sequels for the 3DS (Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, a.k.a. Luigi's Mansion 2) and Switch (Luigi's Mansion 3), and an Arcade game based on Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon. The originally Luigi's Mansion got a remake for the 3DS, while Dark Moon was recently remastered in HD and released for the Switch as Luigi's Mansion 2 HD. 

I've played the Arcade game multiple times. It has Vacuum Controllers, and allows two players to play together. You view the action from Luigi's perspective. The cabinet has nice looking art, and a big screen. The Arcade game was actually developed by Capcom. Capcom has developed games for Nintendo before, including Legend of Zelda: Orcle of Seasons/Ages for Game Boy Color, an Arcade sequel to Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat for GameCube called Donkey Kong: Jungle Fever that was released in Japan only, and a sequel to that game titled Donkey Kong: Banana Kingdom that was also only released in Japan. 

Super Mario Sunshine includes some references to Luigi's Mansion. The boxes containing nozzles for Mario's water pack, F.L.U.D.D., have a picture of Professor E. Gadd. Inside the Hotel, you can find a Pianta who references Luigi's Mansion. 

Luigi's Mansion can be seen in the background on the Luigi Circuit track in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. It's also one of the arena's in the game's battle mode, which was also included (with updated visuals) in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the Switch. 

A Luigi's Mansion Tennis Court is included in Mario Power Tennis for the GameCube. The Court features the Mansion in the background, and ghosts appear to interrupt you and also drop bananas. 

In 2006, a fan-made Newgrounds video titled "The Real Luigi's Mansion" was released. I remember watching this around 2007 or 2008. A remake was released in 2023. 

Luigi's Mansion was referenced in the new Super Mario Bros. Movie. After the movie was released, there were brief talks about a possible Luigi's Mansion movie. Chris Pratt (Mario) and Charlie Day (Luigi) mentioned that they would like a Luigi's Mansion movie to happen someday.

Luigi's First Starring Role 

Mario is Missing for the NES and SNES (there were also PC versions) was technically Luigi's first starring role. It was an educational game featuring Luigi visiting various cities in different Countries and finding artifacts. One thing I like about the NES version is that you can ride on Yoshi, which is the only officially released Mario game on the NES that allows you to ride on him. 

Luigi's Mansion, however, was Luigi's first major starring role, received sequels and an Arcade game, and actually has Luigi's name in the title. 

Conclusion 

How's that for a Halloween blog? Twenty three years later, Luigi's Mansion still holds up. 

This blog will be updated to fix typos and add pictures. 

-MegaMan52