This lite-Resident Evil point&sweep adventure has guaranteed Nintendo production values, but it doesn't stretch far.
Being a Gamecube launch game, at times this game seems more like a tech demo than an actual game. The graphics look superb, particularly lighting effects and Luigi's character model. Physics are impressive too, especially the way table cloths and other fibers react to vaccuum cleaner is something that I haven't seen in any other game. Audio is also solid Nintendo. The moody and eerie music builds some tension and Luigi's nervous humming in tune with the music is excellent. Other sound effects are great too, and there are a couple of cool throwbacks in the audio department. Controls work like a charm as well.
It's a good thing the presentation is so exemplary because the gameplay is quite shallow. All you do is walk around the mansion from room to room searching for the boss ghosts, while dealing with lots of common ghouls. Once you find a major ghost you need to think of a way to make their heart visible so you can start vacuuming them. Capturing ghosts boils down to pushing sticks in the opposite direction where the ghost is trying to flee. Reeling them in isn't that difficult or interesting, but like everything it looks flashy enough. Very quickly this basic combat starts to bore however.
Fortunately the simple gameplay is supported by some clever and appealing level design. The mansion is a seamless place with no loading screens. There are lots of rooms in the mansion like you might assume. For some reason the colors and design always make me think of the Spencer Manor in Resident Evil 1. While the gameplay never gets complex, the manor quickly becomes a joy to explore. You can vaccuum or interact with most objects around the house, often getting health, money, keys or finding a lurking ghost. Speaking of keys, at first there are only a couple of doors open and you need to find keys to gain access elsewhere. There's lots of backtracking back and forth corridors in this game. While the game is easy going and quite short, the puzzles and hidden items got me briefly stuck a couple of times. This game also has plenty in terms of numbers and collectibles, but not so much that they get boring or tedious. On the contrary it's constantly rewarding.
Summary:
Luigi's Mansion shows off Gamecube's power. Technically and creativitywise it's strong and nearly flawless. Ultimately the game is little more than point&click adventure. You are just walking around the mansion trying out every object, solving simple puzzles and ending up in simple fights. With just 1 mansion as game area the game only is about 6 hours long depending whether you get stuck or not. However the superb presentation combined with clever level design makes it a fun experience.
***
7/10