Luigis Mansion goes for a unique experience that will keep you coming back for more despite its many flaws such as
The plot is basic with a few twists at the beginning and end. Mario wins a mansion and goes to see it and finds the mansion full of ghosts. Mario goes missing and Luigi must save Mario. It's simple like all Mario games.
The gameplay involves Luigis flashlight and a new device called the Polgerust 3000. When Luigi encounters one of the numerous ghosts, he must find a way to show it's heart. Usually this is done by scaring the ghosts themselves by waving the flashlight on them quickly. Once their heart shown, Luigi sucks it up with the polgerust in which quick fingers help the catch to go faster.
It might seem simple but it's actually deep, Luigis Polgerust will eventually gain elemental abilities, and the many puzzles to revealing the ghosts' hearts will give the game a good amount of variety. They can get repetitive at times, but it shouldn't happen often.
There are also coins you can collect as well as earn awards for catching ghosts in faster times, so there's a few extras to do when you've beaten the game. However, the game as a whole is far too short and can be beaten quite quickly. It will only take you a few hours, and once you're done, there won't be much to do, and you will feel empty and like there could've been more.
Luigis Mansion's graphics and music are average. Nothing special, but nothing weary, it gets the job done. The Gamecube's controller and graphics power can seem very good at times and like Luigis Mansion demonstrates the console's potential quite well. The controls can feel a little slippery every now and then however...
Overall, Luigis Mansion is a fun unique puzzle adventure game that is worth a playthrough despite its length, slight repetitiveness, and little control issues. It shows the Gamecubes potential and makes for an engaging experience.
Overall Score: 8.25 + Good Puzzle/Adventure Formula (0.50) - Length (0.50) - Little Issues here and there (0.25) = 8.00