Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon

LUIGI'S MANSION: DARK MOON

And now, we move on to Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, the second game in the series, and, between the first being a massive cult favorite and the third being praised to high heaven, seems to be the generally least liked of the three games. Rather than the single large house to explore, Dark Moon follows more of a mission-based structure, with a bunch of smaller mansions laid out section by section, and does away with the portrait ghost concept entirely. It does however introduce a number of features that are now considered staples of the series, including the flashlight blast, so it's more of a mixed bag than anything.

The game follows Luigi, who has been called upon by Professor E. Gadd once again to help round up a bunch of rampaging ghosts who turned wild after the eponymous Dark Moon that kept them docile was shattered by King Boo. He is equipped with the new and improved Poltergust 5000 which can suck up things as before, and can also blow out to inflate balloons and such. He also has a flashlight equipped with the ability to flash brightly and stun opponents, and includes a Dark-Light device that can be used to turn objects in paintings into real objects.

Professor E. Gadd is our main supporting character, who runs the computer while Luigi is on missions, and can use a device called the Pixelator to teleport him between the lab and the mansions. He also has a device to polish and restore the pieces of the Dark Moon Luigi collects. Toads and Mario also appear, all having to be rescued by Luigi at various points. We are also introduced to Polterpup, a friendly ghost dog who has a habit of stealing and eating important items, leading to Luigi having to track him down.

King Boo is our main villain once again, and seems to have come into his own this time, having a whole new boss battle design without having to resort to Bowser, a battle design that was then carried over to Luigi's Mansion 3. First off, he can shoot a laser from his crown, as shown in the opening cutscene. He can trap enemies inside paintings. During his battle, he can call down lightning, bounce on his belly, throw spike balls, and roll around the stage. He can also summon energy gates to trap you in an area. Boos also appear and have to be tracked down, but this time they can be caught by the tongue and sent bouncing all around the room.

Rather than bosses, each mansion contains two or so bosses, generally a Possessor who possesses some form of giant enemy, and a Poltergeist who can move things around with their minds. The possessors include: Grouchy Possessor, who takes over a giant spider that shoots poison at you; Harsh Possessor, who takes over a staircase and tries to bite you; Overset Possessor, who possesses a giant clock; Shrewd Possessor, who possesses a giant face made of ice; and Tough Possessor, who inhabits suits of armor armed with an axe and a lance. The first Poltergeist plays the piano and makes books float. The Ancient Poltergeist will make sand and bricks float around. The Strong Poltergeist will teleport you to space and throw meteors at you. We also have Three Sisters, who attack you with mirrors, and a Big Boo, who floats around and bounces on the floor.

As for our enemies, we have a number of ghost types, similar to those from the first game, but none specifically the same type. The main ghosts are called Greenies, similar to the gold ghosts, who are generally just basic and tend to play with anything that happens to be in the area, attacking you with rolling pins, shovels, buckets, etc. We also have Slammers, big red ones who throw punches at you, and Hiders, who like to hide from you. Gobbers are big, huge fat ones that spit mud at you; Sneakers try to sneak up behind you; and Creepers try to grapple you. Other non-ghost enemies include mice, spiders, and frogs, but also include mummies and possessed suits of armor.

The game's areas are all part of a larger hub world called Evershade Valley, where the Dark Moon cast a calming affect over the ghosts in the region. E. Gadd has a lab there where he studied the ghosts. The different mansions you visit include: Gloomy Manor, a basic haunted mansion level; Haunted Towers, a pair of towers with an overgrown garden theme; Old Clockworks, a desert level with a heavy clockwork theme to it; Secret Mine, an underground mine in a snowy level; and Treacherous Mansion, the final level and more or less just a haunted mansion level again, just much more difficult.

As for the items, lots and lots of treasure once again. Treasure hunting is a major part of Luigi's Mansion after all.

Now, let's see what we've got:

Characters:
Luigi: vacuum, suck up, flashlight, fire, water, ice, Game Boy Horror, examine, inflate balloon, flash, DS, Dark-Light device
E. Gadd: made all the stuff, Pixelator, polish
Mario
Toad
Polterpup
King Boo: paintings, warp reality, control Bowser, crown laser, trap in paintings, lightning, bounce, spike balls, roll, energy gates
Bowser: stomp, breathe fire, ice, throw spike balls, charge, floating head
Boo: float, hide, bombs, get bounced
Ghosts (general): jumpscare, punch, grapple, banana peels, ground pound, drop bombs, roll bowling balls, skeletons, serve food, play with objects, hide, sneak, spit mud, possess, levitate, mirrors

Bosses:
Chauncey
Bogmire
Boolossus
King Boo
Possessor
Poltergeist
Three Sisters
Big Boo

Stages:
Luigi's Mansion
Professor E. Gadd's lab
Evershade Valley
Gloomy Manor
Haunted Towers
Old Clockworks
Secret Mine
Treacherous Mansion

Items:
Treasure
Medallions
Mario's Things

Thanks for reading! Next up, Luigi's Mansion 3!