Unpopular Opinion: I like Luigi’s Mansion Dark Moon more than the original
Nothing against the original Luigi’s Mansion. It’s a great game, but a good majority of people seem to love it more than Dark Moon and that’s fine. I respect their opinion and I understand why they feel this way. In terms of my opinion, I actually prefer Luigi’s Mansion Dark Moon more. I have a few reasons why I do (there will be spoilers from here on out).
Gameplay: Catching ghosts is much more fun thanks to the strobulb light. It allow you to suck up more ghost at once and the capturing feel more robust. The original is not bad and it has its perks like the poison mushroom that randomly spawns that could shrink you, adding a bit of challenge to it. However, it doesn’t feel as satisfying in my opinion.
Multiple mansions: I know one whole mansion is cool, but there’s something about having multiple mansions appeals to me more. Especially since every single one has things to interact with and puzzles that go along a mansion’s theme. Not to say the original doesn’t have themes, but they are more so associated with a small room for a portrait ghost.
Size of each mansion: You would think that since there are multiple mansions, you would think the amount of space to explore would be small, but surprisingly, that’s not the case. In fact, the mansions combine feel more massive than the original.
Collectables: Both games have collectables (gems and boos), but Dark Moon has a lot more and some require a bit more puzzle solving to find them.
Replayability: The original game has a good amount of replayability. This comes down to the game being only about 4 hours long, hidden mansion, and the ranking system (attempting to have enough money to try to achieve the highest rank). However, not only does Dark Moon have a bunch of collectables (I mentioned before), but every level has a ranking system that will likely take longer to accomplish.
Personality: The original Luigi’s mansion sometimes has personality, but it’s something that’s not too noticeable. Luigi is all over the place in Dark Moon. He’s so expressive with him constantly being scared, curious, and hilarious. Same can be said for E Gadd with the amount of dialogue he gets. Mario also gets a thumbs up for his appreciation towards his brother at the end.
Length of the game: I mentioned before, Luigi’s Mansion 1 is very short (about 4 hours). This is not necessary a bad thing, but there were SNES games longer than this. Dark Moon is not exactly that much better (about 9 hours), but it’s about almost double the amount of length compared to 1.
ScareScraper: Who would have thought Luigi’s Mansion would get multiplayer, and a fun one at that. Not only is this a fun side mode that adds to the game, but the feature itself has its own exclusive ghosts that can’t be found in the main story.
Bosses: This one is debatable for me. The original has a few interesting boss battles, but only King Boo and Chauncey were really that memorable. Dark Moon’s 1st, 4th, and last are the best ones (in my opinion).
What does original do better: I will admit, the original Luigi’s Mansion does better in terms of atmosphere and has a charm that’s kind of hard to beat. The portrait ghosts are much more appealing than any ghost or boss in Dark Moon. The portrait ghosts themselves each have some kind of puzzle revolving around what you need to do to stun them which in itself can be fun to try to figure out. In addition, Dark Moon had the whole mission based structure which can slow down the game a bit (especially when E. Gadd keeps calling you). Plus, the sequel’s difficulty is much easier compared to the first game.
However: Dark Moon makes up for it with unique mansion themes and boss battles. There’s also a lot more things to interact with and puzzles to progress with throughout game. The mission based structure isn’t that bad and allows for more character bonding with Luigi and E. Gadd. As for difficulty, the ranking system and ScareScraper is a good way to add more challenge to the game.
With that said: These are just my thoughts and opinions. I still really like both games and respect what they have brought to the table. I could be wrong for what I’m saying, but this is just how I feel. In fact, I would like to hear your thoughts. Are you more of a Luigi’s Mansion guy, or Dark Moon? I also didn’t mention Luigi’s Mansion 3 since this debate is not about that game (for me, it’s 3 > DM > 1).
Nothing against the original Luigi’s Mansion. It’s a great game, but a good majority of people seem to love it more than Dark Moon and that’s fine. I respect their opinion and I understand why they feel this way. In terms of my opinion, I actually prefer Luigi’s Mansion Dark Moon more. I have a few reasons why I do (there will be spoilers from here on out).
Gameplay: Catching ghosts is much more fun thanks to the strobulb light. It allow you to suck up more ghost at once and the capturing feel more robust. The original is not bad and it has its perks like the poison mushroom that randomly spawns that could shrink you, adding a bit of challenge to it. However, it doesn’t feel as satisfying in my opinion.
Multiple mansions: I know one whole mansion is cool, but there’s something about having multiple mansions appeals to me more. Especially since every single one has things to interact with and puzzles that go along a mansion’s theme. Not to say the original doesn’t have themes, but they are more so associated with a small room for a portrait ghost.
Size of each mansion: You would think that since there are multiple mansions, you would think the amount of space to explore would be small, but surprisingly, that’s not the case. In fact, the mansions combine feel more massive than the original.
Collectables: Both games have collectables (gems and boos), but Dark Moon has a lot more and some require a bit more puzzle solving to find them.
Replayability: The original game has a good amount of replayability. This comes down to the game being only about 4 hours long, hidden mansion, and the ranking system (attempting to have enough money to try to achieve the highest rank). However, not only does Dark Moon have a bunch of collectables (I mentioned before), but every level has a ranking system that will likely take longer to accomplish.
Personality: The original Luigi’s mansion sometimes has personality, but it’s something that’s not too noticeable. Luigi is all over the place in Dark Moon. He’s so expressive with him constantly being scared, curious, and hilarious. Same can be said for E Gadd with the amount of dialogue he gets. Mario also gets a thumbs up for his appreciation towards his brother at the end.
Length of the game: I mentioned before, Luigi’s Mansion 1 is very short (about 4 hours). This is not necessary a bad thing, but there were SNES games longer than this. Dark Moon is not exactly that much better (about 9 hours), but it’s about almost double the amount of length compared to 1.
ScareScraper: Who would have thought Luigi’s Mansion would get multiplayer, and a fun one at that. Not only is this a fun side mode that adds to the game, but the feature itself has its own exclusive ghosts that can’t be found in the main story.
Bosses: This one is debatable for me. The original has a few interesting boss battles, but only King Boo and Chauncey were really that memorable. Dark Moon’s 1st, 4th, and last are the best ones (in my opinion).
What does original do better: I will admit, the original Luigi’s Mansion does better in terms of atmosphere and has a charm that’s kind of hard to beat. The portrait ghosts are much more appealing than any ghost or boss in Dark Moon. The portrait ghosts themselves each have some kind of puzzle revolving around what you need to do to stun them which in itself can be fun to try to figure out. In addition, Dark Moon had the whole mission based structure which can slow down the game a bit (especially when E. Gadd keeps calling you). Plus, the sequel’s difficulty is much easier compared to the first game.
However: Dark Moon makes up for it with unique mansion themes and boss battles. There’s also a lot more things to interact with and puzzles to progress with throughout game. The mission based structure isn’t that bad and allows for more character bonding with Luigi and E. Gadd. As for difficulty, the ranking system and ScareScraper is a good way to add more challenge to the game.
With that said: These are just my thoughts and opinions. I still really like both games and respect what they have brought to the table. I could be wrong for what I’m saying, but this is just how I feel. In fact, I would like to hear your thoughts. Are you more of a Luigi’s Mansion guy, or Dark Moon? I also didn’t mention Luigi’s Mansion 3 since this debate is not about that game (for me, it’s 3 > DM > 1).