The plot (if you want to call it that) is straightforward: upon winning a mansion in a contest, Luigi heads off to claim his prize only to discover that things are fishy. The mansion is run-down and infested with ghosts, not to mention our beloved Mario somehow got mixed up in this mess and is trapped somewhere inside. So Luigi, with the aid of Professor E. Gadd and his Poltergust 3000, heads into the sinister house to exterminate the paranormal pests and find his stout sibling. One slight gripe with the plot is that it practically forces itself on the player, with frequent returns to E. Gadd's lab and conversations between him and our hero via the Game Boy Horror. Plus it's not exactly the level of Huxley or Hemingway, but I don't get into games for involving storylines: gameplay does the job just fine.

And what gameplay Luigi's Mansion delivers! Simple in theory with a slight learning curve, but second nature when mastered, the controls make things flow smoothly. Using both the analog and C-Stick, one controls Luigi's movement whilst the other handles the direction he facing. Sound confusing? Think of it as FPS controls in a 3rd person adventure game, which makes moving while vacuuming in a different direction, a breeze once you come to grips with it. There's also a secondary control setup, which regulates the directional stick strictly to strafing, forward, and backward movement with the C-Stick used solely for directional aim. Some may find this even more FPS-esque and even more comfortable, so Nintendo covered their bases when it comes to solid control. Good thing too, since Luigi's Mansion wouldn't be half as fun without the intuitive control scheme.

The remaining gameplay aspects measure up as well. While one wouldn't think hunting ghost after ghost in a stuffy old mansion could get repetitive, it does not. This, thanks to the great creativity on Nintendo's part, in which finding or exposing the ‘hearts' of the paranormal pests becomes the true challenge of the game. In about every room, you'll come across ‘normal' ghosts who are easy to dispatch alone, but become rather haunting...er, daunting when met in groups. Each type has it's own way of being defeated, be it the punchers who wind up and deliver swift blows or the gargantuan banana-eating fiends. Then there's the task of nabbing and solidifying (via E. Gadd's paint portrait machine) the main ghosts of the game, which becomes quite a different task than handling run of the mill foes. Finding them is a problem within itself, but even when you do, there's still a matter of exposing their hearts. This can range from any various sets of solutions all involving the room's environment, the items at Luigi's disposal, and your own wits. Overall, it's the clever problem solving and exploration that really makes this game: it's challenging enough to keep you busy, but easy for anyone to finish given enough time.

However this becomes the biggest problem in the game. Well, not so much a problem within its own, but when combined with the relative brevity of the experience, one would hope for more of a strenuous challenge. However, anyone can get through each room with enough effort, but add in the short length, and it would be easy for someone to finish it in a day. Some side-goals like hunting for Boos, getting better ‘portraits' for main ghosts, finding cash, and achieving better rankings are used in an attempt to stretch things even further, but it still doesn't put the game past the 10-20 hour mark. In a world of 40-hour minimum gaming epics this becomes the biggest flaw in Luigi's Mansion, but if you can get past that, prepare to be impressed in every single aspect.

One noteworthy example for amazement comes in the graphics department. When the tech demos ran, it was hard to imagine such quality would be reproduced for an in-game experience. Yet here I'm seeing stuff that comes as close as it gets, rivaling even pre-rendered FMV in terms of smoothness, architecture, and visual completeness. Luigi himself is a marvel, exhibiting a wide range of frightened expressions: his legs wobble about, he falls on his rear when surprised, and even shakes violently as his hand goes for doorknobs. In fact, Luigi oozes visual clarity and charm: it's almost as if the under appreciated plumber has been given life.

As if that wasn't enough, even the foes share such charismatic traits by offering a wide range of expression, emotions, and animated gestures. As impressive as all this may seem, it has nothing on the sheer amount of atmosphere generated through the use of astonishing lighting and realistic physics effects. Luigi's flashlight becomes a small beacon of sanity in some rooms, candles dimly cast faint security along halls, lightning strikes small bursts of vision in the mansion, and sometimes lighting will play with your mind by tossing shadows where there are no objects. Needless to say the characters and animation add life to the game, but the lighting makes it a living and breathing atmosphere.

Then there's the physics, which react perfectly to Luigi's different pushes, pulls, and the Poltergust. Curtains can be yanked, bed sheets tugged (and sucked up), and various dressers, drawers, and whatnot manipulated. Plus there's some really nice reflections going on with mirrors and even in doorknobs on close-ups of Luigi cautiously opening doors. Bluntly put, Luigi's Mansion pushes the visual watermark up a notch (more like a leap really) and helps enhance the seemingly quasi-eerie, comical ambiance.

Rounding out the sensory experience is the music and sound, which offers something quite unique but not for everyone. Essentially, Luigi's music is one main theme: that's right, just one. Some may find this a bit dull, yet Nintendo pours on the charm into this anthem by having multiple variations played throughout the game. Interpolations range from Luigi whistling, an composition sung by an otherworldly chorus, among traditional orchestrated themes. It begins to create a sense of unity and wholeness, as if the game is one long romp as opposed to stages, rooms, or the like. Outside that though, there's not much to mention as far as music goes. Sound suffers the same: though Luigi has hilarious cries and calls for Mario, everything else is standard fare.

As far as I'm concerned, you can't go wrong with Luigi's Mansion. If you can't justify a purchase on such a short game, a rental is definitely in order. Fun, amazing, and full of creepy fun, Luigi's Mansion is a fine launch title for the GameCube, and deserves to be played.

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