|
The Luigi's Mansion series stars Luigi as a reluctant hero banishing ghosts from various mansions. The first Luigi's Mansion was released as a launch title for the Nintendo GameCube on November 2001. It was the first game officially created by Nintendo to feature Luigi in a starring role. It also introduced Professor E. Gadd, the quirky scientist, for the first time. Luigi's Mansion helped establish Luigi as an anxious character who is terrified of ghosts, though he would eventually overcome his fear and defeat the ghosts with the help of the trusty Poltergust 3000 given to him by Prof. E. Gadd.
Twelve years later a sequel, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, was released on the Nintendo 3DS during The Year of Luigi celebration. The story concerns the destruction of the "Dark Moon"; a mystical object that, when whole, allows the ghosts of Evershade Valley to live in harmony. When the Dark Moon was destroyed it caused the ghosts become malicious and mischievous. Prof. E Gadd asks for Luigi's help, this time outfitting him with the Poltergeist 5000 and some new accessories: the Strobulb that blasts light to stun ghosts in place and a Dark-Light device meant to uncover objects and enemies that have become invisible. An Arcade spinoff based on this game released in 2015.
Legacy and References
The general Luigi's Mansion theme has popped up in other games outside the series, such as games within the Mario Kart series, the Mario Party series and Super Smash Bros. series in reference to the game. Luigi's Mansion is a stage in the Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. The location also appears as a both a race course and a battle course in the Mario Kart series and later ghost house courses take cues from the series.
Professor E. Gadd had a brief stint of notable supporting roles in the Mario series following the game through the GameCube era, being the inventor for F.L.U.D.D. and an ally in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time