Luigi’s Mansion 3 Multiplayer Pack – Part 1 Review

Luigi’s Mansion 3 is one of the best Nintendo Switch games of 2019, serving as another high-quality exclusive for the console’s increasingly impressive library. In an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Luigi’s Mansion 3, Nintendo has released some downloadable content for the game in the form of a Multiplayer Pack, which unlocks two expansions for the game’s multiplayer modes.

Available for $9.99, Luigi’s Mansion 3 Multiplayer Pack – Part 1 is available now, while fans will have to wait until July to get their hands on Part 2. As Part 2 will not be available within months, those who decide to buy the Luigi’s Mansion 3 Multiplayer Pack are usually buying it just for the Part 1 content now, which includes some new ScreamPark mini-games, ScareScraper costumes, and more.

The meat of Luigi’s Mansion 3 is still the story mode, but the Multiplayer Pack – Part 1 goes a long way to making the game’s multiplayer modes more appealing. Most of the new content is for ScreamPark, which doubles the number of multiplayer mini-games from just three in the base game to six after purchasing the DLC.

The three new Luigi’s Mansion 3 ScreamPark mini-games are Tricky Ghost Hunt, DodgeBrawl, and River Bank. Each new mode can be played by up to eight players using a single Joy-Cons, and when played with groups of friends, they can all be a lot of fun. However, the lack of online multiplayer for ScreamPark or even bots hurts the value for those who don’t have a large group of people to play with.

In Tricky Ghost Hunt, players compete to see who can catch the most ghosts with the Poltergust G-OO, while interacting with electrified floor panels. More and more ghosts flood the screen as the game progresses, leading to some chaotic fun with ghosts and Luigis running everywhere. There’s only one stage and so it lacks the depth of the original ScreamPark mini-games, but it’s still fun in small doses.

DodgeBrawl is the real star of the Multiplayer Pack – Part 1, as it doesn’t revolve around ghost hunting and uses Poltergust G-OO’s abilities in unique ways. As the name suggests, DodgeBrawl is the Luigi’s Mansion version of dodgeball, where players have to shoot things like large fruits and bombs at each other to try to take out the other team. It’s fun with just two, but it’s even more entertaining when played as a party game. DodgeBrawl can be exciting with the right friends, and it’s great to see the mode expanded in the future with customizable rules, new stages, and more.

And finally, the third and final piece in the Luigi’s Mansion 3 Multiplayer Pack – Part 1 ScreamPark mini-games is River Bank. River Bank is a more exciting version of the available Coin Floating mini-game, with the added threat of falling into a waterfall and being swept away by falling logs. With River Bank being so much fun, it’s hard to see why anyone would even bother going back to Coin Floating.

Most of the content in Luigi’s Mansion 3 Multiplayer Pack – Part 1 is for ScreamPark, but there is also content for the ScareScreaper co-op mode. This mainly comes in the form of three new costumes for Luigi: Mummigi, Green Knight, and Groovigi. These are fun little outfits that players can use in ScareScraper, and they also add new floors based on each costume. However, those who weren’t enthralled by ScareScraper in the base game won’t be suddenly won over by the inclusion of new outfits for Luigi.

As far as the story mode goes, there is one piece of content that was added as part of the Multiplayer Pack, but it doesn’t make much sense. Players can now craft a special Flashlight Type-P that changes Luigi’s flashlight beam into an image of his ghost dog, Polterpup. Otherwise, those who play for Luigi’s Mansion 3 just for the story mode and are not interested in the other game modes will have no reason to pick up the DLC, although that is to be expected since it is the “Multiplayer Pack” after all. But even though the Type-P Flashlight is nothing to write home about, it’s still a nice little bonus.

What Luigi’s Mansion 3 players will have to decide is whether the content in the Multiplayer Pack is worth the $9.99 asking price. Since $9.99 gets players into Part 1 and Part 2, it’s actually not a bad deal, especially since the new ScreamPark mini-games in the Multiplayer Pack – Part 1 are all better than the ones available in the base game . Solo players or those who can’t get a group together probably won’t get much value for it, however.

The next batch of Luigi’s Mansion 3 DLC, Multiplayer Pack – Part 2, is set to add more ScreamPark mini-games to the lineup, as well as more ScareScraper costumes. Some fans may prefer to see Nintendo release story DLC instead, but those who like multiplayer will find a lot to like here. Having more mini-games to play makes Luigi’s Mansion 3 double as a party game for those willing to spend extra cash, and it’s not a bad investment by any means.

Luigi’s Mansion 3 is out now, exclusively for Nintendo Switch. The Multiplayer Pack – Part 1 is available to download now, with Part 2 launching in July 2020.