Is Luigi's Mansion 3 Scary?

Yes, Luigi's Mansion 3 is about ghouls and ghosts. Yes, Luigi himself is pretty terrified throughout the whole game. But no, the experience really isn't all that scary. A far cry from a traditional horror game, Luigi's Mansion 3 is a charming kind of spooky, and is appropriate for players of any age. 

The game is rated for ages seven and up, and Common Sense Media – a site that reviews games with the kiddos in mind — says that is totally fine for little ones to play. The ghosts contained in the title aren't undead spectres, but rather cute globs of ectoplasm. Any "violence" found in the game is utterly cartoony.  And, in a sense, Luigi's Mansion 3 provides a chance for kids to learn how to face their fears.

Luigi's Mansion titles star Mario's overlooked brother, Luigi, as he navigates creepy, ghost filled corridors armed with nothing but a vacuum cleaner. This time around, Luigi is exploring a hotel as he tries to solve the mystery of what happened to his friends. Mario and Peach are AWOL, and its up to Luigi to save them from whatever ghostly fate befell them.

To switch up the formula, though, Luigi isn't alone in Luigi's Mansion 3. At his side is Gooigi: an ectoplasmic clone of our favorite green plumber. Gooigi, being made out of goo and coffee, is able to slip through bars and walk over spikes. This mechanic comes in handy, because the hotel is filled with booby traps and seemingly inaccessible areas. The scariest thing about the game may perhaps be the origin of Googi. Doctor Egad never got Luigi's permission to clone him, and there were some unfortunate failures before the mad scientist made use of Luigi's DNA to bring the goop to life. 

Other than that, Luigi's Mansion 3 is, at its heart, a kid's game. It makes use of some Halloween-worthy haunted house aesthetics, with cobwebs and creepy crawlies abound. But it's not anything like modern horror games. Don't expect to get spooked by jump scares in this wholesome Nintendo title.