The History of Luigi's Mansion | VideoGameDocs

Luigi’s Mansion. Officially shown off at Spaceworld 2000, was shown with many other games as In Development titles for Nintendo’s newest console: The GameCube. The game featured Luigi, starring in his own solo adventure. While it wasn’t Luigi’s first go at being the protagonist, it is certainly his most memorable. The story? Luigi must go through a haunted mansion filled with nasty ghouls and ghosts, all to save his older brother, Mario.
Today on Video Game Docs we're taking a look at the development, release, reception, and legacy that is Luigi's Mansion (2001) for GameCube.
Staff Credits Theme by ThunderScott
/ thunderscott
Super Guitar Bros:
/ superguitarbros
superguitarbros.bandcamp.com/
My Website: www.videogamedocs.com
Socials: linktr.ee/VideoGameDocs
Merch: my-store-be2955.creator-sprin...
00:00 - Introduction
00:27 - Little Brother Luigi
02:13 - Chapter 1: Development
11:48 - Chapter 2: The Announcement
16:22 - Chapter 3: Luigi saves Mario
27:33 - Chapter 4: Reception & Sales
32:58 - Final Chapter: The Legacy of Luigi's Mansion

[@TheManOfManyNames.]

Fun fact: in Luigi’s Diary in Paper Mario 64, he notes that he hates ghosts as well as wishing that he had his own game, which would make Luigi even *more* believable as a frightened ghost hunter.

[@NinjaKIngAce]

Considering Paper Mario was a late N64 title, Luigi's Mansion was probably already in development by the time the diary entries were written

[@gamingwithahandicapreviews]

Luigi’s Mansion was already in development as Paper Mario was being developed and localized

[@Murlo]

which doesn't take away from it being a fun fact / easter egg worth mentioning 🙄

[@rinnnnnnnnnnrin]

​@@Murlo nobody was saying anything against it, don't assume stuff

[@AshRektum]

calm now ​@@rinnnnnnnnnnrin

[@ethosaur]

Man im just so obsessed with luigis mansion, it just hits a sweetspot

[@artey6671]

Me, too. What do you think of the sequels?

[@KyleEvra]

Trash.

[@ethosaur]

@@artey6671 I never got to play LM2 but I quite enjoyed LM3, however I think I still enjoy the first game the most for its immaculate vibe and character. The newer games dont quite capture it as well.

[@glazedtenders3585]

So many little interesting facts. The fact that the dev team asked the Gamecube makers to create a new lighting system is awesome

[@CeliaDuhSotong]

the fact that it set a new bar for the industry to compete on, that graphic in 2000 is insane

[@luigigirl3]

I am just gonna say it right now. This was the best Luigi’s mansion documentary I have ever watched. The fact you called it an ode to player two and started off with that , the editing is simply top notch and the video was simply a joy to watch. That picture at the end was the icing on the cake. So sweet! You my good man have earned yourself a subscriber. Keep up the amazing work!

[@VideoGameDocs]

Thank you so much! Your support and kind words is what makes me want to keep doing this, so thank you! Luigi's Mansion is one of my all time favorites, so I knew when I started to write this video I had to do it justice.

[@GrouchyKraut]

I still do a yearly playthrough of Luigis Mansion every October. It was the first game I ever beat, so it holds a special place in my heart

[@phenom957]

Same!!

[@miserablepileofsecrets]

Same here, sometimes during some car travel I'd boost up the remake. So fun.

[@TheBasedCanadian]

I feel that way about super Mario world

[@artey6671]

That's some dedication. Not bad.

[@doublejmsu6745]

This channel is far too good to only have 1k subs. Keep up the good work, and the success will follow!

[@VideoGameDocs]

Appreciate the kind words! Gonna try to keep up and maybe publish a video more than once every 3-6 months lol.

[@MarioMario-nj6kz]

@@VideoGameDocsquality over quantity. Go at your own pace

[@stephentremblay1465]

They mean truth. I just got recommended this video, but your editing style is pleasing, and your voice cadence is easy to listen to. I'm gonna check out some of your new stuff and see if you earned my sub. :p

[@glazedtenders3585]

Agree. First video I’ve seen from this channel and had to subscribe!

[@RewindArcade]

As a huge Luigi’s Mansion (and GameCube) fan, I thoroughly enjoyed this! The editing work was really nicely done too. I love the 3D connection between the game and the 3DS’ tech and find it extra ironic that the game and its sequel even made their way onto the handheld. I also always assumed Mario being trapped in the painting was a callback to Mario 64 with him constantly jumping in and out of paintings for each stage. Thanks for putting this together man and keep up the awesome work!

[@VideoGameDocs]

Really bad about checking comments😅 I remember hearing about the 3D functionality of Luigi’s Mansion awhile ago and was so glad to see that it made it to the 3DS, even if the switch was out by then. I thought about the painting thing too but was never able to find anything on it, may be where they got the idea though. Thanks for the support! Can’t wait for Star Fox part 2😁

[@pedrocruz4409]

Lmao at “a younger sibling holding an unplugged controller “ 😆🤣🙃

[@samuelmcclamrock162]

This video was way too good for the amount of views it has, definitely deserves way more praise, great video man

[@VideoGameDocs]

Glad you enjoyed it! Heard sharing always helps ;)

[@IzzyItachi]

I’m glad they didn’t keep the overheating mechanic. That would have been annoying after a while.

[@robertlauncher]

Anybody else not get the “Robotic Bowser” subtext as a kid and end up thinking King Boo actually reanimated Bowser like a zombie?

[@VideoGameDocs]

Me! I was terrified that King Boo just killed him haha. I assumed Luigi's Mansion took place after SM64 and Bowser had been like "defeated" for good.

[@robertlauncher]

@@VideoGameDocs I beat Luigi’s Mansion before finishing Mario 64, so I assumed Mario took him out at the end of that one

[@artey6671]

I only heard about Bowser being robotic in this video. I mean, in NSMB Bowser Jr. reanimates him, too, so it's not far-fetched.

[@Jackosaurus117]

Luigi’s Mansion is my favourite game of all time and I’m glad the GameCube launched with it over Sunshine as much as I love that game too

[@Cameo221]

Brillliant video! I really enjoyed seeing the development cycle section of the video. Always interested in the eyes of the devs themselves. And even more so for the designers to come up with such interesting and unique ideas for each challenge 😄

[@VideoGameDocs]

The development section was my favorite part! I love knowing what the designers had to work with and what ideas they initially had. Knowing there's a Luigi's Mansion out there that was set in a Ninja house and included Mario instead is so cool to me!

[@helioselexandros]

Luigis mansion 2 was 1st and only game i had for my 3ds for longtime. I played hell out of it and it never got old to me. I downloaded luigis mansion and loved it. I play em both around halloween every year.

[@playalot86]

One of my favorite games of all time.

[@artey6671]

I love this game so much. It's short, yes, but it's filled with creativity and detail. That alone makes it worth coming back to it for me.

[@keabonhall2436]

As someone who just really identifies with Luigi, I think the thing I really like about him is his courage. He’s someone you want as your player two anyway and I think that’s why Luigi’s Mansion is so special

[@themexicanbanana7465]

That's why luigi my favorite nintedo character

[@milesbbop9563]

Grow up

[@kirogocrxzy]

how is this video so low viewed? and only 1.16k subs.. aint no way bc i got emotional at the end of the video, PLUS YOUR VOICE IS RELAXING AS HELL TO LISTEN TO

[@VideoGameDocs]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the video and enjoyed my voice! Always try to have an emotional touch to my vids :)

[@kirogocrxzy]

@@VideoGameDocs you're welcome homie

[@spontman]

The development story of this game is one that I never get tired of hearing, and you presented it amazingly here. The script, the narration, the editing, all on point. Fantastic work.

[@royce8413]

Great video and great job editing dude. Really nice. Hope to see more!

[@trevormorgan9084]

I often refer to Luigi's Mansion as being in my top 5 games of all time, and depending on the day, I may even say it's #1. I love the heck out of this game and the whole trilogy! The GameCube and this game were such pivotal moments in my childhood that they'll always be so very dear to me. I remember the first time I beat King Boo/Bowser... I rage quit that final boss so many times as a kid, making it SO very sweet when victory finally happened. I've played through the game countless times since then... When I converted my GameCube to use a GCLoader and got rid of my physical collection, this is the only GameCube game that I kept. Of course, I can't use the disc anymore, but it's tucked away in my display cabinet as a treasured piece of my collection. I know most people weren't as crazy about it at the time as seems to be the case now, but it's crazy that it only sold 2 million units... It's a shame that this game isn't also coming to the Switch as a dual-pack with the Luigi's Mansion 2 HD release... Also, wonderful job on the video - very informative, well structured, scripted, and spoken. Great job!

[@danielserrano929]

What are your other top 5 games? I want to get LM and play it on my 3DS, do you think that version is better or worse?

[@trevormorgan9084]

@@danielserrano929 Luigi’s Mansion Super Mario World Zelda: Breath Of The Wild EA Skate. #5 could be any of these on any given day: Super Mario 64 Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins Donkey Kong Country 2 Mario Kart Double Dash Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door Animal Crossing New Horizons Super Mario 3D World Yes, I did play through Luigi’s Mansion on the 3DS. While it does have some graphical enhancements over the GameCube version, it’s does suffer still slightly visually from the 3DS’ low resolution. It’s also a big adjustment going from playing the game on the GameCube controller, which at the time was largely tailored to Luigi’s Manaion experience specifically, but if you’ve never played the original version, and the 3DS would be your first time playing the game, then I absolutely recommend it 100%!! I wish they were bringing it to the Switch with the new LM2HD as like a double pack or something. Anyway, you can’t go wrong either way.

[@destineeharper4905]

My favorite video by you!! : ) Thanks for great content.

[@reneramirez4125]

Wow, I’m getting into Nintendo a bit more after neglecting it for so long. The main reason is because my 4 year old daughter saw 1 video on KZbin about Mario and is completely hooked now. This video is one of the best I’ve seen about a Nintendo game since I started my rabbit hole of digging for Nintendo content.

[@VideoGameDocs]

Thanks for stopping by on your trip! I highly recommend the Luigi's Mansion series, it's what got me into gaming!

[@sanchisan6997]

I have an older sibling, so I was never allowed to be Mario. I spent so many years being Luigi that now he's my favorite character. 😂 He's the best!

[@joseordaz1622]

Really loved your video. Keep up the good work

[@venomasmark154]

Something about the Pink/Red Diamonds: They're worthless, you get two of them in the whole game, one on the balcony, and the other is King Boo's crown. They cost 5,000 each I believe and are worth as much as a gold coin if I'm correct, collecting all 50 Boos and watering the plant outside before Bogmire's Graveyard rewards you with Gold Diamonds which are a lot more valuable and are an easy way to make HUGE strides to getting A rank, plus something else I don't think you mentioned (which is fine, don't have to cover EVERYTHING) are the Golden Mice, similar to Speedy Spirits except they only appear in certain rooms by either random chance or scanning a piece of cheese before you clear the room. 10 Golden Mice, 15 speedy spirits, and a mansion full of cash make getting A rank somewhat easy, I feel like most times I've played I ended up getting A rank, but obviously, that's possibly not 100% true (I've played this game a lot) or most people aren't me. Overall, good video covering one of the best Gamecube games made, without a doubt

[@000Codex]

Proud to have been player 2. I will always love Luigi and Tails.

[@Kfk972]

This video was splendid! This Guy deserves More subs

[@3venFl0w]

Love this channel. Great work

[@joeyclick5234]

I still have a GameCube copy of the first Luigi’s Mansion game that I play every now and then just to go back to when I first got my GameCube console! I also used to have an official guide (when they still made those) and even though I no longer have the guide book I remember where ALL the gold mice are located haha

[@PuppyJoe]

I got chills on your closing line. Well done!

[@VideoGameDocs]

Thank you! Lot of love and emotion went into this one since it's one of my favorite games of all time.

[@grinbrothers]

Ah, Luigi's Mansion; the family friendly horror game. It seems I always get recommended a video or playthrough of it each Halloween. 2:41 - It makes sense but I had no idea it was originally being developed for the N64. The earliest development point I was aware of was it's GameCube origins and plans for 3D inclusion, so it seemed like it was always planned for the GameCube or was a tech demo that got full-on development treatment (unlike say, Meowth Party). 5:15 - It feels like the present Luigi personality has forever been there so it's strange to look back on and think how it wasn't truly solidified until Luigi's Mansion. I had never seen the Charles Martinez clip; a lot of new and interesting trivia in this video already. 15:33 - Shame the "Aaaah" wasn't included in the final version. I assume got in the way during busier moments but it does look neat. 22:42 - Boolossus as a boss feels off. I feel Area 3's Boss should have been Madame Clairvoya (alternatively, she should have been a ghost you could spare). Likewise 24:20's Vincent Van Gore is such a significant character that he feels like he should been a boss ghost, or even as the fake-out final boss for when King Boo reveals himself. Brilliant break down of the progression throughout the game. 28:46 - The No Replay Value line is sad to see given the developer's seemingly added the whole gold collecting aspect as a replay incentive. I'm quite the fan of the mind-set of short games with replay value. Longer games can at times drag on too long without the player ever seeing the ending as new games with new or fresh experiences come out and take your attention away. The Luigi Mansion mind-set seemed more akin to a Kirby game (well, Yoshi was the example given)... my favourite game series.

[@excitablepack7076]

What if Luigi’s Mansion was more like Resident Evil?

[@justinwilliam6534]

Yeah good question maybe someone could answer that question in a form of a indie game or indie show for teens kind of like a more scarier version of ghostbusters.

[@theriffwriter2194]

I borrowed Luigi's Mansion 3 off my daughter expecting it to more or less be a "side quest" in my life. Something I breeze through over the weekend than forget about entirely. Boy was I ever wrong. Having a game exceed my expectations is one thing. Having a game's quality downright shock me is something else. When promoting the first ninja Gaiden remake I heard Tomonobu Itagaki boast he could make a game about couch cushions and it would make game of the year. Although thats a complete eye roll claimed by an unhinged egomaniac what Nintendo pulled off with a freakin vacuum and flashlight, the puzzles, combat and the boss fights, had my jaw on the floor and had me thinking there really wasn't anything Nintendo couldn't do. Once Monday rolled around I told my daughter to pick up her copy because I had to own a copy of my own. I knew this was one of those games I wanted to know everything about. I wanted to be a walking encyclopedia on the subject. A perfect 10! The reason I play video games.

[@soggypretzels4227]

WOOOOOOO YEAH I LOVE LUIGI #decadeoflugi #eraofgreen #praisebetothegreenman

[@rennythespaceguy7285]

Year of Twoigi

[@CornelioLazarus-sg4gx]

Never seen people talk about the inspirations for Luigis Mansion. The enemy ghosts actually act and feel similar to The Lonesome Ghosts from the 1937 Mickey Mouse short of the same name. Also Chauncey bears a resemblance to Selwyn from the Peter Jackson comedy horror flick, Brain Dead (known as Dead Alive in the states), infact Luigi has traits akin to the film's main protagonist, Lionel Cosgrove. For anyone interested in checking out the film, just a word of caution, its pretty high on gore, also has gross out humor if its not your thing, Two scenes involving supernatural creatures getting it on. That is all.

[@VideoGameDocs]

I'll have to check it out just to see the similarities! Thanks for the recommendation. Might have to do a future video on some possible inspirations, seems like a fun topic to delve into!

[@CornelioLazarus-sg4gx]

@VideoGameDocs The full movie is actually on youtube and in a really well-done image quality. If you want to see the one I saw, just type in Brain Dead 1992 restoration, and it'll probably be the first to pop out on the top. It's got a picture of the main character surrounded by the film's monsters.

[@CornelioLazarus-sg4gx]

@VideoGameDocs have you seen Lonesome Ghosts? If you have, what did you think of it? I actually loved it. It's got good humor. The beginning makes it seem the ghosts are creepy at the beginning, with the yawning that at first felt only like a yell until the ghost manifests.

[@CornelioLazarus-sg4gx]

@VideoGameDocs As of now, I am starting to reliaze brain dead might have had more inspiration other than for Chauncey. Also for your possible inspiration video, if you mention Lonesome Ghosts, you could also say how The Mickey Mouse shorts had an influence on the Mario series since Miyamoto has said it was one of inspirations for the world.

[@GeorgeMazur29]

Your editing on point

[@Craxkin]

u mad underrated bro vid fye💯

[@JayPredictable]

28:57 - 'with no replay value to be discovered' bro did not play the game bro forgot there are multiple ranks to get, bro forgot there's a hidden mansion

[@artey6671]

That upset me, too. Liam Triforce also commented on this. The game is very replayable, I think.

[@kizunadragon9]

Mario is the typical hero. he runs headlong into danger to save the Princess without a thought or care in the world. The reason I like Luigi better is he is absolutely terrified. he would rather be anywhere but there, but he knows he must go forth and triumph anyway , Luigi overcomes his fear whereas Mario has none.

[@austinharvey7644]

Despite how much I love the haunted house atmosphere and ghost design, there is just something that really bothers me about the whole series. Most of the ghosts don't seem to be aggressive until they're provoked, many of them are just doing their own thing with some just straight up minding their own business (i.e. the ghost catching up on some reason, the pianist, the sleeping little girl, the director, etc.) so why are you busting them!? It makes it seem like Luigi is the aggressor. You can count the number of hostile ghosts in the series on two hands, yet the dozens of others react to the player the same way you would act if you came across a toad in your garden. Hell, even the Boos ain't attacking you, and are actively trying to get away from you. I doubt to many people would like the fate of being stuck in a picture for all eternity, and the HUGE issue of Gadd using the ghosts as slaves in the sequel makes this game series downright questionable! Why is this aspect of the game never really brough up!? I'm probably overthinking this by miles, but I can't get around it! In the first game, Neville is literally just sitting there reading, not bothering the world or his wife! Why do you have to bust him!?! He's not bothering anyone, and the same goes for most of the other ghosts in this series!! It really reminds me of the Bigfoot hunting mission in RDR Undead Nightmare.

[@dannyboots]

Best Luigi's Mansion game

[@ryan.harvill]

Excellent vid

[@futureartist9]

come back video game docs i miss you

[@harackasdagreat]

Great video! Mario’s Missing doesn’t count as a Luigi game?

[@jangusducacus]

I replay this game more than any others.

[@fatalwaffle1715]

Cool video!

[@VideoGameDocs]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@fatalwaffle1715]

You're welcome.

[@Triple_nine99]

My favorite Nintendo game!! This is game is so special to me!❤

[@dudestep]

The scariest game of all time

[@haleman1704]

Ioved the last sentence!

[@kingborehaha]

Good video :)

[@TheBasedCanadian]

We need a part 4

[@fuzzybuzzy3159]

I am 23. I have had this game since I was seven. I am STILL STUCK ON BOWSER

[@EuroMIX2]

I think something not covered in the video is that arguably the best way to experience the Gamecube version is the PAL release, with the 60hz fan patch. With the PAL version being released several months later, the devs actually tweaked the game and altered certain elements like the Hidden Mansion.

[@artey6671]

Getting the best mansion in the PAL version is so difficult. I'm not sure I ever got it. But thanks for the tip with the 60hz patch.

[@EuroMIX2]

@@artey6671 IIRC you have to complete the hidden mansion in order to 100% the game in the PAL version.

[@artey6671]

@@EuroMIX2 Yes, but even then it's really difficult.

[@turquoiseangel03]

my god what a beautiful ending ngl 💚

[@UnixGoldBoy]

It was the best selling game in the U.S. for Gamecube because it came bundled with the console like mine did back in the day.

[@ajx2956]

Nice.

[@Nugget47737]

Bro are you okay it’s been 10 months

[@this_username_fails9352]

the music at 20:33 keeps edging me

[@delusion2209]

What is the proper timeline as far as the games go so I can play them in order?

[@VideoGameDocs]

Just 1, 2 and 3! 1 is on GameCube and 3DS, 2 is also on the 3DS with a Switch release soon, and 3 is on Switch. I highly recommend all 3 of them :)

[@Haydenthemaker1000]

I wanted a game cube so bad until I learned what this game actually was

[@nz7166]

i luv your channel

[@carson0119]

Where do you get this info?

[@VideoGameDocs]

A lot of this information, specifically the interviews with the developers were in the North American Official Strategy guide for the game. You can read the full interviews here: archive.org/details/LuigisMansionOfficialPlayersGuide/

[@SigTheSauceMan]

There is no way Luigi's Mansion outsold Halo: Combat Evolved.

[@clob755]

Come back for more videos😢

[@madnessarcade7447]

Were the devs fans of ghostbusters or was it a coincidence

[@leeartlee915]

I kind of disagree on its replay value. Sure, you don’t want to run it back immediately after beating it but I’ve replayed the game from start to finish several times over the years.

[@Dimasterim]

Optimizing your run and getting the highest rank is the whole fun of it

[@Amizare1]

Luigi is the older brother, not Mario

[@slip4510]

Is this the history of Alan Wake?

[@saywhatagain5999]

KING KING KING KING

[@VideoGameDocs]

:)

[@pariss1445]

Luigi's Mansion was better than Mario Sunshine for me.

[@jpegflipper7930]

What about super mario power tennis for gamecube

[@TotallySearch]

I wonder what happened to the doc

[@blossom6309]

Luigi mansion 1

[@gonorrhea4843]

Man, Luigi was always my first choice for Smash Bros/NSMB and not just because of his jump. He's a little like me, a coward with a heart of gold.

[@VideoGameDocs]

I grew up playing him in Smash for the N64 mainly for his dash attack haha. I loved the Mario Bros. growing up and as a younger brother Luigi’s Mansion really stuck with me.

[@gonorrhea4843]

@@VideoGameDocs Also, Happy Halloween!

[@jackatk]

12:26 128 bit adventure?? The best computers today are still 64 bit lol The GameCube is 32 bit

[@VideoGameDocs]

Correct, it has a 32-bit CPU. The era of PS2, Dreamcast, Xbox and GameCube can be referred to as a 128-bit era of consoles mainly because of marketing. All of them use a 32 (or 64) bit CPU, but were advertised as “128-bit” consoles. Mainly due to the PS2 marketing itself as 128-bit. So while the GameCube doesn’t have a 128-bit CPU the original idea was “128-bit is better than 64-bit!” Hope this helps!

[@jackatk]

@@VideoGameDocs Woah it’s you! I loved the video, it was very well made ,:) Anyways so there’s nothing actually 128 bit about that era? It was all just lies?? Lmao

[@VideoGameDocs]

@jackatk The PS2 (and GameCube iirc) have 128-bit busses/capabilities within the architecture. But the general technology is 32/64 bit, so more like a half lie lol

[@jangusducacus]

G not dollars

[@deddrz2549]

13:56 probably should have said 'not pre-rendered' because it is CG, as are all 3D video game graphics

[@Empyre47AT]

Dude, spoiler warning next time! I get that this game is over 20 years old, but I bought a GameCube for the first time just a few weeks ago. Been playing Luigi’s Mansion, but I’m not that far into it. Would have been nice to have been surprised by Bowser or by learning that Mario’s trapped in a painting by continuing to play the game, and not a random KZbin video I thought would be fun to watch with breakfast. Not saying don’t make these kinds of documentary videos, but please include spoiler warnings in the future if you’re going to give away big plot reveals.

[@traftonstakes1553]

Bruh

[@Brokenface]

Complaining about spoiler for a twenty two years old game it's a bit too much. You shouldn't have watched It in the first place.

[@WhiskeyNixon]

I wish you'd have warned about and segmented the plot spoilers.

[@tical2399]

It's a 23 year old game. Get outta here talking bout "spoilers".

[@melindereynalds7474]

𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓂𝑜𝓈𝓂 💃

[@sonorousheartbeat3446]

That's ironic, dolphin emulator anyone?

[@Nodsaibot]

only interested in the game dev history, not impact, perception or how the game is played

[@Felix-Sited]

'Games have always had a player 2'. Your opening statement is so incorrect, that it's actually annoying and makes me hate you a little bit.

[@VideoGameDocs]

I’m curious what you mean by this. One of the first, most popular video games, Pong had two players. Even players waiting for their turn in my opinion count as a “Player 2.”

[@boxkid759]

This game sucks.

[@milesbbop9563]

Who cares. This is only the billionth video about mario and luigi. Grow up.

[@VideoGameDocs]

you got so mad at a thumbnail of a video you didn't have to click on just to comment this? and you're telling me to grow up? go re-upload some Metal Gear music bro.

[@orwell_fan]

W video

[@HeyTeacherLeaveThoseKidsAlone]

i didn't say anything about this game, just thought about it, and then a vid pops up about it. have you seen the mindreading tech they have now? what they show you is ten years behind what they already have.