Tips and tricks for Luigi's Mansion 3

At its core, Luigi's Mansion 3 is a puzzle game. To get the best treasures and find all of the hidden items, you're going to need to use all of the tricks up your sleeve. Anyone who's played previous Luigi's Mansion games will notice that it uses many of the same mechanics we've seen before while elaborating upon them. While this isn't the hardest game out there, it can be tricky defeating ghosts in the quickest way possible or finding all of the goodies hidden in each level. Here are some tips for making your way through the haunted hotel.

Ransacking the hotel is the best way to find money

Now's your chance to act like a crazy rock star and destroy a hotel. Cash and coins are hidden just about everywhere in Luigi's Mansion 3. Some of the easiest places to find money are by interacting with anything that displays an X above it. For instance, when looking around a hotel room, you can open dresser drawers and cabinets.

Additionally, whenever you see a shelf lined with anything from towels to wrenches, you'll want to point your Poltergust G-00 at it and suck everything towards you. Money is usually hidden just behind these objects. You'll even find money after pulling off curtains, rugs, posters, tablecloths, and just about anything else. When in doubt, investigate every inch of a room with your vacuum.

You'll also find Piggy banks all over the hotel. Suck them in with your Poltergust and then blow air out to launch them across the room. They'll shatter, revealing plenty of coins, cash, and gold bars.

Kill all pests

Whenever you see a spider, bat, rat, or other pest run past, you'll want to take aim and either stun them with your Strobulb or suck them up with the Poltergust. This makes them burst into confetti and often results in bills and coins.

If a gold spider, bat, rat, or ghost shows up, drop what you're doing and run after it. They offer some of the best monetary rewards the game has to offer, but they only stick around for a limited amount of time. If you fail to catch a shiny pest when you first seem them, they'll be gone forever.

How to find more health

Hearts are hidden throughout the hotel, just like coins and cash. Poke the vacuum around every inch of the room to see if you can dislodge any health. If that doesn't do the trick, try interacting with anything in the room that displays an X above it.

There are multiple ways to control the Poltergust G-00

You flash the Strobulb by pressing either the A button or the R button. Additionally, you can shoot the Suction Shot's plunger by pressing either Y or L. I personally found it a lot easier to use L and R when running through the game.

To aim your weapon, you use the left joystick to go left or right, and then you use the right joystick to move up and down. If it's easier for you, you can also use motion controls to make Luigi look up or down. However, they won't make him look left or right. If you're playing in handheld mode, tilt the entire console, or if you're using detached Joy-Cons, tilt them to take advantage of this feature.

Unfortunately, motion controls don't work on the Switch Lite.

Getting past obstacles

If you ever come across something blocking your path, you can usually move it by doing one of three things: 1.) Solve a puzzle. 2.) Use the Poltergust G-00 to get it out of your way. 3.) Switch to Gooigi and use his special abilities.

If you simply need to get something out of your way try using the Burst attack by holding down ZR and ZL at the same time. If using Burst isn't the answer, try sucking on the object or blowing it away from you. Heftier objects will require you to use the Suction Shot. Shoot the plunger at the obstacle and then suck it back using the vacuum. This will result in Luigi slamming the item on the ground and shattering it. If it's a rather large item, both Luigi and Gooigi might need to work together to Suction Shot the object.

Finally, if it just doesn't seem like Luigi is capable of solving the problem, you might need to rely on Gooigi to access a specific area. Afterall, Gooigi can walk through bars and spikes.

Where'd that ghost run off to?

Luigi's Mansion 3 often uses the Polterpup to help Luigi figure out where to go next. If you forgot where the ghost dog ran off to or weren't paying attention during a cutscene, whip out the Dark Light and shine it around the room. This will illuminate his ghostly footprints. The same goes for any enemy ghost you're hunting down. The Dark Light allows you to see what walls or doors they went through.

The most effective way to catch ghosts

For the best ghost-sucking results, you'll first need to get close enough to a spook for your vacuum to reach it. At this point, it helps to stun it with a flash of light by holding down A for a few seconds and then releasing the button. If you can wait until the Strobulb has reached a full charge, it will have a stronger effect. While the ghost is dazed, use the Poltergust to suck it up and manuever the joystick in the opposite direction that the ghost is fleeing. If you suck in long enough, an A will appear above your head. Press A to slam a ghost into the ground. This will make its health go down a lot faster.

If a ghost is hiding behind something or wearing something over its eyes, it likely won't be affected by Luigi's Strobulb. You typically need to do one of three things to get rid of the object. 1.) Do a Burst attack by pressing ZL and ZR down to blast the shield away from them. 2.) Get close enough to the ghost that you can suck the item away from them. 3.) Time your Strobulb flash attack at the precise moment when the ghost moves its shield and becomes vulnerable. If that doesn't work, then there might be another trick to solve. Use the Poltergust's other abilities to see if you can get at the specter.

What to do when ghosts surround you

If there are too many ghosts surrounding you, your best bet will be to use Burst by pressing ZL and ZR down at the same time. This will send out a large blast of air to blow enemies away from you. While they're scattered, run after a specific one and try to capture it. You can also try flashing nearby ghosts with the Strobulb. This will halt them in their tracks, allowing you to run to safety or focus in on one of them.

If you want faster results, press the A button while sucking a ghost in to slam it on the ground. This shaves several points off of a ghost's health each time it's completed. You can even slam one ghost into another one to damage both of them at once.

Finding gems and keys

The best way to find goodies is to investigate anything suspicious. If you can tell that an important object is hidden somewhere nearby, but it's out of reach, you'll want to take a look around you. Is there anything connected to the obstacle in your path? You might simply need to shoot something at it using the Suction Shot or manipulate it using the Strobulb.

If you're stuck or it seems like something is missing from the room, then you might want to whip out the Dark Light. It can reveal objects that have turned invisible. If that doesn't work, try using any of the other attacks Luigi and Gooigi have to offer.

Finally, Luigi's Mansion 3 often gives hints in reflections. If you're ever near a mirror, look to see if there's anything you can interact with just out of your view.

Locating Boos

Boos are invisible ghosts who hide around the hotel. A tell-tale that you're in the same room as one will be hearing ominous organ music. If you want help finding them you can purchase a Boo Finder from Professor E. Gadd for 1000G. This item will project an image of a Boo on to your map to let you know which room to search. Just note, that once you use it, it's gone.

Boos hide in cabinets, pots, and anything else they can find. But, fear not. Your Switch console vibrates whenever you get near one. Pay attention to this so you can uncover these invisible pranksters. If you check the wrong locations too often the Boo will hide somewhere else in the same room. Once you've discovered its hiding place, shine the Polstergust's Dark Light to make it appear and then use the same ghost-catching techniques you'd use on a regular ghost.

Always have at least one Golden Bone

After you've progressed to a certain point in the game, you'll be able to spend your money on helpful items in Professor E. Gadd's lab. One of the most important things you'll want to have on you are Golden Bones. These allow Luigi to come back to life if he runs out of health. It'll come in handy while facing bosses or going up against a large group of ghosts.

Defeating bosses

Luigi's Mansion 3 is largely a puzzle game. Each boss has its own weakness, so you'll need to figure out what that is and then exploit it. Did you just learn a new skill? You'll likely need to use it during your current boss battle.

Other tips and tricks:

• Press the up button on the left Joy-Con to view a larger version of the map. Press the button again to put the map away.
• Want to hear Luigi say something? Press the left, right, or down buttons on the left Joy-Con to get him talking.
• If you can't remember your current objective, press the + button and then select E. Gadd Hotline to access the game log.
• Want to take a look at all those cool ghosts and gems you've collected? You can do so in Professor E. Gadd's lab.
• Both the A button and the R button control the Strobulb. Use whichever button feels better to you.