How To Access Luigi's Mansion 2's Secret Mode

Dark's Moon Secret Mode by mattshoy

LUIGI'S MANSION 2 / DARK MOON SECRET MIRROR MODE BY MATTSHOY

INTRODUCTION

I'm just going to cut to the chase here, there's a secret mode to Luigi's Mansion 2 that I am near certain no one has ever seen before. I'm sure you'll have a ton of questions on why that isn't the case but trust me, once you hear what I've got to say, then you'll understand exactly why no one has done it. I won't bore you with the details with how I came to discover or go on about how shocked I was with the discovery and content of the game. I'm just here to spread the word of this hidden mode right here at the heart of walkthrough sites, Gamefaqs.

0. PREPARATION

First thing's first, you'll want your game to be fully updated. Don't need to worry about needing a 1.0 version of this game or whatever, mostly because I think this was something the developers added in after the game was released.

Next step is to 100% complete the entire game. That means you need all of the ghosts captured, all of the treasure collected and a three star rank for every single mission in the game. It'll take time and dedication that should only come from a genuine appreciation for the game but once you do that, you'll be ready for the mode.

You'll know you're able to play it if you hear the first few notes of the original Luigi's Mansion theme play backwards when starting a new game. Now at first you'll need to just keep playing the game as normal, since there isn't any immediate way to start playing the new mode. You won't even be told that the new mode has been unlocked, the aforementioned backward notes will be your only clue.

1. ENTERING MIRROR MODE

Keep playing as normal until you enter the Foyer part of the first Mansion for the game. You'll know which part I'm talking about when you see it, it has a fountain in the middle of the room with a giant stone fish inside.

As soon as you see that, walk over to it and wait a couple of seconds. An A prompt will pop up and that's your cue to press it.

A small cutscene will play where Luigi takes a moment to pause and rest. He takes out a coin from one of his pockets and starts to flip it in the air. On one of the flips though, he misses his catch and he ends up dropping it into the fountain. While he looks down to try and find it, the eyes of the fish glow yellow while the water begins to glow. Luigi tries to reach an arm into the water to grab the coin. But all of a sudden, he slips and falls into the fountain. He disappears into the water as the entire world flips over. Luigi falls back out of the fountain into a new world.

Congratulations. You've just unlocked the Mirror Mode for Luigi's Mansion 2. Judging by the lack of this mode for both the 3DS version of Luigi's Mansion and the third entry of the series, this was a one and done deal. Perhaps it was removed from future entries due to the lack of people playing the first one? Regardless, you have now entered the Mirror World for the rest of the game.

So what makes this mode different than the rest? I'm pleasantly surprised to tell you that it's more than just the Hidden Mansion mode for the 3DS port of Luigi's Mansion with mere stat changes. No, you now get to play an entirely new remixed campaign with new story beats and different mansion layouts. Now for this specific mode, you won't need to worry about collecting treasures or coins. The counter for it will be permanently cranked up and stuck at 2,666,333. What you will need to be worrying about is the new enemy varieties.

2. ENEMY TYPES.

Gone are the weird and out of place neon ghosts and back are the original ones from the first game. But with these ghosts, not only has their health been given a sizeable bump but they're incredibly aggressive. The amount of enemies has also increased so your skill at using a Poltergust will be well and truly challenged. You'll also notice that the designs have been spruced up a bit, with a darker colour palette, sharp teeth and dark red eyes.

A plus to this change however is the added option to leave any room at any time, even if a ghost is currently inside. This comes with an inherent risk however, as ghosts that were sucked up in that room will respawn back in.

Boss battles with the Boos and the final boss for each mansion will also be changed drastically. For the Boos, all of them will be adorned with a variety of jewels and crowns. And instead of being called just Boos, they'll be known as "Oobs." These "Oobs" tend to be some of the most aggressive enemies you'll face in the game.

Not only are they immensely aggressive and will barely let up any room for breathing but they are the only enemy type in the game that will follow you to another room if you're too cowardly to face them in their chosen room. Seems like they've got a grudge with Luigi after taking down King Boo.

For the final bosses for each mansion, each of them have been redesigned to be more "spooky" than the original. The giant spider for the finale of the first mansion for instance has a lot more eyes than the original spider, being dotted all over the arachnid. The ghost possessing the spider is the source for all of the eyes, being the general shape of an eye with tiny little holes all around it that are always looking at where Luigi is. The other bosses follow this line of thinking, with the haunted staircase being changed to be constantly burning and screaming, the giant clock taking place in what could only be described as hell, the gigantic ice creature now melting acidic fluids from its eyes and mouth and the haunted knights near the end of the game have been changed to be constantly leaking a dark red liquid which is toxic to Luigi.

The biggest change that occurs goes to Gnik Oob (King Boo backwards) himself. But before I can get to him, I need to explain the story changes.

3. STORY.

The next notable change is the removal of Professor E. Gadd. Or at least, how we all remember him as. Instead, we're treated to the arrival of Ddag the Third. Near enough the polar opposite to E. Gadd in just about everything in that he was a wide eyed, freakishly tall monster that delights in bullying and teasing Luigi. Or as he calls him "The Green Blunder." At the end of every mission he brings you in just like E. Gadd would do. But instead of recounting the area you were just in or furthering the plot, he chomps on his cigar as he tells Luigi he's never going to win against Gnik Oob and he may as well just forget about saving the Princess.

That's another thing to note, Princess Peach was now in the mirror world and kidnapped by Gnik. It seems to be that Ddag's whole purpose in the story is an oxymoron, to both bring Luigi to Gnik by sending him through the mansions while at the same time demean him enough to drive him away. Or maybe the latter part isn't true and he's doing it to convince Luigi to fight with some reverse psychology. Or maybe I'm just reading into this extra hard mode too much. It's whatever you want it to be.

But anyways, that's not the only change. Once the final bosses of each mansion are complete, Luigi gets a chance to peek into the "real" world to see what's going on. Running parallel along this story is Mario exploring the mansions, after having somehow escaped from the painting. Because of the fact that he doesn't have a Poltergust within the small sections, he's usually on the receiving end of a particularly spooky haunting. There's usually a neat gameplay section here where Luigi can help out Mario by using his gadgets to either capture the ghost or send it running off away from Mario. The last section of this before the Mansion however doesn't have this option as King Boo is the one chasing after Mario this time. Luigi can only watch as his brother tries to take him down. Before the scene can end properly, King Boo notices Luigi peeking through the mirror and smashes it. The only way to save Mario is to get to the final mansion and defeat the final boss.

4. FINAL MANSION/BOSS.

As the final section of the game, this is the one that's been given the most changes. Especially since that now Gnik Oob is in the forefront, he gets the most screentime here than other sections. And because of how much different he is compared to King Boo, I believe it's right to finally talk about the guy in detail.

As a contrast to the royal spectre, Gnik is a peasant. It's a title he wears as a badge of honour. Instead of a normal Boo, his design calls to mind of Bowser. Or at least one of his kids that's never been seen in a Mario game before or since this game. A short and stout koopaling essentially. He's a completely blackened and dirtied character with pinprick purple eyes and an empty mouth. He wears a purple jewel as a necklace, which has a tendency to show off Princess Peach who had been taken away.

Once the knights are beaten and Gnik's boss sequence begins, the boss fight is evidently different than the original. Now instead of running around a weird grid as the two characters are taken to a weird spiral world, it takes place outside the building in a hedge maze where Luigi has to make sure he doesn't run into electrified grids on the floor. And instead of Luigi needing to run from section to the next, he has to run away from Gnik as the ghost makes the attempt to capture and eat him. Defeating Gnik breaks the jewel that frees Princess Peach and simultaneously sends the two of them back to the real world. You only need to capture a worn out King Boo after this and you'll have completed the secret mode for Luigi's Mansion 2: Dark Moon! It ends with all three of them checking up on each other and getting themselves into a big hug...with the ghost puppy sneaking in for a cheeky lick to Luigi's face. Professor E. Gadd is nowhere to be seen.

TIPS AND TRICKS.

Always keep a finger by the flashlight button. Be prepared to be using that thing near 24/7 when playing the game as the ghosts will always want to attack you.
Don't worry about searching treasure throughout the game. Primary concern with this mode should be to just capture ghosts and solve puzzles.
While it is tempting, don't skip rooms. Backtracking will be common in this mode and you will not want to go throw those hellish rooms repeatedly over and over again - BELIEVE ME - when I say you don't want that.
Most importantly, have fun. At times this will be immensely frustrating and hard to overcome but with perservarance and a love for the game, you'll make it through.

CREDITS.

mattshoy - The writer for this whole article.
Nintendo & Next Level Games - Developers and creators of Luigi's Mansion 2.