Luigi’s Mansion 3 devs on ditching floor puzzles, lack of upgrade system, including the Virtual Boy, ghost lore

Kotaku has shared another round of quotes from the developers of Luigi’s Mansion 3. The site was able to speak with lead producer Kensuke Tanabe, producer Yoshihito Ikebata, and director Bryce Holliday.

During the discussion, the developers weighed in on why there aren’t floor puzzles in the final game, the decision behind not adding an upgrade system, and how the Virtual Boy made it in. They also shared a bit of lore for the main colored ghosts and the classic Boo ghosts we’ve come to know.

You can find excerpts from these topics below. For the full interview, head on over to Kotaku.

On not including floor puzzles in the final game…

“Those types of floor puzzles are the hardest to develop and the most challenging to change after the fact, hence the absence of them in the final product. However, that idea of room connections is throughout the game at the room scale rather than floor scale. There are many secrets within ‘gaps’ in the map, behind oddly placed walls or rooms where the height doesn’t seem to match those around it.” – Holliday

“There are many instances in game development where at first, things don’t turn out the way you speculate. When that happens, I try not to cling to that initial idea too much. For example, this is when I was working on The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. At first, we were thinking about structuring the game with numerous parallel worlds. However, in order to establish the gameplay in the end, we decided that it would be better to narrow it down to two worlds: Light and Dark. I think game development involves much work where you never know unless you actually test it out.” – Tanabe

On lack of an upgrade system/skill trees…

“Upgrades and skill trees aren’t very Luigi. He is a reluctant hero who already has the skills and bravery needed to tackle any problem. Players are helping Luigi overcome his nervousness to expose his true talents. Cleaning, destroying and collecting are engaging, Zen experiences that everyone is familiar with since childhood. It is compelling even if there is no other reason than the act itself.” – Holliday

On the difference between the game’s main, colorful ghosts and the classic, collectible white Boo ghosts and what their origins are…

“As for how the ghosts in the game were born, that is a mystery. It appears that the general ghosts live only in this region, and work at this hotel. Boos roam freely and show themselves randomly, so it is possible that they appear in other areas too, and not just this region.” – Ikebata

On including the Virtual Boy…

“The impression with the Virtual Boy is that it’s a ‘machine that specializes in three-dimensional expression,’ and is a part of Nintendo history. Regarding putting this in the game, we had a good idea with the Virtual Boo name that was applied from the start. From within the development team, it was decided from the beginning of development to use that as the subject. There wasn’t a negative response from Nintendo internally, and it was approved without any problems. I believe that there are users who aren’t familiar with the Virtual Boy, but it would be great if they used this opportunity to learn about the Virtual Boy.” – Ikebata