Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- Treacherous Mansion - Terrifying Invasion

King Boo sent the invasions of ghosts to reclaim the mansions. He's sent a horde of ghosts to Treacherous Mansion. These are the strongest ghosts he's got. If successful, they could invade Evershade Valley and the world beyond.

As always, check the map for locations of ghosts. Catch them as quickly as possible and use the E-Gates to your advantage. The ghosts are a mix of strong and regular ghosts of many varieties. Gadd calls when you're almost done, and when you've defeated all the ghosts. We're the finest ghost hunter he's seen.

Clear Time: 4:50
Ghosts Captured: 22
Health Lost: 80
Treasure: 433
Gold Rank

Gadd says we've saved everyone from the ravaging ghosts. King Boo must be furious. And with that, we are done. It was a fun ride.

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- King Boo's Illusion - A Nightmare to Remember

Luigi lands somewhere dark and surreal. King Boo is laughing. Some curtains open and King Boo is wandering around. The curtains close and Mario's painting appears. King Boo makes the painting disappear. He's not happy about Luigi trapping him in a painting and he's going to paint the town red. He broke the Dark Moon. His crown enhances his power. He wants to be supreme ruler of our world, with the Evershade Valley ghosts as his army. He'll turn everyone into paintings. The final battle starts!

King Boo will pound the arena, causing a shockwave, and making spike balls appear. Don't touch them. When the spike balls are about to drop down, lure him under a shadow and use the vacuum to hold King Boo in place and let them land on him. You can now vacuum him. He has 100 HP. When you drop his HP to 0, he won't be contained in the vacuum. He breaks up the battle arena and Luigi slides into a mansion.

Now you have to run from him, dodging furniture obstacles. Ahead are pillows which will slow you down. Stay on the hardwood floors. You'll go up and down stairs, some of which are slides and escalators. Dodge the snow and spring out the window.

You'll return to the battle arena. Pillows will land on the floor. The battle will continue as usual. Some of the tiles will become cracked. If a spiked ball rolls over them, they will return to normal. He'll escape the Poltergust 5000 and chase you through a mansion.

This mansion will have suits of armor and will be dark in spots. Use the flashes of light and your flashlight to navigate, as there springs to deal with. Next is an icy patch with ice tablets blocking your way. They'll fall eventually, but will slow you down. Slide down the stairs and ice. Run between the suits of armor and spring out of the window back to the battle arena.

Avoid the lightning strikes. The floor won't change, but only one tile will be safe. The next few rounds of lightning will change the floor to cracked tiles or spikes. This time, when you drop his HP to 0, you'll capture him. The jewel in his crown is spit out. It's over. Grab the jewel, do a victory dance, and the illusion shatters, and you're on the Terrace.

Mario's painting is here. Gadd pixelates to the Terrace. Gadd says Luigi should try using the Dark Light to free Mario, instead of knocking on the frame. Mario thanks Luigi, calling him "Number 1". The five Toads pixelate in, with the Dark Moon pieces. They help Luigi reassemble the Dark Moon and it flies into the sky, sending out a wave of pacifying energy. Ghosts in the vault and all of Evershade Valley are friendly again. Gadd releases all of the ghosts in the Ghost Container. Time for a group photo! Luigi hangs the photo in his house, and has taken in the Polterpup.

Clear Time: 5:54
Ghosts Captured: 1
Health Lost: 130
Treasure: 300
Silver Rank

Roll credits!

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- Treacherous Mansion - Stop the Knightmare

Gadd says the Parascope can't find the Dark Moon piece, so it must be beyond the portal. King Boo must be on the other side as well, with Mario's painting. Gadd's proud of us.

Terrace
We land on the Terrace and are pulled through the portal.

???
We're in some part of an unknown mansion. A suit of armor is holding the Dark Moon piece. Approach it, and the last possessor ghost reveals itself. It splits in two and each one possesses a suit of armor. They'll run around and attack you. Lead them both onto a single rug and pull it out from under them. The suits of armor will break apart and the possessor will reform. It will put up a shield and fly around the room. Each time it stops, the shield will drop. Vacuum it to peel off one layer. The possessor will split into three this time and possess three suits of armor. As before, lead all three to a single rug and yank the rug out from under them. The possessor will reform and you can vacuum it. Now it splits into four and flies outside. It takes over a giant suit of armor that steps into the room. Each step will make rubble drop down and it will try to stomp you. Pull out the rug when both feet are on it. It will also drag its sword through the floor. This time, get the feet to stand on two separate rugs and pull them out one at a time. He'll flip out of the room and the four possessors will reform, put up a shield, and charge. Vacuum up the possessor for the Dark Moon piece. Gadd brings us back to the Bunker.

Clear Time: 2:26
Ghosts Captured: 1
Health Lost: 50
Treasure: 60
Silver Rank

During transport, the Dark Moon goes through, but something pulls Luigi back. Only the Dark Moon piece reaches the Bunker.

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- Treacherous Mansion - E-5 Paranormal Chaos

After our battle with Big Boo, there's a new radical signal on the Parascope. Gadd says it's a distortion of the fabric of our dimension. There's a paranormal portal on the Terrace. Gadd thinks the Dark Moon piece might be beyond it. Mario and King Boo should be there, as well. It's a dangerous task, but we must do it.

Inner Courtyard
We land in the Inner Courtyard. Spin the staircase so you can reach the door in the back, near the pixelator screen.

Terrace
King Boo is here. He uses the gem on his crown to open the portal and goes through it. Lots of strong ghosts fly out of the portal. This is probably how the infestations happen. Gadd says the portal will have to wait as we deal with these ghosts, or our dimension could collapse on itself. It starts storming. Check your map for locations of ghosts. Use E-Gates to move quickly.

Nautical Exhibit
Slammers are here, both strong and regular varieties.

Space Exhibit
Strong Greenies are here, some with shields.

Aviation Exhibit
Restore the hot air balloon to make MaraBoo appear. MaraBoo has 40 HP.

Ice Age Exhibit
Strong Sneakers are here.

Dark Age Exhibit
Strong Greenies with swords and shields.

Ancient Exhibit
Mummies and Strong Greenies whipping up twisters. After a while, Gadd will call, saying the dimension is reaching its paranormal limit. A timer will tell you how much time you have left. The timer will stop if you catch some ghosts to bring the level much lower than the limit.

Jungle Exhibit
Strong Gobber.

Restrooms
Creepers.

Kitchen
Strong Hiders

Once you've taken care of all the above ghosts, Gadd calls, saying there are high paranormal readings in the Terrace again.

Terrace
More ghosts are coming through the portal. Catch as many as you can, especially if you can get multiple ghosts at a time. Prepare for an absolute onslaught of ghosts. Gadd may tell you the paranormal level is getting too high. Once you're done, Gadd calls, saying we're an artist at ghost-catching. He returns us to the Bunker.

Clear Time: 13:58
Ghosts Captured: 52
Health Lost: 309
Treasure: 2084
Silver Rank

King Boo sent the ghosts to stop us after we defeated Big Boo. The portal is still open, so we can reach him. We'll have to hurry before he closes it.

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- Treacherous Mansion - E-4 Ambush Maneuver

Gadd routed the pixelator to the tiny camera in the Train Exhibit. Strong signals are still in the area and are not moving. We can pixelate there with the element of surprise, defeat King Boo, and save Mario.

Train Exhibit
We land in the train model and it's quiet. We can't cross the train tracks. There's a bunch of balloons on the track, as well as a train missing its engine. Restore the train engine and it moves towards the balloons and pops them. A bunch of Boos notice and conglomerate into Big Boo. It's somewhat like the Big Boo battle in Luigi's Mansion: we have to pop Big Boo into smaller Boos and defeat them. Big Boo will bounce around the inside of the train tracks or dive into the floor and move around. If he dives into the floor, try to lure him into running into the train engine's drill. If he bounces around, he'll eventually stop and let his tongue hang out. Pull it and aim him so he hits the drill. The train is constantly moving, so this is a little difficult. When you do, he'll burst into smaller balloons and a couple of hearts. At this point, the tops of the train cars will open. Grab a Boo by the tongue and aim it at the train cars. This will trap each Boo in a cage. The Boos will reform Big Boo after a short while, so be quick. It may take a while, but you must put each Boo in a cage. Gadd calls, saying that our plan to ambush King Boo was used against us. As there is no sign of Mario, Gadd will bring us back, after a victory dance, of course.

Clear Time: 7:36
Ghosts Captured: 0
Health Lost: 225
Treasure: 0
Bronze Rank

Gadd can't believe King Boo tricked us. He thinks King Boo staged the security image to lure us into the trap. The Boos in the train remained trapped until Gadd routed them to the Vault with the pixelator. Gadd wonders how King Boo escaped his portrait, but did mention selling it at a garage sale. Still, how he was released is still a mystery.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- Treacherous Mansion - E-3 A Train to Catch

Gadd's processed the security camera image, and it's the most recent one yet. This time we can clearly see the painting the Boos have- it's Mario. How this happened is unknown. There's a train in here, making this part of the Train Exhibit in the mansion. There's a miniature train model in the room. King Boo is also in the room, and we can see all of him, not just his shadow. He turns around and laughs, disrupting the image. There's a huge signal in the Train Exhibit. Gadd thinks Mario might be able to help us fight King Boo. Gadd gives us a makeshift rotor to operate the staircase in the Inner Courtyard.

Front Entrance
We land in the Front Entrance. We need to go to the Inner Courtyard. If you're looking for treasure, go through all the hallways and restore gargoyles for extra cash.

Inner Courtyard
Install the rotor and spin the staircase so it reaches the landing on the right. The door leads to the East Corridor.

East Corridor
There are coins on the ceiling and a trail of coins leading to a fake door. If you check it out, a Strong Greenie and some Creepers will appear. The door on the right that's not directly across from the door to the Inner Courtyard takes you to the Nautical Exhibit.

Nautical Exhibit
It's foggy in here. There's a Strong Slammer spinning a helm, which flips the part of the wall with the E-Gate. Blow air on the open porthole to close it, then vacuum the fog. You can now vacuum the Strong Slammer, along with the Strong Greenie, and regular Greenie wearing a dive helmet. Ignore the octopus in the corner: it will hurt you. Activate the E-Gate. Grab a bucket of water from the Dark Age and Jungle Exhibits and place it at the stern of ship, where the life ring is. The helm will move out of the way so you can go outside. The rest of the ship is outside, with a treasure chest containing a diamond. Flip the E-Gate it to the other side using the helm. This will place the E-Gate in the Study next door, which is where you should go.

Study
There's an invisible book on the table to the right of the E-Gate. Restore it and replace it on the bookshelf. A Strong Poltergeist will push the book off the shelf and take it away. Gadd calls and says we need the book to open the passageway. Gadd says the ghost's on the same floor on the west side of the mansion. There are balloon plants in the room. The ceiling's fairly low here, so why would they be here? They're here so we can get lots and lots of treasure. Grab a balloon plant and go through the E-Gate.

Dark Age Exhibit
Use the balloon to float to the second floor. To the left are some painting which give you lots of coins. To the right is a bed with a gold balloon plant. This will make coins appear in a Boo shape. Collect them all to make a treasure chest appear with Booreaucrat. Booreaucrat has 40 HP. Treasure hunter, read on. Those who want to complete the mission, skip ahead to the Inner Courtyard.

Front Entrance
Take a balloon plant here. Fly up to the upper level, where gargoyles are. There's an invisible one on the left that has lots of money. One on the right is holding a blue book. Take it to the Dark Age Exhibit and place it on the bookshelf for a diamond.

Ice Age Exhibit
The wooly mammoth has moved. Pull its tail to make the fish jump out of the water all at once for lots of money. Take a balloon here and float up. On the left side of the room is a gold balloon. Follow the trail of coins to make a treasure chest with a diamond. The air currents will make this a little difficult. There's an invisible treasure chest where the wooly mammoth used to be. It has lots of money.

Ancient Exhibit
There's lots of money here, so bring a balloon. At the very top is a trail of coins and gold bars. The treasure chest also has lots of money. The gold balloon will make rings of coins appear in the center of the room. Go in the opposite direction of the coins to collect them faster. The treasure chest has lots of gold birds that will give you lots of money if you stun them.

Jungle Exhibit
Bring a balloon here, as well. Float up near the river and go left. The gold balloon is here. There are four rings of coins all over the room. This will get you a diamond. The door on the left leads to the East Balcony, where there are gold frogs and a treasure chest with money.

Inner Courtyard
If you went treasure hunting, Gadd will call you to go to the Space Exhibit. Spin the staircase so you can reach the door on the left. The door leads to the West Corridor.

West Corridor
There are three Creepers here. Once the lights are on gold spiders will appear. The door to the Space Exhibit is invisible, so restore it. There are other places to explore, if you like.

Archive
The room's fairly empty, aside from four boxes. A laugh will come from them. Check the out in the correct order: lower left, upper right, upper left, lower right to make a Gold Greenie appear.

Aviation Exhibit
There's a hot air balloon and a model plane. Spin the propeller and follow the plane around for lots of money. Remove a ballast from the hot air balloon and a Strong Hider and two Strong Greenies will appear. Stun them immediately so you can vacuum all three at once. When you're done, remove the other ballast for a diamond.

Space Exhibit
The telescope is rattling. Check it out to see the Strong Poltergeist on another planet. When you're done checking it out, you'll find yourself on that planet. The rings will start spinning and the stars will start glowing. He'll throw one at you. Stun him when you can, and vacuum him up as much as possible. He'll make the rings spin faster, then make bombs come out of the planet. Avoid them. He has 200 HP. Once you defeat him, you'll return to the Space Exhibit with the book. There's an E-Gate in the rocket. If you pull the cord from the other rocket, a Gold Greenie will laugh at you. Get a piece of wood from the Jungle Exhibit, light it in the Ancient Exhibit, and use it to light the cord. The rocket will take off through the ceiling. Leave and return. The rocket crashed and the Gold Greenie is stunned. Take the book back to the study to put it on the bookshelf. The door to the Train Exhibit will appear.

Train Exhibit
There are two Strong Hiders and a Strong Sneaker here. Once you're done, use the Strobulb on the train engine for lots of money. Restore the missing piece of track and a train will appear. Hop aboard. It will take you for a loop on the track for a diamond. Check the miniature train model and you'll see lots of Boos around Mario's painting. Gadd calls, with an idea on how to get into the train model. He returns us to the Bunker.

Clear Time: 56:48
Ghosts Captured: 18
Health Lost: 126
Treasure: 2716
Silver Rank

Gadd assures us we'll get Mario back, but he thinks the painting would do well at an auction. There's a camera in the train model that we might be able to use to pixelate there directly. Of course, it's dangerous.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- Treacherous Mansion - E-2 Double Trouble

Gadd says the signals from the mansion are getting stronger, so locating the Dark Moon piece is impossible at this point. He's also worried about the Toad assistant looking after the exhibits of artifacts from all over Evershade Valley. He might know about the Dark Moon piece, but from what we saw in the last mission, we won't find him easily.

Veranda
We land next to the front door. Go through the front door into Front Entrance, after King Boo goes away.

Front Entrance
There are several E-Gates here, but they have to be activated from somewhere else. The gargoyle on the right has an invisible red ball. Pull it to make the stairs drop, revealing a safe. It contains a diamond and a Strong Slammer. The door on the left leads to the West Gallery.

West Gallery
There are a couple suits of armor and a gargoyle that gives you money. The door on the left leads to the Dark Age Exhibit.

Dark Age Exhibit
There are several medieval objects here. Check the iron maiden to make a couple of Strong Hiders and a Strong Greenie appear. Once you're done, check the treasure chest for money and a red book. Place back on the bookshelf to reveal the other E-Gate. The door on the back wall leads to Grand West.

Grand West
There's an invisible set of drawers to your immediate left with a Gold Greenie. Towards the back is snow. The hallway splits. In the hallway to the right, the second door on the left leads to the Kitchen. The first is fake.

Kitchen
The middle doors of the pantry conceal a carnivorous plant. Check the stove to get the burning chicken and shoot it at the plant for lots of money. Restore the ice box on the left to enter a secret area. It's another maze for Red Coins. Go either way, but be warned that the path is slippery and fish are in the water. Your reward is five gold bars. From Grand West, go through the door on the right to the Inner Courtyard.

Inner Courtyard (First Floor)
There's a large gargoyle holding two cages. Gadd says that there's a pixelator screen above us, but we'll need to figure out how to reach it. It's on the second floor. Other than getting some money, there's not much we can do here for now. Go through the back door in Grand West to the Ice Age Exhibit.

Ice Age Exhibit
There's a wooly mammoth here and lots of snow. The holes in the ice have fish that jump from them. Through the hole in the ice on the left, we can see a painting of a Toad. Inside the igloo is the E-Gate. Vacuum the wooly mammoth's trunk and it comes to life, and flings you to the Gargoyle Roof.

Gargoyle Roof
We can see the stars from here. Some are shooting stars, which we can pick up and place back in the constellation. It forms a star when finished and will give you a diamond. Restore the gargoyle on the front right corner for money. Return through the air vent. Return to the Front Entrance using an E-Gate.

Front Entrance
The door on the right leads to the East Gallery.

East Gallery
There's not much here beyond a gold mouse. The door on the right leads to the Jungle Exhibit.

Jungle Exhibit
There's a treasure chest under a leaf with lots of money. Nearby are some tiki statues. Vacuuming will rattle them, which makes Strong Greenies with spears appear. It also makes a carnivorous plant appear in front of the Toad painting. To the right is a vine to the lower level of the room. Under the waterfall is the E-Gate. Use it and others to return to the Dark Age Exhibit and pick up the Bucket the Strong Greenie was wearing and bring it back. The plant that needs to be watered produces a spiky bulb. Pick it up and step on the orange flower to spring to the level of the Toad painting. Green Toad says Boos chased him all over. His friend got captured. This Toad also does not like water, so help him out. The back door leads to Grand East.

Grand East
There are two Strong Sneakers here, which will try to use Green Toad as a shield. The hallway splits to the Inner Courtyard and the Restrooms.

Restrooms
There's a Strong Slammer reading a newspaper. Flush the toilet with the red ball and defeat him. The other door to the Restrooms must be restored from the hallway. Flush the toilet for a diamond. The door to the toilet stall will open. Approach the toilet and a Strong Greenie will flush it. Defeat it. The safe in the other restroom has lots of money. At the end of Grand East, the door leads to the Ancient Exhibit.

Ancient Exhibit
It seems like two eyes are staring at you. Activate the "eyes" to make the sand lower. This reveals torches and some sarcophagi. Pull the red ball a few times to reveal the E-Gate. This, however, awakens the mummies. On the bright side, the torches burn up the wrapping, revealing Strong Greenies. Once you're done with them, take Green Toad through the E-Gate, then through the E-Gate to the Jungle Exhibit. Bring the bucket of water back and walk up the ramp on the right. The plant on the left will give you a diamond. Go back and get a piece of wood from the Jungle Exhibit and light it on fire. Go through the E-Gates to the Ice Age Exhibit.

Ice Age Exhibit
Use the fire to thaw all the ice to the left. The pit in the back has an invisible treasure chest with lots of money. Save Pink Toad. Gadd says to pixelate the Toads, although he thinks there's only one of them. Once you leave the part of the room that was iced over, Strong Greenies appear. Once you deal with them, take the Toads to the Inner Courtyard.

Inner Courtyard
Pick up each Toad and shoot him into a cage. This makes Boopa Troopa appear, with 35 HP. Three Strong Sneakers assist it. Restore the gargoyle statue when you're done. Put the Toads in the cages again, stand back, and activate the statue with the Strobulb. This makes a winding staircase to the pixelator screen appear. Return the Toads. Gadd says he forgot two Toads were at the mansion and thought one was a ghost, so he hit one on the nose. (Not sure if Toads have noses, but that's besides the point.) He returns us to the Bunker.

Clear Time: 44:31
Ghosts Captured: 21
Health Lost: 115
Treasure: 2314
Silver Rank

Gadd says we're clumsy and sluggish, but dependable. The fact that he sent two Toads to Treacherous Mansion was a minor detail that got lost in his research. The Toads know nothing about the Dark Moon piece, but say there's lots of activity on the second floor of the mansion. They also have a security camera image.

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- Treacherous Mansion - E-1 Front-Door Key

The last Dark Moon piece is in Treacherous Mansion and so are some of the highest levels of paranormal activity ever recorded. Gadd says it's a terrible idea for a paranormal investigator to go in there, but not for Luigi. On the bright side, Luigi has a very bushy moustache. Gadd gives us the Front-Door Key so we can get into the mansion easily. Gadd can't pinpoint the Dark Moon piece's current location due to the paranormal interference, so we'll have to look around.

Veranda
We land on the Veranda, which crosses a narrow bridge of rock to the mansion. Below are thunderous waterfalls. If you go back through the gate and use the Strobulb on the gargoyles, you'll get some money, even more from the invisible one on the right. Past the gate is a narrow bridge that we must cross like the beams. The first one is really short. The rocks ahead fall apart, so you'll have to jump to another bridge. All the while, you're looking at the water below. The third bridge is short, but will break when you get close to the other side. You'll stuck at the mansion now. Check out the front door and guess who shows up? As expected, it's the Polterpup, who takes the key and runs off. The gargoyles move so you can go to other parts of the Veranda. To the right, you can look into the window and see a couple of Toads being turned into paintings by King Boo. Through a broken window on the left, you'll see Greenies playing with parts of suits of armor. A little further to the left is an invisible treasure chest with lots of money. Down the stairs, you'll see the Polterpup run off, and a well. Shine the Dark Light on the well to restore a red ball. The doghouse to the right has money. Go down the stairs near the well and you'll see a blocked door. The Polterpup is on the other side, wearing a helmet. We'll have to find another way in, because we don't have any haunted dog treats. This is where the well comes in. Go into the Bottom of the Well.

Bottom of the Well
Peel off the lighter covering on the wall for lots of money. There are lots of mushrooms down here (and none of them give you special powers). Go to the right and pull the tangled vine to break open the wall to the Guard Tunnel.

Guard Tunnel
As expected, the Polterpup runs off when you appear. Aside from looking through the back wall into the Ceremonial Chamber, the only thing you can do is pull another tangle of vines on the right wall. This will make two Strong Greenies appear. They'll pick up swords, so try to vacuum them up at the same time. A Strong Slammer will appear as well. Another Strong Greenie will appear and help it. Once all four ghosts are gone, the path to the right opens up. This leads to the Cliffside.

Cliffside
There's a wheel on the wall that briefly raises the gate ahead. Run quickly to get past it. The spikes will hurt you. The door behind it leads to a part of the Ceremonial Chamber.

Ceremonial Chamber
You can't do anything about the web with the gold bars initially, so go to the left. In the main part of the Chamber, there are suits of armor and gargoyles. Pick up the web ball to the left. You can get the gold bars to the right and light the fuses under the gargoyles. A chair with a suit of armor will appear. Another suit of armor will start moving. Wait until it's over the rug, then pull the rug out from under it. It's a Strong Greenie. Spiders will start appearing. The suit of armor on the chair will move. It's another Strong Greenie. Once you're done, get the money from the chest behind the first suit of armor that moved. Sit in the chair and it will take you further underground to the Haunted Catacombs.

Haunted Catacombs
This place is off the map. It's also a maze. You're supposed to take a certain path to find the Polterpup. If you take the wrong path, you return to the part with the chair. The Polterpup took the correct path, so follow his paw prints. Initially, you'll go closer to the screen, then to the right. The back wall there has a rattling coffin behind the wallpaper. Go to the right once more,  from where the paw prints are, then go towards the back wall, past two suits of armor. Go left to check out the rattling coffin. It's a secret area where you have 10 seconds to collect 8 Red Coins while dodging a couple of suits of armor. It's not much of a maze; just run. Your prize is 5 gold bars. When you return, follow the paw prints again. That will take you to the right, then towards the front wall to a door. To summarize, with front meaning towards the wall closest to the screen and back meaning towards the back wall, go front, front, right, right, back, back, right, front. If you move to the front once more, there's an invisible treasure chest with lots of money. The door leads to the Underground Lab.

Underground Lab
There are Strong Greenies performing a Frankenstein-like experiment on a suit of armor without arms. It rises up a little. Vacuum off their goggles, then get them, as well as the Strong Sneaker. Once they're gone, spin the same wheel to get another bolt of electricity. This will knock the helmet off, revealing Boolldog, with 40 HP. Use the helmet to hit the jar on the wall with a diamond. The door on the right returns you to the Haunted Catacombs, on the other side.

Haunted Catacombs
This maze is a little shorter: front, left. There's another door. If, from the door of the lab, you go right, front, you'll reach a treasure chest with money. From the treasure chest, back, back to the slumped suit of armor, right to the webs, front, front, to another door. Before we check it out, go back, right, back right to a painting of a web ball. Light it on fire, then bring the web ball to the web. Behind the web is a diamond. The door the Polterpup didn't go through leads to the other side of the Cliffside.

Cliffside
Dangling from the vine is a diamond. Vacuum it up. Behind the back wall's covering are lots of gold bars. Vacuum the plants for coins and stun the bats. Wall around to a treasure chest with lots of money. Return to the Haunted Catacombs and go through the door the Polterpup went through to the Dungeon Cells.

Dungeon Cells
The Polterpup was here, but a rumbling scares him off. In one of the barrels is a Strong Hider with 75 HP. Remove the plant from the large barrel to get some water flowing and fill the bucket. Carry the bucket into the first cell, which has a plant. The plant will give you lots of money. Go to the third cell and vacuum the bars. The painting on the wall produces bombs. Blow up the wall in the third cell, then pull the red ball to flip the painting into the second cell and blow up that wall. Enter the second cell from the first cell. The Polterpup is in the barrel and you can catch him now. This will give you the Front-Door Key. Go through the hole in wall in the third cell and Gadd calls. He returns us to the Bunker.

Clear Time: 32:49
Ghosts Captured: 11
Health Lost: 100
Treasure: 1628
Bronze Rank

We've finally caught the Polterpup. He won't escape this time. Gadd thought we would encounter more ghosts, but we only explored the basement. He also thinks someone's redecorated it to look creepier.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- Secret Mine - Severe Infestation

Ghosts have infested the Secret Mine and they seem to be stronger than the ones from infestations in other mansions. Gadd thinks whoever is behind this is trying to regain control over the mansions.

As always, just check the map to see where you have to go. Locations will vary mission to mission. Defeat them as quickly as possible. Be warned that some of them are strong ghosts. Gadd says he could do it faster.

Clear Time: 6:13
Ghosts Captured: 19
Health Lost: 180
Treasure: 138
Bronze Rank

Gadd thinks someone is planning the infestations, probably the same individual that shattered the Dark Moon. But ghosts don't stand a chance against Luigi.

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- Secret Mine - Chilly Ride

The Dark Moon piece and the possessor are both in the Workshop. Gadd says possessor ghosts showed up when the Dark Moon shattered, so he doesn't know much about them, other than they're the most powerful ghosts in Evershade Valley.

Workshop Landing
Use the Strobulb on the door and go into the Workshop.

Workshop
The possessor ghost is here and flies into the ice in the center of the room, making an ice monster face. It started tunneling. The room shakes and Luigi lands on a device that shoots bombs.

Frozen Pit
The face will freeze over. Use the bombs to break the ice, but be quick about it. The ice will reform after a while. After all the ice is gone, shoot a bomb into the mouth. This will make the possessor ghost appear. He fly all over the room, warping in and out of the area. When it pauses, vacuum off a layer. He'll go back into the ice and you'll have to shoot the ice again. Be sure to hit all the ice pieces quickly, or the shooter will overheat. If it starts smoking, it's game over. After you get the center pieces, aim for the left side of the tunnel, so the pieces will be approaching the bomb from the right as it bounces to the right. As with all possessor ghosts, there are two layers to peel off, and the remaining ghost will give you the Dark Moon piece. Grab it and Gadd calls. The reception is really poor down here. The victory dance is complicated due to ice.

Clear Time: 6:40
Ghosts Captured: 1
Health Lost: 0
Treasure 60
Silver Rank

Gadd was worried that we might be too far away to get pixelated back to the Bunker. With the Boos we've caught, we've unlocked a new mission. The Dark Moon piece is cleaned up and the fog clears up. We can now access Treacherous Mansion.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- Secret Mines - D-3 Across the Chasm

Gadd's located the Dark Moon piece in the Workshop across the chasm. The pixelator over there isn't working, but we can use a gondola to cross. We can board it at the Terminal.

Chalet
The Chalet is dark and filled with snow. The snow seems to be coming from the fireplace. Vacuum the snow from around the elevator and check out the fireplace. This will take you upstairs. The window's open. Shut it by blowing air. Vacuum the painting on the wall to reveal a safe with lots of money. Spin the wheel on the pillar to make the chandelier rise. The chandelier above will light it. Spin the wheel the opposite way to lower it, which thaws the elevator. Go to the Terminal.

Terminal
The mirror on the back wall is cracked. Remove the snow covering an exploding robot and activate them both to crack the mirror further, revealing more exploding robots. Behind the mirror is a gondola. Approach it, and three strong ghosts with chains appear and seal it off. We'll need to defeat all of them to access the gondola.

Basin
The Strong Gobber is here. Restore the invisible exploding robot on the back wall and activate it. The Strong Gobber will disappear and Hiders will appear. Deal with the Hiders, which is difficult due to the ice, then deal with the Strong Gobber, with 300 HP. Keep moving to avoid his goop. You'll get a couple of hearts when you defeat him. This removes the yellow chain.

Crossroads
The Strong Greenie is the Smuggler's Hideout, so you'll pass by through here. Restore the invisible mine cart (you'll have to go through the E-Gate to capture the Spirit Balls) for a sapphire.

Smuggler's Hideout
One suit of armor is missing and the other is rattling. Restore the missing suit of armor and the Strong Greenie will appear and open the window to let some Sneakers in. Shut the window and deal with them. The Strong Greenie has 100 HP. Defeating him will break the green chain. Keep going down into the mine if you're treasure-hunting. Otherwise, go to the Chalet.

Deep Hall
Restore the kettle and pull it over the fire to make ParaBoola appear. ParaBoola has 35 HP.

Crystal Quarry
There's an E-Gate here. Activate it and go through it to return to the Chalet. You'll land on the couch, revealing a sapphire.

Chalet
Check the drawers near the pixelator screen to reveal the Strong Slammer. He'll go into the fireplace. Go near the fireplace and Greenies will appear, one with a shield. Once the Greenies are gone, the Strong Slammer will appear. It has 250 HP. Defeating it will remove the red chain. Return to the Terminal and enter the gondola.

Gondola
The gondola doesn't move anymore, but it has a gun like the one in the Haunted Towers. This one shoots flaming coals to melt ice. Thaw all of the ziplines, the tree near the crow's nest, and the treasure chest on the right. The tree will split and fall.

High Wires
Use the first zipline to cross to the crow's nest. Cross the fallen tree like a balance beam. The outhouse on the other side leads to a secret area. You have 60 seconds to hit all three Hiders with snowballs. After each successful hit, you'll get money. They'll throw snowballs at you, but they won't hurt. Defeat all three for a sapphire. Cross using the next zipline. You'll see King Boo going towards a mountain. The chest you thawed earlier has lots of money. Go through the gondola door to the Workshop Landing.

Workshop Landing
The Workshop is just across the beams. Explosions are going on inside. There are crows that fly over the beam with gold bars, so hop back and forth, or the crows will knock you off. If you look into the window, you'll see a possessor ghost throwing bombs at a purple fuzzy monster. Go through the door on the right to the Maintenance Room.

Maintenance Room
There's a conveyor belt with money and crystals. Gadd says we need to activate the generator to open the Workshop. There's an exploding robot on the belt as well. Toss it into the slots high in the back wall. Shoot multiple robots in, one at a time, and activate them to clear the obstacles. Once all three lights are on, the generator restores power. Unfortunately, this causes a rumble in the area and you're snowed in.

Clear Time: 25:57
Ghosts Captured: 12
Health Lost: 120
Treasure: 1617
Silver Rank

We can now access the Workshop without dealing with ziplines. We'll face the possessor next.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Nintendo Direct 4/17/13

It's time for more Wii U and 3DS news.

Mario and Luigi: Dream Team - The story will take place on Pi'illo Island, where a lot of block people live, like Block Monsieur and Block Madame. There are magical pillows on the island that Luigi can sleep on to open up a world into his dreams. Peach is kidnapped into his dream. Mario must switch between the dream world and real world. Bros Moves return for overworld and battle sequences, but new ones appear, like hanging onto a helicopter-like device and dropping in on enemies. In the dream world, you must interact with sleeping Luigi to make changes in the dream world, allowing Mario to progress. You'll also get to control a bunch of Luigis at once. - August 11

Mario Golf: World Tour - The game will have wireless features, such as competitive real-time play with other players over the internet. You'll have the opportunity to compete in global tournaments. The game also features communities, like in Mario Kart 7. Communities can set their own rules. Local multiplayer will also be available. - Summer 2013

Mario Party - This 3DS game will feature 7 game boards, each with their own rules. You'll interact more with other players with items to interfere with others and boost your dice rule. Once board has Bullet Bills that can test your luck. There are 81 new minigames, including some that use AR cards. - Winter 2013

New Super Luigi U - The overworld map remains the same, but the 82 levels are all new. Luigi's new capabilities can be used, such as his higher jump, and his sliding after running. All levels have only 100 seconds to complete the level, so the obstacles are concentrated. - Summer 2013

Donkey Country Returns 3D - Depth will play a role here, as DK will go from background to foreground in some areas. There is a new game mode to rebalance the difficult for a handheld console. Both Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong have three hearts. There are more items, like a portable DK Barrel to call Diddy Kong at any time, and a Green Balloon to bring DK to safety if he falls into a gap once. There's a Crash Guard to protect DK from 2 crashes when riding a rocket barrel or mine cart. The original mode from the Wii is also available. 8 new levels in a new world will become available after beating the main game. Cooperative play is a new feature via local wireless. - May 24

Yoshi's Island- The third installment in the Yoshi's Island series on 3DS. Yoshi will get to throw giant eggs.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move- An eShop exclusive where manipulating blocks on the touch screen will guide Minis to the goal. Sometimes, you'll have a limited number of tiles, have to guide two Minis at once, or deal with large stages. 180 stages over four different modes. You can upload and download original stages and share with the world. There will also be four minigames. - May 9

Wii U Spring System Update will be released next week. It will improve load times for software and the Home Menu. You'll be able to move data across USB drives, install software while playing a game, and automatically receive software updates. Holding down the (B) button during startup will allow you to go directly to the Wii Menu. A stand-by function will allow the Wii U to download software while turned off. The Virtual Console will be available next week. These games will have their own Miiverse Community and support off-TV play. The games can be purchased for $1.00-1.50 if you have already downloaded them. Game Boy Advance and N64 games will be available later.

Wii U Panorama View - Panoramic videos of all sorts of sights and events will be available. You can look in any direction. Each video will be available for $2.00.

Pikmin 3 - There is a new Pikmin type- Winged Pikmin. It can fly and carry items in the air.

Earthbound - Many players have asked and it's coming to North America and Europe. It will be a Virtual Console title by the end of this year.

Game and Wario - There are new minigames which all use the Game Pad. Some of the games are multiplayer. Prizes can be unlocked. - June 23

Monster Hunter 3 - Off-TV play is enabled with an update. Also with the update is the ability to connect and play with other players. For those new to the series, Capcom has posted helpful videos on Nintendo's Youtube channel.

Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins - This prequel shows how Chase McCain got his start, with lower-level missions to more exciting cases. A new Swapnote letter will appear soon.- April 21

Animal Crossing: New Leaf - A new Nintendo 3DS XL bundle will be available at launch. - June 9

Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons will be in the 3DS eShop May 30.

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy - A turn-based RPG that allows you to skip your turn in battle to do more damage later. It has multiple endings, AR functionality, and wireless features. - 2014

Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy - It's the finale of the second trilogy of the series. -2014

The Starship Damrey- There are no tutorials or objectives. You must explore to gather information about your circumstances.  3DS eShop

Bugs vs. Tanks - Your tank is shrunk down to bug size to battle bugs. 3DS eShop

Attack of the Friday Monsters!: A Tokyo Tale - On Fridays, monsters from 1970s Japanese movies and TV shows do battle. 3DS eShop

Shin Megami Tensei IV- It's coming to North America. The initial shipment will come with a CD, strategy and design book, and slip cover. - July 16

Legend of Zelda - Set in the same location as Link to the Past, it's a 2D Zelda game with 3D visuals. This will give it a sense of height to make level differentiation easier. There is a new story and the dungeons are all new. Link can turn into a drawing and move along the walls. -Holiday 2013

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- Secret Mine - D-2 Hit Rock Bottom

Gadd's processed the image, so we take a look. There are ghosts stuck in red crystals. The painting in the sack is here, but it's upside down. The feet don't look like they belong to Toad. Gadd thinks it must be very important. Toad says that the crystals have strengthening powers. King Boo's shadow is on the ground. The Boos are running amok extracting crystals. The image was take just before we arrived at the Secret Mine, so they might still be there. We need to check out the Crystal Quarry. Gadd has E-Gates we can use.

Chalet
We land in the Chalet. Restore the rocking chair to make Booger, with 35 HP, appear. If you want to start the mission, go down the elevator into the Airway. Skip down to that section to start the mission. Many of the sapphires are available elsewhere. Go outside to the Chalet Approach.

Chalet Approach
There's a chicken or turkey on the grill. Activate the grill so it catches fire, pick it up, and bring it to the dogsled. Thaw the painting out for a sapphire.

Prospector's Crossing
Here, you'll find a sapphire in the ice. You can't break the ice like in the last mission, so spin the pickaxe after you restore it. Two pieces of wood will appear. Put them on the ice, which will make the ice break when you stand on it.

Airway
This sapphire's sneaky. Look into the binoculars at the mouth of the cave where the strong gusts come from. You'll see the sapphire and a bat will carry it and drop it into a barrel. Go through the door on the left to the Crossroads.

Crossroads
Here we find the E-Gates Gadd mentioned. Activate them with the Strobulb. The E-Gates act as portals. Go through the first E-Gate and pick up the key in ice. Take it back through the E-Gate and hold it near the lantern to thaw it out. This unlocks the door on the other side of the E-Gate. The door leads to Skip Slope.

Skip Slope
It's like the slide under Old Clockworks. Peel off the poster for lots of money. Start down the slide. Run into snow piles for coins and money. Keep to the right to get a key. At the bottom is an E-Gate. Activate it so you can return to the top of the slide. If you pull the rope to the left, a bucket with three gold mice will appear. If you're treasure-hunting, go down the slide again, but keep to the left. Past the spinning wheel is a sapphire. When you're ready to move on, check the barrel at the bottom of the slide. It has some fan blades to spin that raise the lockers to reveal a door. This leads to the Smuggler's Hideout.

Smuggler's Hideout
There's a painting here. Peel off the painting on top and use the Dark Light to get some money. There are a couple suits of armor here, and a lit fire. Use the fire to thaw out all frozen things. As you approach the door, the window will fly open and gold bats, Greenies, and a Sneaker will appear. Once you defeat them, blow air on the window to shut it, then finish thawing the door. The door leads to the Shaft.

Shaft
Blow air on the wheel to make the elevator go down. Keep an eye out for treasure on the walls. You'll see ghosts carrying red crystals. One of them will be a Gold Greenie you can catch. Near the bottom, there's a red ball attached to a chain. Pull the chain, then go up partway. There will be a sapphire in an alcove. At the bottom, clear away the snow, then check the crank on the door. It will flip around to Coward's Chasm.

Coward's Chasm
At first, there seems to be no way across the gap until you walk behind the mirrored ice wall. The wheel on the right wall raises and lowers the lantern dangling from above. Lower it to the part that looks like a mouth and three gold bats appear. Go through the door on the right to the Deep Hall.

Deep Hall
Gadd's reception is poor, but he thinks we're at the bottom of the mine. The Crystal Quarry should be nearby. The last part is a warning, but he breaks up too much. If you look into the Crystal Quarry, you'll see some ghost that are nervous about being in the crystal and want out. Check out the hole in the wall on the left to see a Gold Greenie with a key. When you're done looking, a Sneaker will trip you. The Gold Greenie will appear. Take care of them both. Go through the door on the right to the Pit Mine.

Pit Mine
Blow air on the wheel to lower the elevator. At the bottom, pull the rope on the engine to start the conveyor belt. This will make bugs appear. Go to the right and spin the wheel on the hopper to load three pieces of coal onto the conveyor belt. The coal will appear in the Deep Hall via an E-Gate. Return via elevator.

Deep Hall
Pick up a piece of coal and light it. Use it on the ice near the red ball to reveal another red ball, and on the piece of ice holding a sapphire on the ceiling to the right of the E-Gate. Pull the other red ball and go through the door to the Cinder Mine.

Cinder Mine
There's a piece of wood here, but no fire. Spin the valve to make a fire appear in the pipes. Use it to thaw the ice on the left wall, which reveals a couple of bags of coal. This can be shot at the key to thaw it out.

Deep Hall
There are two Greenies in here, one with a welding mask and another with a piece of crystal. Defeat them and go through the door into the Crystal Quarry.

Crystal Quarry
The Boos inside spot us, and leave. The ghosts in the crystals are enraged, and get the same mottled look as the Strong Sneaker that stole the rotor in Old Clockworks. They still can't get out, but disappear when you get closer to the crystals. In the meantime, restore the mine cart for lots of money. Shine the Dark Light on the crystals and you'll see that the ghosts are scared and trying to escape. Approach one crystal and check it out. The ghost will break free. The Strong Sneaker has 100 HP. The other two will break free once you defeat the first one. The Strong Greenie has 50 HP, while the Strong Slammer has 150. Gadd will bring you back once you defeat them.

Clear Time: 36:48
Ghosts Captured: 11
Health Lost: 30
Treasure: 1178
Bronze Rank

Whoever's controlling the ghosts is using the crystals to strengthen them. The ghosts are taking the crystals out of the mine, which means stronger ghosts are elsewhere, as well.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- Secret Mine - D-1 Cold Case

The Secret Mine was the site of a mining operation that was abandoned. The crystals in the mine have unusual properties. The Parascope has difficulty pinpointing signals due to the weather. We are to meet the Toad stationed there. He's not responding to calls.

Chalet Approach
Luigi lands here, on his head. It's snowing heavily, and things are sparkly here. There's a piece of ice that acts like a mirror, showing us a chest in the snow. Vacuum up the snow and open the chest for lots of money. There's a large tree to the right. Vacuum the snow in front of it and check out the tree to make a couple of gold birds appear. Stun them for money. Vacuum the snow on the path to proceed. In front of the Chalet are a couple of snowmen and a broken dogsled. Restore the painting on the dogsled for money. Shoot the snowmen heads for money. When you step on the porch, the window in front of you will fog up and a smiley face will be drawn on it. If you look through the window, you'll see that somebody or something is sleeping, but you can't tell what it is. Go past the door and activate the grill for a gold bar. Go inside to the Chalet.

Chalet
There's a bearskin rug on the floor and a Hider in the rocking chair. There's another Hider and a Sneaker in the room. If you get close to the rug, it will roar at you. Once you defeat the ghosts, pull the bear's tail. A Gold Greenie will appear. You can't go upstairs, but there's a fuzzy purple creature up there. It was sleeping earlier. The pixelation screen is here. Go through the back door to the Smokehouse.

Smokehouse
Gadd says the Toad might be in the Fishing Hut outside. Restore the piece of cloth on the left hook near the door and pull off both pieces of cloth for a sapphire. Approach the door and Greenies appear from the stove, one holding a piece of coal. The stove will spit out pieces of lit coal. Use them to melt ice around the door, and from a rope dangling from a cupboard. Go outside to the Ice Lake.

Ice Lake
The Ice Lake has a hockey goal post on it. In the background, King Boo flies off into the distance. Peel the plaid cloth from the canoe if you want to look inside the Fishing Hut. In front of the Fishing Hut is a hockey puck in the snow. Shoot a goal with it and two Gold Greenies appear with hockey equipment. They'll try to attack you instead of running away. They each have 10 HP. Restore the door to the Fishing Hut and go inside.

Fishing Hut
A Boo is inside, but dives into the ice. Vacuum under the left bench for a sapphire. Shine the Dark Light high on the back wall to make a painting of Toad appear. Blue Toad is in the painting. He's so happy to see us that he jumps for joy on the ice, causing it to break. They both fall through to the area Under the Ice.

Under the Ice
Gadd's reception is pretty poor as we're under ground. He says it's extremely dangerous. Gadd says there's an elevator that will take us to the Chalet. There's a chest with money behind the ice slide. Pull the hooks from the fish to make a Gold Greenie appear. Avoid the vent in the front left part of the mine. Pick up Blue Toad and take him over the vent in the front left side of the mine. Before you leave, shoot Toad into the elevator shaft. He'll appear below with a sapphire. There's another vent up here covered by snow. It will take you to a ledge with gold bars. Use the bobber to get back down. Go through the door to the Terminal.

Terminal
There's a mirror in this room, showing us the door on the front wall. Go through the door on the back wall to the High Wires.

High Wires
There are bobbers here moving around like ski lifts. Take one to the other side. In the crow's nest is a sapphire. Shake the crow's nest with the vacuum. Return the way you came. Go through the left door in the terminal to the Airway.

Airway
A strong gust blows through here. There's a zip line here, but it can't be activated from where we're standing. The elevator we need is at the other end of a rickety rope bridge. Pick up Toad and shoot him into the nearby elevator so you can get the key in the other car. Return to the Terminal.

Terminal
The mirror is covered with a piece of cloth and a barrel is missing. Remove the cloth to see arrows pointing at the missing barrel. Restore the barrel to make Boofoon appear, with 35 HP. The key unlocks the door on the front wall to the Prospector's Crossing.

Prospector's Crossing
After breaking the ice in the Fishing Hut, Blue Toad is scared to go on the ice. Shoot him across the gap, then cross. The ice may break. On the other side, spin the pickaxe on the right wall for money. The door on the front wall leads to the Drift Hall.

Drift Hall
To the right is a sheet of ice with a chest. The chest has the key you need. Vacuuming the snow off the chest will make bats appear. Go to the left. Check the barrel and rafters for money. At the end is a coil of wire in the snow. Drag the wire to the lantern to light the fuse. This blows up the ice, revealing a metal container. Don't stand too close to the dynamite. The container leads to a secret area. What you have to do here is pick up the pieces of coal and aim them at spots on the snowman's face using the cross hairs. You have 39 seconds. This can be a little tricky. Line yourself in front of the higher ones so the coal doesn't bounce off. It will rain money as your reward. Go through the door on the back wall to the Basin.

Basin
There's a sheet of ice on the floor, which allows you to see the ghosts' reflections. There are three Sneakers here. Restore the exploding robot in ice in the back right corner and activate it for three gold frogs. The door on the left leads to the Airway.

Airway
There's a door on the left we can't reach. Pull the rope on the rope bridge post to tighten one side of the bridge so you can walk across it as you do rafter beams. This is very difficult, as there is a strong wind here. Wait until the major gust stops to run across most of the bridge. Once you do, pull the rope on the other post to stabilize the bridge. Up the stairs and to the left is the device that activates the zip line. Activate it, then go across the bridge to get Blue Toad. The elevator will take you directly into the Chalet, under the bearskin rug.

Chalet
There are two more fuzzy creatures here. Pick up and shoot the gold one repeatedly for money until it turns purple. Activate the pixelator screen and send Toad to the Bunker. Gadd returns us to the Bunker as well.

Clear Time: 16:34
Ghosts Captured: 12
Health Lost: 5
Treasure: 1933
Gold Rank

Gadd says Blue Toad didn't see the Dark Moon piece, but did notice that the Boos have been active lately. He mentions the laughter at the bottom of the mine. Like the other Toads, he brought back a snapshot from the security camera. Gadd'll process it.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- Old Clockworks - Outlandish Interruption

Once again, there are ghosts in Old Clockworks after retrieving the Dark Moon piece. The signals are stronger this time. Once you arrive, go to the marked spots on the map and catch all the ghosts as quickly as possible. The rooms will vary. If you have to go to rooms by the Transportation Hall, access the Transportation Hall from the first floor of the Roundhouse, instead of dealing with the beams. Gadd brings us back when we're done. He said this time was quick.

Clear Time: 4:28
Ghosts Captured: 19
Health Lost: 20
Treasure: 281
Silver Rank

Gadd says ghosts can take over very quickly. Thankfully, we're taking care of things before they get really bad.

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- Old Clockworks - Showtime

Gadd shows us the security camera image. The possessor ghost directs other ghosts in the Mechanism behind the Clock Tower Gate. They're heading to the top of the tower. Gadd says the Boos don't normally have the ability to use Spirit Balls. Boos also normally do not get along with other powerful ghosts, but are getting along with the Possessor. There's a large shadow, which makes Gadd think that the Dark Moon didn't break apart on its own. The glow above it seems to be influencing all of the ghosts in the picture. The shadow looks very much like King Boo. There's a painting in a sack. From what we can see of it, there's a hat with an "M" on it. Gadd gives us the clock hands and sends us to Old Clockworks.

Clock Tower Gate
We land at the Clock Tower Gate. Approach the gate and check it out. Luigi installs the hands and rotor and the clock sets itself to 12:00. You need to set it to 7:30 (it's the time displayed on the clocks behind the gate). The clock rises up to reveal a door to the Movements.

Movements
The mechanisms of the clock are here. The path to the top is high above. To the left is a window with a ruby. Vacuum it out. In the right corner is a tool chest that needs restoration. It will give you a lot of money. There are some wheels on the mechanism to spin. It will raise the floor you're standing on so you can collect money and reach the top of the mechanism. You can also reach a tool chest this way.  At the top is the door to the Belfry.

Belfry
There are lots of crates and a tall ladder here. In front of the ladder is a powerful spring that will take you to the top of the Belfry, the Belfry Clock.

Belfry Clock
 At the top is a giant clock. The possessor ghost is here. It makes the clock hands spin and erases the numbers. Stay on the outer edge of the clock, where the numbers should be, to avoid taking damage when the clock hands spin. It will go number by number, which makes ghosts appear. You have to defeat all ghosts before the minute hand completes a full rotation, or it will repeat the same number. 1 to 3 o'clock are Greenies. After you deal with the Slammers of 4 o'clock, the possessor will appear and the whole clock starts spinning. He'll run around in his shield for a while, then stop and he'll be vulnerable to attack. Peel off the first layer. 5 o'clock is a bunch of bugs. Sand will appear on the clock face. 6 o'clock is some Sneakers. 7 o'clock is Greenies with hammers and shields. 8 o'clock is mummies. After 8 o'clock, the possessor reappears. Peel off another layer. 9 o'clock is more bugs. 10 o'clock is Creepers. 11 o'clock is a bunch of exploding robots. Try to avoid them and take minimal damage. 12 o'clock has a Greenie, a Sneaker, bugs,  a Slammer, and exploding robots. It's a tough fight. The possessor ghost will appear so you can vacuum it up and claim the Dark Moon piece. Gadd brings us back to the Bunker after a cuckoo scares Luigi.

Clear Time: 10:20
Ghosts Captured: 30
Health Lost: 90
Treasure: 1356
Gold Rank

We've unlocked a new mission. Gadd says the longer possessor ghosts are in contact with Dark Moon pieces, the stronger they become. Gadd cleans off the Dark Moon piece and the fogs clears a little more. Gadd thinks someone shattered the Dark Moon on purpose. The next mansion is on a mountain in the coldest part of Evershade Valley. It's called the Secret Mine.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- Old Clockworks - C-5 Piece at Last!

Gadd says we need to find the rotor to open the Clock Tower Gate. He's also detecting signals from the east side of the place. It probably has something to do with the Boos following that Toad that fell down there. Gadd thinks the rotor might be there. The doorway is blocked, but Gadd has a Pixelator screen in that area. The rotor looks like a wheel.

Service Elevator (First Floor)
We land here, and startle a pink mottled ghost with the rotor. It flies into the next room. There's a sheet draped over a mirror to the left of the door. The mirror reveals a ruby on the other side. We can't reach it just yet. Activate the safe and it will drop slightly. Go through the door on the right to the Gear Chamber.

Gear Chamber
There are a couple of "elevators" here. Walk on the first one to make it drop a level. The ghost with the rotor flies into the next room. Restore the file cabinet next to the elevator for lots of money. If you look through the hole in the wall, you'll see the pink ghost consulting with Greenies on where to hide the rotor. One Greenie notices and puts a brick in the hole. Gadd says we need to get into the Storage Room. One of his Toad assistants is looking after the place. He's in the Synchronization Room. Go downstairs to the left. Pull the red ball on the vent for lots of coins. There's a rattling door behind the back wall. There are crates that form a ramp to the back wall. Restore the wooden plank bridge and go behind the wall and reach the door. We have 15 seconds to collect the Red Coins. Go to the left first and step on the gear near the timer to jump over the wall. Completing the mission will get you a ruby from the tool chest. Go through the lower door on the left to the Service Elevator.

Service Elevator (Basement 1)
There are some coins above the doorway. If you activated the safe upstairs, it will drop downstairs and give you money. Go downstairs. There's not much to do here. The door leads to the Maintenance Hub.

Maintenance Hub
Activate the Strobulb device on the back wall for a red ball zipline. Drop down and restore a tool chest in front of the large gear for a ruby. Use the gear spring to the right to spring on top of the gear and unroll the bridge to the left door. Restore the door on the back wall at the level of the gear. This leads to the Crank Room.

Crank Room
There are a couple of Slammers here. There's a giant cog to the left. Go right for some gold bars and another cog. Go downstairs and restore the cog in the huge gap. This will get the cogs on the left moving. The tool chest has a lot of money. Go to the left cog and stand on it until you reach the floor. Peel off the wall paper on the front left wall for a hidden room. Restore the tool chest in the front of the room for Boony Raboot, with 30 HP. Return to the main room and pass through the cog when there's a gap. Defeat the Slammers. The Gold Greenie will be in a locker. There's a key in another locker. Go over the cog and return to the Maintenance Hub. The key opens the door on the left to the Synchronization Room.

Synchronization Room
There are a few gold bars and a stack of money here. Activate the mechanism on the clock-like device on the left wall and a cuckoo will pick Luigi up and take him to the other side of the wall. Remove the spiderweb on the left and go through that doorway. There's a Toad Portrait on the back wall. Behind the poster on the left wall are some gold bars. Go downstairs on the right and restore the right valve wheel. Adjust the wheels to make a path to the portrait. Left controls the back wheel and the right wheel controls the front. Go up to the portrait and use the Dark Light to make Yellow Toad appear. He's a huge Luigi fan. He'll take us to the Storage Room. He warns us he has an irrational fear of clocks. Why Gadd assigned him hear is beyond me. We have to keep him away from large clocks or gears. He's also scared of the two Greenies that appear. Once you take care of them, move to the right. Pick up Yellow Toad, step on the tile on the floor to lower the gate, and aim at the wall. Crosshairs will appear. Shoot him onto the conveyor belt and take the cuckoo to the other side. There are more Greenies over here. Once you're done, go to the Maintenance Hub.

Maintenance Hub
Yellow Toad won't walk on the giant gear in the middle. Pick him up, stand on the gear, and shoot him to the other door. When you try to reach the zipline, Greenies with shields and hammers appear. Deal with them, then use the zipline and return to the Service Elevator.

Service Elevator (Basement 1)
Yellow Toad doesn't like spiders either. Clear them out, then go to the Gear Chamber.

Gear Chamber
The mottled pink ghost is here, and commands an army of Greenies to attack. Some have shovels and some appear in the sand. Then, mummies appear. You can catch the mottled pink ghost when the mummies are around. It has 50 HP. Once you defeat them all, Gadd says to search for the rotor. Go up the stairs and shoot Yellow Toad into the higher elevator. This will bring it down so you can reach the Storage Room door.

Storage Room
The rotor is behind a fence below the walkway. Walk on the crates level with the door and shoot Yellow Toad behind the fence to get it. He feels sick from touching it. Leave through the upper door.

Service Elevator
Before you return the Toad, shoot him to the other side of the room with the ruby. He'll pick it up, along with the gold bars and spring back to your side. Get the gem from him and pixelate him back. Gadd returns us to the Bunker.

Clear Time: 27:26
Ghosts Captured: 23
Health Lost: 140
Treasure: 1803
Silver Rank

Gadd says the pink mottled ghost we captured was a powerful Strong Sneaker. As with the first Toad, Yellow Toad doesn't remember how he was trapped in a painting. He was chased by Boos before it happened. With the rotor, we can now open Clock Tower Gate. Yellow Toad also brought back a security camera image. He'll process it.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- Old Clockworks - C-4 Play Catch

Gadd can't locate the hour hand because the Parascope only detects paranormal objects. He did pick up some signals in Clockworks Court. He thinks it might be a few Greenies, but it's all we have to go on. Gadd also says that Luigi doesn't need to cower in fear every time he's pixelated.

Clockworks Court
Just as Gadd said, a few Greenies are in Clockworks Court. They're playing catch with the hour hand, until the Polterpup eats it and takes off. The Greenies follow him. So, we're dealing with two parties that both want the hour hand. Spectacular.

Warehouse
The Greenies are here, but they're a little different. They start with infinite HP, then drop to 10 HP after you power up the Poltergust 5000 with (A). The paw prints lead into the Workshop.

Workshop
A Greenie flies out of the room. Follow the paw prints to a machine and the Polterpup will appear and fly through the ceiling. You'll have to take the long way to the Drafting Office.

Clock Tower Gate
Restore a lantern hanging from the ceiling to make JamBoolaya. Don't call him Gumboo. JamBoolaya has 30 HP.

Drafting Office
The Polterpup is in the cabinet on the back wall. Both it and the Greenie return to the Warehouse.

Warehouse
The Greenie is behind the crates on the second floor. They appear to have an invincibility shield. The Polterpup went into the Clockmaker's Chambers.

Clockmaker's Chambers
The Polterpup is hiding in the wardrobe on the left. It goes into the Roundhouse.

Roundhouse (Second Floor)
The Polterpup and Greenie are on the other side of the beams. The Polterpup went into the Finishing Room.

Finishing Room
The Greenie and Polterpup are here, but will go separate ways. The Greenie will reapper with a couple of Slammers. Take care of them, and chase the Polterpup in and out of the Container Yard, going through the back left door.

Transportation Hall
You can now catch the Polterpup and get the hour hand. If you go to the back of the room (the floor still moves), you can get a lot of coins from the painting. Once you get the hour hand, Gadd calls. He brings us back to the Bunker.

Clear Time: 8:17
Ghosts Captured: 6
Health Lost: 35
Treasure: 748
Gold Rank

Gadd is thankful the Polterpup didn't chew on the hour hand, so he doesn't have to repair it. Once again, the Polterpup escapes being sent to the Vault and leaves. Gadd has more news: we're still missing the Clock Tower Gate's rotor. Gadd's going to look for it.

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- Old Clockworks - C-3 Roundhouse Brawl

Gadd was able to locate the Poltergeist that stole the clock hands. As the signal is different, Gadd thinks it might be an ancient Poltergeist. He's in the Roundhouse, behind the Warehouse. Gadd says ghosts gain power over time.

Warehouse
We land in the Warehouse. It's got webs covering it. Use an exploding robot in a box to clear the large ones out. Take the elevator to the second floor and blow up the debris in front of the door. The tool chest behind it will move around. When it stops, open it to reveal a Gold Greenie. Go through the back door to the Clockmaker's Chambers.

Clockmaker's Chambers
There's a Greenie wearing a bucket sleeping on the bed. It's holding a ruby. Vacuum up the rug in the center of the room. There are some gears below, so spin them. This adjusts the time on the digital clock. Make the time match that of the analog clock to set off the alarm. This wakes the Greenie up so you can catch him and get the ruby. Go through the back door to the Roundhouse.

Roundhouse (Second Floor)
The blue Poltergeist is here, levitating some bricks. From the second floor, we can jump from beam to beam to reach him. It's like being in the Rafters of Gloomy Manor. Move the Circle Pad left or right to jump. There's another set of beams we can use to the right. There are gold bars on the other side (front wall) as well as a tool chest around the corner with a ruby. We can't reach him from up here, so go through the door on the back wall to the Transportation Hall.

Transportation Hall
There's a Boo at the end of the hall adjusting a key painting. He flees into a room towards the back. The floor in the middle of the hall will move backwards, like a treadmill. The only thing we can do is go through the first door on the left to the Finishing Room.

Finishing Room
There are Greenies with welding masks here. Once you deal with them, there's a gold bar in the furnace, coins on the ceiling, and a stack of money on the shelf. Go under the stairs and to the left to a hidden room with a rattling door. This leads to a secret area with Red Coins. You have 15 seconds to navigate the maze. Go to the right first and follow the path around, making your way to the center. This will make a tool chest appear with a lot of gold bars. Leave through the door on the right that's towards the back, then go across the hall and back a little to the Container Yard.

Container Yard
We're outside now and there's lots of money strewn around. Pull the red ball on the machine to make the machine drop an exploding robot into an elevator. Two crates will start moving. They each contain Slammers. Once you're done, make sure there are three exploding robots in the elevator so you can pass through. Cross to the other side and open the tool chest for money. Then, activate the exploding robots. This will allow you to reach the other door. Go across the hallway to the Kiln Room, after some gold spiders drop down.

Kiln Room
The room is pretty steamy. There's a valve on the left. Spin it by blowing air on it to reduce some of the steam. Restore the valve on the right to help get rid of more steam. Use the vacuum to get rid of the rest of the steam. There's a Greenie in the kiln. Once the steam is clear, you can open the kiln. Go into the kiln to make the Greenies appear. Once you defeat them, Boodonkulous appears. It has 30 HP. Once you're done, go through the kiln and out to the right. Pull the red ball on the vent to make a gold exploding robot. It will give you a lot of gold bars. Leave through the door to the Transportation Hall.

Transportation Hall
Luigi is now on solid ground. Vacuum up the sheet/ poster and stand on the spring to reach the otherside of the mechanism that moves the floor. Get the key from the painting. Walk over the gears and go to the locked door at the front of the hall, which leads to the Roundhouse.

Roundhouse
It's dark and quiet here. Go down the stairs and vacuum the wall for coins. Behind the wall to the left is a ruby. Restore a set of drawers under the stairs for lots of money. Move forward, and you'll see the blue Poltergeist. He'll make the turntable spin and disappears. Throw a bomb into the turntable and dodge it when it's thrown back out. The blue Poltergeist has 100 HP, but it's not alone. Sneakers are here as well. Vacuum the blue Poltergeist when the turntable stops spinning. It will appear then. You have to defeat all the ghosts, including the Sneakers. Once the blue Poltergeist is defeated, you can get the clock hand. Pull the red ball to lower the floor connecting the turntable to the floor. Gadd returns us to the Bunker.

Clear Time: 24:54
Ghosts Captured: 14
Health Lost: 95
Treasure: 1924
Gold Rank

When we show Gadd the clock hand, he notices we only have the minute hand. Gadd's going to work on a plan to find the hour hand.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- Old Clockworks - C-2 Underground Expedition

Gadd says the special compass we found reveals an alternate entrance underground. It's marked with an X on the map in Clockworks Court. The compass itself opens it. Gadd thinks the ghosts took the clock hands to the Clock Tower Gate as far underground as possible.

Clockworks Court
The spot marked on the map is behind the gate, past the telescope. It's surrounded by clocks, but it doesn't stand out much. It's a small post sticking out of the sand. Check it out to open it. It will drop you into the Storm Cellar.

Storm Cellar
Be careful when checking out items in the underground. Several of them contain bombs. After a short while, a rock will start floating around. It's being carried by a Greenie as a weapon and shield. There's another Greenie under the bed. Vacuum the wallpaper over the bed for a painting of a gem. Use the Dark Light on it to get a ruby. Place the rock on the "elevator" to raise the gate to the door. This leads to the Canyon Hall.

Canyon Hall
To the left is an auger you can spin for some coins. The place is crawling with spiders and has quite a few webs. It's looking less and less like an abandoned factory. Go to the right until you come to a corner. The wallpaper will be billowing. Peel it off to reveal a way outside to the Canyon Narrows.

Canyon Narrows
There are a couple of ziplines here. Use the red balls to cross the canyon. On the right side is a rattling door that will take you to a secret area. This one's an hourglass filled with chests. The sand will fall in, allowing you to reach all the chests. Each one contains a Gold Greenie. Just open all the chests at a given sand level, then catch the Gold Greenies. Use the zipline to return to Canyon Hall when you're done.

Canyon Hall
Ahead is a small visual puzzle. You'll see a spider in the crate ahead of you, but you can't defeat it. It's actually in the crate to your left and you're looking at a mirror on the crate ahead. Go past the crates and a Sneaker will appear in the mirror. Ahead is a door. Before you go through it, go to the right. The door leads to the Canyon Stairs.

Canyon Stairs
Vacuum the web on the right for a ruby. Activate the exploding robot to blow up the debris in front of the door. Gadd calls, saying this will make accessing the underground easier. Go through the back door in the Canyon Hall for the Roundhouse Pit.

Roundhouse Pit
It's dark and spooky here. Lots of objects have bombs here. To the left is a sarcophagus, whose eyes follow you around. Check it out and mummy wrapping will grab Luigi. From there, we can look into the room, while a Boo and Hider appear. The Hider hides in a drum and puts a bomb in another one. The Boo makes a couple of drums disappear. Leave the sarcophagus and find the Hider to make the lights come on. Pull the red ball on the back wall a few times to make the wall crumble. This reveals a door. Gadd calls, but he's breaking up because we're so far underground. Gadd says Old Clockworks was built directly over an ancient archeological site. Because of this, there is no map for us to check, and will appear as we go. The door leads to the Pit Slide.

Pit Slide
A sandy slide awaits. After a rumble hits, start sliding. Aim for the piles of sand, which have lots of money. Stun the spiders if you can. At the bottom, restore a vase on the right for lots of money. The door leads to the Quarry.

Quarry
Sand flows in from the ceiling. There's a door at the top, but no way to reach it. At the bottom of the pit is a mine car. Pull it back a couple of times and gold bats will fly into the cave. Go into the cave to stun them and get a ruby in a spiderweb. Pull the cart a few more times so it's under the sand. A Greenie will appear and the sand will start pooling. More Greenies will appear with shovels. A Gold Greenie will also appear, as well as Sneakers. After a while, the sand will stop rising. Once you defeat the Greenies, restore the tracks from the door to a rock with a tool chest. This will make Bootine appear, with 30 HP. The tool chest has a lot of money. You can now reach the door on the right. This leads to the Antechamber.

Antechamber
This room is incredibly dark and has only a few torches to light it. There are webs in the tunnel. Near the first web is a web ball so you can start lighting webs on fire. Be sure to light any torches you find. There are alcoves along the way with money and hearts. At the end, bats will fly in. The Antechamber leads to the Tomb.

Tomb
It's eerily quiet here. Aside from a few small webs, a gold bar, and a coffin, not much is here. Check out the coffin. Luigi opens the coffin and the clock hand floats out. A blue Poltergeist is holding it. It flies out of the Tomb. Soon after, a mummy appears from the ground. It will stumble around. Stun it, then let it run into something, so it will fall over. A knot of wrapping will appear, so pull it. This will unwrap the mummy, revealing a Greenie on stilts. More mummies will appear. Once you defeat all three mummies, Gadd calls. He's still breaking up. We'll have to regroup to get the clock hands back. He returns us to the Bunker.

Clear Time: 16:57
Ghosts Captured: 22
Health Lost: 80
Treasure: 2121
Gold Rank

Gadd says the blue Poltergeist gave off strong Parascope signals. This will make him easier to track.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- Old Clockworks - C-1 A Timely Entrance

Gadd says there's a Dark Moon piece at the top of the Clock Tower in Old Clockworks. We'll need to get past the Clock Tower Gate to find it. Since we know where we're going, this should be easy. Gadd asks, "What could possibly go wrong?"

Clockworks Court
We land at the entrance. It's dry and dusty here, like a desert. Bugs will pop out of the sand, but you can stun them with the Strobulb. Vacuum the dead shrubs for money. If you look through the telescope, you'll see a possessor ghost fly into the Clock Tower. Use the Strobulb to activate the gate. There are clocks strewn all over the place. To the left are some railroad tracks. Restore the tracks in the gap so you can reach the tool chest with lots of money. To the right, the path is blocked off. On the other side of the rubble is a red ball. Use the Strobulb on it. It's a little robot that will run towards you and explode. Use it to clear the rubble. Aim the vacuum at the vents for money. At the end of the tracks here, restore the tool chest for a red gem. It's either a ruby or a garnet. I'll call it a ruby. The entrance to Old Clockworks is a giant clock. Use the vacuum to spin the valve on the left. You'll have to set the clock to the correct time. All the clocks out here read the same time: 3:30. Set the clock to that time. If you overshoot, use the vacuum with [L] to spin the valve in the opposite direction. This reveals a door into the Warehouse.

Warehouse
There's a Greenie hanging around a machine, but leaves when we appear. Periodically, you'll hear a Boo laugh. There are bundles of cloth or something lying around the Warehouse. Place them in the machine the Greenie was playing with and pull the loose strand for money, spiders, or a Boo. ComBooter has 30 HP and hides in a red bundle. To the right of the back door is a stack of boxes. There's an invisible green bundle here. It has a ruby. In the safe next to the right door is a yellow bundle. It has a key to the right door. This leads to the Workshop.

Workshop
There are Greenies here armed with helmets and welding shields. Use the Strobulb on them, which activates an exploding robot, which stuns the Greenies for you. On the front part of the right wall, there are coins behind the wall paper. Pull the red ball in the middle of the ceiling to reveal a Gold Greenie. The door on the right leads to the Clock Tower Gate.

Clock Tower Gate (First Floor)
Restore a tool chest near the broken window on the left for a ruby. The room is filled with sand, littered with exploding robots. Check out the clock on the Gate and Gadd will call. The clock hands are missing, so we can't open the gate. Soon after the call ends, a Greenie appears in the sand and whips up a small sandstorm. It will stop spinning after a while, or use an exploding robot to help things along. Defeating all three Greenies will give you the key. This opens the door on the right to the Cargo Room.

Cargo Room
Gadd calls and thinks the ghosts that stole the clock hands went underground. We need a special compass to go underground. He says it's in the Drafting Office, which is on the second floor. There's a pit in the middle of the floor we can't get out of on the right side. Aim the vacuum at the back wall to reveal an exploding robot in the wall. Activate it and sand floods in so you can reach the right side of the room. If you look through the pipe on the right wall, you'll see a Toad balancing on a rail whiel Boos watch. He falls down to the lower level, the Boos laugh, and follow him. Pull the red ball to make some stairs drop down. A Greenie will scare you at the top of the stairs and send two exploding robots down with you. If given the chance, the Greenies will pick them up and use them as shields. Once the Greenies are gone, a Slammer will start moving through the sand. Wait for it to appear, then vacuum. There's an invisible tool chest on the back wall at the top of the stairs, under a sheet. It has a gold exploding robot. It will produce a lot of gold bars without blowing anything up. The door at the top of the stairs leads to the second floor of the Clock Tower Gate.

Clock Tower Gate (Second Floor)
There's a walkway over the sand, but parts of it are missing. Activate the vent near the door for money. Restore the walkway as you go. The door on the left leads to the Drafting Office.

Drafting Office
There is a Greenie sitting at the drafting table. Peel off the posters for money. We can't get the compass just yet. Spin the ceiling fan to make the left wall move back and reveal a new part of the room. If you try to go into it, Sneakers appear. Once you get all three, move the wall again. Go to the back, then go right for some money. If you go into the Warehouse through the left door, you can get a lot of money and gold bars. Check the desk for the special compass. Gadd brings us back to the Bunker.

Clear Time: 23:15
Ghosts Captured: 13
Health Lost: 30
Treasure: 1838
Silver Rank

Gadd should've known the ghosts would not make it easy for us to get the Dark Moon piece. Gadd's going to examine the compass.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- Haunted Towers - Hostile Intrusion

Once again, more ghosts have appeared after we got Dark Moon piece. The Parascope signal seems stronger, so Luigi has to take care of it. As before, we have to defeat ghosts as quickly as possible. This is a little more difficult due to the layout of the place. The ghosts will appear in rooms near each other, so follow a logical path so you can take less time. The rooms will vary with each time you attempt the mission.

Clear Time: 5:56
Ghosts Captured: 18
Health Lost: 80
Treasure: 429
Gold Rank

Gadd is not sure where the ghosts are coming from, because the Parascope only detects the ghosts once they're in a mansion. We'll have to keep going and hope the next mansion has more clues.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- Haunted Towers - Tree Topping

Now that we have the key to the Hollow Tree, we can go find the Dark Moon piece. It's at the top of the big tree in the Tree House. They key is fixed. Gadd says there are troubling, powerful signals coming from the Tree House.

Hollow Tree
We land at the top of the Hollow Tree, near the door. The door unlocks like a set of jaws and the path ahead is covered in vines. Ahead is a long set of staircases lit with torches. A ghost like the one that possessed the giant spider in Gloomy Manro appears and flies up to the top of the Eerie Staircase.

Eerie Staircase
The staircases are so steep it looks like you're going downstairs. There are three sets, and each is a bit of trial and error. Some staircases will flatten due to a ghost and you'll slide all the way down. Mice will start crawling down as well. Only one set of stairs is the correct one. If you slide down, some of the torches ahead will extinguish. Those mark the path you need to take. Eventually, you'll make it to the top and the stairs will be blocked off. There's a vine dangling from the back wall. Pull it a few times to break the wall down. Follow the ramp up, vacuuming the purple plant for a few coins. Pull the tassel for some drop-down stairs. This leads to the Tree House.

Tree House
It's quiet up here. If you try to walk up the stairs to the Tree House, the stairs come alive. It will move around, so avoid it. When it jumps, watch its shadow. When it lands, a red cord will appear from behind it. Pull it to make the ghost appear and vacuum off one layer of it. The stairs will try to blow you away and it shoots flames from its eyes. The ghost has only three layers, so it's done when you vacuum the red ghost. The Dark Moon piece appears and lands on the porch of the Tree House. Luigi moves the stairs into place. Gadd brings us back to the Bunker, but not after a little victory dance and a little comic relief involving a spiky bulb.

Clear Time: 9:53
Ghosts Captured: 8
Health Lost: 5
Treasure: 65
Gold Rank

Gadd says our battle with the possessor ghost was so thrilling, he popped popcorn. We've unlocked a new mission in Haunted Towers due to the Boos we've caught. Gadd thinks it's not a coincidence that possessor ghosts have Dark Moon pieces in them. The new Dark Moon pieces gets cleaned up and the fog clears up to reveal another mansion. It's called Old Clockworks. It's actually an old clock factory.

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- Haunted Towers - B-5 Doggone Key

Gadd says the Polterpup that took the special key is still in the Haunted Towers, but runs room to room, so Gadd can't pinpoint a location. The Parascope found that the Polterpup left paw prints starting in the Courtyard, so we'll be able to follow it. The Dark Light will make the paw prints visible.

Entrance
We land in the Entrance and we can see the Polterpup just beyond the gate. The tree on the left has a gold frog.

Courtyard
The Polterpup swallows the key and goes into the Hydro Generator room.

Hydro Generator
Use the Dark Light to find the paw prints and follow them to find where the Polterpup went through the wall.

Garden
Eventually, the trail will lead you here. The Polterpup will turn on the lawnmower and leave. Then, three Sneakers will appear.

Tool Shed
When you return here, you'll notice most of the furniture missing. Restore it all to make French Boodle appear. Spin the fountain to go to the Toolshed Stairs.

Toolshed Stairs
The Polterpup was napping on the bed, but runs upstairs. There's a Creeper at the bottom of the stairs. The Polterpup will disappear on the third floor. Go through the Botany Lab and Seedling Laboratory. It will then go to the fourth floor. Check the drawer at the bottom of the stairs between the third and fourth floor for a Gold Greenie.

Conservatory
The Polterpup is here and the organ is missing. Restore the organ and play it to make the Polterpup appear. It runs behind the organ. If you try to follow it, a Creeper will trap you, allowing the Polterpup to escape. If you try to leave, the doors will be blocked and a Gobber and some Greenies will appear. Go to the West Bathroom once you're done.

West Bathroom
The Polterpup will hide when you appear. Restore the toilet for money. The Polterpup is hiding in what I'm guessing is the bidet. It will run into the West Bedroom. Deal with the Creepers in the West Hall and move on.

West Bedroom
There's a Creeper on the ceiling. The Polterpup is hiding in one of the beds, so follow the paw prints. Once you find it, you can finally vacuum it up. It has 50 HP. The key will appear when you defeat it. What a wild goose chase. Gadd thinks the Polterpup wanted someone to play with. He brings us back to the Bunker.

Clear Time: 14:44
Ghosts Captured: 16
Health Lost: 72
Treasure: 872
Gold Rank

When you have 20,000 G, the Poltergust 5000 will be upgraded to catch ghosts faster. The Polterpup was not sent to the Vault and escapes. We recovered the key, but the Polterpup chewed it up and drooled on it. Toad gets the special task of cleaning it before Gadd repairs it. Gadd can now use the two Dark Moon pieces we have to locate the third.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- Haunted Towers - B-4 Pool Party

Gadd has unscrambled the image Toad brought back. In it, we see a Boo handing a pink ghost a key that looks like it could open the Hollow Tree. Gadd's never seen the pink ghosts before. A couple of Boos are holding a painting that looks like a pair of shoes with legs. It also seems the Boos are encouraging bad behavior in the other ghosts. The image was taken at the Rooftop Pool, which is where we need to go.

Entrance
There's some coins in the purple plants in the planters. Check the tree on the right for a Gold Greenie.

Courtyard
There are two carnivorous plants here and no way to deal with them. Avoid them and go into the Tower Lobby.

Tower Lobby
There's a large red flower hanging from the ceiling. It will try to hurt you. Get close to it to make it slam into the floor, then vacuum it up. It will give you a little money. Go into the Plant Nursery.

Plant Nursery
There's a plant growing in the middle of the floor, and another red flower on the ceiling. Restore the treasure chest in the back planter for a lot of money. Near the right door is a valve. Spin it to get some water running and water the plant. It will grow into a plant that acts as a staircase, like in the Botany Lab. This leads to the Rumpus Room. Before you go there, go on the Skybridge and get rid of the red flowers for an emerald.

Rumpus Room
This is a child's playroom, and there's a large, creepy doll in the center of the floor. Restore the shelf on the right wall, near the door. The doll's head will turn slightly when you're in front of it's face. If you vacuum up the curtains, money will come out of the light. Walk around the doll so that her face follows you. This will make the head pop off and reveal an emerald. Look into the one lit window in the doll house. It will show a certain jack-in-the-box box rattling. Open it and there will be lots of Greenies in it. Vacuum them up. The door leads to the Family Room.

Family Room
There is a kitchen area and sitting room here. Restore a cabinet in the kitchen next to the sink for lots of money. Go into the sitting room. There's a missing portrait in the middle of the back wall. Restore it to make Boo B. Trap appear. This Boo has 25 HP. Go through the door on the left for the Solarium.

Solarium
We can't access the stairs here just yet. Restore the treasure chest on the table for an emerald. Near the treasure chest is a red ball like the one on the lawn mower. This makes the stairs appear. Go up the stairs, being careful to avoid the corner of the floor on the left closest to the screen, as it will drop down. The door leads to the West Bedroom.

West Bedroom
This bedroom is emptier than the one in Gloomy Manor. That is, until you spin the ceiling fan, which moves the wall back to reveal three beds and three Hiders engaged in a pillow fight. Pull off the bed sheets to find them. Once you find one, the beds will shuffle, so be sure you know where the other two Hiders are. Defeating all three will give you a key to the door on the right. This leads to the West Hall.

West Hall
We can't go through the back door, so leave through the right door to the Crow's Nest.

Crow's Nest
Go across the bridge and stun crows for money. Go into the Conservatory on the other side.

Conservatory
There are coins behind the organ, which is covered in vines. Use the balloon plant to ascend. Stay away from the center of the room, as there is a spiky chandelier. If you go to the right, restore the door to enter a special area with 8 Red Coins. You have 15 seconds to navigate the maze. Loop around the outer stairs, then finish at the top of the tall stairs. This will give you an emerald. As an extra challenge, pick up a yellow balloon to make a trail of coins around the chandelier. Get them all for a treasure chest with lots of money. When you're done, take a balloon to the left. Don't land on the rug, as it will drop through. Go through the door to the Crow's Nest and get the key from the painting. Return to the West Hall and open the door to the West Bathroom.

West Bathroom
A Slammer, two Greenies, and a purple ghost are here. The purple ghost will trap you, so use the Circle Pad to get free. Pull the toilet paper for an emerald. Check out the pool chair to go to the Rooftop Pool.

Rooftop Pool
Now that we're at the pool, we have to find the special key. Restore the frog statue on the left and it will spit the key into the pool. Go into the pool to get it. As soon as Luigi grabs the key, he knows he's not along. A pink ghost scares him and takes the key. There are about four of them. You'll see their movements with the ripples in the water. Once you defeat them all, the key appears on the diving board. Once Luigi gets it, a Polterpup appears, takes it away, then flings it out the window. Gadd's going to bring us back.

Clear Time: 35:07
Ghosts Captured: 17
Health Lost: 166
Treasure: 1384
Bronze Rank

Gadd says he can't find the Polterpup on the Parascope, but we must recover the key at all costs. The pink ghosts are called Sneakers and the purple ghosts are called Creepers.

Friday, April 5, 2013

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon -- Haunted Towers - B-3 Graveyard Shift

Gadd gives Luigi a wrench so he can replace the pinwheel vanes. Once we replace the vanes, we must look for a way through the Hollow Tree. Gadd thinks the Dark Moon piece is near the top.

Entrance
We land at the entrance, with a carnivorous plant staring at us. Its vines are closing the gate to the Courtyard, so we'll have to do something about it. Pull the plant out of the pipe and fill up a bucket with water. Water the plants, one of which has a spiky bulb. Shoot the spiky bulb at the carnivorous plant to open the gate.

Courtyard
We enter the Courtyard, only to find a Greenie telling a Slammer to rip off the last vane of the pinwheel gate. The Greenie flies off, but the Slammer remains. Approach the Slammer and two more Slammers appear. Once you take care of them, the Greenie returns to find out what became of his buddy. Once all the ghosts are defeated, go replace the vanes. Spin the vanes to open the gate and knock on the tree to enter the Hollow Tree.

Hollow Tree
The Hollow Tree is filled with stairs. There's a spiderweb in the back that we'll have to burn at some point. There are ghosts here, so be alert. They'll appear if you try to go down a staircase. There's another large spiderweb at the top. Pull the dangling web to a torch to light it and burn the web. This will open the mysterious passage. When you try to enter it, it will shut. Gadd says we'll need a special key found in the Crypt to open the door. The stairs are blocked, so grab the dangling web ball and drop to the ground below. Use a web ball to burn the large web there. Use (X) to keep the burning web ball out of the water. Before you leave, ignite another web ball and walk to the left. There are a couple of webs here, one with gold spiders. Pick up the bucket and dip it in the water, then walk to the right. On that side is a plant to water. It has an emerald. Knock on the back wall to enter the Tree Root.

Tree Root
Follow the tunnel, which goes to the left. At the end, you'll see a vine. Leave it alone. Vacuum up the moss with mushrooms to reveal another vine. Pull it to spin a root around and check it out. This is an elevator that leads through the mouth of a bird statue into the Old Graveyard.

Old Graveyard
There are a couple of Gold Bars behind the bird statue. Stand in front of the nearest tombstone and vacuum up for an emerald. Walk to the right to enter the main part of the graveyard. Farther to the right is a coffin. Extinguish the candles to make a Gold Greenie appear. On the right side is a Gold Bar. Go up the stairs and the torches extinguish. The door at the top leads to the Crypt.

Crypt
There's a bundle of vines hanging from the back wall. Pull it a few times to make the wall crumble, revealing another room. There's a tan painting of a Toad on the back wall. Peel off the moss on the left wall for money. Restore the vase on the right to make Booluga appear. Booluga has 25 HP. Use the Dark Light on the Toad picture to make Toad appear from it. He's free and Luigi is his hero, although he has no idea why Luigi's there in the first place. The Dual Scream's ringtone freaks Toad out. Gadd says that Toad is one of his assistants. Gadd sent the Toad to look after the Haunted Towers, and because he was trapped, the place is a mess. He wants to return the Toad to the Bunker for info on the special key, but he can't teleport both of us out of here. We should take him to the pixelator screen in the Gardener's Lab. Toad will follow us, but will freak out at anything scary, like a coffin falling with bats in it. Pick him up with the vacuum if necessary. It calms him down.

Old Graveyard
When we enter the Old Graveyard, three ghosts with mirrors appear from the ground. The stairs are blocked off. The ghosts will circle Luigi. Wait until one moves their mirror away to stun them. The yellow one has 50 HP, the green one has 100, and the purple one has 150. This is a difficult battle. Stun the crows for hearts. Try to dodge the other two to avoid being hit by their mirrors. Once you defeat them, Gadd says that they were the ghosts of the Three Sisters, who are paranormal celebrities. Apparently, the Three Sisters are normally very polite. The Dark Moon shattering may be why they're acting so rudely. Grab Toad and leave on the right. Walk up the short stairs onto the coffin and it lowers into the Sewer.

Sewer
Instead of taking Toad immediately to the pixelator screen, I decided to check out the back area with the coffins. Open the standing coffin to be teleported into a new area. There are red coins, carnivorous plants and 13 seconds on the timer. Run to collect all of them to make a chest with gold bars appear. The other coffin has money as well. Lead Toad out of the Sewer.

Gardener's Lab
Carry Toad through the water. Take him to the pixelator screen and activate it. The carnivorous plant that was here last time is gone. Gadd returns us to the Bunker.

Clear Time: 15:17
Ghosts Captured: 11
Health Lost: 145
Treasure: 962
Silver Rank

Gadd says the Toad can't remember what happened to him. He did bring back a photo from one of Gadd's security cameras. He'll unscramble the image for us.