Tantalus Media, renowned for its work on Nintendo remasters like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD and Skyward Sword HD, has been unveiled as the developer behind the upcoming Luigi's Mansion 2 HD for the Nintendo Switch. The original Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, released on the Nintendo 3DS in 2013 as part of Nintendo's "Year of Luigi," tasked players with helping Luigi collect fragments of the Dark Moon and capture King Boo.
Nintendo's September announcement of the Switch remake, followed by a June 27th release date confirmation in March, generated significant anticipation. Recent trailers and the game's file size reveal only added to the excitement. While the release date is rapidly approaching, the developer remained shrouded in mystery until now.
Gaming news outlet VGC recently uncovered Tantalus Media's involvement, citing the game's credits. The studio's portfolio also includes the Nintendo Switch port of Sonic Mania, the PC port of House of the Dead, and contributions to the Age of Empires Definitive Editions. This marks a shift from the original developer, Next Level Games.
Critical reception for Luigi's Mansion 2 HD has been largely positive, echoing the praise for other recent Nintendo remasters like Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. However, the game has unfortunately experienced pre-order issues similar to Paper Mario, with Walmart canceling orders.
The late reveal of Tantalus Media follows a pattern established by Nintendo, as seen with the Super Mario RPG remake developer, ArtePiazza, also unveiled shortly before launch. This secrecy extends to other titles, such as Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, highlighting Nintendo's penchant for maintaining a veil of mystery until release.
