TORONTO – Anyone who has come out on the wrong side of a sibling rivalry has to feel for Luigi, the overshadowed member of the Mario brothers.

Cowardly and indecisive, he is often relegated to sidekick duty while Mario, his bold and charismatic older twin, goes about the business of rescuing princesses and saving worlds.

Luigi’s retiring nature is not without its charm, however, and his penchant for unwittingly finding himself bumbling through haunted houses have made the “Luigi’s Mansion” spinoff series a hit. “Luigi’s Mansion 3,” available on Halloween for the Nintendo Switch, continues the plumber’s ghost-busting adventures as he seeks to free his friends, who are being held captive in a cursed hotel.

The core of the game involves Luigi — armed with a vacuum, flashlight and a clone made of ectoplasmic goo — exploring the 15 floors and two sub-floors of the Last Resort Hotel. The haunted edifice is packed with traps, secrets and, of course, ghosts.

Smart level design has always been a hallmark of games set in the Mario Bros. universe, and “Luigi’s Mansion 3” is no exception. The rooms of the hotel present their own varied challenges, and later in the game Luigi will encounter entire themed floors. A floor with a medieval motif is ruled by a spectral king, while another features an overgrown garden tended to by a ghastly gardener.

Fortunately, our reluctant hero is well equipped. A blast from Luigi’s flashlight can stun most common ghosts, leaving them vulnerable to be sucked into his vacuum. Once a ghost is caught in the vacuum’s mouth, Luigi can slam it into the ground until it is captured.

Battling the hotel’s ghostly denizens will require Luigi to use all the weapons at his disposal, but perhaps no asset is more valuable than his partner Gooigi. A clone of Luigi constructed of green goo, Gooigi can slide down drains, pass through grates and cross floors of spiked traps unscathed. However, Gooigi is not water resistant and melts when near fire.

Players will have to use both characters wisely in order to solve the game’s many puzzles. A room might have a grate that Gooigi must squeeze through to activate a switch that will open a door for Luigi. Or a passage doused in water may have to be traversed by Luigi to open up a safe pathway for Gooigi.

Players can summon Gooigi at any time and can switch between Luigi and Gooigi while exploring the hotel, and a few puzzles require the two characters to work in co-ordination.

Switching between Luigi and his viscous companion is generally smooth, but control of the pair is occasionally fiddly when they are required to work together. However, “Luigi’s Mansion 3” includes a co-op mode where a second player takes control of Gooigi. Players can seamlessly switch between single player and co-op at any time, and it can be considerably more enjoyable and efficient to explore the haunted hotel with a friend.

Luigi proves to be the perfect protagonist for this misadventure and his presence gives the game an extra layer of charm. Luigi’s sense of dread is palpable every time he exits the elevator into an unexplored hotel floor. Sudden noises startle him, and he is frightened by his ghostly adversaries. He reacts realistically to the game’s mild and very telegraphed jump scares.

The same game starring the self-assured Mario would still be fun, but it would be a usual beat-down of his enemies that happened to be set in a haunted hotel. “Luigi’s Mansion 3” gives the less heroic Mario brother a chance to shine, whether he wants it or not.

“Luigi’s Mansion 3” is rated “E” for gamers of all ages, and retails for around $80.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2019.