12 highlights from The Year of Luigi!

It’s been an evergreen year for Nintendo, as we’ve devoted ourselves to celebrating Mario’s younger brother during The Year of Luigi! Always the hesitant hero, often unappreciated, Luigi is usually found in his superstar brother’s shadow. After first appearing in Mario Bros. more than three decades ago, the lanky green one is now over 30 years old – so we’ve been celebrating with a year-long birthday bash!

Over the course of The Year of Luigi, numerous new games featuring the birthday boy have been released on Nintendo 3DS family systems and Wii U, alongside some Club Nintendo goodies. He even received his own dedicated The Year of Luigi hub and made special appearances in other channels, from Nintendo Direct to Miiverse. Today on Miiverse, Shigeru Miyamoto announced that The Year of Luigi will officially end on March 18th, so let’s relive the highlights of The Year of Luigi in our round-up!

Treat yourself

It wouldn’t be a celebration without some exclusive Club Nintendo gear! Over the course of The Year of Luigi, Nintendo fans have been able to grab some fine Club Nintendo goods. First there was a shiny commemorative The Year of Luigi Coin, and Mario’s scaredy-cat brother could also be seen entering a ghost-packed mansion in a limited edition Luigi’s Mansion 2 Diorama.

As The Year of Luigi draws to a close, these rewards are back in stock in the Stars Catalogue – but you’d better leap to it, as supplies are strictly limited!

Haunted house

In March, Luigi reluctantly returned to ghost hunting when Luigi’s Mansion 2 was released on Nintendo 3DS family systems. The green one picked up his Poltergust 5000 – upgraded since the original Luigi’s Mansion – and went to stop some spooks! Armed only with a spirit-stunning torch and his trusty modified vacuum cleaner, players got into the spirit of The Year of Luigi by storming through several mansions, each filled with cheeky ghouls and puzzling contraptions! If you’ve not played this haunting game yet, hunt it down! Look out for windows and holes to peep through in each mansion; who knows what you’ll find?

Celebrating with SpotPass

Some lucky Nintendo 3DS owners could meet six special Mii characters via SpotPass throughout the summer months of The Year of Luigi. Dressed in dark green clothes and sporting Luigi’s cap, Nintendo VIPs including Shigeru Miyamoto, Satoru Iwata and Hideki Konno trooped into StreetPass Mii Plazas around the world to commemorate Mario’s brother!

A system of his own

With the release of the Luigi Special Edition Nintendo 3DS XL, super-fans of Luigi can play their favourite handheld The Year of Luigi titles in style! Sold exclusively on the Nintendo UK Online Store, this striking system is covered with loads of Luigi silhouettes in different shades of green. Now you can carry Luigi with you no matter what game you’re playing! And if you look closely, you might spot his brother too...

Punishing platforming

Luigi jumped into the limelight in New Super Luigi U on Wii U in July, an add-on for New Super Mario Bros. U that bumped the difficulty level up to new heights. Even experienced Mario players were in for a challenging treat due to Luigi’s unique movements: with a higher leap and lower traction, his style took some getting used to. To commemorate The Year of Luigi, New Super Luigi U was also launched as a standalone game disc – in a special green case, just for Luigi!

Directly to you

Luigi received special attention in several of our Nintendo Direct presentations, and he played a part in some hijinks too! To announce The Year of Luigi, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and Nintendo of Europe president Satoru Shibata modelled Luigi hats, and in a later Nintendo Direct Shigeru Miyamoto surprised Mr Iwata with a Poltergust 5000. And don’t forget the time that Luigi himself appeared – many copies of him, in fact, as Mr Iwata showed off Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros.!

Where’s Luigi?

Across the water, Luigi’s expert jumping skills were honoured in Nintendo of America’s Finding Luigi – Legend of Parkour, a short documentary focused on his aerial abilities. Find out what happens when some intrepid biographers embark on a mission to film the “L Man”’s inner-city acrobatic antics, bumping into some of his pals from the world of parkour, the Toad Twins and Nabbit along the way!

Dream a Luigi dream

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros. shook itself awake on Nintendo 3DS in July, bringing the Mario & Luigi series of RPGs to the system for the first time. When Luigi, Mario and Princess Peach are offered a free holiday to Pi’illo Island by a mysterious stranger, they eagerly accept. Soon they discover that a gateway to the dream world opens up whenever Luigi dozes off – and Peach finds herself sucked through the portal by an unknown assailant! This exciting adventure won’t leave you snoozing – especially if you play in the unlockable Hard Mode, which even makes the tutorial into a challenge!

Retro rampage

In November, Luigi Bros. took players back to where it all began – with a twist! After completing Super Mario 3D World, or if the game is played on a system that has New Super Luigi U save data, it’s possible to play the original Mario Bros. game with a fresh Luigi look. What better way to celebrate Luigi than by revisiting his first adventure? And soon you’ll be able to play another NES classic in a new way, with Super Luigi Bros. joining the roster of NES Remix 2 – take on a reverse, right-to-left version of Super Mario Bros. with Luigi!

Spot the Luigis

Eagle-eyed players might have spotted Luigi hidden in the backgrounds of two Wii U titles. Hidden imagery and pixel art of the greener half of the Mario Bros. is lurking all over the place in Super Luigi U and Super Mario 3D World. How many of them have you been able to track down?

Dr. Luigi’s in the house

Towards the end of The Year of Luigi, Dr. Luigi offered a cure for boredom on Nintendo eShop on Wii U, clearing bottle after bottle of nasty viruses using plenty of multi-coloured capsules in addictive puzzle action. Plus, Luigi brought some medical practices of his own to the operating table, with new mode Operation L challenging players to use four-part pills instead! Try to top the medical charts in Dr. Luigi!

The Year of Luigi on Miiverse

Luigi enjoyed plenty of attention on Miiverse. Nintendo fans have been able to discuss their favourite Luigi moments in the very friendly The Year of Luigi Community, and also each of Luigi’s new titles individually. There have even been guest appearances from members of the development teams, who have shared insights about games released during The Year of Luigi – did you know that Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros. was inspired by an image of multiple Luigis? Miiverse users have also been taking part in drawing competitions such as the Luigi Exhibition, in which keen scribblers could submit sketches using Art Academy: SketchPad.

It’s been an exciting time to be a Luigi fan – we hope you’ve enjoyed The Year of Luigi as much as we have! Find out more about games featuring Luigi by visiting our dedicated The Year of Luigi hub, and share your favourite moments on Miiverse now!