Strobulb
- “The Strobulb isn't a toy - it's a powerful tool! For one thing, it can activate any of my inventions that feature green circular panels.”
- —Professor E. Gadd, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon
The Strobulb is a flashlight tool that first appears in Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon. The Strobulb is required to activate Strobe Switches[1] and to stun some ghosts as, unlike in the first game, shining light via flashlight is no longer sufficient to stun ghosts in the game. Players can use the Strobulb without charging it, or hold the 
button for approximately one second to release a stronger flash. Not fully charging the Strobulb results in a flash of equal size to one that is not charged at all. A fully charged flash allows the player to stun multiple ghosts at once than an ordinary flash. Some ghosts have objects to shield them from being flashed; these objects must be removed with the Poltergust 5000 before the flashlight or Strobulb is used. When the player charges the Strobulb, the actual light coming from the flashlight decreases as it starts charging, and while it is fully charged, a small circle is seen at the source. Unleashing it creates a powerful beam of light, with small light particles at the end of the flash.
Luigi gets the Strobulb in the first mission of the game when he enters the Gloomy Manor and finds out two Greenies have it. The Strobulb is activated using .
The Strobulb reappears in the Nintendo 3DS remake of Luigi's Mansion. The player can choose to use the flashlight from the GameCube version or choose the Strobulb, activated with , making the gameplay more like that of Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon.
Luigi briefly used the Strobulb function in the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate reveal trailer for Simon Belmont and Richter Belmont titled "Vampire Killer." In said trailer, Luigi attempts to use the Strobulb to ward off several mummies in Dracula's Castle but to no avail.
The Strobulb returns in Luigi's Mansion 3, where it is used again to stun ghosts, as well as activating Strobe Switches found throughout the game. Like in Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, some ghosts use objects to block the effects of the Strobulb, and the objects must be removed before the ghosts can be stunned. The Strobulb is activated by pressing 
or 
.
Names in other languages[edit]
Strobulb[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ストロボ[?] Sutorobo |
Strobe | |
| Chinese | 闪光灯 (Simplified) 閃光燈 (Traditional)[?] Shǎnguāngdēng |
Strobe | |
| Dutch | Fantoomflitser[?] | Phantomflasher | |
| French | Spectroflash[?] | Spectroflash, portmanteau of "specter" and "flash" | |
| German | Stroboblitz[?] | Strobeflash | |
| Italian | Strobobulbo[?] | Strobebulb | |
| Portuguese | Estrobolâmpada[?] | Strobebulb, portmanteau of "estroboscópio" and "lâmpada" (light bulb) | |
| Spanish | Estrobombilla[?] | Strobulb, portmanteau of estroboscópico (strobe) and bombilla (light bulb) |
Strobe Switch[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ストロボスイッチ[2] Sutorobo Suitchi |
Strobe Switch | |
| Spanish (NOA) | Interruptor estroboscópico [3] | Strobe switch |
Trivia[edit]
- From a development and control standpoint, the Strobulb was most likely added to the game due to the player's lessened control over Luigi's flashlight due to the Nintendo 3DS's lack of two control sticks like the Nintendo GameCube controller.
- In the ScareScraper, the player's Strobulb when charging glows the same color as the color they are wearing.
References[edit]
- ^ Luigi's Mansion 3 Ver. 1.4.0 update information (English). Nintendo. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
- ^ Luigi's Mansion 3 Ver. 1.4.0 update information (Japanese). Nintendo. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
- ^ Luigi's Mansion 3 Ver. 1.4.0 update information (Spanish). Nintendo. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
