Dr. Luigi
- This article is about the game. For the doctor persona of Luigi, see Luigi § Dr. Mario series.
Template:Infobox Dr. Luigi, known in Japan as Dr. Luigi & Saikin Bokumetsu (ドクタールイージ＆細菌撲滅, lit. "Dr. Luigi & Bacteria Extermination") , is the sixth installment in the Dr. Mario series. The game was released exclusively for the Nintendo eShop on the Wii U as part of the Year of Luigi. As the title suggests, the game stars Luigi in a game very similar to Dr. Mario. Unlike his brother, Dr. Luigi still wears his hat rather than a head mirror, although later in Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure, Luigi wears the head mirror.
Gameplay
The gameplay is very similar to the original Dr. Mario game. Players must eliminate viruses by stacking Megavitamins on them by ultimately creating a row of four or more of the same color. In this game, however, there is a new game mode named Operation L, which involves stacking multicolored L-shaped pills in reference to Luigi.
Combos are altered in this game. In Dr. Mario, when a player gains a combo, the opponent will receive two half-Megavitamins to stall progress. In Operation L, when a player gains a combo, the opposing player's upcoming Megavitamin will have its colors switched.
Like Dr. Mario Online Rx, if the player completes the 20th level with the high speed in every mode (except multiplayer) the credits will roll.
Game Modes
- Operation L: The new mode of Dr. Luigi. In this mode, the player needs to clear the bottle of Viruses, like in other Dr. Mario games. This mode uses L-shaped megavitamins, which are actually two normal megavitamins held together in a blisterpack. Both megavitamins are affected by gravity separately and will separate after landing on a virus, megavitamin, or the bottle.
- Retro Remedy: This is the classic mode of Dr. Mario. In this mode, the player does not have L-shaped megavitamins, only normal megavitamins. The player needs to clear the bottle of viruses with pills the same color as each virus.
- Virus Buster: In this mode, only touch-screen controls are used. After a while on the same stage, two megavitamins appear, and then three.
- Online Mode: Like Dr. Mario Online Rx, the player can play with friends and players around the world. The modes available are Operation L and Retro Remedy.
Reception
Overall, Dr. Luigi received average scores from critics, having a Metacritic score of 65/100 based on 38 reviews.
| Reviews | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release | Reviewer, Publication | Score | Comment |
| Wii U | Scott Thompson, IGN | 7.5/10 | "Dr. Luigi does a lot of things right. Operation L is a surprisingly drastic change to Dr. Mario's established formula, and the improved Virus Buster mode serves as a welcome reprieve from the other modes' more frantic action. Online play is seamless, if just a bit careless in matching up players of similar skill. But the lack of notable features of previous games, especially four-player matches, is puzzling and disappointing. Instead of the definitive Dr. Mario experience, Dr. Luigi is an interesting spin of an established classic." |
| Wii U | Heidi Kemps, GameSpot | 5/10 | "In the end, Dr. Luigi feels like Dr. Mario Online RX all over again, with a few spruced-up elements and a not-well-thought-out extra mode. That alone would be enough to make you wary of dropping the full $14.99 asking price on this. But in the end, the most disappointing part of Dr. Luigi is that it doesn't give the Dr. Mario formula that shot in the arm it needs to feel magical again. Arika is the mind behind the amazing Tetris: The Grand Master series of arcade games, and I'm disappointed that it can't bring a similar thrill and exhilaration to this classic series. But it could well be that Dr. Mario's pacing and mechanics are relics of its era that would be difficult to bring up to modern standards. Dr. Luigi provides some shallow entertainment, but it's not exactly what the doctor ordered." |
| Wii U | Chris Carter, Destructoid | 7.5/10 | "Outside of Virus Buster, Dr. Luigi is very much a no-frills game mostly for fans of the Dr. series. If you don't find yourself getting excited at the prospect of L-shaped blocks or GamePad play though, you might as well just stick with Dr. Mario Online Rx. Either way, the Wii U's newest entry in the Dr. series is a nice cap on a great first Year of Luigi." |
| Aggregators | |||
| Compiler | Platform / Score | ||
| Metacritic | 65 | ||
| GameRankings | 66.17% | ||
Gallery
- For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Dr. Luigi.
Luigi as a doctor.
Cyan Virus, "Dizzy".
Magenta Virus, "Confused", the first Virus to have a female design.
Yellow Virus, "Drowsy".
A Megavitamin.
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Media
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ドクタールイージ&細菌撲滅[?] Dokutā Ruiji & Saikin Bokumetsu |
Dr. Luigi & Bacteria Extermination |
Trivia
- Some of the music tracks are reused from Dr. Mario Online Rx.
Staff
- Main article: List of Dr. Luigi staff
