The year was 2013, and Nintendo was looking for a way to celebrate Luigi's 30th anniversary. They came up with the idea of naming that year The Year of Luigi. There were games, collectables, and even DLC made to honor Mario's beloved sidekick. One of the games made was Dr. Luigi, which is another game in the Dr. Mario series, only this time, Luigi is the star! It was released on December 31, 2013 in North America on the Wii U Eshop. How does this compare to the rest of the Dr. Mario series? I'll tell you by making this review.

Graphics: 8/10 The visuals in Dr. Luigi are really great for a Wii U Eshop exclusive. Luigi himself looks fantastic as a doctor, and the viruses are more detailed than the ones in Dr. Mario Online Rx for the Wii. Other than that though, the graphics won't blow you away. There are better looking Wii U games out there, though for an Eshop game, I'd definitely have to say that these graphics are really nice to look at. Overall, I'm giving the graphics for Dr. Luigi an 8.

Sound: 5/10 The music in Dr. Luigi isn't as good as previous games in the series. The Fever theme is the only real highlight here, this version is one of the better one's I've heard. The rest of the soundtrack however is very lackluster, with the worst song being the Dizzy theme, which is the theme you listen to while playing the new Operation L mode. I literally had to turn off the music during that mode just so I wouldn't have to listen to that theme while enjoying the new mode. Overall, Dr. Luigi's soundtrack left me wanting more, though the Fever theme was definitely worth listening to. I give the sound a 5 out of 10 since there are a few Wii U soundtracks I've heard that are worse than this one.

Addictiveness: 7/10 The gameplay in Dr. Luigi is pretty much the same as in previous Dr. Mario installments, you drop pills on viruses, you match 4 of the same color, and they disappear. There are a few new gameplay features that make this title stand out though, such as the new Operation L mode. In that mode, you place L-shaped pills instead of the normal pills, which makes you have to change the way you play the game. Different strategies are needed in this mode which makes it feel fresh. The only other change in this game is the Virus Buster mode, which adds a more casual approach to the standard mode of play, and makes great use of the Wii U Gamepad. The pills fall at a slower rate, and you change their direction by tapping your stylus on the pill, and you can also drag pills wherever you want them. This mode is great start for people who aren't familiar with the series. There's even an online multiplayer mode, the only problem with this mode is the lack of players you can play against. Other than those modes, there really isn't anything different about Dr. Luigi compared to previous games in the Dr. Mario series. The game itself is fun to play, but it's more of the same for people familiar with the series. For these reasons, I'm giving the addictiveness a 7.

Story: N/A Dr. Luigi Doesn't have a story, therefore I'm leaving this category blank.

Depth: 6/10 I've already mentioned several of the game modes this game has to offer, like Virus Buster, Operation L, and the online multiplayer modes, but there's another mode in Dr. Luigi as well, and that is Retro Remedy, which is the standard mode that's been in every Dr. Mario game, where you drop the normal sized pills. Other than that, there aren't any other game modes to play. The only new mode this game offers is Operation L. Since there's only one new mode, I'm giving the depth a 6.

Difficulty: 6/10 Dr. Luigi offers gameplay that will test your brain, specifically in the Retro Remedy and Operation L modes. The Retro Remedy mode is the tougher of the 2 modes, even though Operation L offers has the new L-shaped pills. The Virus Buster mode is a far easier and more casual experience. Overall, The toughness of Retro Remedy and Operation L are enough for me to give the Difficulty a 6.

Overall Score: 7/10 Dr. Luigi was a good addition to The Year of Luigi. The new Operation L mode offers a new and interesting way to get rid of viruses and Virus Buster makes great use of the Wii U gamepad, but there isn't anything else that makes the gameplay here stand out from previous titles. The graphics are great, and the game provides a nice challenge, but the soundtrack was disappointing. Overall, Dr. Luigi is a good game that I'd recommend to people looking for a good puzzle game for their Wii U. Other than that though, I'd recommend other games such as Smash Bros, Mario Kart 8, Super Mario 3D World and other games for Wii U owners before getting Dr. Luigi. My final score for this game is a 7 out of 10.

I was wondering how this game would compare to Dr. Mario. I've played multiple versions of Dr. Mario, mainly the NES version.

You did a great job of showing how simple this game is and why it's a great puzzle game! Keep up the nice work

PacmanandMariofan :
tornadocam :

Thanks! It is a pretty fun game to play, and like I said, it's a really good puzzle game for the Wii U.

The Wii U needs more really good games besides the classic games available in the Nintendo eShop

Hopefully I will be able to play this game someday. So far there are 3 other video games (all of them are more expensive) that I want to buy this year so I should focus on getting those for now. 

PacmanandMariofan : I agree with you there. So, what are those 3 games you mentioned you're wanting to buy?

HIS 30th birthday? I thought he and Mario were twins.

Anyway, this is an excellent review. Good structure, lots of details and comparisons with previous games from the franchise, which I did not know grew so much after the NES. A solid 5 for you!