The first Luigi’s Mansion has often been described as Nintendo’s first and only foray into survival horror. Part of the appeal was that Luigi was all by himself as he attempted to solve the mystery of the mansion and save his brother. The sequel – Dark Moon – retains that same foreboding atmosphere, but players can now take on a new challenge with up to three friends.

The new mode is called “Hunter Mode” and it has four different colored Luigis clearing floors of a haunted tower called the “Scarescraper.” A report from IGN reveals that players have a set time limit in which they must eradicate all ghosts including boss ghosts within a set time limit. Making it even more challenging is the fact that floor and ghost layouts are completely random each time.

The multiplayer can be played locally and online with players from across the world. The mode will also support download play which allows players to transfer parts of the game to a 3DS owner that doesn’t have the game. The limitations of this mode are not readily apparent.

There are more multiplayer modes that have yet to be revealed before the game’s launch on March 24. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them was similar to the excellent Luigi’s Mansion: Ghost Hunt mini-game in Nintendo Land. In fact, Nintendo would be stupid not to.