Why Does Luigi Fight Ghosts With a Vacuum Cleaner?

When Chris Plante (no, not that one) asked on social media if he knew anyone who might consider themselves a Luigi expert, I humbly volunteered. Obviously, I’m a Mario expert and a Birdo expert, but in reading and writing about these games all these years, certainly I learned more than the average bear about the other brother. Right? Hopefully yes! Because I recorded the episode of Plante’s Post Games podcast, which is now live in both audio form (here) and video form (below). I’d like to think I gave good podcast, and my promise as a guest is that not only will I promote the episode on social media, but I will also promote the episode via a post on this blog. And this is that! The Post Games episode is about Luigi’s Mansion, and the issue I’m choosing to explore is one that’s perhaps a little more complicated than it might seem at first glance: In Luigi’s Mansion, why does Luigi fight ghosts with a vacuum cleaner? The answer that most people would offer is probably “Because of…