LEGO® Super Mario Luigi's Mansion review: 71401 Haunt-and-Seek

Products in this article were provided by LEGO®; the author's opinions are their own.

The frightful foes of Luigi's Mansion return for New Elementary's final review of the January 2022 LEGO® Super Mario sets. With three more spooky enemies, seven clever gameplay modules and enough details to call the vile villa a home, Haunt-and-Seek is the ultimate Luigi's Mansion expansion.

The £69.99 / $79.99 / 79.99€ set requires the electronic Mario or Luigi (or presumably the upcoming Peach) from their respective Starter Packs. With an age mark of 8+, this set isn't big on interesting parts but it does use its 877 pieces to create interesting gameplay features and secrets to uncover. If you're purchasing this set from LEGO.com please consider using our affiliate links, New Elementary may get a commission: USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop | UK LEGO Shop/for Europe 'Change region'.

New Parts in Luigi's Mansion Haunt-and-Seek

Though New E has covered the new elements in other Luigi's Mansion sets, Haunt-and-Seek has a few more surprises lurking in its shadows.

Printed Parts

As with the rest of the Super Mario theme, no sticker sheet is included in 71401 Haunt-and-Seek. Character faces are the only printed pieces included and two ghosts and two variants of existing characters treat us to new printed eyes and mouths.

• Slope 30 1 x 2 x 2/3 with Dark Green and Yellowish Green Eyes Pattern (Garbage Can Ghost) in Dark Green/ Green (85984pb365 | 6382144)
• Tile, Round 2 x 4 Oval with Red Open Mouth Smile with Bright Green Lips and 4 White Teeth Pattern in Dark Green/ Green (66857pb024 | 6382145)
• Slope 30 1 x 2 x 2/3 with Dark Red and Bright Light Yellow Eyes Pattern (Grabbing Ghost) in Bright Red/ Red (85984pb368 | 6382146)
• Slope, Curved 2 x 2 x 2/3 with Black Open Mouth and White Fangs Pattern (Grabbing Ghost) in Bright Red/ Red (15068pb407 | 6382147)
• Brick 2 x 2 with Black Closed Eyes and Scared Open Mouth with Red Tongue Pattern in Light Nougat (3003pb140 | 6389685)
• Tile 6 x 6 with Bottom Tubes with Black Eyes, Dark Pink Pupils, Open Mouth Smile with Dark Purple Tongue, and Sharp Teeth Pattern in White (10202pb036 | 6382143)

The ghastly ghouls of Haunt-and-Seek make up the majority of printed pieces included in this set and a petrified Toad introduces a new printed Light Nougat 2 x 2 brick. This screaming Toad face screams to be used in a MOC as a farm animal's nostrils and gaping mouth.

King Boo receives a facelift with this large White tile. With dark eyes aglow, the main villain of Luigi's Mansion is more menacing than the classically-styled King Boo found in 71377 King Boo and the Haunted Yard.

Recoloured Parts

• 2x Arm and Hand Long with Pin - Horizontal Grip in Dark Green/ Green (1881 | 6398543)
• 2x Arm and Hand Long with Pin - Horizontal Grip in Bright Red/ Red (1881 | 6398541)

The Green Garbage Can Ghost's and Red Grabbing Ghost's arms are Haunt-and-Seek's only unique recoloured parts. These long Technic pin-ended apparition appendages first appeared in Luigi's Mansion 71397 Lab and Poltergust as another ghost's arms in Flame Yellowish Orange/ Bright Light Orange.

The clip connections on these arms have phenomenal strength from the thick surrounding material. It's almost too tight to easily give the Garbage Can Ghost their included banana to hold, but I prefer a snug connection over a loose one any day of the week.

Unique LEGO Mario scanner bar codes in set 71401

Top row:

• Tile 2 x 2 with Grabbing Ghost Code in Bright Red/ Red (3068bpb1974 | 6389744)
• Tile 2 x 2 with Garbage Can Ghost Code in Dark Green/ Green (3068bpb1973 | 6389743)
• Tile 2 x 2 with King Boo Code in Dark Azure (3068bpb1975 | 6389749)

Middle row:

• Tile 2 x 2 with 2 Arrows Cycle Code in Reddish Brown (3068bpb1966 | 6389742)
• Tile 2 x 2 with Hidden Gem 1 Code in Bright Purple/ Dark Pink (3068bpb1968 | 6389745)
• Tile 2 x 2 with Hidden Gem 2 Code in Bright Yellowish Green/ Lime (3068bpb1969 | 6389747)
• Tile 2 x 2 with Hidden Gem 3 Code in Medium Azure (3068bpb1967 | 6389746)
• Plate, Modified 4 x 4 with Rounded Corners and 4 Feet with 2 Arrows Code in Medium Stone Grey/ Light Bluish Gray (66792pb009 | 6389738)

Bottom row:

• Tile 2 x 2 with Coin, Round Corner Code in Bright Red/ Red (3068bpb1970 | 6389739)
• Tile 2 x 2 with Coin, Square Corner Code in Bright Red/ Red (3068bpb1971 6389740)
• Tile, Modified 2 x 2 Inverted with Coin, Triangle Corner Code (11203pb082 | 6389741)

As the most expansive expansion to Luigi's Mansion, Haunt-and-Seek rightfully includes eleven unique barcodes for the LEGO Super Mario buildable game. Among these tiles are three new ghosts, two rotating platforms, and two three-part mini-games spread throughout Luigi's cursed château.

Recently Introduced Parts

• 3x Plate, Round 4 x 8 x 2/3, Raised 2 x 8 and 2 x 2 Cutout in Medium Nougat (73832 | 6353587)
• 1x Plate, Round 8 x 8 with Rounded Corners (65140 | 6350709)
• 1x Plate, Modified 8 x 8 with Rounded Corners and 4 Feet (66790 | 6301649)
• 2x Plate, Modified 6 x 6 with Rounded Corners and 4 Feet (66789 | 6301636)
• 2x Plate, Modified 4 x 6 with 2 x 2 Cutout and Round Corner 2 x 6 Double (89681 | 6378154)

Nougat plates abound as the Mansion's many floor pieces. Most of these make only their second appearance since 71391 Bowser's Airship and other Luigi's Mansion sets. The thin 8 x 8 plate returns from the treehouses of 60307 Wildlife Rescue Camp.

• 2x Technic, Liftarm, Modified Perpendicular Holes Thick 1 x 15 in Black (71710 | 6321716)
• 1x Plate, Modified 4 x 4 x 2/3 with Rounded Corners, 4 Feet and 2 x 2 Cutout in Dark Stone Grey/ Dark Bluish Gray (79387 | 6361035)
  
• 1x Brick, Round 3 x 3 x 1 1/3 Dome Top - Open Stud in Medium Stone Grey/ Light Bluish Gray (49308 | 6263183)
• 2x Tile, Modified 2 x 2 Triangular in Dark Stone Grey/ Dark Bluish Gray (35787 | 6262025)
• 2x Tile, Modified 2 x 2 Triangular in Brick Yellow/ Tan (35787 | 6314477)
• 1x Brick, Modified Cube, 4 Studs on Top with Red Circle Pattern on All Sides in White (66855pb02 | 6309077)
• 2x Arm and Hand Short with Pin - Vertical Grip in Light Nougat (28660 | 6297281)
• 1x Brick, Round 2 x 2 with Pin Holes with Bright Light Orange Lapels and White Undershirt Pattern (Toad Torso) in Bright Blue/ Blue (17485pb007 | 6309081)
• 1x Plate, Round Corner 2 x 6 Double in Reddish Brown (18980 | 6357946)
• 2x Slope, Curved 1 x 2 x 1 in Dark Green/ Green (37352 | 6270719)
• 3x Minifigure, Utensil Candle in Bright Red/ Red (37762 | 6348148)
• 1x Minifigure, Utensil Candlestick / Candelabra in Warm Gold/ Pearl Gold (73117 | 6326425)
• 2x Bracket 1 x 1 - 1 x 2 in Medium Stone Grey/ Light Bluish Gray (79389 | 6362975)
• 1x Tile 2 x 2 with 'START' in 2 Corners Code in Earth Green/ Dark Green (3068bpb1972 | 6389748)
• 1x Tile 2 x 2 with Blue Toad Speech Bubble with Exclamation Mark Code (3068bpb1957 | 6354341)

A smattering of parts released in recent years round out the Haunt-and-Seek inventory. Technic liftarms with perpendicular holes were introduced in 2021 and this makes only the third non-Technic branded set to include them. The majority of Toad's body parts are somewhat rare as their variants have been in four other Super Mario sets, and the rounded 2 x 6 plate is widely used but only seen in Reddish Brown in this and two Harry Potter sets.

The Modules of Luigi's Mansion Haunt-and-Seek

From a central rotating hub, eight attachment points spread spectres and mansion-y amenities every which way. Wall segments roughly divide this Mansion expansion into four rooms, each containing gameplay elements for collecting gems and coins, rescuing Toad, or defeating ghosts.

The three most domestic modules — a serving table with a cloche and candles, a grey bed, and an icky overflowing toilet — each hide a translucent jewel worth six coins each. Their outer details disguise internal Technic levers and hinges.

Pulling out the back of the serving table reveals the cloche is loose and hides a gem rather than food — ghosts don't eat much, after all. Bouncing on the bed launches a pillow with the pink jewel attached, and flushing the toilet ejects a neon green jewel cube. In a fitting combination of uncleanliness, a mouse has made their home on the reverse of the leaky toilet, which doubles as a wall segment.

Pool takes skill but this haunted pool table also requires luck. Table-flipping is the name of the game here: collect all three red coins around the table by slamming the lever on the right before this mini-game's timer runs out. The pseudo-random flipping from the table's slightly off-balance connection point rewards a mix of hard and gentle slams to reveal each side.

Super Mario players will recognize this red coin challenge and its matching music from console games. In Nintendo's games, red coins spawn and an extra reward is given for collecting them all before they disappear. Here in LEGO Super Mario, no coins are awarded if you collect only one or two — only getting all three awards five coins, a bit paltry compared to the six awarded by any one gem above.

Toad's Paintings are a common sight through multiple Luigi's Mansion games and rescuing these pint-sized pals seems to be a second full-time job for Mario and his brother. Here, Toad is removable from his base and hides a conversation code worth six coins.

King Boo receives a mini-building all to himself, something like a garden shed. The shingled shack houses a rotating Technic mechanism which jostles King Boo up-and-down and side-to-side in an attempt to free his Trans-Pink base from its cradle. Castle windows are again used to hold moving parts captive as in the Cheep Cheep bridge from 71400 Big Urchin Ride.

The King Boo figure here is constructed almost identically to the one from 71377 King Boo and the Haunted Yard with the face, Pink support, and new barcode as the only significant differences. Luigi's Poltergust powerup from 71397 Lab and Poltergust is not required to defeat King Boo, though the Green Garbage Can and Red Grabbing ghosts aren't worth any coins without it.

Final Thoughts

LEGO Super Mario Luigi's Mansion 71401 Haunt-and-Seek is a decent value with the numerous gameplay features it adds. Every moving module in this set has something interesting to offer and the non-interactive scenery pieces add the atmosphere of a fancy (if haunted) mansion's interior. References to Luigi's Mansion game levels are equally at home with original challenges in Haunt-and-Seek, making for a faithful translation of the delightfully darkest Super Mario games into LEGO form.

If you're buying this 877-piece expansion from LEGO.com please consider using our affiliate links, New Elementary may get a commission: USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop | UK LEGO Shop/for Europe 'Change region'.

Editor: Chris Baginski

READ MORE: See MOCs made with new parts from 60351 Rocket Launch Centre

Help New Elementary keep publishing articles like this. Become a Patron!

Massive thanks go to our 'Vibrant Coral' patrons: Daniel Church, Amy Hays, Chuck Hagenbuch, Joe Fontana, Elspeth De Montes, Megan Lum, Markus Rollbühler, Baixo LMmodels, Andy Price, Anthony Wright, London AFOLs, Gerald Lasser, Big B Bricks, Dave Schefcik, David and Breda Fennell, Huw Millington, Antonio Serra, Beyond the Brick, Sue Ann Barber & Trevor Clark, and Kevin Gascoigne.

LEGO® Shop at Home
USA: FREE SHIPPING every day on orders over $35!
UK: Free delivery when you spend £50 or more at LEGO!
Australia: Discover the latest promotions and offers on LEGO.com

All text and images are © New Elementary unless otherwise attributed.