Install and First-Run Disc Setup

What you need before first start

rob646464/luigis-mansion-recompiled ships zero Nintendo game files. Before launching the program, have ready:

• A verified release archive from the download page (v1.1.6 recommended) extracted into a normal user folder with at least 2 GB of free space.
• Your own unmodified GameCube disc image from your legally owned copy of Luigi's Mansion. Through Aurora’s nod disc library, setup reads ISO, GCM, RVZ, WIA, GCZ, CISO, NFS, TGC or an extracted disc folder directly without modifying or copying your disc file.

Windows 10 & 11 setup steps

1. Extract the ZIP archive into a short, writable path such as C:\Games\LuigisMansionRecompiled. Avoid extracting inside C:\Program Files (read-only permissions disable Portable Mode) and keep the folder path under 234 characters so Dawn’s Direct3D 12 cache opens cleanly.
2. Launch LuigisMansionRecomp.exe. If Microsoft Defender SmartScreen warns about an unsigned executable, confirm your ZIP’s SHA-256 digest first, then select More info > Run anyway.
3. Select your disc image(s). Click Browse... for the USA (GLME01), European (GLMP01) and/or Japanese (GLMJ01) slots, then click Install.
4. Wait 20–60 seconds for native compilation. The in-process recompiler lifts main.dol to 32 C++ translation units, invokes the bundled llvm\bin\clang.exe and lld-link.exe to build your native game module DLL, builds the Hidden Mansion overlay when multiple discs are present, and runs the one-time Preparing shaders pass from pipelines.bin.
5. Play. Every subsequent start skips compilation and loads warm cached shaders in roughly 0.5–2.0 s. Reopen disc setup anytime via F1 > Game > Add or change discs... or LuigisMansionRecomp.exe --setup.

Linux x86_64 setup steps

tar xzf LuigisMansionRecompiled-1.1.6-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
cd LuigisMansionRecompiled-1.1.6-linux-x86_64
./LuigisMansionRecompiled.sh

• Always prefer the .tar.gz archive because it preserves executable bits on LuigisMansionRecompiled.sh, LuigisMansionRecomp, llvm/bin/clang and llvm/bin/ld.lld. If you unpacked an older .zip and see Permission denied, run chmod +x LuigisMansionRecompiled.sh LuigisMansionRecomp llvm/bin/clang llvm/bin/ld.lld.
• If your minimal window manager lacks xdg-desktop-portal or zenity and clicking Browse... does not open a file chooser, paste the full disc path directly into the text box beside Browse... and click Use, or pass --us-disc /path/to/GLME01.rvz, --pal-disc /path/to/GLMP01.rvz and --jpn-disc /path/to/GLMJ01.rvz once on the command line.

macOS 13+ (Apple Silicon M1+) setup steps

The macOS build (merged via community PR #31 in v1.1.5) is compiled on GitHub Actions for Apple Silicon Macs running macOS 13 Ventura or newer via Metal. Because it is unsigned and not notarized:

tar xzf LuigisMansionRecompiled-1.1.6-macos-arm64.tar.gz
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine LuigisMansionRecompiled-1.1.6-macos-arm64
./LuigisMansionRecompiled-1.1.6-macos-arm64/LuigisMansionRecomp

On an M3 Pro test machine, compiling module.dylib with bundled clang + ld64.lld takes ~28.5 seconds, followed by a ~180-second first-run Metal shader preparation pass.

Where saves, settings & compiled modules live

Memory card saves are written as standard Dolphin-compatible .gci files inside USA/Card A, EUR/Card A and JAP/Card A, making it straightforward to back up or exchange existing GameCube save files.

Portable Mode & automatic GitHub updates

• Portable Mode (v1.1.2+): Create an empty file named portable.txt (or an empty folder named portable) next to LuigisMansionRecomp.exe or LuigisMansionRecompiled.sh before starting, or convert an existing install safely under F1 > Game > Data folder > Make this installation portable.... Place your disc image inside the game folder too so relative disc paths keep working when you move the folder to another PC or USB SSD.
• In-app Updater (v1.1+): When a new GitHub release is published, the game displays an update notice. Open F1 > Game > Updates to download the new package, check its SHA-256 digest and install it in place (requires libcurl on Linux). Portable installations stay portable across updates.