Actually, they can damage Luigi by dragging him. If you don't pull away as you get a ghost in the vacuum stream, that is a legitimate way for that to happen.
Mate I was wondering if you could help me. I swear when I used to play this game, there was a part near the end just before you get to Bowser witihn the last few rooms, where there was a painting or a mirror, where you could view it and then it would start to change and then do a jumpscare and luigi would fall to the ground. Am I imagining this? Because I also remember avoiding triggering this sequence on a later playthrough because it was scary as a kid lol.
I don’t think that ever happened but when you scan a mirror with the gameboy it does teleport you back to the entrance so maybe that’s what you’re remembering?