Oh boy, here comes the first real post of the year and it’s about a game that originally came out on the Nintendo DS. And with the release of the remastered version last June, I think it’s about time that I talk about this series! (laughs)
Before I begin, however, I’m going to try out a different format when writing these blog posts and see how it goes. I would also like to reiterate that these posts aren’t necessarily reviews as I will not be scoring anything. Recommendations? Sure. Retrospectives? Also fine. But reviews? No, not really.
Many of these posts will probably be me gushing about something or other (it’s part of who I am), but that isn’t to say I won’t have anything negative to say as well. Not everything I consume will be perfect and I honestly don’t expect them to be. If they compelled me enough to sit down and write out my thoughts, then that’s what I’m going to do.
「Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective」was a game that originally released on the Nintendo DS back in 2010 (and yes, the red D is intentional). I wouldn’t actually be able to get my hands on it since it would later be released in North America the following year while I was halfway through my first year of college. I think my brother and I were immediately drawn to it simply because it was directed by Shu Takumi, the man who created the Ace Attorney series. And if there’s anything you need to know about us, it’s that the Ace Attorney series are among our favorite games. Although, I’m probably a little more into it than my brother is. (laughs)
Anyway, when my brother and I heard that Shu Takumi was working on another game (and a puzzle adventure game at that), you bet your asses we went out to buy it immediately. Back then, we would only buy one copy of a game since why bother to buy two when one copy was enough? Granted, I would have to wait my turn since my brother would play through the game first, but every once in a while, I would watch my brother play through some of it. And boy, oh boy, was this an amazing game to play through once I had my hands on it.
Without further ado, it’s time to jump into the world of Ghost Trick.
Update 10/2/24: Added a “Read More” line.
BANG! A single bullet rings out in the dark city. But as one life ends, the story is just getting started… Sissel wakes up as a ghost and realises he has lost his memory along with his life. “Who am I? Who killed me? And why?” With only a few hours until sunrise—and oblivion—to uncover these answers, Sissel must solve the mystery of his own murder, starting with the detective who may have witnessed the crime… Using the powers of the dead, you can possess and manipulate objects and even rewind time as you work to solve brainteasing puzzles in a story chock-full of quirky humour and charming characters.
~ Summary taken from the game’s Steam page
First off, I would like to say that yes, the image at the top of this post is the official box art for the game. And you might also be thinking, “An amnesiac protagonist? What’s so special about that?”
For the sake of this post, I will not be entering spoiler territory since this game has some of the best plot twists I’ve ever seen (especially the final one!) and if you ever want to play this game for yourself, I would like you to experience those twists for yourself.
Now, when I first played Ghost Trick all those years ago, for someone who grew up as a Nintendo kid, it had one of the coldest opens I’d ever seen. Having a game start (“in italics”) without really giving you much backstory was quite the shock. Let me paint the scene for you.
The game begins with a dark screen and some slightly ominous music playing. A few words pop up on the screen, notifying the player that Sissel must’ve been unconscious for a while since his head feels a bit fuzzy. Suddenly there’s a spotlight on the left third of the screen, showing a red-haired woman. And then there’s another spotlight on the right third of the screen: a man holding a gun. You can tell that the middle of the screen is intentionally being avoided as Sissel continues his internal monologue. He would love to help this woman, who is being held at gunpoint, however…
There’s just one problem.
Sissel is dead. I mean, the man in the red suit must be him, right? How is he supposed to help if he’s dead? Worry not because a voice calls out to you and the game screen changes right before your eyes. It’s completely red save for two orbs of light: one where your body is and the other… is in a crossing gate?
Welcome to the land of the dead. You will be swapping between this and the land of the living throughout the course of the game, so get used to—quite literally—seeing red.
Now, this is what I like to call the “tutorial level,” since this voice (later introduced as Ray) will now teach you the main game mechanics: how to move around in the land of the dead and how to manipulate certain objects in the land of the living. You tinker around with some objects nearby, slowly altering the fate of the woman whom you’re now trying to save. Despite your literal “ghost tricks,” (heh) the woman still ends up dying. So what good are these powers if you still can’t save her?
…
…
Hey, did you know that you have the power to go back four minutes before someone’s death? 😀
Another ghost trick! And a pretty powerful one, at that. This is Ghost Trick at its core: going back in time to prevent deaths from occurring, all the while trying to figure out who the hell you even are and how these people you’re saving and the string of events occurring that night are connected to you. And the kicker? Ray says you have until 6am the next day to figure it all out. Otherwise, you will cease to exist.
What time is it when Sissel regains consciousness, you might be asking? 7pm. But wait… didn’t Ray say that you’ll cease to exist when 6am rolls around? You better get moving then! With less than 12 hours remaining, it’s time to start unraveling the mystery behind Sissel’s death!
This is about all I can really say about this game without accidentally talking about spoilers. Like I said before, Ghost Trick has some of the best plot twists I’ve ever seen and I would actually be doing you a disservice by going any further. It also takes advantage of the DS’s top and bottom screens and utilizes them well.
And how could I talk about Ghost Trick without talking about its awesome soundtrack? For the remastered version, they revamped all of the music, and you can choose to play the game with the OG soundtrack or the 2023 version. To give you a taste of the music, please take a listen to the main theme below (expertly titled “GHOST TRICK”). It’s a guaranteed bop! 😊
Now that the game has been remastered for the Nintendo Switch, PS4, Windows, and Xbox One, I really hope more people get a chance to play it. It truly is an underrated game that I think deserves more recognition. The mystery hooks you in almost immediately, the characters are charming and uniquely animated (I’m lookin’ at you, Inspector Cabanela), and we can’t forget about the goodest boi Missile. It’s also a standalone game, so there’s no sequel (nor do I feel like it needs one). Ghost Trick accomplished what it set out to do and tied it all up with a neat little bow.
I played and finished the Switch version at the beginning of the year and while there’s no replacement for playing it on the DS, it doesn’t take away from the gameplay at all. I can’t tell you how blown my mind was when the February 2023 Nintendo Direct dropped a teaser for the remaster of Ghost Trick. I thought I had slipped into another alternate universe. (laughs) Never in a million years did I think we would ever get a remastered Ghost Trick of all games, but man, am I happy that they did. (It’s how I felt when the remake/remaster of Paper Mario: TTYD was announced last year as well, but perhaps that’ll be a post for another day haha)
I wouldn’t say Ghost Trick is a very long game, but I wouldn’t say it’s super difficult either. Some puzzles require some thinking (it wouldn’t be a puzzle game if it didn’t), but part of the fun of Ghost Trick is figuring out what each item does. What’s the point of having objects you can manipulate if you’re not even going to test them out?
In one of the later levels, there’s a “solution” you can do that will give you an instant game-over, but it’s so ridiculously hilarious that I can’t even be mad at it. I think that’s all I have to say about Ghost Trick, so if you happen to find that silly little “solution” that I mentioned, I hope it gives you a good laugh, too.
So with that, if you’re ever looking for something to play, might I suggest “Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective”?
Until next time! Bye bye~
🌸 Hiba
The Skylark's Treasure 