Price:
$10.99 on the Ipod Store (Ipod Touch and Ipad Versions)
$21.72 on the Nintendo DS
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002TD ... d_i=507846
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ghost-t ... 13377?mt=8
What's happening cool cats? Everyone's favorite eternally depressed deity, Odin, here! Before I start my review, I just want to apologize for not being in-game or in the forums much recently. Grad School and Work have kept me really busy and have even taken me out of the country for a while. Nevertheless, I've still kept up my gaming habit when I've had time and one of those games has managed to shake those rain clouds from my day for quite a while. It's firmly at number 4 in my top 5 games ever played and I'm here to tell you about it today! Let's get started!
Plot:
A gunshot rings out on this dark night, cutting short an innocent life; you regain consciousness in the middle of a garbage dump. Confused, weary, and shaken, you try to get up. There's just one problem: you appear to be dead and you have no idea who you are, what you are doing here, or where here even is. Suddenly, another gunshot rings out; a hit man guns down a cute, red-haired female detective in cold blood who was examining your dead body. Attempting to figure out what the heck is going on; a voice calls out to you. Coming from a dancing desk lamp named Ray, he calls you down to him. After speaking with him, you learn that, as a spirit, you have special abilities called Ghost Tricks that can help you affect objects and change fates. He also gives you a dire warning; you only have one night before you cease to exist at dawn. Powers in hand, you set off to try and change the fate of the only clue you have to your fate, the young detective.
So begins the plot of Ghost Trick. During your quest to recover your lost memory, you'll cross paths with a huge array of colorful characters including a Michael Jackson dancing detective, an adorable ally, and an overly energetic detective. It's so hard not to give away spoilers because this cast of characters is one of the best I've seen in a long time. The plot of Ghost Trick is quite convoluted; it's an adventure game at heart, but it always grounds itself in its unique and interesting characters. It's a deeply moving story too; it pulls you in, makes you really care about the characters you meet, and then delves very deep into their ambitions, motivations, and uses them to tell a truly engrossing narrative. It's like a good mystery novel; so good, you don't want to put it down. The story's payoff is amazingly satisfying in more ways then one.
Visuals:
The visuals in Ghost Trick are absolutely outstanding. Think Valve-Level animation easily. The DS graphics are a little pixelated to deal with the hardware limitations, but the IOS visuals are as smooth as a graphic novel. The game is done in an anime style, but 3D effects and character animation are incredible. I have no idea how Capcom pulled it off, but all the characters and actions move completely fluidly and there's no loading at all. Frankly, the visuals have to be seen to be believed. Just watching this game is a joy if you like animation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI_saCub0W8
Sound Design:
Although the story is mostly told through text, the game includes voice samples for key moments and has good sound design overall, with great and realistic effects. However, the music almost steals the show from the story, it's so good. It's a mixture of electronic tunes and classical pieces. The music perfectly matches the scenes in the story and helps really engross you in the game. I've had the music as my ringtones and alarms since I got the game and I don't think I'll ever get tired of listening to them. It's a wide variety of pieces too, ranging from somber, slow beats to fast-paced, intense scores.
Gameplay:
The gameplay in Ghost Trick:Phantom Detective involves the eponymous Ghost Tricks you possess. Using these powers, you can manipulate objects, travel through phone lines, and rewind time four minutes to before a person's death to attempt to change their fate. You also gain the ability later in the game to talk to living people. Using your finger or the DS stylus, you drag your soul from object to object, manipulating the objects in some way. It's a puzzle, trying to find the right combination of actions. However, the puzzles don't require batshit insane logic and are quite intuitive. The game also gives you plenty of hints if you need them, but in such a way that it's trying to help you figure it out rather than bold-facedly telling you the answer.
Conclusion:
Ghost Trick is one of those rare games that needs to be shown as an example of what video-game storytelling is all about. It may not be as action-packed as shooters like TF2 or as adventurous as games like Skyrim, but its plot is just as clever as any novel or film. It's art style is just beautiful, its music is fantastic, and it delves deeply into the question of what makes a person who they are, something wish I saw more of in games. Best of all, you can try Ghost Trick absolutely free on an IOS system. The first two chapters are free. The game is easily 10-15 hours long and gives plenty of bang for your $10.
Although I would recommend everyone play Ghost Trick, people who don't like long-story scenes, a deep, thoughtful plot that challenges you, or linear gameplay might find it more difficult to get into Ghost Trick.
I give Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective a 9 out of 10. Its excellent story, music, and animation are its best qualities and it only loses a point for being a bit too wordy sometimes. The translation from Japanese to English is excellent as well, don't get me wrong, but it could have been a little more succinct at times.
