Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

I want to sing Ghost Trick's praises from the treetops! This game is so fucking awesome!

Basically, if the DS is actually on the decline (and the fact that I have Dragon Quest VI, Radiant Historia, and the upcoming Pokemon Black or White to look forward to means that I'll probably be playing DS games on my 3DS for a very long time), then Ghost Trick is the perfect way to cap off the life of the quirkiest and most innovative and awesome gaming systems ever released, because Ghost Trick manages something that few games manage to pull off: coming up with a new gameplay conceit, fulfilling the promise of a never-before-tried narrative, and doing it with panache and style.

For those of you unaware of who Shu Takumi is, he's the mind behind the Ace Attorney series of games, known for their bizarre and quirky storylines and over-the-top theatrics. Those games are amazing in their own right, simply because they're so strange and because casting players as an exuberant lawyer with superpowers is a really endearing thing. Ghost Trick follows in the Ace Attorney series' footsteps with a similar style of storytelling (lots of zoomed in, anime-esque portraits of characters and expressive type face and sizes, as well as lots of wacky sound effects to emphasize certain bits of dialog) while simultaneously carving out a completely new niche of game: the detective-puzzle-adventure game (and no, this isn't the same as what the Professor Layton games are doing, rest assured).

Ghost Trick stars Sissel, a man who has died. Game over, right? Well, not so quick there, smarty pants! He has, through certain means, learned to be able to possess items in the real world, and has teamed up with Lynne, an investigator, to solve a big crime case. I don't want to say too much more about the narrative for fear of spoiling the twists and turns, as Ghost Trick's narrative is best experienced as a series of surprises – the twists and turns are always just a little loopy, but this gives the game an identity all its own. I will say, however, that the subject matter of a dead man assisting an investigation, is quite a bit darker than the game actually treats it, which is also quite refreshing – a badituded version of this story just wouldn't work, I think, and it gives the game a feeling like almost no other.

Beyond this engaging story, Ghost Trick succeeds primarily in two areas: aesthetics and design. The first can't be overpraised enough: this is, bar none, one of the most gorgeous games ever made. Recalling the rotoscoping of Out of this World, Ghost Trick's animations are beautiful to behold, a true testament to the skill of the art designers. This makes every aspect of the game's Rube Goldberg-esque concoctions just absolutely joyous to watch unfold, as the game often looks better than most commercial movie animation. If this was all that Ghost Trick had, it would be enough to recommend the game.

Fortunately, though, the game itself is almost as amazing. The game utilizes the touchscreen controls to their full intended effect, allowing for some really inventive puzzles. Basically, the conceit of the game is that Sissel can rewind time to four minutes before a victim's death, and by possessing and manipulating different objects in the room, can change the outcome of their death and assist in the investigation. The thing is, though, that Sissel can only jump from one object to the next if they're close enough to each other, which is where the various "ghost tricks" come into play.

This is pulled off almost as brilliantly as it can be, as it's both a completely heretofore unseen gameplay mechanic – puzzle solving is usually not this clever, inventive, or so well-integrated into the storyline as it is here. And while the first few stages are perhaps a bit easy, the final few are real headscratchers, causing you to consider every move as you attempt to change the fates of these poor people. My only complaint, really, is that the solutions are often quite prescriptive, meaning that there's only one way to achieve the end goal. If there's ever a sequel to Ghost Trick (god willing!), I hope that Takumi et. al can find a way to make the puzzle solving a little bit more varied and have more solutions than just the one. As it stands, though, trying to find that one solutions is still pretty brilliant.

Ghost Trick is likely one of the very best games ever made for the DS, and that's no small feat – the DS is probably my favourite or second-most favourite system of all time. This is an original, well-crafted, inventive and brilliant gem, one that I'm glad got made. In an industry so categorically afraid of risk, Ghost Trick is a clear demonstration of the rewards of taking chances.