Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is a video game created by the man behind
the first three Ace Attourney games, Shu Takumi. It was released in January
2011 for the Nintendo DS, and it went under the radar for a lot of people,
unfortunately not selling as well as any of the Ace Attourney games. Is this game one of those
hidden gems, or is it better left buried 6 feet under? Let's dig in and find
out!
Story: In Ghost Trick:
Phantom Detective, you play as Sissel, a ghost who has recently died and lost
all his memories. Starting his journey to find out who he was, he meets a
detective named Lynne, who dies almost immediately. Sissel then uses his new found
powers as a ghost to manipulate time and the objects around him to stop the
assassin who tried to kill her. From here, the plot takes off as Sissel saves
multiple people from death on his way to find out who he was and why he has
this power. The story actually takes quite a few surprising twists and turns,
and the ending is pulled off with such expertise that I was left feeling the
impact of the game for a few weeks. For those who have played the Ace Attourney
games, you can expect the same mix of humour and drama, but with a much darker
tone, as the game deals heavily with the theme of death. There are many amazing
lighthearted and funny moments as well, but the game handles its more somber
moments perfectly. This game is worth checking out for the story alone, but
that's not the only aspect of it that works so well.
Gameplay: The gameplay
is actually very unique, and can get quite tricky at times. At its core,
Phantom Trick is a puzzle game, but it's very different than what you might
expect from this genre. Sissel has the power to possess and manipulate objects,
as well as turn back time (although this power is limited to turning it back to
the beginning of the mission). He can also switch between the ghost and human
worlds. In the ghost world, time stands still and you can do things freely; but
in the human world, events take place in real time, and you must race against
the clock to save the person in question before their unfortunate demise. The
gameplay works very well and intergrates with the story seamlessly. Near the
end of the game, the puzzles become quite hard, and will definitely require a
few more tries than usual.
Overall: This is a game
that I truly wish more people knew about. I have even spoken to some hardcore
Ace Attourney fans who had no idea this game existed, and it upset me because
it is one of the best games out on the DS, period. Although it will be harder
to find now, I highly recommend buying this game if you ever see it in a store
or are willing to go online to get it.
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