Interactive mystery game
Dead men, they say, tell no tales. But in this adventure game, this adage does not apply. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is an interactive mystery game filled with terrific characters, compelling puzzles, and a labyrinth of mysteries that will keep you guessing. The game will have you control a soul who has no memory of his prior life and is desperate to uncover the truth behind his death.
Unique game premise
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective starts the game with Sissel’s soul leaving his body. He does not remember who he was and how he died. All he knows is he can now possess and manipulate objects. He can also use this ability to affect the world of the living and influence the course of events—both past and present. Moreover, if he sees a ghost, he can travel through time and prevent that person from dying.
The game comes with 18 chapters, each introducing a character. Spending time with each of them is a joy, as the chapters are filled with snappy dialogues that are consistently entertaining. The game also comes with stunningly smooth and expressive animation, which makes the movements of the characters visually great. The environment is also presented in a striking style to make the details pop off the screen.
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective allows you to view the characters from a two-dimensional side view. And since you are a disembodied soul, you can move between the ghost world and the real world. However, you cannot walk like a normal person. The only way to move is through conveniently-placed objects you can possess at will. You have to continuously possess an object to move along. And if that’s not enough of a chore, not all objects can be possessed.
Menial puzzle work
As a mystery game, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is filled with puzzles you need to solve. However, as much fun as the characters and their dialogues are, the puzzles are menial at best. Sure, it is fun to experiment with objects to see which will work and which will not, but if you do a significant amount of trial and error, it can be exhausting.
Moreover, there is only one solution to each problem, all of which involves manipulating the right objects in a certain way at a very specific time. Till the end, the game lacks the Eureka moment that most brain-teasing games thrive in.
Original as the game is, the novelty wears off after some chapters because the majority of the storyline does not evolve in any way. While each new chapter sheds some light on the character’s identity, the revelations only lead to bigger, more puzzling questions.
Fun yet puzzling
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is one of the most original puzzle-adventure games to come along in recent years. Almost every facet of the game is unique, from the concept to the puzzles. The character, animation, and dialogues are also terrific, making the core of the game—crimes and death—lighter. However, the menial puzzle-solving and the lack of evolution in the gameplay can put you off if you are looking for more dynamic gameplay.
