ChaosControl Tue Oct 23, 2012 11:39 am
Ghost Trick is a fantastic little puzzle game for the Nintendo DS, made by the same people that gave us Phoenix Wright and Okamiden.
It stars Sissel. A blonde red suited guy who has a very bad day. To start with, he wakes up dead. He has no memory of who he is, how or why he was killed or who by. A talking desk lamp (What? Doesn't furniture talk to you?) helps him discover his poltergeist powers, or "Ghost Tricks".
Sissel can manipulate objects. Such as turning lights on and off and knocking objects over.
This is where the puzzle aspect comes in. You have to maneuver Sissel by possessing nearby objects and using them as "steps".
Not long after Sissel gets used to these powers a red-headed damsel in distress turns up. It's basically Sissel's job throughout the game to make sure that this hapless heroine doesn't die, while trying to figure out his own identity and that of his murderer. Oh, and he has to do all of this by dawn or else he'll disappear forever. The story is really interesting and the more you find out, the more you want to delve deeper. It has some fantastically funny dialogue. Anyone that's familiar with the Phoenix Wright games will appreciate its humor and quirky graphical style. The music is excellent as well. It pulls you into the story and adds to the mood.
Another interesting gameplay mechanic is that you can travel back in time to 10 minutes before someone's death. So now you have a time limit to solve your puzzle in! The music changes and really piles the pressure on right before someone is about to die, but there are some cases where you literally save someone's life at the last second.
This game is full of surprising twists and shocking revelations, whose threads all come together in a memorable and satisfying conclusion.
I heartily recommend this game to anyone that likes a good story and a puzzle.
The game is played entirely with the stylus. It has no multiplayer or online capabilities.
Age Rating: 12+
Chaos Rating: 9/10 - I didn't give it full marks just because it is a little on the short side and not much replay value. Didn't stop me from play it a second time last month though....
