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Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective Remaster Review

With its great mechanics and strong writing, where’s the fanfare for Capcom’s quirky puzzle game?

9

Meg Kuyatt

Jul 18, 2023

I first played Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective on the Nintendo DS during lunch in my college campus cafeteria. I remember it being a fun game with interesting mechanics, but revisiting it now with the relaunch, I find it to be so much more than what I remembered.

 

Ghost Trick first came out in the States in 2011 on the Nintendo DS, and 2012 on iOS and Android. While it was made by the legendary creator of the Ace Attorney series, Shu Takumi, and has similar features to the beloved franchise, it unfortunately performed poorly at its initial release. Its rerelease seemed surprisingly quiet as well. Not long ago, I went to GameStop, anticipating being able to pick up a physical copy, only to later learn that the physical release was cancelled for the US. I was also surprised when the GameStop worker was unfamiliar with the title. Why isn’t there more fanfare for the re-release of such a fantastic game?



In Ghost Trick, you play as Sissel, a spirit that wakes up with no memory of who he is or how he died. In trying to solve the mystery of his life, Sissel discovers “powers of the dead,” where he can rewind time four minutes before someone’s death, travel through telephone lines, and manipulate objects to travel across and influence a given landscape. Sissel uses these newfound powers to save those around him, make new friends (including two other playable characters with varying mechanics), and discover the complex twists and turns to his own story—as well as those of the lives around him. 

 

While it’s been over ten years since I first played this game, I was surprised at just how much I remembered in replaying. The maps, music, and character designs are so memorable that most levels, I recognized at least one element, and usually an aspect of how to solve the puzzle (which is impressive, considering how forgetful I am of most games and movies I consume). That said, I wouldn’t say solving the puzzles came particularly easy—there was a good level of increasing challenge as the game progressed and having to experiment with the given tools of a map to find the correct solution.


Like Ace Attorney, Ghost Trick has strong narrative, dialogue and character development. It has similar levels of humor, quirk and absurdity and still manages to land emotional resonance and compelling worldbuilding logic. The expansion into the speculative with powers of the dead and the spirit world makes Ghost Trick stand out as particularly imaginative. There were times I got tangled in the narrative twists and logic, but by the end, everything is explained well and tied off in an interesting and inventive way.



The story is well-supported with incredible visuals, which have been remastered to be even more stunning on contemporary consoles. The game is so visually crisp and beautiful, particularly in the character illustrations during dialogue scenes. The character designs are fun and distinct, with each character having its own quirky animation that really brings them to life.

 

One of the elements that stands out most in replaying Ghost Trick is the incredible soundtrack. The music balances puzzle focus with high energy, escalating in urgency to find a solution as you approach the time of death. While composer Masakazu Sugimori’s original soundtrack is strong in and of itself, Yasumasa Kitagawa (the composer for The Great Ace Attorney’s phenomenal soundtrack)’s remastering blows it out of the park. While his changes aren’t radical, they really elevate the original songs to be even more stunning and compelling.

 

That said, the undeniably best part of Ghost Trick is the stand-out gameplay and unique mechanics. Sissel’s abilities vary depending on the object, allowing each level to be innovative and interesting as the player figures out how each object can be manipulated. The design allows players to explore and experiment, wondering what happens if the lamp “burns brighter” or what might be happening alternatively in another room. The game also adds new mechanics through other characters that keep the gameplay lively and engaging, requiring the player to change how they play.


The story is well-supported with incredible visuals, which have been remastered to be even more stunning on contemporary consoles. The game is so visually crisp and beautiful, particularly in the character illustrations during dialogue scenes. The character designs are fun and distinct, with each character having its own quirky animation that really brings them to life.

 

One of the elements that stands out most in replaying Ghost Trick is the incredible soundtrack. The music balances puzzle focus with high energy, escalating in urgency to find a solution as you approach the time of death. While composer Masakazu Sugimori’s original soundtrack is strong in and of itself, Yasumasa Kitagawa (the composer for The Great Ace Attorney’s phenomenal soundtrack)’s remastering blows it out of the park. While his changes aren’t radical, they really elevate the original songs to be even more stunning and compelling.

 

That said, the undeniably best part of Ghost Trick is the stand-out gameplay and unique mechanics. Sissel’s abilities vary depending on the object, allowing each level to be innovative and interesting as the player figures out how each object can be manipulated. The design allows players to explore and experiment, wondering what happens if the lamp “burns brighter” or what might be happening alternatively in another room. The game also adds new mechanics through other characters that keep the gameplay lively and engaging, requiring the player to change how they play.



Ghost Trick puzzles occur in real-time, a standout mechanical feature of the game. The player must carefully time when to manipulate objects to line up with characters’ actions in a scene. This, in combination with the escalating music, make the stakes feel high. Fortunately, you can go back as many times as needed to restart the puzzle, allowing space to tinker and explore all the possibilities in each map. There are also good save checkpoints to avoid laboriously redoing longer puzzles. The mechanics feel fair and satisfying, even if like the Ace Attorney games, there is one puzzle with a less intuitive solution. But my minor complaints were quickly forgiven with everything that this game does so well.

 

Why is this game so overlooked? While relatively short, Ghost Trick is one-of-a-kind and worth the time, especially at its lower price point. An absolutely overlooked classic gem of a game. If you’re a fan of Ace Attorney games, or enjoy mechanical puzzle games, you will absolutely enjoy Ghost Trick.


Pros:

 

  • Fun Ace Attorney-adjacent antics and character charm

  • Phenomenal soundtrack that you’ll listen to even after beating the game

  • Beautiful visuals

  • Memorable design and narrative

  • Innovative, engaging mechanics for a one-of-a-kind gameplay experience

 

Cons:

 

  • The game is quite text-heavy, and there were times I wished there was voice acting for the dialogue

  • Narrative has so many plot twists it can get a little convoluted

  • Missile mechanics are occasionally frustrating on contemporary controllers

Final Score: 9/10

 

Reviewer played on Nintendo Switch

 

Ghost Switch Phantom Detective Remaster is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows and Xbox One.



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Meg Kuyatt

Meg Eden Kuyatt is an instructor and writer. Her most recent book is “Good Different” (Scholastic, 2023). When she isn’t writing, she’s probably playing Fire Emblem. Find her online at: https://linktr.ee/medenauthor and Twitter: @ConfusedNarwhal.

Comments

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Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go-to font for titles, paragraphs & more.

Small Running Title

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Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go-to font for titles, paragraphs & more.

Small Running Title

Small Running Title

Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go-to font for titles, paragraphs & more.

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