Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective for Nintendo DS Reviews by Gamers

A simplistic reminder of the old Sierra timing-based single-screen puzzle adventure series "Goblins," "Ghost Trick" is elevated on account of its colorful characters, entertaining story, and consistent world-building. Finding himself dead, Sissel must now interact with inanimate objects in an effort to save the lives of those around him -- and figure out exactly what happened to himself.

The cleverness and charm of the game is that Sissel is able to interact with recently deceased souls, traveling four minutes back in time with them in order to prevent their deaths and rewrite the "present." The result boils down to a lot of trial-and-error deaths in which you try to manipulate Rube Golberg[1] environments in the hopes of averting fate. Along the way, you'll also solve a mystery by traveling through phone lines from location to location, piecing together the overall puzzle whilst saving individual lives.

Each of the eighteen chapters has its own unique scenario, which keeps you on your toes, though the basic puzzle solving always comes back to the same key tools, some of which can be a bit frustrating (timing-wise). Thankfully, the game keeps tossing dialogue at you, keeping you entertained even when you choose poorly and have to rewind time yet again. It also takes itself pretty lightly: characters refer on the meta-level to other mystery novels ("the locked room" case) and start to take their own deaths lightly (being crushed by a giant chicken display).

Turns out that your enjoyment isn't just a trick: it's genuine. The only thing that would elevate this game would be a split-path system that required investigation beyond the individual death-trap scenarios. But hey, we'll leave that to the sequel, right?

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[1] Note: had to misspell Rube's last name because GameFly won't, for some reason, publish the correct spelling.

This mysterious puzzler is so much better than genre buddy "Nine Persons...". By my calculations Ghost Trick is about five points better than that one. So taking the average score for 999, that would give Ghost Trick about a 13 out of 10. Woo!

The number one reason why this game is so much better is that it feels like a stinkin' game! 999 had so many walls of text; Ghost has some wordy spots as well, but it doesn't feel like a novel anywhere near as much and really keeps things moving, with puzzles interspersed much more evenly. As for the story itself, I think 999 starts more interesting as you are driven to save your own life, whereas in Ghost you're already dead from the start. But as Ghost moves along I think it gets much more interesting, and is far more satisfying in the end.

I found the puzzles in Ghost Trick to be very clever. Your options of where to go and what you can do are limited so you'd think the answers would have to be pretty straightforward, but in fact they manage to be hidden just well enough to add a good challenge. The game design is well done in giving you good direction without spelling out the solution, and in keeping you from having to replay too much should you fall short.

The art direction is excellent and animation really brings the caper to life even though your own character is dearly departed. The soundtrack is nothing super but does an adequate job of highlighting the suspenseful moments, and the sound effects are good. A large cast of eccentric characters (to put it mildly) really keeps things moving.

999 certainly does better in the replay department, with its multiple endings. There's little reason to replay Ghost Trick. But I'd rather get one satisfying ending than have to replay large chunks of a game to get a bunch of bittersweet ones. I came away from Ghost Trick feeling great! I would love to see another game like this.

If you enjoy a good mystery and are a fan of puzzles, this is the game for you.

While this game had a unique and engaging mechanic, and was fun to play (when it let you actually play it), its non-stop interruptions with cut scenes, dialogue, and its own endless drive to be the quirkiest thing you will ever play killed it for me. Also, the game relies heavily on trial and error, and you have to do the same things over again, usually a few times, before you get it right, because none of the solutions in this game are terribly sensible.

If they had taken out probably half (that's 50%) of the dialogue and other exposition, this game would have worked, but just like Joss Whedon, it's in love with its own prose, and won't just shut up and let you enjoy it.

Personally, one of the best games I have ever played. Gameplay is intense, Storyline is perfect, and the characters are unforgettable. I recommend this game to anyone and everyone.

Ghost Trick is a welcome surprise. Out of nowhere Capcom gives us what may well be the finest game on the DS. The premise is refreshingly original- you are a recently murdered soul out on a mission to find out who killed you. It branches off from there and introduces a bevy of lovable characters and an excellent plot to go along with them.

To say more is to spoil it. Just know that you're in for outstanding music, great animation (a certain dancing inspector comes to mind,) ingenious puzzles and a hilarious and beautifully poignant story. If you have a DS or 3DS, do yourself a favor and give this gem a shot.

loved it

I enjoyed this title, but I should be clear. This is not so much a game as it is a detective story with a few puzzles. It's like Phoenix Wright, only you're dead.

You play the recently deceased Sissel, and your memory of your life has been wiped. You have control over certain objects in ghost form, and you have to use them to keep the people who can give you answers out of harm's way.

It's a very cool story; lots of twists and turns, and an ending that's well worth the play. The game-play is pretty straightforward. You can inhabit certain objects within a limited reach. Most of the puzzles involve manipulating objects so you can reach others. Sometimes you need to have good timing to interact with the level at specific times.

Definitely worth the rent and play-through if you like story games. But Action/adventure this isn't.

there is not much more to say that hasn't been mentioned in other reviews, but if you are on the fence about trying Ghost Trick, Just try it! I went out of my RPG box and tried it out and I have been entertained & challenged. The graphic movement is beautiful, which makes up for the major pixelization. It gets very difficult at the end and keeps your mind sharp and open to new ideas and improvising. If it seems like a dumb idea - try it, it just might work. The only annoyance is the repetitiveness of dialogue as you go through scenarios over and over again if you fail to succeed the first times. It would be nice to have a "speed through" option. The writing is witty and fun, characters kooky and original. I am nearly to the end and really don't want it to stop. I would BUY a sequel if it existed. - Hope it does come out soon!

A fun, intriguing point-and-click adventure from the makers of the Ace Attorney series. The game mechanics are sound, the characters are likable and endearing, and the story is atmospheric and mysterious. It's too bad there aren't more games like this one out there, as the genre is very well-suited to the DS.

The graphics are too cartoony and the storyline keeps repeating. It's predictable and easy.

I wasn't sure if this was going to be too much like a kid game, but i was surprised. I couldnt put it down. It made me think and kept me entertained. This is what I look for in a game.

This game is sooo much fun you'll never wanna put it down! Seriously, There is no other game like this out there its definately up there with the greats like 999 and the professor layton series. But there isn't really any replay value like 999 but as far as puzzle games go that's pretty common. The story is full of twists and you'll find yourself guessing who the bad people are just to find out your totally wrong! So if you love puzzle games definately check this one out.

Graphics:7/10
Sound:8/10
Story:10/10
Gameplay:9/10
Replay value:5/10