Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective review – A special point-and-click package that still feels original 13 years later

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective was a great game when it first launched on Nintendo DS in 2010, and it still is, and its charm hasn’t faded over time. You could pick up the NDS title today and still have fun with its polished sprites, wacky characters, and bizarre occurrences, but this remaster brings the classic NDS game up to date in 2023.

Throughout Ghost Trick, you assume the role of Sissel, who is, quite simply, dead. This animated protagonist has no memory of who she was or why she died, and his only way to get some answers is through a talking desk lamp named Ray and his new ghostly powers that allow him to transform into inanimate objects. Between story beats, Sissel will solve puzzles among the land of the living using her powers and her ghostly logic, raising the dead and getting closer to discovering her own identity.

Ultimately, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is a simple game; It has far less dialogue than writer-director Shu Takumi’s efforts with the Phoenix Wright series (which is also brilliant), but it’s still packed with simple, yet incredibly clever dialogue. There is no chance that you will lose the thread of the story or fall asleep as this particular mystery unfolds with perfect pacing and plenty of twists. You can access breakdowns for all the characters you know in case you start to get confused, but honestly, the characters are so clear and distinct from each other that this shouldn’t be a problem.

And let’s not neglect the main object-morphing character Sissel, whose abilities to resurrect people through some wacky Prop Hunt games still feel fresh 13 years later. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective’s gameplay remains special, and more engaging, than any other murder mystery meets visual novel (and there are many). Honestly, the only thing Capcom has done wrong is not giving the game a sequel, but I certainly hope this remaster makes the developer consider it.

On Nintendo Switch, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective only gets better. The already impressive sprites and wacky settings are in high definition, their playful music is back in better quality, and the charm of each and every Ghost Trick character lives on. First, we meet the wise, talking desk lamp Ray, and then the rookie detective Lynne. There’s also a talking dog, Missile, who’s an adorable but pea-brained Pomeranian. Then there are the strange inmates and the even stranger guards, and Inspector Cabanela, who is a very peculiar man, but he will certainly mesmerize you. The gameplay is excellent in Ghost Trick, but what really makes it shine are the well-rounded and nuanced characters you meet along the way.

While I do miss the second NDS screen that keeps me up to date on what item I am currently and what ability I can use (I often had to switch between the ghost world and the living world to check that I was transforming into the correct item ), you don’t miss anything playing on Nintendo Switch. The remaster uses the Nintendo Switch touch screen, which is something I always crave on the console. I love and miss the Nintendo DS touch screen and all the possibilities it opened up, so I’m glad to see that the touch screen elements haven’t been lost in this remaster of Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective also feels incredibly accessible; It’s a short game, easy to complete in a couple of days, and will only leave you wanting more. And for someone whose hands hurt when it comes to console controllers, being able to rely on the touchscreen when needed (you can do everything via the touchscreen if you want), made playing the game in 1 or 2 sessions a genuine experience. pleasure in every way.

Once you’ve completed a few chapters, you’ll find Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective quite hard to put down; as you get closer to the answers, you just end up with more questions, and time isn’t on Sissel’s side (unless he’s in the ghost world, that is, where time doesn’t pass). There is something so much fun about transforming into umbrellas, bikes and more to help our allies and discover new secrets; something that tickles a part of my brain. Maybe it’s the satisfaction of solving puzzles and saving lives, or maybe it’s the incredibly moving conclusion that Ghost Trick finally comes to.

All in all, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective combines distinctive gameplay with a strong story and characters you’re sure to warm to. I can’t recommend it highly enough, and if you do play it make sure you stick around to the end. Working your way to the conclusion and discovering the fate of each beloved character is well worth it. If you give Ghost Trick a chance, I hope you, like me, hope that Capcom will deliver a new installment of Sissel’s story one day.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective will be released on June 30, 2023 for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Code provided by the publisher for Nintendo Switch.