Games worth discovering

Solve your own murder in this stylish mystery - Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective Quick Review

2K View2023-07-03

PLAY IT OR SKIP IT?

Play it, especially if you like detective games. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is one of the most unique puzzlers I’ve ever played. Becoming a ghost to solve my own murder was one thing, but preventing a colorful cast of characters (including a lovable dog) from getting killed upped the stakes and roped me in immediately.

TIME PLAYED

I spent around ten hours on the newly released PlayStation 4 version of Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective. I made it to the final chapter and unlocked a few collectibles, and even though I’m close to the end, I don’t want the mystery to stop!

WHAT’S AWESOME

• Twisty narrative. A detective game isn’t worth its salt unless there’s a good narrative to invest players in the mystery. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective felt like going through a visual novel with its chapter-based story structure. Each chapter hooked me more into the story with plot twists and exciting reveals. And side stories added even more information (and fun) to uncover.

• Colorful characters. Characters like Nearsighted Jeego, One Step Ahead Tengo, and Missile the Pomeranian were hilarious and kept the story lighthearted despite being about solving my own murder. It was a nice touch that these characters would play out their namesake; One Step Ahead Tengo was always one step ahead of the conversation, which led to plenty of hilarious interactions.

• IM DEAD. Since I never got a chance to play Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective in its original form on the Nintendo DS, the remastered version for PlayStation 4 was my introduction to the game. Whatever concerns I had about translating a DS game to a modern console were quickly taken care of, as Ghost Trick’s remastered controls are smooth. Although I can see how dual screens would make it easier to shift between the ghost world, I didn’t have any complaints while playing on a big TV screen.

WHAT SUCKS

• Still no sequel. I’m nearing the end of Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, and all I want to do is keep playing! I can’t believe it’s been thirteen years since the original release of this game, and we still haven’t received a sequel! Maybe the introduction to new audiences like me will finally get Capcom to make that happen.

• Dialogue heavy. This is not necessarily bad, but sometimes, I just wanted to get to the puzzle, only to be met with a wall of constant text. If you’re looking for a pure puzzler, you might be frustrated by this title.

💬 Will you play Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective? And what’s your favorite detective game? Let me know in the comment section below!