Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective still floors me. First launched in 2010 exclusively for the Nintendo DS, this absurdly creative narrative adventure came from the minds behind Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and allowed them to explore a new concept stretched to unimaginable proportions. Every scene is a joy, with the narrative depicting a dark tale of mysterious loss that is kept upbeat thanks to stellar writing and an excellent cast of characters. It’s a cult classic, one that has received a handful of ports in recent years to other platforms, but the property has otherwise been left on the shelf.
The sad part is how perfect Ghost Trick is for further expansion, whether it be through a traditional sequel or a crossover with existing franchises. All of the ingredients are there, yet it seems the technical and storytelling challenges associated with such an outing have seen it relegated to the shadows. If you haven’t played Phantom Detective before, it follows a spirit known as Sissel who awakens to find himself murdered, although he has the ability to possess objects in the environment and even interact with the living. These ‘ghost tricks’ are performed with the DS stylus, with players having to connect the dots across an environment as they take control of different objects, forcing them to come alive as they navigate offices, construction yards, and studios in search of their next objective.
Many of the places you inhabit are everyday locales such as office buildings, but from the perspective of a ghost who can take control of anything and everything to gain the attention of the living, it grows into something far more engrossing. The way characters react to your presence only makes the whole affair more entertaining. Lynne is the highlight, a young detective who finds herself caught up in the conspiracy surrounding Sissel’s death. She’s ditzy, courageous, and surprisingly taken with a ghost helping her solve his own murder. The writing is wonderful, almost every line of dialogue filled with biting jokes and meaningful character interactions that push the story forward. Missile the Dog is an all-timer.
It’s impossible to guess where the plot will go next, with the introduction of new villains and supporting characters helping to broaden the horizons of what should be a fairly simplistic crime caper. Ghost Trick also isn’t afraid to play with the finality of death, often killing off major characters as part of puzzles as we’re forced to turn back time and tinker with the environment before their fate is sealed forever. I first played it as a teenager, so its unorthodox approach to storytelling and the bending of its own reality were oddly formative for me. It’s a game I often bring up in conversation before leaving with a frown as I discover my friends haven’t played it - they usually just ask me to kindly talk about something normal for once.
Putting that aside, the manipulation of time here gives the majority of puzzles a level of anxiety that forces you to experiment and uncover solutions that at first seem impossible. Ghost Trick is a narrative-driven game, so most levels only have a single solution - you’re shuffled into an exercise of trial-and-error before the correct sequence of actions is uncovered. This holds the game back in some regards, often bringing the narrative to a standstill as you stew in frustration until the lightbulb moment finally surfaces.These are small niggles in an otherwise spectacular package, though, and given nothing has tried to replicate it since, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective remains unmatched. Even the deaths are rewarding, posing a grim ultimatum you’ll meet time and time again unless you manage to save your new friends from meeting you in the afterlife. Ghost Trick is a dark comedy that balances the amusing and the macabre almost perfectly.
Shu Takumi’s direction is phenomenal, and the iconic character designs from Koki Kinoshita have stood the test of time remarkably well. It’s timeless, and thus a port to Nintendo Switch with a beefier resolution and sharper pre-rendered backgrounds would work a treat, although the touch-focused gameplay would likely need to be overhauled since Ghost Trick took advantage of the DS’ distinct features in ways that few other games did. But I’d rather see a sequel, prequel, or even a full remake with new and familiar characters.
It’s a crime that Ghost Trick only had a single opportunity to shine. Phantom Detective is often compared to Elite Beat Agents and The World Ends With You as one of the very best games on the platform, but also one that didn’t receive enough attention. It’s an absolute banger, and one that deserves another chance in the spotlight. Advance Wars is finally getting a remake, and TWEWY is getting a sequel, so I’ll just keep throwing bricks at Nintendo HQ until they do something about Ghost Trick. I could go on about this game for days, so if you have the means to play it, do yourself a favour and see what all the fuss is about.