GHOST TRICK: Phantom Detective Review

GHOST TRICK: Phantom Detective launched on Nintendo’s DS quite some time ago to less than stellar sales. Now the game has made its way over to iOS, featuring interesting puzzles and fantastic “Ghost Tricks,” it is a title that everyone should experience.

GHOST TRICK: Phantom Detective kicks off in a rather ominous fashion, with a young read-headed lady being held at gunpoint by a hitman. The narrator of the scene comments on the seriousness of the situation, and how he should help the lady, but there’s only one problem - he’s already dead, the first victim of the hitman.

Then the game’s hook is revealed: as a spirit he can enter the Ghost World and possess objects, making them perform an action. The first example of this is possessing a crossing-gate, causing it to move and knock the gun out of the hitman’s hand. Unfortunately this doesn’t work, and the girl is murdered. Then another feature is revealed; by possessing a newly dead body he can travel back in time to four minutes before they die, giving the player a chance to survey the scene and figure out a way to prevent it.

These features mean that GHOST TRICK: Phantom Detective has some pretty devious puzzles to solve, as the player has to work out what they need to possess in order to achieve the desired results. Oh, and to spice things up a bit all puzzles have a time limit, although they can be restarted as many times as the player wants. At first it’s a lot to take in. As a spirit the player can only possess objects a few feet away, and this method is used to traverse the environment. Sometimes it can be a bit trial and error, but on the whole it is cleverly designed.

The free version of the game comes with two chapters to try. These won’t last particularly long, or offer much in the way of replay value, but the player can purchase chapter bundles for $4.99 each or the entire game for $9.99.

I’d highly recommend trying out more than just the first two chapters of GHOST TRICK: Phantom Detective. They’re good, but just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what this game has to offer. Essential for those who like something different.