"When you feel sad and lonely, friendship may come from where you least expect it."
—Announcement tagline
Ghost Giant is a 2019 virtual reality puzzle/narrative-driven game from Zoink! Studios, the developers of Fe. It debuted for the PlayStation VR, then launched the following year for the Oculus Quest.
Players take the role of the titular Ghost Giant, a spectral blue entity who manifests before a crying cat boy named Louis. Initially terrified of the Giant, Louis begins to trust it as it assists him in his tasks, though neither party knows why only Louis can see it. Louis' life is gradually exposed over the course of the story, including being deeply in debt to the local businesses and having a worryingly absent mother, and it becomes clear that the Giant is there as more than just a helper.
Trope Giant:
- Affectionate Nickname: Louis takes to calling you "Ghostie" as you bond.
- But Now I Must Go: The Giant dissipates in the pond where it first met Louis, now that his mom is receiving help for her illness and his friendship with Maurice is repaired. The Giant is pulled inside Louis, confirming the Giant was a part of the boy's very soul.
- Disappeared Dad: Louis' father is never commented on. Even the old family photos mention his great-grandparents.
- Gratuitous French: Nearly everyone has a French name, and French phrases are peppered into their dialogue.
- Gotta Catch 'Em All: Sinking baskets, blowing into pinwheels, and collecting hats for Louis.
- Grumpy Old Man: A goat landlord in town complains about any instance of noise, including in shows on his television.
- Hint System: Poking Louis has him comment on the situation, hinting at the current objective.
- Incredible Shrinking Man: On two occasions the Giant shrinks down, first to normal-size, then to the size of an ant where Louis and the grown-ups tower over it. The Giant is powerless to help the boy. Notably, this happens whenever Louis' confidence crashes and is unable to handle the problems in his life. It's these events that show the two are Bond Creatures.
- Invisible to Normals: The Giant's antics go unnoticed to the world at large, with credit being given to Louis or another character relevant to the scene at hand.
- Not-So-Imaginary Friend: It's revealed through the story that the Giant is part of Louis' spirit that manifested as a coping mechanism, to help him deal with his crippling loneliness and mother's depression. Its presence on the real world is undeniable, and a select few can actually see it.
- Painting the Medium: The lights will dim on dramatic scenes, and occasionally a platform will raise up like a stage to highlight a dialogue.
- Plot Tailored to the Party: Each scene is set up to make it easy for the player to manipulate the world. Giant brass levers and cranks can rotate buildings or activate mechanisms, and rooftops can be opened like jar lids.
- Public Domain Soundtrack: The song Louis and Maurice compose for Monsieur Debussey is the Clair de Lune. Makes sense.
- Secret Handshake: Louis makes one with you; it consists of a high-five followed by a fist bump.
- Sleepy Depressive: Louis' mom spends most of her time sleeping when she gets severely depressed.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Despite Louis and the Giant's best intentions, their surprise for his mother does nothing to lift her depression. It takes the help of other people worried for her and several months later for her to recover from her depressive state.
- Troubled Child: Louis is a very lonely boy who suffers the consequences for his mother's depression and is in a rough patch with his old friend Maurice.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Nobody comments on the Giant-sized apparatuses littering the landscape, or the large basketball nets in the distance.
- Weather Manipulation: The Giant can manipulate clouds to create storms.
- World of Funny Animals: The world is populated by anthropomorphic animals. The Giant averts this, just being some sort of blue Grimace-esque thing.
