So Ghost Trick is one of my favorite games period. It's really good at what it does, but is not exempt from flaws.
The characters are very likeable and well characterized; hilarious, but can get serious when the situation demands it. In this game I met two of my fave characters of all time: Lynne and Sissel. Their stories seem just tangentially connected at first, but they actually have a lot in common, and their final speech nearly got me crying (It Has Been an Honor) because of how much time I spent seeing how these two interact through the game.
The central mechanics is saving others' lives through time. I knew I couldn't go wrong with this game, because I love Time Travel — and it certainly didn't disappoint. Each death you have to avert is different from the others, and requires you to take different actions while consulting your sidekick (you always have one in these segments). Said sidekick is usually friendly and funny (especially Lynne), and unlike some Annoying Videogame Helpers (coughcough Navi coughcough), they often give useful and not-so-obvious clues, so it usually doesn't get too hard to avert someone's death.
Of course, there are puzzles that seem too reliant on Trial and Error and some that outright seem unfair (like the checkpoint past the Unwinnable situation with the Justice Minister). But solving puzzles overall is a nice, fun experience. My only complaint is the sheer limitation of your range of action, but this seems to be just a case of Gameplay And Story Integration — you feel the limitations of your character and have to deal with them just as he does.
I would complain about the weird San Dimas Time in this game... but it's not a big deal. After averting a death, you go forward in time just as much time as you spent saving that person, which doesn't make sense but doesn't ruin the game at all. Plus there has to be some way to get the plot along through the night, or else it would just take about two hours, which seems extremely implausible.
The amount of plot twists is huge, but they are really good and feel just awesome. Besides, there are a lot of important things you will overlook on your first playthrough, so you definitely will want to replay the game to catch on those seemingly innocuous details.
The instruments of the soundtrack don't have an amazing quality, but that's to be expected from a DS game. Plus this is mitigated successfully by the sheer quality of the compositions — they're awesome! Special mention goes to Fate Updated, Chained Past, Providence and The Beginning of the Night. The songs are incredible and would be mindblowing if played by HQ instruments.
So I'd like to give the game a perfect score, but I can't. I'll have to give 95 out of 100 because of the aforementioned occasional puzzle nastiness, but that's pretty much my only complaint with it. This is an incredible videogame that knows what it does, and everyone should give it a try. At least for the plot.
Simply outstanding
So Ghost Trick is one of my favorite games period. It's really good at what it does, but is not exempt from flaws.
The characters are very likeable and well characterized; hilarious, but can get serious when the situation demands it. In this game I met two of my fave characters of all time: Lynne and Sissel. Their stories seem just tangentially connected at first, but they actually have a lot in common, and their final speech nearly got me crying (It Has Been an Honor) because of how much time I spent seeing how these two interact through the game.
The central mechanics is saving others' lives through time. I knew I couldn't go wrong with this game, because I love Time Travel — and it certainly didn't disappoint. Each death you have to avert is different from the others, and requires you to take different actions while consulting your sidekick (you always have one in these segments). Said sidekick is usually friendly and funny (especially Lynne), and unlike some Annoying Videogame Helpers (coughcough Navi coughcough), they often give useful and not-so-obvious clues, so it usually doesn't get too hard to avert someone's death.
Of course, there are puzzles that seem too reliant on Trial and Error and some that outright seem unfair (like the checkpoint past the Unwinnable situation with the Justice Minister). But solving puzzles overall is a nice, fun experience. My only complaint is the sheer limitation of your range of action, but this seems to be just a case of Gameplay And Story Integration — you feel the limitations of your character and have to deal with them just as he does.
I would complain about the weird San Dimas Time in this game... but it's not a big deal. After averting a death, you go forward in time just as much time as you spent saving that person, which doesn't make sense but doesn't ruin the game at all. Plus there has to be some way to get the plot along through the night, or else it would just take about two hours, which seems extremely implausible.
The amount of plot twists is huge, but they are really good and feel just awesome. Besides, there are a lot of important things you will overlook on your first playthrough, so you definitely will want to replay the game to catch on those seemingly innocuous details.
The instruments of the soundtrack don't have an amazing quality, but that's to be expected from a DS game. Plus this is mitigated successfully by the sheer quality of the compositions — they're awesome! Special mention goes to Fate Updated, Chained Past, Providence and The Beginning of the Night. The songs are incredible and would be mindblowing if played by HQ instruments.
So I'd like to give the game a perfect score, but I can't. I'll have to give 95 out of 100 because of the aforementioned occasional puzzle nastiness, but that's pretty much my only complaint with it. This is an incredible videogame that knows what it does, and everyone should give it a try. At least for the plot.