Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective remains one of my favourite Nintendo DS games and I consider it a must-play for Ace Attorney fans. Not because the two feel similar, mind. Shu Takumi’s supernatural adventure swaps courtroom shenanigans for Rube Goldberg machines solved by point-and-click puzzles, retaining that sharp humour and charming cast. 13 years haven’t dulled this classic. Though it’s better suited for touchscreens, Capcom sets a high standard for future remasters.
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective reviewPublisher: CapcomDeveloper: CapcomPlatform: Played on Switch, tested on PC and SteamdeckAvailability: Out now on Switch, PS4, Xbox and PC (Steam).
Playing as Sissel, Ghost Trick begins with your abrupt death. Waking up inside a junkyard as an amnesiac spirit, Sissel’s journey to discover the truth brings us to Lynne, a young detective about to be killed by an assassin. Spurred on by a wise and mysterious desk lamp, Sissel soon discovers he can manipulate inanimate objects and travel back to four minutes before someone’s death. That doesn’t sound like much, but even minor changes can have significant consequences that ultimately trigger a new chain of events.
What follows throughout the evening is a brilliant mystery intertwined with inventive gameplay. Time flows normally in the living world, but Sissel can switch to the Ghost World at any moment, moving across set objects highlighted by blue cores. If a character has recently or previously died, he can communicate with them by linking to a yellow core, which usually leads to several questions. Objects can’t be manipulated when time’s frozen, forcing your return to the living world.
Ghost Trick creatively uses this manipulation system through objects you wouldn’t normally expect. Sissel isn’t the type to start messing with your fridge or throwing furniture like some aggrieved poltergeist. However, he can rock your bowl of donuts to create a distraction, open cupboard doors, and more. One segment saw me moving a bicycle across powerlines, while another had me setting off a dog barking through a Christmas tree. That’s the level of silliness we’re dealing with.
Sissel’s powers are kept in check through some considerable restraints. He can only move a set distance, so if a core’s out of reach, you must somehow create a way to bridge this gap, like moving a ball across the room by flinging a door open. Phone lines lets him move to new locations if they are powered on or someone’s previously called. If you’re in the past, only phones in active use will allow this. Heavy objects are naturally harder to move and manipulating living people also isn’t possible.