A SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE
Ghost Trick is a puzzle game that came out of the DS in 2011 worldwide that managed to gain a cult following enough to earn itself a worldwide release on iOS in 2012, but it never managed to be a huge release. I in fact was not aware of this game until around 2014 where I found a full boxed copy for $30 Canadian, played it and really liked it. If someone wanted to do what I did and find a used copy last year it would have cost them around $130 USD for a boxed copy and at one point a loose copy would have cost over $100 USD. I’m glad to say that with this release Capcom has made playing this game legitimately much easier and much cheaper.
Ghost Track has the player controlling the recently deceased Sissel’s ghost who can possess items in order to solve puzzles and save people from death in order to discover who he is and why he is dead… and he only has until tomorrow to do so before his spirit disappears. Sissel can rewind time back to four minutes before someone’s death by possessing their body and as time ticks down Sissel can use a variety of objects to interfere with what is going on, sometimes to stop someone’s death and sometimes simply makes paths to move across the level.
PLATFORMS: PS4, XB1, SWITCH, PC
MSRP: $29.99
PRICE I’D PAY: $29.99
Moving between objects is done in the spirit world where time stops so planning before returning to the real world is good but if the player fails, they can restart the four minutes. As each level is completed the story moves forward. It’s a more timing based adventure game from the creator of the Ace Attorney series so it has that same sense of humor mixed with the seriousness of murder.
So what does this remake offer? Well, this game looks fantastic. The models and the artwork really look great in HD and for a game that was played on a 256 x 192 pixel screen originally I can’t tell if these are simply the models and 2D artwork in their original resolution or if Capcom remade all the assets but it looks beautiful and the colors really pop. It also felt better to play with the DualShock 4’s analog control than it did with either the d-pad or the stylus control on DS ever did to me (mileage will definitely vary here).
Because the top screen of the DS was used for timer and not gameplay, those assets have been relegated to the sides of the screen, so nothing is lost in the translation to single screen devices. As for the extras, the iOS slide puzzles are included for people who enjoy slide puzzles as well as some unlockable artwork. Nothing I would call spectacular but when the game is already a masterpiece, I don’t know what I would expect, especially when Ghost Trick has never been a huge hit for Capcom.
I also don’t know what to expect if this game does well as this is a story that has an ending but maybe we will see these mechanics come back? It’s a really unique game that I think plays best in this release, particularly because of how good it looks. If puzzle games with good stories and colorful art styles sound interesting, then this is probably a game you should pick up.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
