Innocent people are going to die unless you do something to stop it. The only problem is you can’t remember anything about who you are or how you got here. Oh yeah, you’re also dead. That might be a problem too. You don’t know how that happened either, in case you were wondering.
So begins Ghost Trick, the newest adventure detective game from Shu Takumi, creator of the critically-acclaimed Ace Attorney games. Though the Phoenix Wright trilogy of the Ace Attorney series are considered a Nintendo DS series here in the west (also ported to WiiWare and iPhone), most people forget that those games were originally released as Game Boy Advance titles in Japan and they play as such. Little more than interactive novels, the DS versions of the Ace Attorney games tacked on touchscreen and microphone controls just to utilize the new hardware and were never really necessary in gameplay. Ghost Trick, however, is a whole new game designed from the ground-up for the DS and it really shows in this debut trailer:
First off, just dig that style. So smooth and cartoony, no outlines, just vibrant colors and bouncy animation. A detective game centered around death and supernatural powers, the temptation had to be there to fill the game with heavy black tones, but the brighter graphics displayed here should serve to amplify what will almost certainly be the games strongest feature, it’s thoughtful and often hilarious characters coupled with sharp writing.
The player steps into the ethereal shoes of the recently deceased Sissel. He learns to use his new ghostly powers from a haunted lamp (I’m already loving this) and decides to prevent anyone in the city from being killed overnight while also investigating his own murder. All of this must happen before sunrise, though, as that is when Sissel’s soul will be taken from the world. As a ghost, Sissel can possess inanimate objects in the real world in order to interact with his environment. Take control of a rubber ball to bounce over to a rake to knock into a watering can et cetera allows for Rube Goldberg-esque crime fighting fun. Move a tray of doughnuts to lure innocents away from the place they might get hurt or be seen by the enemy. Every crime scene interaction is limited to four minutes (apparently the amount of time ghosts can be active/rewind time if they make mistakes) which could make for some very exciting and active chain-reaction puzzles.
The graphics are an astounding upgrade from the static art of Ace Attorney and the stylus controls should make the gameplay much faster and more intuitive. Most importantly, though, as a new Shu Takumi game from Capcom, Ghost Trick promises to be a compelling story with impeccable writing. Rumors are swirling that the DS is a dying platform, with Nintendo’s next handheld set to be unveiled in a little over a month. Consider, though, that Ace Attorney was released for the Game Boy Advance in Japan when the original DS was already poised to replace that hardware and has already gone on to form five of the most thoughtful and smile-inducing games this generation. That’s not a bad pattern for Ghost Trick to be following. Besides, looks like the graphic style and touch-based detective puzzles should transition well to Nintendo’s much-rumored 3D device. Ghost Trick is set for release in Japan this summer and North America in the winter.
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