Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

 DS
User Score
9.5

Universal acclaim- based on 1684 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,588 out of 1684
  2. Mixed: 42 out of 1684
  3. Negative: 54 out of 1684
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  1. Thirty2
    Sep 23, 2016
    6
    Sadly, I didn't enjoy this game, mostly for reasons that probably only apply to me. Although I'm a massive fan of the Phoenix Wright games, Ghost Trick, even with its similarities to the Ace Attorney trilogy, failed to impress me.
    The game looks good; it's stylized and colorful, but the soundtrack didn't quite click with me. I also didn't really enjoy the gameplay; I solved the earlier    Sadly, I didn't enjoy this game, mostly for reasons that probably only apply to me. Although I'm a massive fan of the Phoenix Wright games, Ghost Trick, even with its similarities to the Ace Attorney trilogy, failed to impress me.
    The game looks good; it's stylized and colorful, but the soundtrack didn't quite click with me. I also didn't really enjoy the gameplay; I solved the earlier puzzles with ease or by trial and error that immediately paid off, but a later puzzle had me absolutely stumped and brought my playthrough to a screeching halt. I'm sorry, but I didn't even like the puzzle-solving itself simply because it didn't feel satisfying enough for the most part.
    The thing that annoys me the most about this title is its odd sense of humor. A character getting killed by ending up squashed underneath of a giant roast chicken struck me as embarrassingly bizarre, and I found many of the characters to be off-putting as well. I'm fully aware that this is just a personal issue and that many people will enjoy Ghost Trick's style of humor and mystifying plot, but I'm afraid I simply didn't.
    I'm sorry! I want to like Ghost Trick. Ghost Trick fans, please don't take this as an insult; this is simply my unfortunate opinion.    … Expand
  2. 400lingrush
    Apr 4, 2011
    7
    Pretty good until the last few chapters, where all the interesting plot points were explained in the worst, most cliche way possible. Level design was okay, but there wasn't much worth mentioning.
  3. harryjc
    Feb 5, 2018
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game was well done, but unfortunately the ending was unsatisfying. It's like they didn't know what to do with the story. Pretty disappointed. If the ending was good the game would've been at least an 8 in my books.

    [Spoiler Alert]

    So, about the ending. It's revealed that you're a cat at the end. The problem with this is they never properly set it up. This ending would have been fine, if they made it legitimate throughout the course of the game. But they didn't. They gave very few clues about your identity, and at times the clues were contradicted, so that made it confusing.

    They did this whole nonsense about you not having memory of who you were because your body was obscured, and that you are a cat. But this does not fall in line with what they established about animals. The dog Missile had the personality of a dog, and he could remember himself for the most part. So, they gave us observations about animals, but did not follow it for your character the cat. They made double standards.

    So, you're a cat, but you act 100% like a human? Not like an animal? They threw you off from figuring it out on your own. They never gave any good hints. Just small things here, and there that weren're really substantive.

    If they wanted to fix this they should have shown the cat more, first of all, and made your character behave more like a cat. They could've done this in numerous ways. Let's say that scene where Sissel goes to the chicken restaurant. Maybe he'd say he doesn't like chicken as much as fish. Or make Sissel have a good sense of smell, and only he could see in the night, but no one else can.

    Perhaps be a little cheeky, and he says, "Oh, how did I survive? It's like I have 9 lives." Things like that. Just make it obvious but not too obvious. When the ending is revealed the player should say, "Of course!" Instead of "wtf?"

    You know, they just didn't use the stereotypes of cats to the benefit of the player. Why not make Missile a little more hostile to Sissel? Because you know they say cats, and dogs don't get along. How about Sissel taking the form of the man in red, and poking fun at his appearance going, "Hmm, so this is how I look? I thought I'd be more handsome."

    Etc. These are just suggestions, but the whole surprise was not set up very well.    … Expand
  4. Yojimbo2015
    Jun 2, 2023
    7
    Likeably quirky puzzle game in which you investigate your own death by possessing inanimate objects. Great looking cel-shaded graphics and a fun storyline makes for one of the best puzzlers on the DS.
  5. Breadboy
    Jul 24, 2023
    5
    Amazing story, great visuals, outstanding soundtrack, what's not to love!? Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is one of my favorite games oat.
  6. Bugggger
    Aug 23, 2023
    6
    While the idea of uncovering the truth from beyond the grave is intriguing, the plot quickly becomes convoluted with a tangled web of characters and motives that failed to hold my interest. The narrative lacks cohesion and fails to create a sense of emotional investment in the outcome. The end game twists in particular are quite unsatisfying, and make me wonder what the point of most ofWhile the idea of uncovering the truth from beyond the grave is intriguing, the plot quickly becomes convoluted with a tangled web of characters and motives that failed to hold my interest. The narrative lacks cohesion and fails to create a sense of emotional investment in the outcome. The end game twists in particular are quite unsatisfying, and make me wonder what the point of most of the game was. The game is both too long and too short. It's not long enough to get you truly invested in the characters or story, but the way it's written also feels very dragged out. You don't really learn much of anything about what is going on until the last few hours, and I feel the middle section could have been trimmed considerably. The gameplay was fine but it won't stick with me. It's very on rails.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Best DS Game of 2011
3
#3 Most Discussed DS Game of 2011
4
#4 Most Shared DS Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 60 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 54 out of 60
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 60
  3. Negative: 0 out of 60
  1. N-Europe
    May 2, 2011
    80
    An engaging storyline, memorable characters and wonderful animation make this game a true treat.
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  2. GameCritics
    Mar 27, 2011
    95
    Ghost Trick is a masterpiece, made by developers who thoroughly understand the medium they're working in and the hardware they're working with.
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  3. Gamer.no
    Mar 7, 2011
    90
    Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is a fantastic combination of absurd Japanese humor and point and click mechanics. It's filled to the brim with charm, good laughs and brilliant puzzles that will keep you locked to the screen for hours on end.
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