Ghost Trick Review-ish Thing
Now that I’ve finished the game and let it sit for a couple weeks, here are my general feelings.
1. The puzzles are awesome as hell. Not only are they creative and FUN, but they are extremely forgiving. You’re allowed to redo them over and over without penalty and you’re encouraged to experiment. This is by far and above the game’s best undertaking and if nothing else, worth playing the game for. Some of the puzzles took me ages to get right, but I was never seriously frustrated with them. It was only a matter of backing up to an auto-determined loading point (always recent) and trying again. I never felt like I was being punished for not getting the answer right away. I felt like I was being encouraged to try something new and experiment with the options. The hints were a lovely balance of being useful without taking me by the hand and leading me to the right answer,
2. The characters were... pretty good? Sissel was a perfect protagonist for the situation and I loved his design (so many good angles!). The rest of the characters were mostly... okay. Lynne was sharp as a tack, but largely indistinguishable from other clever, sassy action-lady companions (I did like her, though). Missile was admirably loyal but still annoying (I am biased, though, I don’t like dogs or shouting). The Elvis detective was more gimmicky than anything -- what’s with the dancing and the voice affectation? (Did they add anything to his character or just serve to make him slightly more entertaining?)
Sissel and Yomiel were by far my favorite relationship in the game. My only complaint is that Yomiel, while fascinating, came into the plot too late to really have a full fleshing-out as a character. He was saved for the big reveal, but all the big reveals happened in a ten-minute span at the end. The surprises were hard-hitting, but they need not have happened in such quick succession to be effective. Introducing Yomiel earlier and giving him more of a screentime relationship with Sissel would have been more valuable, I think.
Also, regarding Sissel again, he’s a fantastic protagonist. I love that he starts out being rather apathetic (Ray’s history with him is proof enough of that), but eventually Sissel starts saving the lives of literally every dead person he comes across. And he gets to end the game surrounded by love and companionship. I love ittt.
All that said, though, the writing for each character was consistent and I never felt at any point that anyone was acting untrue to their established characterizations.
3. The graphics were fantastic -- I love the style and the animation was incredibly smooth.
4. The plot, oh man, what do I do with the plot? The mini plot arcs progressed very naturally one to the next. Each chapter was self-contained and tied in nicely to the overall narrative. The pacing was mostly well-done, the time travel was odd as hell but it remained consistent with established in-story rules (as far as I can remember). It was complete lunacy, as loopy as hell, but I wouldn’t trade that ride for anything.
Overall, this game needs to be played by anyone who likes puzzles, but I wouldn’t recommend it for characters/plot alone like I would for, say, the Ace Attorney games.