Alright, usually I try and make the Community Review a game that was very recently released, but every now and then I pull rank like a boss and talk about a game I’ve been playing. Just for the hell of it. This is one of those times.
I’d like to preface this Ghost Trick discussion with a disclaimer – let’s try and keep this as spoiler free as possible. Partly because I haven’t finished it yet and partly because the story, with it’s numerous twists and turns, is by far the game’s greatest strength.
In fact, being perfectly honest, Ghost Trick is barely a game at all. Not only is it a completely linear experience, with minimal player input, but it’s also mercilessly guided – the game never allows you to struggle with its puzzles – not really. You’ll very rarely find yourself stuck in the way you do with most games of this ilk.
But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Playing Ghost Trick can be frantic, as you constantly play against the time limit in various different scenarios, but despite that, it’s almost a different, relaxing kind of gaming experience. I tend to settle into it just before sleeping, playing it as I would typically read a book. Playing a quick chapter before nodding off to sleep.
Ghost Trick has me wondering about my expectations and demands of what a gaming experience should be – and how utterly redundant those expectations really are in the scheme of things. Why can’t playing a game feel like reading a book? Why can’t it be completely linear and feature interactions that only exist to drive narrative?
Ghost Trick is refreshingly different and original. It feels new and seamless. I’ve promised to remain spoiler free, but the story and, in particular the characterisations – and the animation that helps define those characters – are stellar. Ghost Trick is a game that seems to obsess over the details of character and movement and the result is a game dripping in charm.
But enough from me – what do you guys think? Have you played much of Ghost Trick? What’s the verdict?
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