Info about Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective:

Official game description:
Solve your own murder in this quirky, puzzle-packed mystery classic, now in HD!  
BANG! A single bullet rings out in the dark city. But as one life ends, the story is just getting started... Sissel wakes up as a ghost and realises he has lost his memory along with his life. “Who am I? Who killed me? And why?” With only a few hours until sunrise — and oblivion — to uncover these answers, Sissel must solve the mystery of his own murder, starting with the detective who may have witnessed the crime... Using the powers of the dead, you can possess and manipulate objects and even rewind time as you work to solve brainteasing puzzles in a story chock-full of quirky humour and charming characters.  
This long-awaited HD remaster of Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, the classic mystery puzzle game directed by Shu Takumi, creator of the Ace Attorney series, features upgraded visuals and sound. Enjoy new music arrangements by celebrated Great Ace Attorney composer Yasumasa Kitagawa which are fully synchronized with the original music so you can switch between them at any time during gameplay. There's also a new gallery of artwork and music. This is no trick: it’s the ultimate version of this puzzle-solving mystery adventure classic!

Release date: 29 Jun, 2023

Categories: Puzzle Solving, Single-player Story, Point-and-click Adventure, Time-based Mechanics, Possession-based Gameplay, Investigative Gameplay, Visual Novel


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Compelling & Twisting Story (weight 0.99): The game's narrative is highly acclaimed for its intricate plot, constant and surprising twists, and excellent pacing. Reviewers highlight its cohesive structure, logical consistency, and satisfying resolution of all plot threads, making it a compelling mystery.
- Ingenious & Satisfying Puzzles (weight 0.59): Players consistently praise the game's puzzles for being ingenious, creative, and well-designed. They strike a good balance of challenge, often requiring thought but rarely getting players stuck, and provide a strong sense of satisfaction upon solving.
- Charming Art & Animation (weight 0.24): The game's art style, character designs, and animations receive significant praise. Reviewers find the visuals charming, unique, and expressive, contributing greatly to the game's personality and making characters memorable.
- Seamless Gameplay-Story Integration (weight 0.23): The seamless integration of gameplay and narrative is a standout feature, with players noting how the mechanics directly serve the story and vice-versa. The tight pacing and well-crafted script ensure a smooth, engaging experience without dull moments.
- Emotional & Satisfying Ending (weight 0.19): The game's ending is consistently lauded for its emotional impact, satisfying resolution of mysteries, and clever tying together of all plot points. It provides a fulfilling conclusion that leaves players with a sense of warmth and completeness.
- Memorable & Lovable Characters (weight 0.17): The diverse cast of characters is highly praised for being unique, memorable, and lovable. Their exaggerated personalities, witty dialogues, and humorous interactions contribute significantly to the game's charm and overall enjoyment.
- Excellent Remaster Quality (weight 0.16): The remastered version is highly appreciated for its successful visual and audio upgrades, including high-definition graphics and a fantastic re-orchestrated soundtrack. Players also value the added bonus features and the opportunity for new audiences to experience the game.
- Consistently Fun & Engaging (weight 0.14): Players find the game consistently fun and engaging, often leading to binge-play sessions. Its moderate difficulty, simple yet satisfying mechanics, and overall enjoyable experience make it a highly recommended title.
- Shu Takumi's Genius Storytelling (weight 0.14): Shu Takumi, the game's creator, is consistently hailed as a genius for his masterful scriptwriting, ingenious plot twists, and ability to craft vivid characters. The game is often considered his best work, showcasing his signature style and narrative prowess.
- Unique & Innovative Gameplay (weight 0.12): The game's core mechanics and overall gameplay are frequently described as unique, novel, and innovative. Reviewers highlight that the game offers an experience unlike any other, maintaining freshness throughout.
- Exceptional & Catchy Soundtrack (weight 0.1): The game's soundtrack is highly praised for being catchy, memorable, and perfectly complementing the atmosphere and emotional beats of the story. Both the original and remastered versions are lauded for their quality and contribution to the overall experience.
- Ace Attorney Similarities & Improvements (weight 0.09): Many reviewers, especially fans of the Ace Attorney series, draw comparisons to it, noting similar narrative styles, humor, and character charm. However, some also highlight how this game surpasses Ace Attorney in certain aspects like gameplay integration and conciseness.
- Heartwarming & Humorous Tone (weight 0.07): Despite its dark premise, the game is praised for its heartwarming, wholesome, and often humorous tone. It effectively balances emotional depth with lighthearted moments, leaving players with feelings of joy and hope.
- Beloved Dog Character: Missile (weight 0.06): The dog character, Missile, is overwhelmingly beloved by players. He is frequently described as cute, brave, loyal, and the 'best dog in video game history,' becoming a memorable and endearing part of the experience.

Common complaints:
- Unskippable content and poor saves (weight 0.1): A major point of frustration is the game's poor save system and unskippable content. Players frequently complained about unskippable dialogue and animations, especially when replaying sections after failing a puzzle. Infrequent and unclear save points often forced players to redo significant portions of the game, leading to tedium.
- Overpriced for content and length (weight 0.1): A significant number of reviews highlight the game's high price, especially considering its relatively short length and status as an older game or remaster. Many felt the content provided did not justify the cost, particularly for those who had already played the original version.
- Inferior to Ace Attorney series (weight 0.04): Many players compared the game unfavorably to the Ace Attorney series, citing a less engaging plot, fewer surprising twists, and inferior gameplay. The protagonist and humor were also seen as less memorable or effective than in Ace Attorney.
- Lacks voice acting and options (weight 0.02): A common request was for full voice acting, which is largely absent from the game. Other minor technical complaints include a lack of graphics options and missing language support.
- Exaggerated character designs (weight 0.02): Some players found the character designs and personalities to be overly exaggerated, abnormal, or stereotypical, which detracted from their immersion and enjoyment of the cast.

Gameplay feedback:
- Core Gameplay: Puzzle-Solving (weight 0.35): The game is primarily a puzzle-solving experience, often described as a mix of visual novel and point-and-click adventure. Puzzles vary in difficulty, with many being accessible and intuitive, though some require precise timing or trial-and-error. The unique time manipulation mechanics are central to the puzzle design.
- Unique Ghost & Time Mechanics (weight 0.2): The core mechanic revolves around the protagonist, Sissel, a ghost who has lost his memory after dying. He gains the ability to possess and manipulate inanimate objects, rewind time by four minutes before a death, and travel through telephone lines to change events and solve mysteries.
- Game Length & Replayability (weight 0.06): The game's main story is relatively short, typically taking 8-12 hours to complete. Achieving all in-game accomplishments, including specific challenges and mini-games, can extend the playtime by a few additional hours.
- Forgiving Retry System (weight 0.02): The game is forgiving, allowing players to retry puzzles and rewind the 'four minutes before death' segments infinitely. This trial-and-error approach is encouraged, as mistakes often lead to amusing outcomes without significant penalties.

Performance notes:
- Enhanced HD Graphics & Engine (weight 0.02): Players appreciate the significant visual upgrade in the remaster, noting the use of the RE Engine, higher resolutions (up to 4K), and improved character animations. This brings a classic game into a modern visual standard.
- Excellent Platform Compatibility (weight 0.02): The game demonstrates excellent compatibility across various platforms, including Windows (mouse/keyboard and controller), Linux, and especially the Steam Deck, ensuring a broad audience can enjoy it without technical hurdles.
- Low System Requirements (weight 0.01): The game is well-optimized and not demanding on hardware, allowing it to run smoothly even on older or less powerful PCs. This contributes to a wide accessibility for players.
- Toggleable Soundtrack Options (weight 0.01): The remaster offers flexibility with audio, allowing players to switch between original and remastered soundtracks. However, opinions are mixed on which version of specific tracks is superior, indicating a subjective preference.
- Retained 4:3 Aspect Ratio (weight 0.01): The game maintains its original 4:3 aspect ratio, which some players found easy to adapt to despite modern widescreen displays. This preserves the original artistic intent.
- High Quality Localization (weight 0): Players noted a very high quality of localization, with only a single grammatical error reported. This indicates a strong effort in translating and proofreading the game's dialogue.
- 60fps Feels Low for Speed (weight 0): While the game runs at 60fps, some players feel this frame rate is still slightly too low for optimal speed-solving, suggesting a desire for even higher fluidity in fast-paced sections.
- Choppy Animation Transitions (weight 0): Some players observed that certain animation transitions within the game are not as smooth as they could be, potentially impacting the visual flow.
- Denuvo Caused Lag (weight 0): There are reports that the Denuvo DRM caused performance issues like lag for some players. This is a common complaint associated with this type of anti-tamper technology.
- Capcom Patching Concerns (weight 0): A general concern was raised about Capcom's history of releasing HD remasters that often require patches which are never delivered, implying a potential lack of long-term support.

Recommendations:
- Highly Recommended Masterpiece (weight 0.44): The game is overwhelmingly recommended by players, often described as a 'masterpiece' and a 'must-play.' Many reviewers express a strong desire for others to experience it, particularly those who enjoy puzzle, mystery, or story-driven genres, or fans of the Ace Attorney series.
- Play Blind, Avoid Spoilers (weight 0.06): A crucial piece of advice from players is to experience the game completely 'blind,' avoiding any spoilers or guides. This is emphasized to preserve the plot twists and overall narrative impact.
- Buy on Sale (weight 0.05): While highly recommended, many players suggest purchasing the game during a sale or at a discounted price. Some feel the full price is too high, but agree it's an excellent value when on promotion.
- Cautious Recommendation/Port Issues (weight 0.02): Despite overall positive sentiment, some players express reservations about the full price due to certain issues or suggest that those who own the original DS/iOS version might not need this port. There's also a strong plea for the game to succeed to encourage future similar titles.
- Desire for Sequels (weight 0.01): Players are eager for more content in the same vein, specifically expressing a desire for a sequel or other games that utilize similar gameplay mechanics and storytelling from Capcom.
- Play in One Sitting (weight 0.01): For the best immersive experience, some players recommend completing the game in a single, uninterrupted sitting. This approach is believed to enhance the story's impact and flow.

Other player notes:
- Short, concise gameplay experience (weight 0.07): Players generally agree the game is a concise, single-playthrough experience, often completable in a weekend. While some found it short, others appreciated its compact narrative, noting it's a niche, linear experience without extensive replayability.
- Nostalgic DS classic (weight 0.03): Many players fondly recall playing the game on Nintendo DS, highlighting its status as a classic on the platform. The game's original release on DS is a significant part of its legacy for long-time fans.
- Mixed reception on overall quality (weight 0.02): While many praise the game, some reviewers find it to be only average or slightly overrated, giving it a passable rating despite its strong reputation.
- Includes achievement system (weight 0.02): The PC release includes an achievement system, which many players enjoy completing. It's noted that demo achievements do not transfer to the full game.
- Melancholic and reflective themes (weight 0.01): The game explores melancholic themes, including loss, trauma, and the impact of death on loved ones. Its narrative slowly reveals details that evoke deep emotional reflection.
- Unlockable extras and mini-games (weight 0.01): The game offers various unlockable extras, including a jigsaw puzzle mini-game and other content like drawings and music, which become available after completing chapters.
- Capcom's role as publisher (weight 0.01): Capcom is acknowledged as a publisher known for re-releases, with some players noting that pricing issues are a publisher concern rather than a game flaw.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.3): Players felt satisfied due to the game's high overall quality, encompassing its engaging story, well-designed puzzles, memorable characters, and appealing art style. The smooth gameplay, satisfying plot twists, and coherent narrative resolution also contributed significantly to this positive experience, often enhanced by the quality of the remaster.
- Admiration (weight 0.14): Admiration stemmed from the game's exceptional craftsmanship, particularly its clever gameplay and script integration, unique characters, and brilliant plot twists. Reviewers frequently praised the creator, Shu Takumi, for his genius in designing a masterpiece with enduring quality and seamless narrative-gameplay integration.
- Excitement (weight 0.08): Excitement was primarily driven by the game's engaging and surprising plot twists, compelling mystery, and novel gameplay mechanics. The desire to replay or recommend the game to others, along with the anticipation of story revelations, also contributed to this emotion.
- Frustration (weight 0.06): Frustration arose from various quality-of-life issues, including repetitive dialogue, unskippable animations, and an inconvenient save system. Difficult or counter-intuitive puzzles, along with occasional technical issues and high pricing, also contributed to player annoyance.
- Joy (weight 0.06): Joy was frequently expressed due to the game's charming characters, humor, and emotionally resonant story, often culminating in a happy ending. The fun and unique gameplay, coupled with the overall positive experience of playing or re-experiencing the game, solidified this emotion.
- Disappointment (weight 0.06): Disappointment was mainly caused by the game's high price relative to its length, and perceived shortcomings in the story's quality or ending, especially when compared to high expectations or other games. Some players also felt let down by specific puzzle designs, plot inconsistencies, or technical issues in the PC port.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.03): Players experienced enjoyment from the game's fun and twisting story, interesting characters, and unique puzzle mechanics. The engaging gameplay loop, appealing art style, and memorable music also contributed to a generally positive and entertaining experience.
- Surprise (weight 0.02): Surprise was a common reaction to the game's unexpected plot twists, particularly in the final chapters, and the cleverness with which all narrative elements tied together. The game's overall quality, especially given its age, also contributed to exceeding player expectations.
- Awe (weight 0.02): Awe was inspired by the game's intelligent design, exquisite elements, and profound impact, particularly its unique story structure and astonishing revelations. The seamless integration of narrative and gameplay, combined with high-quality art, music, and level design, contributed to a sense of a truly masterful creation.
- Affection (weight 0.02): Affection was primarily directed towards the game's charming animal characters, especially Missile, and other beloved NPCs. The overall themes and character designs fostered a strong emotional connection with players.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.02): Nostalgia was felt by players revisiting the game after many years, often recalling childhood memories or previous experiences with the original DS version. The game's classic feel and similarities to other beloved titles like Ace Attorney also evoked this emotion.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Appreciation stemmed from the game's unique gameplay mechanics, well-crafted plot and characters, and overall excellence. The quality of the remastered version, including visual and audio improvements, and the game's ability to provide a unique and engaging experience, were also highly valued.
- Engagement (weight 0.01): Players felt engaged by the game's interactive and challenging puzzles, compelling story, and well-developed characters. The fast-paced narrative, immersive gameplay, and desire to uncover mysteries kept reviewers hooked until the very end.
- Amusement (weight 0.01): Amusement was derived from the game's humor, quirky premise, and exaggerated character animations and dialogue. The self-aware humor and funny character personalities also contributed to a lighthearted and entertaining experience.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.01): Enthusiasm was expressed through strong recommendations and high regard for the game's overall quality, particularly its successful combination of genres. Reviewers were eager for others to experience the game and often highlighted its replayability.
- Amazement (weight 0.01): Amazement was caused by the game's timeless quality, unique narrative, and clever plot twists and puzzle design. The perfect logic and complex yet reasonable story, especially upon reflection, left players astonished.
- Love (weight 0.01): Love for the game was expressed through deep affection for its charming characters, unique puzzle system, and intriguing plot, particularly the dog character Missile. The overall quality of the music, art style, and gameplay contributed to this strong positive emotion.
- Emotional (weight 0.01): Players felt emotional due to the game's deep character development, impactful plot twists, and the overall emotional resonance of the story, especially in the final chapters. Specific character arcs, like Missile's, also evoked strong feelings.
- Mild disappointment (weight 0.01): Mild disappointment arose from minor issues such as some far-fetched story elements, specific puzzle designs, or the game's short length. Technical aspects like unskippable animations or perceived outdated gameplay also contributed to this feeling.
- Confusion (weight 0): Confusion stemmed from the game's complex time-travel plot, abstract late-game puzzles, and occasional plot inconsistencies. Some players also reported getting lost in puzzles or finding certain plot reveals messy.}