Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Genre: Supernatural Mystery / Puzzle-Solving Adventure
Summary:
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is a puzzle/adventure game. It was developed mainly by Shu Takumi, the man behind the Ace Attorney Series. Game’s story centers on the protagonist Sissel, and his ghost’s struggle to discover who he was when he was alive and who killed him. The player assumes the role of this ghost, who has the ability to perform various Ghost Tricks to solve puzzles and navigate the world around him.
Availability: Nintendo DS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC (Steam), iOS and Android.
Where to buy:
Time to Beat: Approximately 12 hours.
Personal Opinion: I haven’t personally played this game yet, so I can’t guarantee it’s perfect, but everything I’ve researched suggests it is excellent. I bought the physical Switch version a while ago, and I think a gaming club would be the perfect incentive to finally start it.
Since you can advance the text at your own pace, it’s easy to stop and check specific grammar points or slang without the pressure of missing anything. The visual storytelling is also very expressive, even if you miss a specific word, the animations usually make the context clear.
Pros:
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Available on basically every modern platform.
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You control when the next dialogue box appears, which is helpful when you need to look up a word.
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The game is highly acclaimed for its writing, gameplay, and music.
Cons:
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There are quite a few terms related to crime scenes and “spirits” that might require a dictionary.
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Some characters use unusual speech fonts (see image below), which might be a bit tricky to read at first.
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Puzzle-solving is a niche genre, so it may not appeal to everyone.
