croik

And so, months after its release, I have finally finished Ghost Trick (not because it took me this long, I only got my copy a few weeks ago >.>).

I was really looking forward to it because I was interested in what Takumi had to bring to something new, but in the end...I have to admit I was disappointed. The graphics and style of the game were really great, along with some of the character designs (I really like Sissel's and Beauty's especially) and the music is very AA-ish and fun, but I'm not a fan of the gameplay. It felt like I spent too much time clicking things randomly just to learn what they did, only to die and do it all over. The characters all look great but only half of them even have names and the rest are more gimmick than personality. There were only two or three characters in the whole game I cared about and one of them was the cap-cop who did almost nothing.

I was also a little frustrated with how many constraints the gameplay put on the world building. The rules of being a "ghost" are not properly defined and keep changing up until the very end of the game, just to fit what is most convenient at the time. I can't even begin to think of how I would handle it in a fic (my principle concern? MAYBE). And speaking of fic, shipping potential for the game is almost NIL--slash, het, femme, whatever. I can only think of one or two possible slash ships (if you're willing to overlook canon love interests), mayyyyybe het, mayyyyybe some femme... I would ship Beauty/Her Partner but Beauty might not even be her name and what would I call HIM? BEAST??? Ironic but not practical!

And the two most interesting characters, who share a very strong bond, you can't exactly ship because... SPOILERS!! I guess someone out there is willing to ship it, but that is not how I roll. .....Unless I invent some new Ghost Tricks, which wouldn't be anti-canon, since Ghost Tricks have been known to change at random.

To top it all off, the ending is...errrrgghhh. I really don't want to spoil it because there is a pretty neat twist, but once you sit and think for a moment about what it means and what's about to happen... ugh, I felt like I had been cheated.

So, all in all, I'd give Ghost Trick... a 6.5. HARSH, I KNOW. But really cute graphics don't make up for a poor story, bland characters, and tedious gameplay. I hope the localization is stellar because otherwise I don't see it doing well in the States.

I'm sorry, Takumi ;o;