Ghost Trick ended up being one of the weirdest experiences I've had with a video game. It's so entirely within its own universe that it would be difficult to find any game to really compare it to. It ended up being one of my favorite experiences I've had with a handheld game.
First and foremost, this is a game about its story. There's no mistaking it, this game was made to tell a specific story in a specific way. I'll start with the gameplay, because that's where a lot of people may lose interest.
For a game like this, that aims primarily to tell a story, I actually think that the gameplay is pretty great. It's a puzzle game, with most missions involving preventing someone's death by manipulating the environment, and the means to do so can be pretty creative. It can also be pretty frustrating. There will be a lot of trial and error in this game, but I think the concept is interesting enough that this doesn't bother me. I like the gameplay, and think it has a lot more going for it than other story-driven point and click or adventure games like
Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors [9時間9人9の扉] or
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney [逆転裁判].
Don't be mistaken: I didn't stick around for the gameplay. I stuck around for the story and characters. Like the previously mentioned
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney [逆転裁判] games, from the same creator, the characters in this game are brimming with personality and each has their own unique way of talking, thinking and even walking. The character animations are the best I've seen in any Nintendo DS game; they're smooth, quirky and stylish and give this gave a really interesting aesthetic.
The actual narrative, like everything else here, is in a world of its own. It would be weird to explain it to a newcomer, but it develops so naturally that it generally makes sense as the player progresses. The characters drive the story, and I loved them all so much that I was always wanting to move forward so I could just see what they would do next. It's a thoughtful, often emotional story and one of the best I've seen in a video game. The ending is a little long, but it's worth it when the journey is this good.
There isn't a lot to say about his game. It's simple at its core but it takes the player on such an adventure with such a lovable cast. It's a real gem.