Ghost Trick - out now!

[Professor Puzzles]

Hi there!

I can't believe that this game hasn't got its own thread yet, so here it is!

Ghost Trick is a DS game from Capcom, created by the guys behind the amazing Phoenix Wright series. In it you play a pointy-haired blond guy who gets killed but then becomes a ghost for some reason, and you can then possess and interact with objects to stop some blue guy from killing your girlfriend with a shotgun. I think there are some other tasks to do as well, like feed puppies and that, but I'm not sure as all the stuff I've seen is in Japanese. It looks a bit point and clicky, like examining the murder scenes in the aforementioned Phoenix Wright games.

IT LOOKS AMAZING. Seriously, the animation is wonderful.

Here is a link to a video.

You may notice that at one point we see a blue-suited, pointy-haired guy investigating a murder scene. My, doesn't he look familiar?

Anybody else getting excited about this?

PS Feel free to add any information you have to this thread as I might've come across as a bit vague and, well, silly.

[Qazimod]

Hmm, the video doesn't give away loads in terms of gameplay (aside from the environment interactions at about 1:30) but I agree that the visual style is gorgeous. Hopefully it'll have the same charm and wit of the Ace Attorney games too.

[The Sarge]

Here's a flash demo for those who want a taster.

http://www.capcom.co.jp/ghosttrick/trial.html

The game is currently down for a 24 June release in Japan. No current UK/US release date but Capcom have said it will be released in both regions some time this year.

[Professor Puzzles]

This video might give you more of a clue as to how the game actually plays.

HERE'S A BONUS INTERVIEW WITH THE GUYS WHO MAKE THE GAME, COPIED FROM THE GAMESRADAR WEBSITE.

Words by NGamer magazine. Buy it, it's great.

We could tell you about Capcom’s dazzling new possess-’em-up, or we could leave it to people who are a bit more in the know. Say, writer/director (and Phoenix Wright creator) Shu Takumi and producer Hironobu Takeshita? Go on then, we’ll let them do the talking...

So, Ghost Trick. Explain.

Hironobu Takeshita: In this mystery adventure the protagonist, Sissel, is murdered at the start, loses his memory and becomes a ghost. As a ghost he decides to pursue the truth about who he was, why he was murdered and by whom.

Extraordinary powers grant him the ability to possess and manipulate lifeless objects. By using the stylus he can hop into an object and activate an action unique to that object. For instance, in a room where an assassin is approaching, Sissel could possess and manipulate objects like an umbrella, a TV remote or a cupboard door to change the fate of the resident of the room. By altering the deaths of others, his mystery slowly becomes uncovered.

Can you tell us a bit about the ‘hero’, Sissel?

Shu Takumi: Everything about him is secret because the game is essentially about his lost memory. In return for his life he gains the powers of the deceased, to possess and manipulate. There is one more, however: the power to travel to the past. When a corpse is possessed Sissel can take the world back to exactly four minutes before the time of the death. Changing the fate of another victim may help in solving Sissel’s mystery. Unfortunately, this ability cannot be used with the protagonist’s own corpse.

How did this idea come about?

ST: At first we had the hero as a spy and thus the game’s title was ‘Ghost Spy’. However, he is not a spy anymore and he lost his memory. This suggested we had to change the title. In fact, the Japanese word for ‘to possess’ is pronounced very similarly to the English word ‘trick’ so we chose the title with a bit of a pun for fun!

A lawyer (Ace Attorney) and now a ghost. What draws you to unconventional heroes?

ST: I guess I only write plots for games that I would want to play myself. However, the common element between Ghost Trick and Ace Attorney is the fact the game system comes before the plot.

For the Ace Attorney franchise the primary aim was to create "a detective game to logically expose flaws and inconsistencies of a lying suspect," and here lawyers and the court were perfect candidates. In Ghost Trick the main theme is "a detective game to influence others’ fates from outside their world and to observe their lives go by," and the current settings have been led from this initial concept.

So, the plot is very important to you then?

ST: I love mystery novels. Father Brown, Sherlock Holmes, Ellery Queen, John Dickson Carr – you name it. My motive for becoming a game creator was to make a game full of adventures that has the same essence as those mysteries. So in Ace Attorney and Ghost Trick I have included the maximum amount of mystery as possible. Unfortunately, this particular genre is not the most popular in Japan but I will continue to thrive on creating these games and converting as many people as possible into liking this genre.

Are there multiple solutions to the puzzles?

ST: There is normally one answer, but there are some puzzles that have several solutions. The variation will depend on the player’s imagination and observation.

Where did the game’s striking look come from?

ST: We wanted to differentiate the style from that of the Ace Attorney franchise, so in a way it stems from Ace Attorney. The protagonist is a ghost and he is an external existence – this view is what the players will see and I very much focused on this theatre style.

Three-dimensional polygon graphics had begun to bore me lately and so I deliberately pursued the more intricate, 2D style choreographed to perfection. Seeing the characters move around full of life is very refreshing. This was only possible by chance at the start, that I met the right staff to realise what I had in mind. The main staff for the animation are very talented and as soon as the sample clip – a scene of a girl eating a doughnut while a dog is running around beside her – was shown to me I knew this was the way to go.

Sissel shares Phoenix Wright’s snappy dress sense and angled haircut. Is this Mr Takumi’s doing?

ST: I am the decision maker of all character designs so yes, you could say it is my doing. What I find important when deciding on a character design is the silhouette. I believe a character without a distinctive silhouette leaves no impression and thus I never approve. This time it was especially important because the game is primarily about small figures moving around, and all the characters ended up being very unique. I think that creates more warmth and fun banter.

Capcom are one of few developers making puzzle-driven adventure games right now – Phoenix Wright, Zack & Wiki, Ghost Trick. What draws you to the genre?

HT: The reason I focus on puzzle games is because they have a wide audience – male and female, young and old, casual and hardcore. One fact about Shu Takumi is that he is trying to create a game his mother would enjoy playing and this leads to the game style of puzzle and adventure where it can be enjoyed by people with any background.

EDIT: The page I copied all that from. The screenshots they have there are in English, so it looks like a translation is already being prepared!

[Wroth]

Looks great. Reminds me of Exit.

[Not Thread Owner]

[Professor Puzzles]

Here's another Japanese trailer with a bit more footage. The animation in this looks fantastic, a bit like the way the characters in Another World & Flashback moved.

[panda_t]

This looks so interesting! Good to see the PW man trying out new tech and approaches

[imp]

This looks bloody great, thanks for bringing it to attention Staplehead!

[RadgyAdgy]

Looks brill heres hoping for an english release.

[Nespresso]

Why is it that Japanese trailers are always as text heavy as they are?

[hanzo]

Because lots of stuff to read holds attention and increases chances of infiltrating consumer memory, apparently.

This game feels fresh

[SMD]

Some of that music sounds like they're remixed from the Ace Attorney series.

Wouldn't surprise me, Clover borrowed stuff from Capcom anyway.

The last part of that trailer sounds a bit like Pursuit - Cornered.

[Professor Puzzles]

Looks brill heres hoping for an english release.

Just for you then, here are a couple of gametrailers links to none other than:

ENGLISH DEBUT TRAILER!

and

ENGLISH GAMEPLAY TRAILER!

They're basically the same trailers I posted earlier, but in ENGLISH! I think there's some new footage hidden away in there somewhere though.

Some of that music sounds like they're remixed from the Ace Attorney series.

Wouldn't surprise me, Clover borrowed stuff from Capcom anyway.

Clover had nothing to do with Phoenix Wright, did they?

[SMD]

Not that I know of.

But off the top of my head, one of the tracks in the Phoenix Wright series is in Viewtiful Joe. If Youtube was working in this country, I'd show you.

I think they are Reminiscence - Classroom Trial from Phoenix Wright 1 and Movie Maker's Nightmare from Viewtiful Joe 1.

[Rudderless]

I think they are Reminiscence - Classroom Trial from Phoenix Wright 1 and Movie Maker's Nightmare from Viewtiful Joe 1.

Bang on. VJ version sounds slightly remixed, but otherwise identical.

[SMD]

Now I want Viewtiful Joe 3

[revlob]

Ooh this does look nice, doesn't it? It will be interesting to hear how much of a game it is, given the linear nature of the PW series.

[imp]

I'm slightly worried about the real time clock. WHAT IF I SUCK?

[DarhkFox]

[mushashi]

Clover had nothing to do with Phoenix Wright, did they?

Kamiya did the Japanese VA for Godot and Inaba was producer on it, with Mikami as executive producer, but in terms of the primary creative side, it's Shu Takumi's work.

[Professor Puzzles]

Glad we got that cleared up then.

[Professor Puzzles]

Nintendo life have been given a couple of new videos from Capcom showing gameplay from 2 chapters of this awesome looking DS dramalogipuzzler*.

*I made up this word, okay. No stealing.

Here are the direct youtube links, which are basically spoilers if you're averse to that sort of thing:

Two interesting things to note:

1. The trailers have PEGI ratings so it looks like the game's on track for a EU release 'this winter.' Anytime before March I suppose.

2. The game is rated 16, and from the look of the sadism in those trailers I'm not that suprised.

ENJOY FOR YOU!

[Professor Puzzles]

Erectronic Electotrainment Epsco has arrived and Ghost Trick is there on the floor (not literally, it's more likely to be plugged into a DS demo unit.) The Japanese version is apparently out NEXT WEEK! The US release date is still given as Winter 2010, and hopefully the EU version shouldn't take much longer.

Meanwhile, here are 2 new trailers:

ENJOLOY!

[Chosty]

Now I want Viewtiful Joe 3

Just imagine...Viewtiful Joe 3D!

In the original games, he'd jump into the background when you got one of the powers didn't he?

[Qazimod]

The Japanese version is apparently out NEXT WEEK!

It's featuring in Play-Asia's new releases section now: here's the product page. The Ace Attorney series usually takes its time getting to Europe, but the translation quality makes the wait more than worthwhile; hopefully we can expect something similar for this title...

[GViper]

It's featuring in Play-Asia's new releases section now: here's the product page. The Ace Attorney series usually takes its time getting to Europe, but the translation quality makes the wait more than worthwhile; hopefully we can expect something similar for this title...

Didn't the first three have english language built into the JP cart though? Or was it just the original?

[Professor Puzzles]

I think the US release is meant to be around November-ish, which seems quite timely compared to the Boss Barrister series. Using my amazing powers of making stuff up, I reckon we'll see it in Europe sometime in March 2011.

[Harsin]

So does the Japanese version have English language ala the PW then?

[deerokus]

The first three only had that on the ds because they were old GBA games. The other two didn't.