Another DS classic gets ported onto the App Store market, and this time, it’s Ghost Trick. While Capcom did blame Ghost Trick (along with two other games) for its 90% sales drop in the beginning of 2011, they surprisingly released it for the iOS. The game is free with the first two chapters, $9.99 to download the rest of the game, or $4.99 to test the chapters seperately($14.97 in total) if you’re indecisive. I recommend buying the game in full, if you liked playing the first two (free) chapters, to save the $4.98 for another game.

Ghost Trick takes you on a journey, similar to Bourne Identity, where you know nothing about yourself and you want to know about your past. The difference? You’re dead. With the powers of the dead, you can save and change the fates of the innocent. Death is everywhere you go, and with your powers you can go back four minutes before the deaths of others. The powers of the dead allows you to move or trigger inanimate objects such as unfolding a bed or turning on a musical ornament. If you haven’t played Ghost Trick, you’re probably wondering how turning on a fan will be able to stop professional assassins from killing their target. However, this game executes puzzles that trigger chain-events flawlessly. It’s simply genius.

There are several other elements added into Ghost Trick to add suspense and to make the game a bit more challenging. For instance, your ghost “tail” can only extend to a certain point, meaning you can only move from inanimate objects that are within your reach. There are certain time-sensitive puzzles, making the game increasingly more difficult.

The graphics of Ghost Trick aren’t its strengths, but it certainly is an improvement from the DS edition. The game isn’t “pixel perfect”, but still gives a good experience. The visuals are a bit blurred on the iPad, especially compared to my iPod; however the text is still crisp and easy to read. The designs and artwork are as creative as ever, and the game runs smoothly without any loss of frame rate. The cutscenes are interesting – and sometimes funny – the first time, but they are a bit repetitive after a while. The music is a great composition of electronic beats and guitar strums, and it gives a great sensation of anxiety and suspense. Ghost Trick is a great app for lovers of Phoenix Wright and puzzlers alike.