Vortex Gaming

Japanese game developer Shu Takumi is known as the creator of the popular mystery game 'Ace Attorney' series in Korea. With a unique concept based on the courtroom, well-structured level design, and the famous line "Objection!", he has had a significant impact on the mystery game genre as a whole.

Although not well known in Korea, there is another mystery game developed by Shu Takumi as a completely new title in 2010. 'Ghost Trick', which showcased an urban fantasy completely differentiated from existing games with the themes of incidents, death, ghosts, and possession, is the main character. It recorded a Metascore of 83 and a user score of 9.7, and was well-received among users who played it, but there were many regrets at the time because it did not support Korean.

After the surprise announcement of the remaster release at the 2023 Nintendo Direct, expectations are rising as news of official Korean language support for PC, PS, and Xbox platforms, including the Nintendo Switch, has been revealed. What has changed in 'Ghost Trick Remastered', which will be released on June 30th, compared to the original?

We had a question and answer session with Shu Takumi, the original director in charge of the remaster development, Atsushi Maruyama, the remaster director, and Shingo Izumi, the remaster producer, about the reasons for the remaster after more than 10 years, the changes, and the features.

Newly added illustrations, background music, Ghost Puzzles, and Challenges

Q. As the original work, which did not include Korean, is being released in Korea as a remastered version 10 years later, please give a brief introduction to this work.

Shingo Izumi = 'Ghost Trick', a masterpiece of mystery games created by 'Shu Takumi', the creator of the Ace Attorney series, has been reborn with high-resolution graphics and new sound. There are also several additional elements included, so I hope you will play it.

Q. I'm curious about the motivation behind releasing 'Ghost Trick' as an HD remaster after a long time since the release of the NDS and mobile versions.

Shingo Izumi = We received many requests for porting, and the satisfaction of users who played it was very high, so the reason for deciding on this port is that I wanted those who couldn't enjoy it 13 years ago to play it. Therefore, this port includes multi-platform support and additional support for Asian languages.

Also, the fact that it is a title with 'universal fun' that does not change no matter what era, country, or hardware you play it on, even though 13 years have passed since the original was released, was also a big factor.

Q. Ghost Trick employs a unique system of becoming a spirit to find clues to solve the case. When you started developing Ghost Trick, can you briefly introduce the process of how you came up with the idea and built the system?

Takumi Shu = The initial image was a game like a 'group drama' where you observe mysterious people from the outside and unravel the secrets they hold. So, in the first plan, the stage of the game was a mansion, and it was a game of observing the residents living there. At that time, when I thought, "What kind of being would the main character who can observe be?", the idea that came to mind was 'spirit'.

Q. I heard that new elements including 'Challenge' have been added. Can you introduce the added or changed content in detail? Additionally, I'm curious about the differences between the original and HD remastered versions, and what kind of appeal do you expect this remastered version to have for users who have and have not played the existing Ghost Trick?

Atsushi Maruyama = As new elements in the original version, functions such as 'Illustrations', 'Background Music', 'Ghost Puzzle', and 'Challenge' have been added.

'Illustrations' allows you to view the entire background of the game, videos of impressive scenes, and character illustrations, as well as analog data that was reviewed in the early stages of the original, such as character design illustrations and character movements in each scene. In 'Background Music', you can compare and listen to the original BGM and arranged BGM that appear in the game.

'Ghost Puzzle' is a puzzle game where characters move and manipulate pieces to complete them. Unlike regular puzzles, the difficulty is high because you have to think about the connection of the pieces.

'Challenge' is also a deep-dive element in the game, and it also serves as an opportunity to see the conversations of characters that cannot be seen in normal play, so I hope you will aim to complete it.

The appeal for new users is that they can enjoy the 'story of avoiding death and continuing by renewing fate' in high resolution for the first time. So, please be careful of spoilers before playing. As for the difference in experience for fans who have enjoyed it before, you can play Ghost Trick, which has become cleaner and easier to enjoy with the arrangement of BGM and high resolution on the latest game consoles.

Q. If there were any works that inspired you when you were planning the effects and directing methods that appear in the game, please introduce them.

Takumi Shu = At the time of producing Ghost Trick, 'Ace Attorney' was first performed as a stage play. Influenced by seeing that, the visual concept of 'a game that looks like watching a stage play' was created. As a result, it led to ideas such as directing using spotlights. Also, the method of describing the story was influenced by the movie 'THE PRESTIGE (directed by Christopher Nolan)' that I saw at the time.

Q. It seems that porting to other models was not easy due to the unique operation method of the NDS. Do you have any episodes to introduce regarding the development process?

Atsushi Maruyama = There aren't any particular episodes, but as you said, UI adjustment was difficult. The UI displayed in the game has a big impact on the game play, so we repeatedly reviewed and improved 'where' and 'how' to display it with the UI members. Among them, what was particularly difficult was the display of manipulation. Whether you can manipulate the object after being possessed and what you can do is a very important part, so we made improvements while considering the user's point of view during game play.

Q. As the two screens have been merged into one, there will be some changes in the game design and play. What did you want to pay attention to when combining two screens into one?

Atsushi Maruyama = I can cite the operability and UI optimization that I mentioned in the previous question.

I hope you enjoy the reasoning in the unique world even after 10 years

Q. I know that high-resolution visuals are provided, but the screen ratio is the same as before, and the left and right letterboxes are covered with the background. Was there a reason why you didn't adjust the screen ratio?

Atsushi Maruyama = The game quality of Ghost Trick is greatly affected by the information on the current screen. If you change the aspect ratio, things that were not visible in the original version will be visible, and the difficulty and experience will change. To prevent that, we maintained the aspect ratio.

Q. It is scheduled to be released on 4 platforms, but can you tell us what kind of play experience you wanted to deliver for each platform? Also, I'm curious if optimization has been evenly achieved on all platforms.

Atsushi Maruyama = For all platforms, we created it with the hope that you would enjoy the original version experience in high resolution on the latest models. Only the NDS has a touch play function, but optimized game experiences are possible on other platforms.

Q. If you have any tips for users who are playing Ghost Trick for the first time, please introduce them.

Takumi Shu = In order to change the fate of death, it is necessary to observe the character's actions and take appropriate actions at the appropriate timing. Also, while solving the puzzle, the scenario is also progressing on the other side, and solving the puzzle often reveals the mystery of the story at the same time. This connection and real-time nature between the puzzle and the scenario is the concept that 'Ghost Trick' aimed for.

Q. Do you have any plans to release a sequel after this HD remaster? If a sequel to Ghost Trick is released, what kind of story would you like to draw using the system of 'solving problems by becoming a spirit'?

Shingo Izumi = Right now, I'm focusing on delivering 'Ghost Trick' to as many people as possible, so I don't know about the future, but I hope that many people will play this work to the extent that I want to consider producing a sequel. I have personal ideas, but I want to keep them a secret because it seems like it will be difficult to realize if I say them here. (laughs)

Atsushi Maruyama = There are no plans, so it will be an ambition, but during the porting, various delusions such as 'If I were to make Ghost Trick with the latest hardware, I would want to make it like this, I would want to put that in' grew, so I want to try making a sequel to Ghost Trick.

Takumi Shu = No one knows the future. The will of the creator, the direction of the company, the voices of the fans, the times, and various factors miraculously come together to create a game. In that sense, your voices may have great meaning. I won't talk about ideas for that time.

Q. Finally, if you have a message you would like to leave for Korean users, please.

Shingo Izumi = First of all, I hope you enjoy the unique and excellent story. To this end, we have prepared Korean language support and a demo as an introduction, so please play it! After that, please be careful not to search for 'Ghost Trick' on SNS so as not to see spoilers of the story, and welcome the release date!

Atsushi Maruyama = Please take care of Ghost Trick, which has been reborn with the soul of the DS version, optimized for high resolution and the latest hardware!

Takumi Shu = 'Ghost Trick' was released on the Nintendo DS in 2010. Thanks to the support of fans who have continued to love and hope for porting for more than 10 years since then, it can now be enjoyed on the latest models. I hope you will enjoy the unique world and story even after 10 years.

웹진 인벤정수형 기자
2023-06-13