Ghost

by beecadee

2021
Fantasy
Inform 7

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Review

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Everybody’s house is haunted, March 7, 2023
by Lance Cirone (Backwater, Vermont)

Ghost is a hidden gem. This game's writing is really funny, the puzzles are clever, and it gives you a large space to roam around. Right off the bat, the game got me with a joke: describing a beautiful foyer, which is "probably your last favorite room in the house," and you hate how it gets redecorated and remade every time you mess it up. The protagonist's general hatred of the house, plus their aversion to visitors, are always amusing.

The main plot is that four obnoxious teens run in, and it's your job to get them out. Each one has a specific fear, so it's up to you to psychologically manipulate those to scare them out of the house. The four characters are actually pretty dynamic; they roam around the house, each has special interactions, and it's fun to see what they have to say.

The possession mechanic adds some depth to the gameplay. When you're playing as the ghost, you can phase through walls and locked doors to get places faster. But you can also possess most of the guests, allowing you to do tasks like opening cabinets that you can't do in your non-corporeal form. Some objects can also be possessed, and these are integral to puzzles.

The game has a few helpful shortcuts to make it easier to play. If you don't know where the visitors are, there are two interactions that can summon them all into one room. Similarly, you can see a list of locations you've visited, and jump to them with just one command (provided you're not possessing anything).

I ran into a few bugs, but thankfully, the results were pretty silly and not game-breaking. While possessing Adam, I wanted to take a shower. And I did -- the entire guest fixtures went into my inventory. I carried them around with me for the rest of the game. There was another problem when I was in the game room and the ghost managed to be in the room with me, somehow. It called me out for walking into a wall. Also, some of the room text didn't update as I moved items around, which got a bit frustrating.

I should note that I haven't finished Ghost. I don't know if anyone has. I was able to get Dana out of the house, but there's some more things I can't find. If anyone's willing to figure this game out, hit me up!

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Lance Cirone, April 4, 2023 - Reply
I've been able to get halfway through the game. Here's my intfiction thread documenting what's happened since I wrote the review: https://intfiction.org/t/hints-needed-for-ghost/60808.
Lance Cirone, April 8, 2023 - Reply
Finally managed to beat the game! I found two out of three endings. I like the main ending where you get everyone out of the house, but the second involving the statue is a bit harder to figure out because some of the clues are flat-out incorrect. Still, the main story was a good time, and I like the concept and plot of the alternate path.
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