A couple of days ago I discovered this DS game called "Exit DS", released in 2008. I found out it was a port of a 2006 PSP game called, well, "Exit", but what's important isn't that, but what I'm about to detail. Here's a link to the game's Wikipedia page, for reference.

In Exit, you control Mr. ESC, an expert escapist/escapologist/guy who escapes. The game, at least the DS version, presents you with 10 "situations", with 10 stages each, in which you must escape the room via puzzle mechanics, rescuing the civilians that are trapped alongside you in the process, being able to use these civilians as "companions" to help you in your (and their) escape. That may not sound a lot like the Ghost Trick we love, although it does have but bear with me here.

These are screenshots of Exit DS gameplay. I'm posting material of the DS version because of its art style.




Doesn't the art style look familiar? If you're still not convinced, this trailer will do the trick (geddit!?).

I don't know if I'm being crazy here, but the art style, art direction, animation style, music, and even, in some way, the basic gameplay premise, they all remind me of Ghost Trick. Even the trailer I linked to is similar to the Ghost Trick trailers in style. I'll admit, I'm playing this game through a DS flashcart, so it might be very hard for you guys to play it if you're against emulation and/or piracy.

Still, from what you could or did gather, does anybody else think that Exit DS looks like it could have inspired Ghost Trick in some ways?

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I'm not tooootally convinced they ripped each other off. It's somewhat common knowledge that when constrained, animations can have either a lot of frames, or have a vivid pallet. Games like Ghost Trick and Exit, they go for animation at the expense of pallet. They then turn the limited pallet into a strength with the art direction.

That said. I WANT exit ds. Did it ever skip the pond?

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Games these days are based on styles already implemented. There's also the fact that a lot of Japanese games have lots and lots of different styles we haven't seen (but they have). Maybe GT was based on this but the focus was "preventing the death of X person"? It's like Ace Attorney and L.A. Noire; Press & Present is to get more information, reveal contradictions and save your client/convict the guilty, while in L.A. Noire, it's about getting more information.

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What I meant was mostly in aesthethics, it's pretty obvious that Ghost Trick's premise and plot came from Takumi's love for ghost stories and mystery novels. I would never imply that Takumi stole from anybody, and of course, Exit couldn't have stolen from GT, since the PSP version was released in 2006 and the DS version in 2008.

I'm just saying that Takumi and/or his team could have seen Exit DS and decided "Hey, that's the kind of aesthethic we'll go for." Of course, GT had a much larger budget, but inspiration is free.

Also, Woost, Wikipedia says it was released in the US, yeah. In fact, here, try Amazon. They say they have in stock, and it's 16 bucks. And if you search their Used and New, you can get it new from 4 bucks, shipped from Michigan for an extra 4 bucks. Taito should hire me for sales :P

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I don't think Takumi went into details, but in an interview* he stated that Ghost Trick basically started from a (visual) image he had in his head he wanted to use for a game and that the complete game is (aesthetically) the same as when they first started on the game. Which was in 2004.

*For people who understand Japanese, the podcast BIGLOBE ゲーム　　週刊ゲームの食卓 / BIGLOBE Game Shuukan no Shokutaku 109~112 is a four-part interview with Takumi & Takeshita (producer) on Ghost Trick and other stuff (112, the final part is the most fun IMHO, with Takumi Shuu telling how he came to work at Capcom). The part on how Takumi came with Ghost Trick is discussed in 109 (Ghost Trick Special part 1).

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Really, now...?

I have Exit DS, and it's not that good, really... It doesn't seem very much like Ghost Trick does (although I could be wrong since I don't have it).

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Well that's interesting, thanks for that tidbit! I guess this was just a case of similar aesthethics and styles used in slightly similar situations. Although you guys have to admit that trailer looks a lot like how the GT trailers were done!

Also, Nyuugen, I never said it was very good (it's a rental at best), I just thought the overall visual style and attitude of the game reminded me of a low-budget Ghost Trick.

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@DeMatador

Yes, and I quote what I said earlier:

"It doesn't seem very much like Ghost Trick does (although I could be wrong since I don't have it)."

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I got Exit DS used at GameStop for less than five dollars. And while it pretty much has no story, I find it to be an enjoyable enough game. The controls could use some work, though. Too easy to mess up.

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Okay, picked up the game used for $5.

It's actually not a bad game at all. Plot is presented in a way that's not dissimilar to Elite Beat Agents, although the humor is a bit less, as is the plot. It's still good platforming puzzler fun.

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