Replicant is what happens when you uncrust a fundamentally crusty and janky game for an actually pleasant experience (a rarity in Yoko Taro's repertoire I'll add)

Does it succeed? I...am inclined to say yes!
The combat isn't the best, especially next to Automata's, but it's crisp and it feels visceral enough to be addictive. The story itself is hard to sum up, but I played already knowing everything until ending D, and enjoyed myself thoroughly.

What the game has as its strongest point without doubt however, is the cast and their dynamics and interactions. Alone, they're some of my favorite characters around. Kaine, Emil and Weiss especially. Together, they are my single favorite cast of characters in any media period.
The way they're written, how they bounce off each other, their comical scenes, their dramatic ones, they are amazing characters who resonate amazingly well with each other, and just for that alone giving the game 5 stars is easy af.

As an aside, the newly added Shipwreck and Ending E only serve to complement the cast even further and they perfectly fall in line with Nier's spirit, and I'm so glad they exist in this game.

With everything said, I do have some small gripes. The redo of part 2 would have been better done only once instead of twice (as an addition to the first time). The 3rd playthrough's additions could definitely have just been part of the 2nd's, and spreading them didn't feel particularly relevant to me.
It took me months to finish cause I kinda just lost motivation along the way, notably at the end where Endings C and D require you to do the final area twice in a row, despite you having done it twice before already.

Interesting to see how Automata would come to resolve all my issues here btw, it's an experience in and of itself to see what Taro took away from developing Replicant.

Anyways, all in all, and despite my gripes, I still consider Replicant a 10/10. Not because it's perfect, but because it's just that good.

I was always gonna come around to playing this eventually, from the resounding praise I heard to just the sheer vibes I got from it (having the same director as Ace Attorney also helped).

And what can I say? I was not disappointed in the least, just the opposite in fact! Ghost Trick is a short but phenomenal experience, meshing a fun, smart and addictive gameplay with gorgeous presentation, a quirky and lovable cast of characters and a really sweet and satisfying plot that ties itself in the best possible way.

I literally have nothing bad to say about it and I teared up a bit at times, and even when I was aware of some twists, I still got blindsided by others lmao.

In short, play Ghost Trick.

(Also...ugh...Radd won I guess)

HEY
YEAH
YOU
PLAY
THIS
GAME
ITS
DA
GOOD
SHIT