Ghost Smile (game)

Ghost Smile, 微笑の錯覚 (lit."Hallucination of a Smile") in Japan, is an action/adventure RPG title released for the Wii (August 2008 in Japan, November 2009 in North America and Europe). The titular character, Smile, is a "ghostborn"- one of the few spirits who were born as ghosts. His deepest desire is to experience true life, just once. The key to returning to life- the Crystal of Shadows- has been stolen by the evil ghost Mythic, who intends to use it to return himself to life and wreak havoc on the mortal world as well as the spirit one.
==Gameplay==
===Basic===
The gameplay of Ghost Smile is three dimensional. Most of the time, the player is in an "overworld", in which the player can speak to other characters and explore. When an enemy is encountered, the player goes into a turn-based battle in which attack items can be used. Once the enemy is defeated, the player returns to the overworld.
===Universal Shift===
The most unique feature of Ghost Smile is the Universal Shift. While playing as Smile or any other ghost, the player can switch between universes. Each universe is parallel to each other; the geography is identical between universes, but the color schemes, enemies, and NPCs vary. As the player becomes more powerful, more universes are unlocked. Universes should not be confused with levels- almost all the levels in the game can be played through in any universe.
*Spirit World- the universe the player starts in. Eternally dark, filled with leafless trees. All the houses there resemble steriotypical haunted mansions. The NPCs living there are ghosts.
*Toy World- a disturbing land of toys, each with a hideous rictus grin. Always bright and "cheerful", the buildings in Toy World are all doll houses. The NPCs living there are children's toy soldiers and dolls.
*Duel World- a Super Smash Bros-esque world where only the strongest win. Filled with fire and lava. All the houses there look like prisons, and the NPCs are gladiators.
*World OneOne- a world based off of World 1-1 of Super Mario Brothers 2. Grassy and peaceful. The houses are giant toadstools, and the NPCs are Shy Guys and Toads.
*Yoshi World- identical to World OneOne, except that instead of the NPCs being Toads and Shy Guys, they are Yoshis.
*Mythic's World- an eerie, physics-bending world in which the player can walk up walls and across ceilings. It is different from the other universes in several ways: there is no background music whatsoever, there are no NPCs, and most of the houses are drifting in midair.
*Mortal World- the final universe in the game. It is essentially Earth, as all the NPCs are human. It is Smile's quest to be able to enter this world, so that he can take on a human form and experience true life.
thumb|right|A poster for the game.
==Storyline==
Smile is a "ghostborn", one of the few spirits born as a ghost rather than becoming one after death. He has never experienced true life, which is his deepest wish. He learns of the Crystal of Shadows, located deep in the Frightened Forest, that holds the key to becoming human. Smile treks there, fighting off undead Goombas and Shy Guys. Once he reaches the shrine where the Crystal is located, the guardian of the shrine- Gimmik- attacks Smile. Smile succeeds in beating him, and claims the crystal for his own...
...then the Bowser-like demon Mythic appears and grabs it. Smile attacks him, shattering the Crystal. The ensuing explosion blasts Smile, Mythic, and the shards in all different directions.
Smile, apon getting up, begins his quest to recover the shards.
Once the player has collected all of the shards over the course of the game, the plotlines begin to diverge, depending on which universes the player used most.
===Spirit Ending===
If the player is in the Spirit World when the final shard is recovered, Mythic appears before Smile and tells him that it is too late; Smile has done exactly what Mythic wanted him to do. Mythic attempts to take the shards, but Smile destroys them, sacrificing his dream of life in order to stop Mythic from harnessing its power. Smile and Mythic fight, but Mythic is impossible to beat. Smile is killed by Mythic.
The player is now returned to the menu, and can resume the game directly before the final shard is found in order to play through the different endings.
===Toy Ending===
If the player is in the Toy World when the final shard is recovered, Mythic appears before Smile and tells him that it is too late; Smile has done exactly what Mythic wanted him to do. Mythic steals the shards and merges them back together. He makes Smile mortal, and then kills him. Mythic then makes himself mortal and thus enabled to go to Earth; he does so, and begins his reign of terror.
The player is now returned to the menu, and can resume the game directly before the final shard is found in order toplay through the different endings.
===Duel Ending===
If the player is in the Duel World when the final shard is recovered, Mythic appears before Smile and tells him that it is too late; Smile has done exactly what Mythic wanted him to do. Mythic steals the shards and merges them back together. He makes Smile mortal, and then kills him. Mythic then makes himself mortal and thus enabled to go to Earth; he does so, and begins his reign of terror.
The player is now returned to the menu, and can resume the game directly before the final shard is found in order toplay through the different endings.
===OneOne Ending===
If the player is in World OneOne when the final shard is recovered, Mythic appears before Smile and tells him that it is too late; Smile has done exactly what Mythic wanted him to do. Smile simply laughs and merges the shards back together, then makes Mythic mortal with them. Smile kills Mythic, but not before Mythic manages to destroy the Crystal, so that now Smile can never become human.
The player is now returned to the menu, and can resume the game directly before the final shard is found in order toplay through the different endings.
===Yoshi Ending===
If the player is in the Yoshi World when the final shard is recovered, Mythic appears before Smile and tells him that it is too late; Smile has done exactly what Mythic wanted him to do. Mythic steals the shards and merges them back together. He makes Smile mortal, and then kills him. Mythic then makes himself mortal and thus enabled to go to Earth; he does so, and begins his reign of terror.
The player is now returned to the menu, and can resume the game directly before the final shard is found in order toplay through the different endings.
===True Ending===
Once all of these endings have been played through once, a new button appears on the menu: "True Ending". Once clicked on, the game resumes at the point where Smile gets the final shard. Mythic appears before him, saying that Smile has done exactly what Mythic wanted him to do. Smile has a flashback to each of the previous alternate endings and tells Mythic that he's not going to fall for any tricks anymore. Smile reveals that he had been using the Crystal's power to other uses- to create alternate universes in which he attempted to kill Mythic in various ways, to see what would work, before confronting Mythic in the real universe. Mythic, laughing, transports Smile to the "Mythic's World".
Once Smile has fought his way through Mythic's minions, he confronts Mythic himself. Smile uses the Crystalto make Mythic mortal, then uses it on himself. The two, now both mortal, fight to the death. Mythic is killed by Smile, and now that Smile is mortal he can go to Earth and live out a true life.
==Reception==
Ghost Smile recieved mostly positive reviews, with critics praising the Universal Shift tool. Metal Bones said that the Universal Shift was "genius" but that the many endings would make the player "give up before [the real one] unless he had a walkthrough." IGN said that the game was "only a few feet wide, but miles deep", referring to how the Universal Shift tool allowed the player to undergo various missions and various scenarios in "a thousand ways".
Category:Games
Category:Fan Games
Category:Original Games
Category:2008
Category:2009
Category:Adventure Games
Category:Action Role-Playing Games
Category:Rated T Games
Category:Wii Games
Category:Multiplayer Games
Category:Ghost Smile (series)