Game Review: Ace Attorney

Are you interested in law? Ever wanted to step into the shoes of a lawyer? Want to fight for truth in justice in some of the highest courts in the world?  Do you just want to get filthy rich? Well then, I wish you luck on the required 4 years of law school, bar exam, and search for a firm coming your way.

In the meantime, I’ve got just the game for you: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy.

Overview

The Ace Attorney franchise is a series of visual novels produced by Capcom, where you will step into the shoes of various defense lawyers; sometimes even prosecutors, all in an attempt to seek truth and justice.

Visual novels, as the name would suggest, are novels with visuals. Think of a book, but instead of having to imagine everything, it’s on your screen for your viewing pleasure. 

Visual novels like Ace Attorney let you interact in ways that change the story, like giving you dialogue boxes you can press that determine what your character says and does, or having areas you can travel to and from so you can talk to different characters. These touches do a lot to immerse the reader into the story.

Ace Attorney has many entries to its name, but the one I suggest you play first is Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy, a compilation of the first three games in slick HD, a perfect introduction to the series.

Gameplay

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy has you take on the mantle of its titular character. Phoenix is a jumpstart defense attorney, who for one reason or another, always seems to find himself almost impossible cases to win, but that’s where you come in!

The Gameplay loop is split up into two main phases: investigations, and trials. 

In the investigation phase, your job is to search for clues and evidence at crimes scenes, while gathering info from witnesses. 

As you investigate, the pieces of evidence you find will be added to a court record that you can access at any time. After you’ve collected enough evidence, you’ll then make your way to the courtroom for trials.

During the trial phase, you’ll need to cross examine a witness, and during those cross examinations, witnesses will testify, giving you a variety of statements, some contradictory. 

When you find a statement that contradicts a piece of your evidence in the court record, that’s your chance to present it and progress the story.

Ace Attorney trials are filled with many twists and turns, so you’ll need to keep track of every detail to emerge victorious!

What makes Ace Attorney So Good?

Ace Attorney is a visual novel like no other. Unlike most other visual novels, where the name of the game is reading and you don’t get much to do, Ace Attorney has you take an active role in trying to solve the case.

The cast is full of colorful quirky characters that you’ll fall in love with. They’ll make you laugh, make your cry, make you angry, and every emotion in between.

No two cases are the same. In some cases, the stakes will be so high that if you mess up once, it can spell the end for you, and in others you’ll be cross-examining a parrot.  Finding contradictions in statements, and smacking evidence in a lying witness’s face is a joyous feeling like no other.

The music in the Ace Attorney games is also a big factor in helping them stick out. Some of these tracks are genuine earworms, and a pleasure to listen to. As the games keep going on the tracks keep getting better. I’d argue that some of the songs in the latter games are genuine masterpieces.

The Ace Attorney games are definitely worth your time, regardless of what kinds of games you’re into, and most of them are available on modern platforms for only twenty to thirty dollars. If you ever find yourself with a few extra dollars, consider buying one to get yourself into a courtroom, and yell out a great big OBJECTION!