i'm being hauled away by two security enforcers, am hollering at the top of my lungs APOLLO IS STILL ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING AND COMPELLING CHARACTERS IN THE ENTIRE AA SERIES AND CAPCOM SABOTAGED THE LAST CASE OF HIS GAME TO MAKE ROOM FOR BRAND RECOGNITION IN PHOENIX is choked and does not wake up for several hours
seventeen years later apollo justice is a capital CG Cursed Game. harbinger of a new age which never really came- the apollo justice trilogy as a complete package is plainly awkward in how it languidly, disinterestedly follows its namesake. of course you can’t blame apollo justice for the decisions the IP made after it came out but apollo’s role in the franchise absolutely colors how this game is played now. now the game is a thracia 776-like experience, a darker, more punishing, more inconsequential story in the face of a broader conflict, except the two generations of warriors that flanked thracia 776 are both replaced by the one and only Phoenix Wright™.
it’s honestly doubtful that AJ receives the sheer abuse that investigations 1 or dual destinies does online, but it feels like the only game in the series that has yet to find a strong niche. the old guard has always held it apart from their beloved trinity, but yamazaki’s growing base of defenders doesn’t want to claim it either. its fans are often colored as the most vapid, rabid fans in the fanbase, relishing an imagined dynamic between klavier and apollo.
and certainly it’s not a difficult game to poke holes in. the game’s infamously fraught middle cases, regardless of how you view them, just don’t click together. yeah yeah, there are a lot of cinemasins “ding!” issues, but the cases also fall limp dramatically. in court there are scenes and even whole witness interrogations that don’t materially contribute to the core narrative of the mystery, as takumi envelops the player in minutiae to fill space. while both cases are about noble thieves and rotten cops, the game seems to shy away from its own subject matter at key moments. klavier, the series’ most passive rival, completely disengages from the injustice at hand when the corruption of law enforcement is exposed, even when he has a personal connection with the people at stake. apollo’s unique “gimmick” mechanic is also very weak, a task of observation that doesn’t engage with puzzle-solving in relation to the case at all.
but the game’s most glaring sign of incompleteness is the complete epic fail of an ending. the game goes out on a long limb to ground the player lucidly in this entry’s grand, time-spanning mystery. and the gamble pays off! there’s a lot of momentum that gets built up, all for the most bafflingly anticlimactic final day in trial of the entire series. i do not actually have much objection to how phoenix intrudes on the case, it’s not really revolutionary to have the mentor set the stage and deliver a couple pieces of evidence that help you clench the case. but the game completely fizzles after this. it’s so bizarre. for a franchise with so many infamously persistent final bosses, it’s insane how trivial the proceedings of the final court segment of this game are. right after managing a perfect passing-of-the-torch moment in AA3, they completely bungle it here. somehow.
but it’s inaccurate to label apollo justice a failed experiment, the tone and ideas the game is going for are still deployed and in place, if not exactly intact. right out of the gate apollo justice asks the player to consider possibilities that would be considered downright heretical in the rest of the main series. in the original trilogy, the shounen-like, operatic approach to good and evil is striking, but it often drains the game of moral dimension. sure, the games often flirt with the idea that maybe the protagonist would have to make a moral sacrifice, or that an antagonist was a profound victim before lashing out, but you’re always able to manage a perfect victory, in the end. every antagonist unilaterally goes too far in their plotting, even if they were hurt by the world or the people around them.
apollo justice dares to challenge this. the perfect victories that define the original trilogy are nowhere to be found. your catharsis is impeded as each subsequent not guilty verdict represents a new threshold to which you’re forced to subvert the justice system in order to free your unjustly accused clients. for the first time, it seems that the rot in the justice system might not just be a few corrupt Bad Men led by Wrong Ideologies, but instead a set of systemic failings, that the mechanics of justice itself might be at fault. for all of the games that have been centered on the expansion of the wright anything agency as a found family, apollo justice is the only game to lucidly cope with legacy, and how values, practices, and patterns of behavior are passed down (or often, more interestingly, withheld from being passed down).
the game’s final decision feels almost insulting given the current state of the game’s ending but i applaud that the final action the player takes is rendering an explicit moral judgment on a character. it’s an empty choice, but it demonstrates the strength of even the most trivial and obvious decision a person can make. more importantly, it invites every player, even the lowly klavier-apollo shipper, to consider the ethics of what actually happened here, that they are a creator of justice and not just a subject to it.
this attitude pulsates through the entire game. miraculously, ace attorney’s signature attention to detail when it comes to staging and presentation adapts perfectly to a more grounded, desperate story. the soundtrack is much more subdued overall but constantly poised to summon that classic pursuit cornered momentum. the animation maintains its expressive power while respecting and communicating the humanity of its subjects. all in all, apollo justice acquires a unique electricity no other game in the series has. this electricity carries you through even as you’re arguing about the location of a trash can a witness threw a pair of panties into or whatever
i’d consider myself something of an ace attorney superfan. this series’ creative calculus has a way of wringing out pathos that draws my focus to the screen unlike any other franchise. but i can’t deny that after having loved the series for so many years, it can feel weary in how it tells its stories with the same cadence, with the same structure underlying every case. even on the fiftieth replay, apollo justice still feels untamed. never definitive but always suggestive, my heart pours out for ace attorney four.
it’s honestly doubtful that AJ receives the sheer abuse that investigations 1 or dual destinies does online, but it feels like the only game in the series that has yet to find a strong niche. the old guard has always held it apart from their beloved trinity, but yamazaki’s growing base of defenders doesn’t want to claim it either. its fans are often colored as the most vapid, rabid fans in the fanbase, relishing an imagined dynamic between klavier and apollo.
and certainly it’s not a difficult game to poke holes in. the game’s infamously fraught middle cases, regardless of how you view them, just don’t click together. yeah yeah, there are a lot of cinemasins “ding!” issues, but the cases also fall limp dramatically. in court there are scenes and even whole witness interrogations that don’t materially contribute to the core narrative of the mystery, as takumi envelops the player in minutiae to fill space. while both cases are about noble thieves and rotten cops, the game seems to shy away from its own subject matter at key moments. klavier, the series’ most passive rival, completely disengages from the injustice at hand when the corruption of law enforcement is exposed, even when he has a personal connection with the people at stake. apollo’s unique “gimmick” mechanic is also very weak, a task of observation that doesn’t engage with puzzle-solving in relation to the case at all.
but the game’s most glaring sign of incompleteness is the complete epic fail of an ending. the game goes out on a long limb to ground the player lucidly in this entry’s grand, time-spanning mystery. and the gamble pays off! there’s a lot of momentum that gets built up, all for the most bafflingly anticlimactic final day in trial of the entire series. i do not actually have much objection to how phoenix intrudes on the case, it’s not really revolutionary to have the mentor set the stage and deliver a couple pieces of evidence that help you clench the case. but the game completely fizzles after this. it’s so bizarre. for a franchise with so many infamously persistent final bosses, it’s insane how trivial the proceedings of the final court segment of this game are. right after managing a perfect passing-of-the-torch moment in AA3, they completely bungle it here. somehow.
but it’s inaccurate to label apollo justice a failed experiment, the tone and ideas the game is going for are still deployed and in place, if not exactly intact. right out of the gate apollo justice asks the player to consider possibilities that would be considered downright heretical in the rest of the main series. in the original trilogy, the shounen-like, operatic approach to good and evil is striking, but it often drains the game of moral dimension. sure, the games often flirt with the idea that maybe the protagonist would have to make a moral sacrifice, or that an antagonist was a profound victim before lashing out, but you’re always able to manage a perfect victory, in the end. every antagonist unilaterally goes too far in their plotting, even if they were hurt by the world or the people around them.
apollo justice dares to challenge this. the perfect victories that define the original trilogy are nowhere to be found. your catharsis is impeded as each subsequent not guilty verdict represents a new threshold to which you’re forced to subvert the justice system in order to free your unjustly accused clients. for the first time, it seems that the rot in the justice system might not just be a few corrupt Bad Men led by Wrong Ideologies, but instead a set of systemic failings, that the mechanics of justice itself might be at fault. for all of the games that have been centered on the expansion of the wright anything agency as a found family, apollo justice is the only game to lucidly cope with legacy, and how values, practices, and patterns of behavior are passed down (or often, more interestingly, withheld from being passed down).
the game’s final decision feels almost insulting given the current state of the game’s ending but i applaud that the final action the player takes is rendering an explicit moral judgment on a character. it’s an empty choice, but it demonstrates the strength of even the most trivial and obvious decision a person can make. more importantly, it invites every player, even the lowly klavier-apollo shipper, to consider the ethics of what actually happened here, that they are a creator of justice and not just a subject to it.
this attitude pulsates through the entire game. miraculously, ace attorney’s signature attention to detail when it comes to staging and presentation adapts perfectly to a more grounded, desperate story. the soundtrack is much more subdued overall but constantly poised to summon that classic pursuit cornered momentum. the animation maintains its expressive power while respecting and communicating the humanity of its subjects. all in all, apollo justice acquires a unique electricity no other game in the series has. this electricity carries you through even as you’re arguing about the location of a trash can a witness threw a pair of panties into or whatever
i’d consider myself something of an ace attorney superfan. this series’ creative calculus has a way of wringing out pathos that draws my focus to the screen unlike any other franchise. but i can’t deny that after having loved the series for so many years, it can feel weary in how it tells its stories with the same cadence, with the same structure underlying every case. even on the fiftieth replay, apollo justice still feels untamed. never definitive but always suggestive, my heart pours out for ace attorney four.
awesome game, I love the way case 4 completely interconnects most things in the game
finding out how Phoenix lost his attorney badge was great
just felt that some things weren't concluded/addressed enough at the end
anyways, Klavier Gavin da 🐐
finding out how Phoenix lost his attorney badge was great
just felt that some things weren't concluded/addressed enough at the end
anyways, Klavier Gavin da 🐐
Apollo more like fart.
Kind of took a while to get going, but it grew on me over time and it was a nice passing of the torch story. Can't wait to see how the cast grows, develops, and comes into its own in the following Apollo Justice games!
After the conclusion to Phoenix Wright’s story that Trials and Tribulations gave Ace Attorney fans, Shu Takumi believed the third game would be a good stopping point for the series. And, to his credit, he had a point; Phoenix’s story was done with the ending of Trials and Tribulations. Phoenix had grown from a bumbling, unconfident rookie into an extremely competent lawyer who was able to take down some extremely corrupt and, to be blunt, horrible people while solving many issues that plagued him and his friends’ pasts. So, where would Phoenix go next?
This question would be answered in the fourth game, Apollo Justice, showing how Phoenix’s life took a drastic turn and how the world of Ace Attorney shifted after a seven year time gap.
The tonal shift Apollo Justice gives to its characters and the world is one of my favorite things to come out of this series. To stop beating around the obvious without spoiling things too heavily, Phoenix is unable to practice law in this game and is no longer the main character. The famous lawyer who’d grown so much the past three games has been shifted into a morally gray, suspicious man who you can never get a real read on ever during the game. And, there’s so much theming around how the world changes over tike through its other characters, too.
Some of my favorites were Apollo himself, while he doesn’t really have a backstory in this game, he makes up for it by just being really funny and being really cool. I just like Apollo a lot. He doesn’t actually have much of a backstory but he’s so enjoyable that I don’t care. Trucy is one of my favorite characters to come out of this game too. She’s a magician and Phoenix Wright’s daughter, and I love how the game handles her. At first glance, she seems just like most other ace attorney assistants, but this is merely the surface level of her character. I love how she’s actually really smart and very clever!! There’s multiple times she figures out things in cases way before Apollo gets close, and unlike someone like Maya Fey, who was interesting because she was so inexperienced with the world outside of her village, Trucy is interesting due to how she understands Apollo so well and can use her magician persona to literally manipulate Apollo at times. It’s so cool, and all of this is hidden under layers of caution towards how emotionally vulnerable she can be to the point where she literally keeps a strong face at times purely fir herself and I love it so much. This character is incredible and she deserved so much better after AJ. I love this game and it’s characters a whole lot.
The cases are a mixed bag for many people. But personally, I love most of them. Everyone who plays this game knows Turnabout Trump is really good. It’s a thrilling twist on first cases that no other game does and I love the mystery. I also really loved Turnabout Succession - even more than Turnabout Trump, but I’d rather not talk about it. It’s one of my favorite Ace Attorney cases ever and there’s so much I can’t say without spoiling the game lol.
“But what about Turnabout Corner and Turnabout Serenade?” They’re both good. I just don’t think they’re super great, unfortunately. I love Apollo Justice, don’t get me wrong, but 4-2 and 4-3 aren’t as great as I really wish they were. Still good, just could’ve been better. Still perfectly enjoyable cases though. I had fun with every case in this game.
And yes. You read that right. I don’t think Turnabout Serenade is the worst thing ever, kicked me in shins and/or spat in my food. Yes, I know it’s extremely hated. But I liked it!
Apollo Justice is a mixed bag of a game to many. Some see it as an irredeemable misstep that took the series in a direction that fans didn’t want, while some love it to death and hold it as a great game in a series of constant hits. I’m proud to say that Apollo Justice mattered a lot to me, and that for as long as Ace Attorney exists, I will never forget how happy this game makes me.
This question would be answered in the fourth game, Apollo Justice, showing how Phoenix’s life took a drastic turn and how the world of Ace Attorney shifted after a seven year time gap.
The tonal shift Apollo Justice gives to its characters and the world is one of my favorite things to come out of this series. To stop beating around the obvious without spoiling things too heavily, Phoenix is unable to practice law in this game and is no longer the main character. The famous lawyer who’d grown so much the past three games has been shifted into a morally gray, suspicious man who you can never get a real read on ever during the game. And, there’s so much theming around how the world changes over tike through its other characters, too.
Some of my favorites were Apollo himself, while he doesn’t really have a backstory in this game, he makes up for it by just being really funny and being really cool. I just like Apollo a lot. He doesn’t actually have much of a backstory but he’s so enjoyable that I don’t care. Trucy is one of my favorite characters to come out of this game too. She’s a magician and Phoenix Wright’s daughter, and I love how the game handles her. At first glance, she seems just like most other ace attorney assistants, but this is merely the surface level of her character. I love how she’s actually really smart and very clever!! There’s multiple times she figures out things in cases way before Apollo gets close, and unlike someone like Maya Fey, who was interesting because she was so inexperienced with the world outside of her village, Trucy is interesting due to how she understands Apollo so well and can use her magician persona to literally manipulate Apollo at times. It’s so cool, and all of this is hidden under layers of caution towards how emotionally vulnerable she can be to the point where she literally keeps a strong face at times purely fir herself and I love it so much. This character is incredible and she deserved so much better after AJ. I love this game and it’s characters a whole lot.
The cases are a mixed bag for many people. But personally, I love most of them. Everyone who plays this game knows Turnabout Trump is really good. It’s a thrilling twist on first cases that no other game does and I love the mystery. I also really loved Turnabout Succession - even more than Turnabout Trump, but I’d rather not talk about it. It’s one of my favorite Ace Attorney cases ever and there’s so much I can’t say without spoiling the game lol.
“But what about Turnabout Corner and Turnabout Serenade?” They’re both good. I just don’t think they’re super great, unfortunately. I love Apollo Justice, don’t get me wrong, but 4-2 and 4-3 aren’t as great as I really wish they were. Still good, just could’ve been better. Still perfectly enjoyable cases though. I had fun with every case in this game.
And yes. You read that right. I don’t think Turnabout Serenade is the worst thing ever, kicked me in shins and/or spat in my food. Yes, I know it’s extremely hated. But I liked it!
Apollo Justice is a mixed bag of a game to many. Some see it as an irredeemable misstep that took the series in a direction that fans didn’t want, while some love it to death and hold it as a great game in a series of constant hits. I’m proud to say that Apollo Justice mattered a lot to me, and that for as long as Ace Attorney exists, I will never forget how happy this game makes me.
O bom e velho Advogados de Primeira, lugares bons, trilha sonora impecável (se tornou uma das minhas favoritas), personagens carismáticos (Ema a MAIOR), reviravoltas surpreendentes, vo dar uma nota pra cada e dar meu veredito final
Primeira reviravolta (tutorial): 8/10 - Muito bom, mas quem nunca jogou os anteriores, nao tem muita cara de tutorial
Segunda reviravolta: 6/10 - É o mais fraquinho de todos, mais nao de tudo ruim... eu gostei dos personagens, plot é daorinha mas nada de TAO empolgante assim por assim dizer
Terceira reviravolta: 9/10 - Narrativa incrivel, os plots bem trabalhados, mas o carisma dos personagens desse ato nao tem muito a se sentir algo sobre ( tirando a Laminoir, a melhor que é apresentada), o restante foram vagos momentos que realmente senti algo sobre eles, so uns momentos isolados lá e cá mais nada de especial em relação a eles.
Quarta reviravolta: 10/10 - De longe o melhor caso, foram várias surpresas e a narrativa toda interligada com o jogo inteiro me prendeu muito, toda dinamica de passado e futuro pra achar o X da questao no caso foi maravilhosa.
Primeira reviravolta (tutorial): 8/10 - Muito bom, mas quem nunca jogou os anteriores, nao tem muita cara de tutorial
Segunda reviravolta: 6/10 - É o mais fraquinho de todos, mais nao de tudo ruim... eu gostei dos personagens, plot é daorinha mas nada de TAO empolgante assim por assim dizer
Terceira reviravolta: 9/10 - Narrativa incrivel, os plots bem trabalhados, mas o carisma dos personagens desse ato nao tem muito a se sentir algo sobre ( tirando a Laminoir, a melhor que é apresentada), o restante foram vagos momentos que realmente senti algo sobre eles, so uns momentos isolados lá e cá mais nada de especial em relação a eles.
Quarta reviravolta: 10/10 - De longe o melhor caso, foram várias surpresas e a narrativa toda interligada com o jogo inteiro me prendeu muito, toda dinamica de passado e futuro pra achar o X da questao no caso foi maravilhosa.
I would say Trials and Tribulations is the most quality story-wise of the series, and the fact that Dual Destinies walks back significant, interesting developments in this game doesn't help Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney -- but there is no beating this cast and the pixel art of this entry to the main line. Completely subjectively, Klavier is the best prosecutor to date, and this set of defendants and their personal backgrounds are the funniest as a crew, only outdone on an individual level by Ron DeLite.
Plus, there is nothing more outlandish than seeing GBA Phoenix's sprites against this level of visual detail. What a choice
Plus, there is nothing more outlandish than seeing GBA Phoenix's sprites against this level of visual detail. What a choice
I don't CARE if people hate this game I like it SO MUCH. My AA game of the life. Yes it has flaws and it's nowhere NEAR perfect, but as a whole it's such a fun and deeply ambitious work that I can't even be truly bothered by its problems, because I respect everything it tries to pull off so much. Honestly, I'll always personally prefer a game that's messy but fun a LOT more than a game that's written more cleanly but is also rather by the book, and AA4 clearly falls in the former category. The characters in this game are EVERYTHING to me and my favorite in the series, and I think this was the last game in mainline AA that I truly, TRULY adored. I could talk about it for hours (whenever I next replay it, I will make this review a lot more detailed. Trust.) I will forever wish it had gotten its own trilogy instead of getting shafted in favor of AA5-6 returning back to the same old with Phoenix and co, because I think that a more polished set of games centered around this cast could've improved it in people's minds. Plus, getting more with these characters at the forefront would've been the greatest joy of my life... but oh well. I'm nothing. It's fine. I'll continue to smile through the pain of what could have been.
polly and trucy my besties for the resties I <3 this game so so much
I went into this game with low expectations and came out very content with what I got. It took me a while to finish it because I dubbed the whole game with my friend, but that only added to the experience. I think what makes me like this game so much is the overall atmosphere. The courtroom has a darker colour scheme, the music focuses more on the mysterious vibe, and character designs such as Phoenix and Ema help set up the atmosphere of the game well. As for the cases themselves, while I didn't particularly care for Turnabout Corner, I surprisingly like Turnabout Serenade and I absolutely adore Turnabout Trump and Turnabout Succession. I don't want to go too deep into the cases due to spoilers, but I feel like the only issues with this game are that the killers are pretty obvious most of the time (Turnabout Corner and Serenade), and the killer's motivations can be weak at times as well. Either way, it doesn't change how much fun this game can be. The humour is probably the best in the series so far and the one off characters are actually pretty good for the most part (I actually like Spark Brushel). Overall, while I'd say this game had flaws, I would say I had too much fun with the game to care. I know it wouldn't be for everyone, but I think it's an enjoyable experience for myself.
Good cases, good music, yummy sprites/animations
Another strong game in the franchise, last case is wild!
Another strong game in the franchise, last case is wild!
I can't even pull up with no fancy shmancy review like I usually do, I just can't, that shit wouldn't do it justice, easy ball top 5 member and dual destinies needs to be erased from human history for undoing what this game started.
Played again. This time on 3ds. It made me think, was the Apollo Justice game a blessing or a curse?
Unfortunately my review hasn't changed.
I really liked the aspect of injecting risky new ideas but... None of the ideas feel fleshed out to me. New minigames and Apollo's bracelet thingy are pretty mindless inclusions. Finale of it still feels rushed and doesn't conclude anything. Investigation time travel mumbo jumbo is stupid and doesn't add anything to plot, I would go as far as to say it takes away from it with how it enables Phoenix to use something from future in the past? Final court day is super short and not even close to something satisfying. There is only just 2 witness statements you need to solve to finish it. JUST TWO!? I wonder they did this way just to promote the jury system to Japan. Was it a last minute decision? Or was it planned from the beginning? I don't know but with doing that, they just wasted the antagonist for a stupid reason. But even if they did a more complex finale court day, it wouldn't solve the problem of his stupid motivation. It's just stupid. By the way the worst thing they did was sidelining Apollo at the finale day. Isn't like this is supposed to be his own game? Then why Phoenix promoted consistently at the finale more than Apollo?
But also I really liked the idea of even the clients you are supposed to protect may not be that innocent people even if they are not the killers. Also the idea of, for finding the truth, you need to take risks even things like forgery. Also I really liked they created opposite versions of ideas they created before. Helpful Prosecutor idea with Klavier, clever assistant idea with Trucy and grumpy Detective idea with Ema etc. It really gives it's own feeling without feeling like a repeat. Also new soundtrack that focuses on the mystery aspect is a cream on the cake! Before I forget, mentor and jaded Phoenix is my favorite Phoenix version. I damn liked him with how he is ready to find the truth whatever it takes! He is ready to do dirty tactics even! Really brave move right there.
But like I said unfortunately Apollo Justice can be a curse more than a blessing. The moment they injected the idea of the "broken Justice system", sequels went with that way and since then we didn't get a full on personal struggle focused ace attorney game. Since then every game is about there is a broken system we need to "fix" and this is not ace attorney for me. At least this game still have it's ace attorney core other than it's finale but it's sad that they choose to continue with the justice idea rather than personal struggles of Apollo idea. It's really sad.
Unfortunately my review hasn't changed.
I really liked the aspect of injecting risky new ideas but... None of the ideas feel fleshed out to me. New minigames and Apollo's bracelet thingy are pretty mindless inclusions. Finale of it still feels rushed and doesn't conclude anything. Investigation time travel mumbo jumbo is stupid and doesn't add anything to plot, I would go as far as to say it takes away from it with how it enables Phoenix to use something from future in the past? Final court day is super short and not even close to something satisfying. There is only just 2 witness statements you need to solve to finish it. JUST TWO!? I wonder they did this way just to promote the jury system to Japan. Was it a last minute decision? Or was it planned from the beginning? I don't know but with doing that, they just wasted the antagonist for a stupid reason. But even if they did a more complex finale court day, it wouldn't solve the problem of his stupid motivation. It's just stupid. By the way the worst thing they did was sidelining Apollo at the finale day. Isn't like this is supposed to be his own game? Then why Phoenix promoted consistently at the finale more than Apollo?
But also I really liked the idea of even the clients you are supposed to protect may not be that innocent people even if they are not the killers. Also the idea of, for finding the truth, you need to take risks even things like forgery. Also I really liked they created opposite versions of ideas they created before. Helpful Prosecutor idea with Klavier, clever assistant idea with Trucy and grumpy Detective idea with Ema etc. It really gives it's own feeling without feeling like a repeat. Also new soundtrack that focuses on the mystery aspect is a cream on the cake! Before I forget, mentor and jaded Phoenix is my favorite Phoenix version. I damn liked him with how he is ready to find the truth whatever it takes! He is ready to do dirty tactics even! Really brave move right there.
But like I said unfortunately Apollo Justice can be a curse more than a blessing. The moment they injected the idea of the "broken Justice system", sequels went with that way and since then we didn't get a full on personal struggle focused ace attorney game. Since then every game is about there is a broken system we need to "fix" and this is not ace attorney for me. At least this game still have it's ace attorney core other than it's finale but it's sad that they choose to continue with the justice idea rather than personal struggles of Apollo idea. It's really sad.
Finished it again for the trilogy release and it's still great.
If you think Turnabout Succession is underwhelming because "it takes the spotlight away from Apollo" or because "the culprit is obvious" then you are grossly misunderstanding the point of it. Apollo, Klavier, and Vera are puppets caught in the center of an ego battle, and the lack of tangible stakes during the final day is so obviously intentional. Phoenix is not supposed to be an unequivocally good person. That's what makes the final showdown so much more interesting than that of youknowwho at the end of TGAA2.
If you think Turnabout Succession is underwhelming because "it takes the spotlight away from Apollo" or because "the culprit is obvious" then you are grossly misunderstanding the point of it. Apollo, Klavier, and Vera are puppets caught in the center of an ego battle, and the lack of tangible stakes during the final day is so obviously intentional. Phoenix is not supposed to be an unequivocally good person. That's what makes the final showdown so much more interesting than that of youknowwho at the end of TGAA2.
Amazing commentary on cancel culture
(spoiler drop at the end of the review)
Ambitious as it is messy, Apollo Justice is an interesting hodgepodge next entry in the series. It was a super pleasant ride for the good majority of it, but ultimately led to more frustration than I ever could've expected.
To start things positively, there's the general case mystery structure. Other than really 4-2, case mysteries are superwell structured in terms of the 'how' and 'why', with genuinely more grounded murders all wrapped in a different but welcome new tone. The pacing of it all tends to wobble between awful and bearable, but I still had an excellent experience putting the pieces together in something like 4-3.
The new characters range from completely new different types of cardboard to stare at like Apollo and Skye, to more interesting well developed characters, like the magicians, the Gavinners, and Trucy. They overall all feel very fresh and their own thematic struggles with the law and truth were interesting.
This does not extend to the massive elephant in the room. I can appreciate the outer workings and surface level wonders AJ pulls for a good amount of time, but there is something that needs to be addressed. Apollo Justice follows Trials and Tribulations with having a slowly moving and opened up puzzle box that reveals connections between cases that were always there that you can slowly pick up on and piece together.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Just kidding, Phoenix fucking Wright is here to tell you that he actually 5headed the entire game from day 1, and that you're literally on the coattails for him metanarratively pulling all the strings just so he can get revenge on this one dude in the most epic cucking ever staged. Words do not begin to describe the amount of frustration the final case for me was just to see all of the interesting thematic threads be tied to the dumbest character story I've seen thus far. Phoenix Wright actually brings down the entire game with his inclusion and having the whole story revolve around him. Fuck him, he was always cardboard in the previous games anyway and yet they somehow dropped the ball at even making his new struggle interesting.
Overall, despite my ridiculously jaded final impressions, I'd still recommend playing AA4 to an extent if you liked all the games previous. But you better be prepared for when it trips over the finish line and lands on its face.
Ambitious as it is messy, Apollo Justice is an interesting hodgepodge next entry in the series. It was a super pleasant ride for the good majority of it, but ultimately led to more frustration than I ever could've expected.
To start things positively, there's the general case mystery structure. Other than really 4-2, case mysteries are superwell structured in terms of the 'how' and 'why', with genuinely more grounded murders all wrapped in a different but welcome new tone. The pacing of it all tends to wobble between awful and bearable, but I still had an excellent experience putting the pieces together in something like 4-3.
The new characters range from completely new different types of cardboard to stare at like Apollo and Skye, to more interesting well developed characters, like the magicians, the Gavinners, and Trucy. They overall all feel very fresh and their own thematic struggles with the law and truth were interesting.
This does not extend to the massive elephant in the room. I can appreciate the outer workings and surface level wonders AJ pulls for a good amount of time, but there is something that needs to be addressed. Apollo Justice follows Trials and Tribulations with having a slowly moving and opened up puzzle box that reveals connections between cases that were always there that you can slowly pick up on and piece together.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Just kidding, Phoenix fucking Wright is here to tell you that he actually 5headed the entire game from day 1, and that you're literally on the coattails for him metanarratively pulling all the strings just so he can get revenge on this one dude in the most epic cucking ever staged. Words do not begin to describe the amount of frustration the final case for me was just to see all of the interesting thematic threads be tied to the dumbest character story I've seen thus far. Phoenix Wright actually brings down the entire game with his inclusion and having the whole story revolve around him. Fuck him, he was always cardboard in the previous games anyway and yet they somehow dropped the ball at even making his new struggle interesting.
Overall, despite my ridiculously jaded final impressions, I'd still recommend playing AA4 to an extent if you liked all the games previous. But you better be prepared for when it trips over the finish line and lands on its face.
(Played through the 2017 3DS port)
Apollo Justice is a game that seems to have has a revival by the fanbase in recent years, and more people have began to favor this entry the older this game gets. And in my opinion, it is getting the credit it deserves.
Apollo Justice plays the same as the first 3 games in the series, being a half visual novel/half courtroom simulator game. This entry does add a new minigame however, called "perception". Perception is finding the phrase of testimony that makes the witness tick, and while it can take a while to find with how slowly the dialogue scrolls, it's an ok replacement for AA2/3's magatama.
(Spoiler free Case reviews below)
Turnabout Trump is probably the greatest opening case in the series. Not only is this case good at introducing you to the general feel of the courtroom gameplay for newcomers, but it's also good at being a fun and challenging one too. The case is longer then say, the first Turnabout (from AA1), but isn't as obnoxiously long as The Foreign Turnabout (From AA6). Overall, a great opening case and one of my favorites in the series.
Turnabout Corner is another great case from this game. We get our proper introductions to Trucy and Klavier, (My favorites in the series when it comes to the Assistant and Prosecutor roles respectively), some fun banter with our new characters, and some nice twists and turns along the way.
Turnabout Serenade is often known as the worst case in the game, and the criticism is fair. While I don't find it to be a "bad" case particularly, it is for certain the weakest and most ridiculous chapter in this game's story.
Turnabout Succession is a case that is somewhat good at wrapping up AJ's overarching plot, and is one of the few times a video game made me audibly gasp in surprise. This chapter has a lot of content to go through and has some really awesome events unfold that I will let you blind players see for yourself. While being one of the weakest final cases in the series, I can't help myself for liking this one.
Apollo Justice is also the winner when it comes to soundtrack, definitely the best OST the series has to offer. Nearly every track I could listen to multiple times and never get tired of, it's that good. One of my favorite things to listen to during my free time.
Overall, Apollo Justice is a game you can either hate or love to death. If my score (and review) hasn't said enough, I'm someone who is the latter. Apollo Justice was a game I had a genuinely great time playing and I love revisiting this one from time to time. 4.5/5
Apollo Justice is a game that seems to have has a revival by the fanbase in recent years, and more people have began to favor this entry the older this game gets. And in my opinion, it is getting the credit it deserves.
Apollo Justice plays the same as the first 3 games in the series, being a half visual novel/half courtroom simulator game. This entry does add a new minigame however, called "perception". Perception is finding the phrase of testimony that makes the witness tick, and while it can take a while to find with how slowly the dialogue scrolls, it's an ok replacement for AA2/3's magatama.
(Spoiler free Case reviews below)
Turnabout Trump is probably the greatest opening case in the series. Not only is this case good at introducing you to the general feel of the courtroom gameplay for newcomers, but it's also good at being a fun and challenging one too. The case is longer then say, the first Turnabout (from AA1), but isn't as obnoxiously long as The Foreign Turnabout (From AA6). Overall, a great opening case and one of my favorites in the series.
Turnabout Corner is another great case from this game. We get our proper introductions to Trucy and Klavier, (My favorites in the series when it comes to the Assistant and Prosecutor roles respectively), some fun banter with our new characters, and some nice twists and turns along the way.
Turnabout Serenade is often known as the worst case in the game, and the criticism is fair. While I don't find it to be a "bad" case particularly, it is for certain the weakest and most ridiculous chapter in this game's story.
Turnabout Succession is a case that is somewhat good at wrapping up AJ's overarching plot, and is one of the few times a video game made me audibly gasp in surprise. This chapter has a lot of content to go through and has some really awesome events unfold that I will let you blind players see for yourself. While being one of the weakest final cases in the series, I can't help myself for liking this one.
Apollo Justice is also the winner when it comes to soundtrack, definitely the best OST the series has to offer. Nearly every track I could listen to multiple times and never get tired of, it's that good. One of my favorite things to listen to during my free time.
Overall, Apollo Justice is a game you can either hate or love to death. If my score (and review) hasn't said enough, I'm someone who is the latter. Apollo Justice was a game I had a genuinely great time playing and I love revisiting this one from time to time. 4.5/5
hobo phoenix turned me gay
Phoenix Wright perfectly summarised this game when he said "I assure you it's quite based". Phoenix is by far the best character in this game , play it for him.
lets be honest. aa4 is in the top 3 best aa games no i will not take constructive critcism
i'm not gonna really write a super serious review here because most people already get the gist of how these games work and i know i took forever with this one ( lol sorry slime you're a king for putting up with me especially since it's literally been like 335 days ) but while i was excited for this one since it seemed contentious, i honestly really loved it .
it's not the best ace attorney game because i'd argue i still like what trials and tribulations does more and while the new artstyle and gameplay additions do make this a unique entry i kinda respect it for not trying to outdo itself too much in respect to it being a followup to what many consider the peak of the series . sure, you could argue that the cases being interconnected feels too close to what aa3 was doing and that the character writing suffers in some cases with specific witnesses feeling a bit one-note but i really enjoyed that they decided to play more with the commentary on law that really rounds itself off in the final case .
basically what i'm trying to say is i think that if you go into this not expecting another aa3 you'll find that there's a lot to love in this entry and that there's equal parts heart and genuinely well written stuff here that personally really carried the experience for me !
p.s. brushel chad tbh ! also i love klavier he's just like me fr !
pouring one out for him !
ace attorney 4 tribute fanart HEARTWARMING and EMOTIONAL !!!!
it's not the best ace attorney game because i'd argue i still like what trials and tribulations does more and while the new artstyle and gameplay additions do make this a unique entry i kinda respect it for not trying to outdo itself too much in respect to it being a followup to what many consider the peak of the series . sure, you could argue that the cases being interconnected feels too close to what aa3 was doing and that the character writing suffers in some cases with specific witnesses feeling a bit one-note but i really enjoyed that they decided to play more with the commentary on law that really rounds itself off in the final case .
basically what i'm trying to say is i think that if you go into this not expecting another aa3 you'll find that there's a lot to love in this entry and that there's equal parts heart and genuinely well written stuff here that personally really carried the experience for me !
p.s. brushel chad tbh ! also i love klavier he's just like me fr !
pouring one out for him !
ace attorney 4 tribute fanart HEARTWARMING and EMOTIONAL !!!!
my second favorite after aa3 so far - keeping the narrative cohesion that the 3rd really nailed, but weirdly swinging the narrative back to phoenix at the end. i like the cast of apollo a lot, and the animation of klavier playing the air guitar is batshit. more of this, i hope! (i have no expectations)
This review contains spoilers
This time, instead of a review, I would like to introduce a certain video of Ace Attorney 4.
Gyakuten Saiban 4(Ace Attorney 4) is good or bad?
Note: This video is a short story created in the Let's Create! Gyakuten Saiban/つくろう！逆転裁判. Let's Create! Gyakuten Saiban is an Ace Attorney short case generator created by Capcom. It is an application like Capcom's official Ace Attorney Online. Adobe Flash app, so official support is no longer available. There was also an official Capcom website where user-created short stories were published. The linked video is a backup to that short story. And the text below is an English translation of the text in video. To distinguish between the AA4 Japanese and AA4 international versions, the names are alphabetical versions of the Japanese ones.
Ace Attorney 4 = Gyakuten Saiban 4, Phoenix = Naruhodo, Edgeworth = Mitsurugi, Judge = Saibancho, Maya = Mayoi, Gumshoe = Itonoko
Gyakuten Saiban 4 is good or bad?
On a certain date in 2008
District Court
Saibancho: Hi. Today we will have a trial to determine the rating of Gyakuten Saiban 4.
Mitsurugi: The prosecution is ready, Your Honor.
Naruhodo: The defence is ready, Your Honor.
Saibancho: First of all, I would like to ask both of you frankly. Gyakuten Saiban 4 is good or bad?
Mitsurugi: Well, well. Is this a joke? I have not appeared in GS4. That alone is enough to say GS4 is a bad game!!
Naruhodo: That's your subjective view!
Naruhodo: Yes, I was practically the protagonist of GS4. So GS4 is a good game!
Mayoi: ...That's subjective for Naruhodo-kun, isn't it?
Mitsurugi: ....Ha. That Naruhodo is you, not you.
You've just been forced to fit into the character you were originally created to be!!
Naruhodo: Ugh! Don't say things that might offend somebody!
Mitsurugi: And because of your protagonist-like behaviour, you've overshadowed the new protagonist!!
Naruhodo: Ggh! (Sorry, ....Daijobu-kun) (Refers to Apollo Justice.)
Mayoi: You've got the wrong name! Naruhodo-kun!!
Saibancho: Well, well. ....Let's calm down for once.
I would like to hear positive opinions from you all, not negative ones...
Naruhodo: ................
Mitsurugi: ................
Saibancho: ................
................
................
Saibancho: Everyone, don't be silent!! S....stop it! Any more and Capcom-sama will be furious!
Naruhodo-kun's reasons for quitting his job as a lawyer are weak or,
The fact that Garyu Aniki(Refers to Kristoph Gavin) has become a small character who doesn't seem to be the last boss, and a comedy character who spoils the catharsis of the storyline development or,
The fact that the character personalities in GS4 as a whole are different from AA1 to AA3, making the characters physiologically unacceptable or,
The fact that the storyline and case tricks in episode 3 are too sloppy or,
That there are no defendants whom they would want to defend or,
"Zak's behaviour is crazy and doesn't make sense lmao." or,
You must never say such a thing!
Naruhodo: (You said it all!!) Your Honor! As I said, anything more than this could seriously offend Capcom!
Let's just praise and praise GS4 from here on out and put the debate here to bed!!
Mitsurugi: Makoto-chan, so cute, Makoto-chan!! (Refers to Vera Misham.)
Saibancho: I envy you Daian's regent, oh myyyyyy! (Refers to Daryan Crescend.)
Mayoi: And the music is awesome!
Naruhodo: I'm looking forward to AA5!!
........H-here. Mitsurugi, you're next!
Mitsurugi: Ggh....! W-wait. Desperately looking for it now...
M-music is great!
Naruhodo: Objection! That's what Mayoi-chan already said!
Mitsurugi: Ah!? Ughhhhhhhhh!
Saibancho: There's nowhere to praise.... nowhere to praise!!
Gumshoe: I mean, you guys. Do you have time on your hands?
Fin
Author: (I'm sorry, GS4 fans, Capcom.)
Me: I won't write my personal opinion about GS4 here, as the above video says most of what I want to say. The only little thing I can say is that I would recommend this yuzai x muzai because it simulates almost perfectly one of the problems of GS4, the jury system. (The problem is that yuzai x muzai is not translated into Japanese. ...I probably won't write a review.) Incidentally, "Gyakuten Saiban 4 is good or bad?" was posted twice, both times deleted by Capcom lol.
Gyakuten Saiban 4(Ace Attorney 4) is good or bad?
Note: This video is a short story created in the Let's Create! Gyakuten Saiban/つくろう！逆転裁判. Let's Create! Gyakuten Saiban is an Ace Attorney short case generator created by Capcom. It is an application like Capcom's official Ace Attorney Online. Adobe Flash app, so official support is no longer available. There was also an official Capcom website where user-created short stories were published. The linked video is a backup to that short story. And the text below is an English translation of the text in video. To distinguish between the AA4 Japanese and AA4 international versions, the names are alphabetical versions of the Japanese ones.
Ace Attorney 4 = Gyakuten Saiban 4, Phoenix = Naruhodo, Edgeworth = Mitsurugi, Judge = Saibancho, Maya = Mayoi, Gumshoe = Itonoko
Gyakuten Saiban 4 is good or bad?
On a certain date in 2008
District Court
Saibancho: Hi. Today we will have a trial to determine the rating of Gyakuten Saiban 4.
Mitsurugi: The prosecution is ready, Your Honor.
Naruhodo: The defence is ready, Your Honor.
Saibancho: First of all, I would like to ask both of you frankly. Gyakuten Saiban 4 is good or bad?
Mitsurugi: Well, well. Is this a joke? I have not appeared in GS4. That alone is enough to say GS4 is a bad game!!
Naruhodo: That's your subjective view!
Naruhodo: Yes, I was practically the protagonist of GS4. So GS4 is a good game!
Mayoi: ...That's subjective for Naruhodo-kun, isn't it?
Mitsurugi: ....Ha. That Naruhodo is you, not you.
You've just been forced to fit into the character you were originally created to be!!
Naruhodo: Ugh! Don't say things that might offend somebody!
Mitsurugi: And because of your protagonist-like behaviour, you've overshadowed the new protagonist!!
Naruhodo: Ggh! (Sorry, ....Daijobu-kun) (Refers to Apollo Justice.)
Mayoi: You've got the wrong name! Naruhodo-kun!!
Saibancho: Well, well. ....Let's calm down for once.
I would like to hear positive opinions from you all, not negative ones...
Naruhodo: ................
Mitsurugi: ................
Saibancho: ................
................
................
Saibancho: Everyone, don't be silent!! S....stop it! Any more and Capcom-sama will be furious!
Naruhodo-kun's reasons for quitting his job as a lawyer are weak or,
The fact that Garyu Aniki(Refers to Kristoph Gavin) has become a small character who doesn't seem to be the last boss, and a comedy character who spoils the catharsis of the storyline development or,
The fact that the character personalities in GS4 as a whole are different from AA1 to AA3, making the characters physiologically unacceptable or,
The fact that the storyline and case tricks in episode 3 are too sloppy or,
That there are no defendants whom they would want to defend or,
"Zak's behaviour is crazy and doesn't make sense lmao." or,
You must never say such a thing!
Naruhodo: (You said it all!!) Your Honor! As I said, anything more than this could seriously offend Capcom!
Let's just praise and praise GS4 from here on out and put the debate here to bed!!
Mitsurugi: Makoto-chan, so cute, Makoto-chan!! (Refers to Vera Misham.)
Saibancho: I envy you Daian's regent, oh myyyyyy! (Refers to Daryan Crescend.)
Mayoi: And the music is awesome!
Naruhodo: I'm looking forward to AA5!!
........H-here. Mitsurugi, you're next!
Mitsurugi: Ggh....! W-wait. Desperately looking for it now...
M-music is great!
Naruhodo: Objection! That's what Mayoi-chan already said!
Mitsurugi: Ah!? Ughhhhhhhhh!
Saibancho: There's nowhere to praise.... nowhere to praise!!
Gumshoe: I mean, you guys. Do you have time on your hands?
Fin
Author: (I'm sorry, GS4 fans, Capcom.)
Me: I won't write my personal opinion about GS4 here, as the above video says most of what I want to say. The only little thing I can say is that I would recommend this yuzai x muzai because it simulates almost perfectly one of the problems of GS4, the jury system. (The problem is that yuzai x muzai is not translated into Japanese. ...I probably won't write a review.) Incidentally, "Gyakuten Saiban 4 is good or bad?" was posted twice, both times deleted by Capcom lol.
oh i sure hope they continue the aa4 trilogy and let us learn more about the gramaryes and whether or not apollo+trucy find out the truth instead of sending apollo on a redditors quest to become the most annoying and insufferable character on earth
So, here we are. Having written my Dual Destinies review (one of my favorites I've written, still) and almost being finished with Spirit of Justice, I feel its about time I toss my hat into the ring regarding AA4, possibly the most discussed Ace Attorney game of them all. There's a lot to unpack with AA4, and a lot of different ways to unpack it.
After AA1/2/3 wrapped up as a pretty much perfect, concluded trilogy, the 4th game had to be one to really break some sort of new ground, to not just seem as if the franchise was being stretched thin. And to outsiders looking in, be assured: They did far more than just give us a new protagonist. You meet Phoenix only to find out that he's completely changed, the perception of what makes a good defense lawyer has changed, your relation to the prosecution has changed, the story being told and, indeed, the very world of the game has shifted wholly. Its a remarkably ambitious game: One that, rather than just telling another story of a new character's growth like the old trilogy did, chose to readjust the lens of the series to focus far more on the law world at large, whilst subverting player expectations along the way.
I'll drop the dramatics and be blunt: In terms of ambition, ideas and themes, AA4 ranks as possibly my favorite game in the series. But as the finished game we got, I consider it the least enjoyable game in the series I've played.
Yet I can't even be sure if that's a bad thing. Because with so many of the issues I take with the game, there's a fascinating viewpoint that changes it into an interesting positive that also fits right in with the game's general direction of...well, misdirection, and subversion. Simply put, its an artsy game. For example, I noted halfway through my playthrough that the game's repertoire of characters are all mostly annoying, mean, or hard to work with, which leads to me as a player feeling miffed. Yet at the same time, Apollo is living in a new age of distrust and darkness in the legal world. He's living in an age where few feel like they can trust in others anymore, because people like Kristoph who desire results far above truth or fairness rule the justice system: The idea of "evidence" is so easily manipulated, that anyone can escape justice. Thus, Apollo's unable to have his perfect storybook journey of growth and support like Phoenix had because the world around him has changed to be hostile. So, is it really right of me to complain about the game doing what it sets out to do exceptionally well?
On the topic of Apollo himself, its very interesting that he himself is such a passive and static figure throughout most of the game, which underwhelmed me at first. But like I said: This isn't a character-driven story like the Trilogy, so is Apollo's lack of focus a BAD thing? Is the game trying to subvert what came before, rather than running with the tried-and-true optimistic hero's journey, a bad thing? Its a lot of these dilemmas I run into when thinking about the game, and its the reason why I respect it so highly despite the actual process of playing it being a lot more middling than the rest of the series in my eyes.
With all that being said, for as much intent as the game may otherwise have, it IS still Ace Attorney and comes with all the pros and cons of that. The animation is gorgeous, music is stellar, most of the overall mysteries are still pretty fun to unravel, and the whole gameplay of untangling testimonies is as fun as ever. The great fundamentals are still here and keep it enjoyable to play to a degree, and you can even sort of tell a new director is at the helm with this project.
Mitsuru Endo, previously a game designer first and foremost on games like Breath of Fire and Sengoku Basara, really rubs off his love for new gameplay systems and quirks in this game. Like usual for the series though, these systems end up being a mixed bag. Investigating evidence can be pretty fun and is a natural fit for the series, and Percieving is a cool and distinct power, iconic to Apollo. Yet then you have stuff like Ema's Forensics minigames, which feel really out of place and are uninteresting to engage with. There's no puzzle to them, just a good ol' DS touchscreen game. You get the feeling a lot of these things, and the systems exclusive to the third and fourth case, were added as a novelty, as fun toys for the player to engage with rather than being anything substantial...yet at the same time, as a game themed around magic tricks, isn't that heightened interactivity also part of the point?
In terms of writing and general direction, the main thing I think Takumi's games (those being the Ace Attorney Trilogy and The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles) are worse at than his peers' is linking cases together to form a cohesive whole. Takumi excels in writing amazing and deviously clever singular cases, but in all his games its as if he can't resist including one or two bonus cases solely for how cool their mysteries are, rather than thinking of how their inclusion will affect the pacing of the game in its totality. Samurai, Big Top, Masked, Recipe, a lot of the individual mysteries in Ghost Trick, Speckled Band, Clouded Kokoro, the first two cases entirely in The Great Ace Attorney 2...don't get me wrong, I think his works are almost universally fantastic, but at times they can feel disjointed to progress through due to his unashamed love of "filler".
Under Endo's directing, meanwhile, it does feel like effort was placed on giving all cases purpose, reigning in Takumi's style of writing just enough to get the best of both worlds. All cases have substantial meaning, yet are able to be as zany and clever as Takumi always loves to write them. Beyond being a crazy case of solving several crimes at once, 4-2 serves to highlight how much Phoenix has changed and how Trucy helps him. 4-3 features a murder that takes place during a series of live stage performances, asking you to rewatch its footage to catch specific details related to witness testimony. At the same time, it also has a great focus on Klavier as a character, and the corrupt police-force that's been able to thrive in this new age, asking questions on if the law is always just in what it stands for. Yet that being said, we run back to the original issue of fun: Despite its cool themes and depth, 4-3 remains the worst case in any Ace Attorney game to actually play, both because of poor gameplay pacing, but also because the writing doesn't feel fleshed out enough to properly convey its brilliant ideas.
The lack of Psyche-Lockes as well honestly destroys the fun of investigating, and the pacing across all three cases featuring investigations is honestly dreadful. The only substitute present for the lack of Psyche-Lockes is the aforementioned mind-numbing forensics minigames, which do little to help things. Now, I noted in my Dual Destinies review that that game also had underwhelming gameplay, but it to me was salvaged by still having a rock solid, well-paced story pace where things were always happening. The game lacks Psyche-Lockes (for most of it) as well but makes up for it with a steadier stream of discoveries, more interesting 3D crime scene investigations, and so on. Due to AA4s insistence on finding meaning in the mundane, it ends up far less fun to play.
So, its a really tough call. I don't think AA5 or 6 are as ambitious or nuanced in what they want to convey as AA4, yet but they make up for it by having more engaging story events and better pacing across the board, leading to a more enjoyable experience for me. They're stories that are told in a tighter and more fun way than AA4, yet it feels wrong to label the game as "the worst Ace Attorney!!" because, again, it tries so hard and has such a unique flair as by far the most artistic game in the series.
Had this been the final Ace Attorney as originally intended, it would've been an impactful note to end on. But I am glad we did get more games in the series, and it led to great things. The murky law world of AA4 begins to heal across the events of AA5, and AA6 gives you an insight into just how badly it could have escalated, emphasizing a theme of preparing the new generation to solve the issues that are inevitably going to occur through the old generation's stubbornness and evil. Apollo finally becomes a character with agency and goals, Trucy's relationship to the Gramarye's is given a sweet bookend, we get to see how Edgeworth and Klavier handle the growingly unjust law world, Ema is, there, and Phoenix takes on the mentor role he was destined to do.
What I'm saying is: I'm really happy with how AA4, 5 and 6 turned out as a trilogy, even though it makes AA4's ambition stick out in hindsight, and now just exists as "that one weird game" rather than "the crazy rug-pull finale of the series". Despite my grievances with it, I do still love AA4, and I'm glad its resonated with so many people. But its overambition alongside its stumbles, from pretty shallow gameplay additions to bad pacing, keep me from loving it wholesale and having it click entirely. Simply put, a lot of its "but its like this way on purpose"-isms just don't land with me the way they do in games like Suda51's work. Yet it remains Ace Attorney at its core, and the simple fact that they even tried in a series otherwise aiming for as much mass appeal as this one, is worth so much respect.
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney is forever going to be a standout game in the series, and for me that's both for better and for worse. Basically, I'm just glad it exists, even if its not for me.
[Play Time: 35 Hours]
[Key Word: Overzealous]
After AA1/2/3 wrapped up as a pretty much perfect, concluded trilogy, the 4th game had to be one to really break some sort of new ground, to not just seem as if the franchise was being stretched thin. And to outsiders looking in, be assured: They did far more than just give us a new protagonist. You meet Phoenix only to find out that he's completely changed, the perception of what makes a good defense lawyer has changed, your relation to the prosecution has changed, the story being told and, indeed, the very world of the game has shifted wholly. Its a remarkably ambitious game: One that, rather than just telling another story of a new character's growth like the old trilogy did, chose to readjust the lens of the series to focus far more on the law world at large, whilst subverting player expectations along the way.
I'll drop the dramatics and be blunt: In terms of ambition, ideas and themes, AA4 ranks as possibly my favorite game in the series. But as the finished game we got, I consider it the least enjoyable game in the series I've played.
Yet I can't even be sure if that's a bad thing. Because with so many of the issues I take with the game, there's a fascinating viewpoint that changes it into an interesting positive that also fits right in with the game's general direction of...well, misdirection, and subversion. Simply put, its an artsy game. For example, I noted halfway through my playthrough that the game's repertoire of characters are all mostly annoying, mean, or hard to work with, which leads to me as a player feeling miffed. Yet at the same time, Apollo is living in a new age of distrust and darkness in the legal world. He's living in an age where few feel like they can trust in others anymore, because people like Kristoph who desire results far above truth or fairness rule the justice system: The idea of "evidence" is so easily manipulated, that anyone can escape justice. Thus, Apollo's unable to have his perfect storybook journey of growth and support like Phoenix had because the world around him has changed to be hostile. So, is it really right of me to complain about the game doing what it sets out to do exceptionally well?
On the topic of Apollo himself, its very interesting that he himself is such a passive and static figure throughout most of the game, which underwhelmed me at first. But like I said: This isn't a character-driven story like the Trilogy, so is Apollo's lack of focus a BAD thing? Is the game trying to subvert what came before, rather than running with the tried-and-true optimistic hero's journey, a bad thing? Its a lot of these dilemmas I run into when thinking about the game, and its the reason why I respect it so highly despite the actual process of playing it being a lot more middling than the rest of the series in my eyes.
With all that being said, for as much intent as the game may otherwise have, it IS still Ace Attorney and comes with all the pros and cons of that. The animation is gorgeous, music is stellar, most of the overall mysteries are still pretty fun to unravel, and the whole gameplay of untangling testimonies is as fun as ever. The great fundamentals are still here and keep it enjoyable to play to a degree, and you can even sort of tell a new director is at the helm with this project.
Mitsuru Endo, previously a game designer first and foremost on games like Breath of Fire and Sengoku Basara, really rubs off his love for new gameplay systems and quirks in this game. Like usual for the series though, these systems end up being a mixed bag. Investigating evidence can be pretty fun and is a natural fit for the series, and Percieving is a cool and distinct power, iconic to Apollo. Yet then you have stuff like Ema's Forensics minigames, which feel really out of place and are uninteresting to engage with. There's no puzzle to them, just a good ol' DS touchscreen game. You get the feeling a lot of these things, and the systems exclusive to the third and fourth case, were added as a novelty, as fun toys for the player to engage with rather than being anything substantial...yet at the same time, as a game themed around magic tricks, isn't that heightened interactivity also part of the point?
In terms of writing and general direction, the main thing I think Takumi's games (those being the Ace Attorney Trilogy and The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles) are worse at than his peers' is linking cases together to form a cohesive whole. Takumi excels in writing amazing and deviously clever singular cases, but in all his games its as if he can't resist including one or two bonus cases solely for how cool their mysteries are, rather than thinking of how their inclusion will affect the pacing of the game in its totality. Samurai, Big Top, Masked, Recipe, a lot of the individual mysteries in Ghost Trick, Speckled Band, Clouded Kokoro, the first two cases entirely in The Great Ace Attorney 2...don't get me wrong, I think his works are almost universally fantastic, but at times they can feel disjointed to progress through due to his unashamed love of "filler".
Under Endo's directing, meanwhile, it does feel like effort was placed on giving all cases purpose, reigning in Takumi's style of writing just enough to get the best of both worlds. All cases have substantial meaning, yet are able to be as zany and clever as Takumi always loves to write them. Beyond being a crazy case of solving several crimes at once, 4-2 serves to highlight how much Phoenix has changed and how Trucy helps him. 4-3 features a murder that takes place during a series of live stage performances, asking you to rewatch its footage to catch specific details related to witness testimony. At the same time, it also has a great focus on Klavier as a character, and the corrupt police-force that's been able to thrive in this new age, asking questions on if the law is always just in what it stands for. Yet that being said, we run back to the original issue of fun: Despite its cool themes and depth, 4-3 remains the worst case in any Ace Attorney game to actually play, both because of poor gameplay pacing, but also because the writing doesn't feel fleshed out enough to properly convey its brilliant ideas.
The lack of Psyche-Lockes as well honestly destroys the fun of investigating, and the pacing across all three cases featuring investigations is honestly dreadful. The only substitute present for the lack of Psyche-Lockes is the aforementioned mind-numbing forensics minigames, which do little to help things. Now, I noted in my Dual Destinies review that that game also had underwhelming gameplay, but it to me was salvaged by still having a rock solid, well-paced story pace where things were always happening. The game lacks Psyche-Lockes (for most of it) as well but makes up for it with a steadier stream of discoveries, more interesting 3D crime scene investigations, and so on. Due to AA4s insistence on finding meaning in the mundane, it ends up far less fun to play.
So, its a really tough call. I don't think AA5 or 6 are as ambitious or nuanced in what they want to convey as AA4, yet but they make up for it by having more engaging story events and better pacing across the board, leading to a more enjoyable experience for me. They're stories that are told in a tighter and more fun way than AA4, yet it feels wrong to label the game as "the worst Ace Attorney!!" because, again, it tries so hard and has such a unique flair as by far the most artistic game in the series.
Had this been the final Ace Attorney as originally intended, it would've been an impactful note to end on. But I am glad we did get more games in the series, and it led to great things. The murky law world of AA4 begins to heal across the events of AA5, and AA6 gives you an insight into just how badly it could have escalated, emphasizing a theme of preparing the new generation to solve the issues that are inevitably going to occur through the old generation's stubbornness and evil. Apollo finally becomes a character with agency and goals, Trucy's relationship to the Gramarye's is given a sweet bookend, we get to see how Edgeworth and Klavier handle the growingly unjust law world, Ema is, there, and Phoenix takes on the mentor role he was destined to do.
What I'm saying is: I'm really happy with how AA4, 5 and 6 turned out as a trilogy, even though it makes AA4's ambition stick out in hindsight, and now just exists as "that one weird game" rather than "the crazy rug-pull finale of the series". Despite my grievances with it, I do still love AA4, and I'm glad its resonated with so many people. But its overambition alongside its stumbles, from pretty shallow gameplay additions to bad pacing, keep me from loving it wholesale and having it click entirely. Simply put, a lot of its "but its like this way on purpose"-isms just don't land with me the way they do in games like Suda51's work. Yet it remains Ace Attorney at its core, and the simple fact that they even tried in a series otherwise aiming for as much mass appeal as this one, is worth so much respect.
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney is forever going to be a standout game in the series, and for me that's both for better and for worse. Basically, I'm just glad it exists, even if its not for me.
[Play Time: 35 Hours]
[Key Word: Overzealous]
A weird, weird game. I have always called it the Final Fantasy VIII of Ace Attorney. It's ambitious yet profoundly strange and tends to miss the mark a bit in regards to what it originally set out to do. Some of this is a result of Capcom forcing Takumi to put Phoenix in the game, some of it is not. It's a game that should have started its own arc but instead became a sequel in a long-running narrative. I think it's a bit overhated and I did enjoy it (aside from 4-3), especially the last case, but I do understand the criticism.
PLAY THAT VIDEO AGAIN
It's honestly really funny that the first time Takumi tries to put a meaningful underlying theme in one of his games, I just wish he would go back to prioritizing character writing. Case 2 is easily this game's best for that reason, while the cases that try to focus on the law are really bad. Kristoph Gavin is unintentionally right about everything.
This review contains spoilers
I went into this game not expecting to like it as much as the original trilogy based on how often I see it cited as the where the series went downhill, and while I do have friends that liked this game a lot I still wanted to keep my expectations in check in case this game actually was worse than the the first three Ace Attorney games.
That being said, Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice is just as good as the original trilogy, if not better in some instances, in my opinion.
This game is just absolutely oozing with charm and has so much to love about it. Everything just comes together in such a fun way that really feels well crafted to me. The characters, story, art direction, and music all build off each other to make this game another incredible entry in the Ace Attorney series. I do want to start off by properly talking about the characters though, since in my opinion they're what really elevate this game and are the core part of it.
I will warn that this entire review will be filled with spoilers, since due to the nature of this game it's impossible to talk about without talking about extremely spoilery content so while I will try to avoid spoiling the main plot as much as possible, a good chunk of information about the story and characters will come through here.
Going into this game I was a bit worried about the cast, I've spent the past three games getting used to a certain cast of characters (minus the revolving door of prosecutors) so to suddenly have them uprooted and replaced with a new generation of characters did leave me a little uneasy. I'm glad to say that that worry was unfounded, because man is the cast of this game great.
The replacement for Phoenix in this game, and the game's namesake, Apollo Justice is an absolute gem. He feels distinctly more serious than Phoenix did in his games and I personally felt like it was a good direction to take the character. While Phoenix seemed to just embrace the wacky antics of the Ace Attorney universe's courtrooms right off the bat Apollo seemed to just be blindsided by the kind of shenanigans that happen in the court of law and it's a great thing to see as a contrast to how weird the cases in the universe get. Apollo's surprise at the weirdness of the Attorney world feels like a nice way to relate to new players who might be starting with this entry; but at the same time as someone who's played the games before this one I thought it was a nice (and pretty funny) change of pace to see someone go into what he thinks is a normal trial and then spend the next four trials just going through progressively more bizarre and intricate cases.
Otherwise I do love how Apollo comes into his own as attorney over the course of this game. Seeing him start as a scared first timer who has to have his boss arrested with the help of a disgraced pro and then growing into a confident person in his own right who solves a seven year old case centered around the people from the first case of the game is great and really feels like a great character arc for him; that while not directly about him does feel right to have him at the center of in these instances. Though Apollo is great on his own, he is made infinitely better by his dynamic with Trucy Wright, his co-counsel.
Trucy was a character that I was especially unsure about going into this game. Trucy is the adopted daughter of Phoenix and the head of the "Wright Anything Agency", which is where you work for most of the game. I was a big fan of Maya and Pearl as our co-counsel in the original trilogy so going into this I was worried that I wouldn't like Trucy as much since she didn't seem as interesting from what little I knew about her at the start; but I have to say that Trucy is probably one of the best parts of the game for me. The way she interacts with Apollo and messes with him gives me brother and sister vibes reminiscent of Phoenix and Maya, while also putting their own spin on it and making the dynamic feel like it's own thing even with the similarities to how Phoenix and Maya were.
Outside of her banter with Apollo though she's great on her own. Her way of seeing the world feels deceptively innocent when you first meet her but it becomes very clear as the game goes on that she's wise beyond her years. You're given hints about how Trucy came to be Wright's daughter and other small tidbits about her life through cases 1-3 but once you hit case 4 and get the full picture it really puts into perspective how strong Trucy is as a character and how intense her determination to make others happy is after she's endured so much; yet she basically pushed all that down in order to ensure that she can help Phoenix after his life was ruined. Trucy is a really well written tragic character and I cannot wait to see how they follow up on her story in future games. Speaking of future games, lets talk about a character that we probably won't see much of going forward: This game's prosecutor, Klavier Gavin.
As I mentioned earlier the prosecutors in this series tends to change to a new main one every game, and considering I liked all three before this I was expecting to enjoy whoever the new one was well enough. Enter Klavier Gavin, the best prosecutor this series has seen so far. Everything about this man just hits the right notes for me and it actually kinda surprises me how much I enjoyed him in this game. From the moment you first meet him he just has this aura of "I'm better than you, but like in a respectful way." and it's super interesting to me because of how generally the prosecutors up to this point have been a lot more meanspirited and aggressive at first. Gavin on the other hand, is friendly from the start and makes for a really fun dynamic between him and Apollo.
Despite his friendliness with Apollo, Klavier still acts as a formidable rival in the courtroom. Calm, collected, yet fierce he challenges you at every turn throughout the three cases he's in. He manages to capture the energy of a friend who wants to push you to be the best that you can be, and the way he starts working with Apollo throughout the trials once the truth starts to become clear is always so much fun. This is due mainly to the fact that much like how being the best and revenge drove the other prosecutors, the main drive that Gavin had was finding the truth. I find this aspect of him really interesting because it's a fresh take on how the prosecutors usually are in this series when you first meet them. He's just a guy who wants the true culprit to be caught, and even if he loses the cases he's just glad that the real criminal got put away. We also actually get to see where Klavier Gavin's quest for truth started in game which is cool; ir also just so happens to coincide with Phoenix Wright's fall from grace.
Full disclosure I knew about old man Phoenix coming into this game, I've seen the design around a lot but I had no idea what the context of it was. Seeing him as the defendant of the first case though, and from there seeing how much he's changed in the seven years since the end of AA3 really caught me off guard and got me extremely invested in the main plot of the game. Slowly being given details about what happened to Phoenix through the first three cases and then having it all be revealed to you in a section where you get to play as him again in case 4 for a flashback was great and I think they did a great job of revealing all the information around what caused him to become this person.
An older, more cynical Phoenix that's been warn down by being framed and kicked out of the job he's dedicated his life too felt like a compelling place to take his character in this game and helped to provide a continuous hook throughout the game of wanting to find out how he became this tired, kinda sad guy after being a lively fun person in the original trilogy. I think what this game absolutely nails about him though is it showcases just how smart Phoenix is. His entire plan to not only clear his name, but finally get closure and justice for the case that ruined him seven years ago was brilliant and showed that while the years had dulled his spirit, they hadn't dulled his mind. Phoenix isn't the only returning character though, he returns with forensic expert Ema Skye who functions as the new detective to help (or hinder you sometimes) you during investigations.
While I did like Ema Skye, I do think she's the one character that didn't reach the same standard of the other new generation characters from me. I still think she was great but the character she was replacing, Detective Dick Gumshoe, was just too good in the original trilogy. Her personality is distinct and different from his enough to make them two very different characters who ultimately function differently and are enjoyable on their own; but it does still feel like she's missing something when compared to who she's replacing.
I will note that while I would like to focus on how all of these characters stand on their own, it is a tad difficult to do so when they are all effectively replacing other characters. It's the unfortunate risk writers run when they try to introduce a new cast to an ongoing series, it can be hard to get out of the shadow of what you've done previously. Ultimately I do think the game for the most part does manage to live up to the expectations of having the same great core cast the trilogy did and I love how all of them are throughout this game's story.
Regarding the story, I really liked how they managed to pull off the style of overarching plot that AA3 did again. I feel like as Shu Takumi worked on the series he became a better and better writer and that is exemplified here. So many small things throughout each case that felt like they would be irrelevant to the main plot of the case all end up factoring in and as I started to realize this it was fun trying to figure out which minute details would become important to the endgame of the case. This game has its fair share of sudden twists and turns throughout the cases like all the other games, and I do love how it all comes together in the end with case 4, which is tied for my second favorite case of the series.
The overarching plot of the game focuses on the mystery of Phoenix's final trial seven years ago and what really happened that day that got him disbarred. I've mentioned it a few times in this review already but the way they managed to weave breadcrumbs throughout every case felt organic and like it was never detracting from the current focus, but still reminding you that plot was still going on in the background. The way everything came to a head in case four was so damn cool and I just absolutely loved how they wrote that entire case. The whole idea of trying to use a jurist system for this case instead of the evidence only approach was a fun idea that I hope continues to show up in future games as it felt fresh and unique in how the case was presented due to it not needing to be won in the same way as every other case so far. Apollo Justice's story is great and definitely a fun time if you decide to playthrough it.
While the story is great, I do think part of what makes this game so great is the presentation.
Playing this game you could really tell Capcom were taking full advantage of the ds's visual abilities. The bounciness and general movement of the sprites, as well as just how clean they look visually, was super neat to me and really made all the fun new character designs pop much more than they would have if they had the more static look of the gba games I feel. The designs are also just all really fun in general as well. I think it says a lot that when trying to think of my favorite design pretty much all of the main cast come to mind. The animations and art are definitely made even greater by the music though, which may be my favorite soundtrack of the series so far.
Like I said with the FFX review I'm not the best at talking about why I like music, I just know when I like something I like something. That being said, I just wanted to say that Apollo Justice's soundtrack is phenomenal. Tracks like their renditions of the cross examination and the cornered themes in this game are some of the best I've heard so far, and new themes such as Klavier Gavin's theme are just incredible. Even if you don't play the game give some songs a listen, they're great.
Though I've spent most of this review talking about aspects of the games that I love, there were a few things about the game that did rub me the wrong way.
I think one of the two places this game is lacking though, are the investigation minigames. This time around during the investigation portion of cases you will often enlist the help of Ema Skye in order to gather evidence left behind at the crime scenes that you couldn't get through normal means. Cases two and four have one or two new minigames that cover gathering evidence in different ways. For example you make casts of footprints in case two, using an X-ray machine to read a letter through an envelope in case four, etc. case three meanwhile has a soundboard that you have to adjust and listen too carefully in order to hear sounds that help build your case in that specific trial. While most of these are fine and not that big of a deal they felt not super fun to play at best and just tedious at worst like with the aforementioned X-ray minigame. While I'm bringing up tediousness, that brings me to my other big problem with the game: repetition.
While this may seem like a petty complaint, I was extremely not a fan of just how often the middle cases would use flashbacks and make us reread parts of the game that we've already read. Or in the case of case three specifically, replay the same clip of video on repeat every two minutes or so during a section that was reliant on talking about this piece of video. I do understand to some degree that it was necessary for people to see the different clues and stuff that they may have missed when they weren't specifically looking for them, but I do think it still went overboard to some degree.
All in all though, Apollo Justice is a lot better of a game than I think its given credit for online. Fun characters, incredible writing, great music and visuals, all ingredients in the recipe for a good Ace Attorney game. Give this game a shot if you're on the fence after the trilogy, it's a great time.
9.5/10
That being said, Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice is just as good as the original trilogy, if not better in some instances, in my opinion.
This game is just absolutely oozing with charm and has so much to love about it. Everything just comes together in such a fun way that really feels well crafted to me. The characters, story, art direction, and music all build off each other to make this game another incredible entry in the Ace Attorney series. I do want to start off by properly talking about the characters though, since in my opinion they're what really elevate this game and are the core part of it.
I will warn that this entire review will be filled with spoilers, since due to the nature of this game it's impossible to talk about without talking about extremely spoilery content so while I will try to avoid spoiling the main plot as much as possible, a good chunk of information about the story and characters will come through here.
Going into this game I was a bit worried about the cast, I've spent the past three games getting used to a certain cast of characters (minus the revolving door of prosecutors) so to suddenly have them uprooted and replaced with a new generation of characters did leave me a little uneasy. I'm glad to say that that worry was unfounded, because man is the cast of this game great.
The replacement for Phoenix in this game, and the game's namesake, Apollo Justice is an absolute gem. He feels distinctly more serious than Phoenix did in his games and I personally felt like it was a good direction to take the character. While Phoenix seemed to just embrace the wacky antics of the Ace Attorney universe's courtrooms right off the bat Apollo seemed to just be blindsided by the kind of shenanigans that happen in the court of law and it's a great thing to see as a contrast to how weird the cases in the universe get. Apollo's surprise at the weirdness of the Attorney world feels like a nice way to relate to new players who might be starting with this entry; but at the same time as someone who's played the games before this one I thought it was a nice (and pretty funny) change of pace to see someone go into what he thinks is a normal trial and then spend the next four trials just going through progressively more bizarre and intricate cases.
Otherwise I do love how Apollo comes into his own as attorney over the course of this game. Seeing him start as a scared first timer who has to have his boss arrested with the help of a disgraced pro and then growing into a confident person in his own right who solves a seven year old case centered around the people from the first case of the game is great and really feels like a great character arc for him; that while not directly about him does feel right to have him at the center of in these instances. Though Apollo is great on his own, he is made infinitely better by his dynamic with Trucy Wright, his co-counsel.
Trucy was a character that I was especially unsure about going into this game. Trucy is the adopted daughter of Phoenix and the head of the "Wright Anything Agency", which is where you work for most of the game. I was a big fan of Maya and Pearl as our co-counsel in the original trilogy so going into this I was worried that I wouldn't like Trucy as much since she didn't seem as interesting from what little I knew about her at the start; but I have to say that Trucy is probably one of the best parts of the game for me. The way she interacts with Apollo and messes with him gives me brother and sister vibes reminiscent of Phoenix and Maya, while also putting their own spin on it and making the dynamic feel like it's own thing even with the similarities to how Phoenix and Maya were.
Outside of her banter with Apollo though she's great on her own. Her way of seeing the world feels deceptively innocent when you first meet her but it becomes very clear as the game goes on that she's wise beyond her years. You're given hints about how Trucy came to be Wright's daughter and other small tidbits about her life through cases 1-3 but once you hit case 4 and get the full picture it really puts into perspective how strong Trucy is as a character and how intense her determination to make others happy is after she's endured so much; yet she basically pushed all that down in order to ensure that she can help Phoenix after his life was ruined. Trucy is a really well written tragic character and I cannot wait to see how they follow up on her story in future games. Speaking of future games, lets talk about a character that we probably won't see much of going forward: This game's prosecutor, Klavier Gavin.
As I mentioned earlier the prosecutors in this series tends to change to a new main one every game, and considering I liked all three before this I was expecting to enjoy whoever the new one was well enough. Enter Klavier Gavin, the best prosecutor this series has seen so far. Everything about this man just hits the right notes for me and it actually kinda surprises me how much I enjoyed him in this game. From the moment you first meet him he just has this aura of "I'm better than you, but like in a respectful way." and it's super interesting to me because of how generally the prosecutors up to this point have been a lot more meanspirited and aggressive at first. Gavin on the other hand, is friendly from the start and makes for a really fun dynamic between him and Apollo.
Despite his friendliness with Apollo, Klavier still acts as a formidable rival in the courtroom. Calm, collected, yet fierce he challenges you at every turn throughout the three cases he's in. He manages to capture the energy of a friend who wants to push you to be the best that you can be, and the way he starts working with Apollo throughout the trials once the truth starts to become clear is always so much fun. This is due mainly to the fact that much like how being the best and revenge drove the other prosecutors, the main drive that Gavin had was finding the truth. I find this aspect of him really interesting because it's a fresh take on how the prosecutors usually are in this series when you first meet them. He's just a guy who wants the true culprit to be caught, and even if he loses the cases he's just glad that the real criminal got put away. We also actually get to see where Klavier Gavin's quest for truth started in game which is cool; ir also just so happens to coincide with Phoenix Wright's fall from grace.
Full disclosure I knew about old man Phoenix coming into this game, I've seen the design around a lot but I had no idea what the context of it was. Seeing him as the defendant of the first case though, and from there seeing how much he's changed in the seven years since the end of AA3 really caught me off guard and got me extremely invested in the main plot of the game. Slowly being given details about what happened to Phoenix through the first three cases and then having it all be revealed to you in a section where you get to play as him again in case 4 for a flashback was great and I think they did a great job of revealing all the information around what caused him to become this person.
An older, more cynical Phoenix that's been warn down by being framed and kicked out of the job he's dedicated his life too felt like a compelling place to take his character in this game and helped to provide a continuous hook throughout the game of wanting to find out how he became this tired, kinda sad guy after being a lively fun person in the original trilogy. I think what this game absolutely nails about him though is it showcases just how smart Phoenix is. His entire plan to not only clear his name, but finally get closure and justice for the case that ruined him seven years ago was brilliant and showed that while the years had dulled his spirit, they hadn't dulled his mind. Phoenix isn't the only returning character though, he returns with forensic expert Ema Skye who functions as the new detective to help (or hinder you sometimes) you during investigations.
While I did like Ema Skye, I do think she's the one character that didn't reach the same standard of the other new generation characters from me. I still think she was great but the character she was replacing, Detective Dick Gumshoe, was just too good in the original trilogy. Her personality is distinct and different from his enough to make them two very different characters who ultimately function differently and are enjoyable on their own; but it does still feel like she's missing something when compared to who she's replacing.
I will note that while I would like to focus on how all of these characters stand on their own, it is a tad difficult to do so when they are all effectively replacing other characters. It's the unfortunate risk writers run when they try to introduce a new cast to an ongoing series, it can be hard to get out of the shadow of what you've done previously. Ultimately I do think the game for the most part does manage to live up to the expectations of having the same great core cast the trilogy did and I love how all of them are throughout this game's story.
Regarding the story, I really liked how they managed to pull off the style of overarching plot that AA3 did again. I feel like as Shu Takumi worked on the series he became a better and better writer and that is exemplified here. So many small things throughout each case that felt like they would be irrelevant to the main plot of the case all end up factoring in and as I started to realize this it was fun trying to figure out which minute details would become important to the endgame of the case. This game has its fair share of sudden twists and turns throughout the cases like all the other games, and I do love how it all comes together in the end with case 4, which is tied for my second favorite case of the series.
The overarching plot of the game focuses on the mystery of Phoenix's final trial seven years ago and what really happened that day that got him disbarred. I've mentioned it a few times in this review already but the way they managed to weave breadcrumbs throughout every case felt organic and like it was never detracting from the current focus, but still reminding you that plot was still going on in the background. The way everything came to a head in case four was so damn cool and I just absolutely loved how they wrote that entire case. The whole idea of trying to use a jurist system for this case instead of the evidence only approach was a fun idea that I hope continues to show up in future games as it felt fresh and unique in how the case was presented due to it not needing to be won in the same way as every other case so far. Apollo Justice's story is great and definitely a fun time if you decide to playthrough it.
While the story is great, I do think part of what makes this game so great is the presentation.
Playing this game you could really tell Capcom were taking full advantage of the ds's visual abilities. The bounciness and general movement of the sprites, as well as just how clean they look visually, was super neat to me and really made all the fun new character designs pop much more than they would have if they had the more static look of the gba games I feel. The designs are also just all really fun in general as well. I think it says a lot that when trying to think of my favorite design pretty much all of the main cast come to mind. The animations and art are definitely made even greater by the music though, which may be my favorite soundtrack of the series so far.
Like I said with the FFX review I'm not the best at talking about why I like music, I just know when I like something I like something. That being said, I just wanted to say that Apollo Justice's soundtrack is phenomenal. Tracks like their renditions of the cross examination and the cornered themes in this game are some of the best I've heard so far, and new themes such as Klavier Gavin's theme are just incredible. Even if you don't play the game give some songs a listen, they're great.
Though I've spent most of this review talking about aspects of the games that I love, there were a few things about the game that did rub me the wrong way.
I think one of the two places this game is lacking though, are the investigation minigames. This time around during the investigation portion of cases you will often enlist the help of Ema Skye in order to gather evidence left behind at the crime scenes that you couldn't get through normal means. Cases two and four have one or two new minigames that cover gathering evidence in different ways. For example you make casts of footprints in case two, using an X-ray machine to read a letter through an envelope in case four, etc. case three meanwhile has a soundboard that you have to adjust and listen too carefully in order to hear sounds that help build your case in that specific trial. While most of these are fine and not that big of a deal they felt not super fun to play at best and just tedious at worst like with the aforementioned X-ray minigame. While I'm bringing up tediousness, that brings me to my other big problem with the game: repetition.
While this may seem like a petty complaint, I was extremely not a fan of just how often the middle cases would use flashbacks and make us reread parts of the game that we've already read. Or in the case of case three specifically, replay the same clip of video on repeat every two minutes or so during a section that was reliant on talking about this piece of video. I do understand to some degree that it was necessary for people to see the different clues and stuff that they may have missed when they weren't specifically looking for them, but I do think it still went overboard to some degree.
All in all though, Apollo Justice is a lot better of a game than I think its given credit for online. Fun characters, incredible writing, great music and visuals, all ingredients in the recipe for a good Ace Attorney game. Give this game a shot if you're on the fence after the trilogy, it's a great time.
9.5/10