Don’t let the mysteries of yesterday mystify you today, only losers think like that. You got to change with times! That’s one of my rules!


The end of a trilogy!! And what an end it was. Out of all three games, this is the one that has the benefit of years of writing under its belt. T&T is tasked with taking everything Ace Attorney was and tying it up into a neat little bow. Now everything culminates together, the ultimate progression of these characters coming to a final close with a heartfelt bang. We see a capable Phoenix, who has long since grown from being an overly dependent rookie- and his friends who have all moved forward alongside him. The cases are complicated and something not only could a past Phoenix not handle- but it also puts more faith in the player's intelligence to put things together without aid. The writing is fantastic, focused, the best in the trilogy. It is a proper sendoff to the world of Ace Attorney people have come to love.

Or at least it would have been had Capcom not decided to kick Shu Takumi & his team into a closet and pretend Apollo Justice didnt happen. But T&T- I have a lot to say about T&T. This is my favorite game in the trilogy by far. It is the ultimate destination for what (classic) AA could be; it hits absolutely all the marks. Every single case is fucking cool. The overarching storyline is incredibly smart, the way they not only manage to connect seemingly unrelated characters but also to do so in such a thematic, spectacular way is laudable. Cases 1 and 4 in particular set a precedent for what a strong opening case could add to the overall story, replacing their utility as an overblown tutorial.

To talk about those two cases in more depth, getting to play as Mia Fey (twice!!!) was incredible. Against baby Edgeworth too- now thats a combination specifically created to make me smile. 1 & 4 also introduce us to our main villian of the game- Dahlia Hawthorne. Dahlia is an excellent and deeply misunderstood character. And by misunderstood- I dont mean by fans but rather by the writers themselves. She is first shown to us as an unusually deceptive and selfish girl who can make any man bend to her whim, but only later it is revealed that one of these men was in a relationship with her in his 20s while she was only 14; and thats observed as if she was the manipulator and in complete control. Obviously the situation is challenging to believe, its quite blatantly pedophilic, even if no one seems outraged. But Dahlia, her story is almost written as if she is a tragic hero. Rejected by her mother and mistreated by her father, she risks her life to steal his wealth to gain autonomy of her own. She gets the pedophile put in prison with the help of her step-sister, and absconds away into the river. That to me seems quite admirable, but Dahlia is treated as if innately demonic. They had an opportunity with her sister Iris to show that, though they were both mistreated, what seperates them is that Dahlia chose to be cruel, but it never seems to take that route. After all, she never really took in truly abusive, jaw-dropping schemes like Damon Gant or von Karma, but nonetheless shes treated as the most morally decrepit threat to boot.To put her against our beloved protagonist, Phoenix, is an attempt to show us how cruel she is. But it's not like Phoenix wasnt stupid himself, he was the perfect target back then. He ate glass. Dahlia had seen and been through more than Phoenix ever had at that point. How is she expected to not be selfish, under her circumstances? She is a great villian, but if it were modern times I have no doubt she would be treated with the insight she should already of had.

There is one, glaring problem the original Ace Attorney games have- Dahlia showcases it quite well. Its something the newer games (as new as Apollo Justice, perhaps) have already leagues outgrown- but it is the odd obsession with underage relationships. Larry hitting on Maya despite her age, Pearls fantasy involving Maya and Phoenix, these are constantly brought up. It is awkward every time. Its not good, but there is a leap from that logic to not in any way batting an eye against a 14 year old and a 20 year old. This happens twice, and it is ignored each time. Is it normal? I doubt it is, even in Japan that seems outrageous, for 2005 standards too. For a game that otherwise celebrates its female cast, its a kind of shocking inclusion. There are a few other things the trilogy could have done better at, more probing on the inherent failures of the law and justice system, but nothing really smacks you in the face like Iris calling Maya your girlfriend for the 500th time.

The problem with Dahlia also impacts the emotional resonance of case 5- Bridge to Turnabout. Putting that aside for a bit: this is my absolute favorite case of the first three games and in a vacuum, there is very little they could of done to make it better. You know my child self jumped for joy when I saw that part 1 would have me interact with the world AS Edgeworth- not only that but to act in as defense with him against Franziska... I wont lie, I was just as excited as an adult and it was exactly as cool as I remember. I feel like its very important that the game gave us this chance to see Edgeworth like this, its a very interesting contrast between him and Phoenix. And by that I mean it's really amazing how competent Miles is, he is clearly challenged by the situation but he never gets deeply tripped up, no one has to summon a spirit to tell him to look closer at a piece of evidence- he does it all by himself! Without me yelling at my 3ds at the obvious contradiction! Wow! Fransizka also gets many moments throughout the case to show a few sides to her character that were not obvious beforehand- even as Godot takes center stage.

Godot himself is a very captivating character from the get go- being written subtly as a defense attorney turned prosecutor. Its clear hes not trained well in doing what he does, but he is incredibly aggressive, and incredibly weird. He does feel threatening in that way no other prosecutor really got to, because in his situation the case at hand has very little bearing on any of his actions- just Phoenix. Despite the toaster on his head, everything about him comes off as kind of subtle. His quiet revelation as Diego in case 4, and the years spent in his coma, these arent things that beget flashbacks like how DL-6 is treated. Its a kind of oppressed, resentful agony that the series doesnt really attempt too much, even the more modern games. The emotional impact of the final act is very, very great and I did have to hold back tears as the last 30 minutes played out. How everything wraps back around to Mia Fey, the emphasis throughout the game on relations of love. But I just wish Dahlia was handled differently. The game wanted me to hate her so bad- look, shes even attacking Maya! THE Maya! She caused Elise to die, got her sister imprisoned, all because she hated Mia. But I just cant hate her and it impacts Godot's motivations as well. She did poison him, but why did the two get so up in arms that Terry Fawles died? Well, he kills himself in front of them so that was rather traumatizing, but its not like we should be rooting for him to begin with. Dahlia stole a jewel, psh, so what? Ron stole quite a lot and everyone loves Ron! But even if Dahlia got Terry sent to jail, even if it wasnt the truth, she was only 14. Killing her step sister as a 19 year old is a bit more insidious, but so what! No one wins because Dahlia is set up as a demon from the get go. I just cant hate her and I just cant feel empathy for the pedophile she got killed, and it is more understandable that she is apathetic than Godot risking his life digging for dirt on her. The real highlighted villian should be Morgan Fey as the greatest conspirator- but she takes a backseat against Mia's rivalry. Godots final gambit before the case ends will always be stuck in my memory, though. It is so harrowing. The build up and gradual realization that he cannot see the color red was a huge moment back when I first played. It is so, so clever to me. Putting a sick and desperate Maya on the stand, trying to protect Godot through her exhaustion...so intense and upsetting. Godots admittance that he would of stabbed the spirit medium regardless, even if it was Pearl, was another line that didnt get massive attention directed towards it but stuck with me very hard regardless. Trials and Tribulations just loves Ace Attorney so, so much. I wish half the games I played had the same kind of devotion for their own subject matter as Ace Attorney does.

Regardless of a few things, I absolutely adore this game. It was the perfect way to close out Phoenix Wright's story and say goodbye to the cast. It makes me so sad to beat these games each time, I really just dont want it to ever be over. I've now played through the trilogy at least five or six times now, each largely at a different stage in my life but man, it sticks with me every time. Bittersweet when it ends but the world seems a lot more colorful while its still fresh in my mind. I heard once before that after the first game, the series largely forfeits its commentary to become something of a melodrama. In this case, it might be partly true, but that doesnt mean it lacks meaning entirely. Theres a lot to be said about creating such an impactful and pervasive world that it still persists, now over 20 years later, to still be talked about and discovered anew. For now though, goodbye Phoenix and company. I'll see you again in another 5 years or so, till then, remember:
The only time a lawyer can cry is when its all over ),: