So, a preface before we begin here: I had never played a visual novel or even text-based adventure game before Ace Attorney. I was very much turned off by the idea of sifting through hundreds if not thousands of lines of text for tens of hours. However, through a combination of being naturally interested in the premise, hearing good things about the series, having one of my favourite Youtubers also play through it at the time and a bundle of it and The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, I bit the bullet one day in the middle of August last year and grabbed it. And you know what? It was one of the best decisions of my entire life.

Firstly, before ANYTHING ELSE, we have to talk about the characters because holy mother of Mia are they fantastic. Maya is absolutely precious and goes through a very satisfying arc that is actually shown off to you as you progress rather than implied off screen like many other games would do, Larry is an absolute idiot (but the lovable kind of idiot you know?) who, despite it, is still very compassionate for the people he cares about, Edgeworth is probably the most interesting character I've ever seen in a video game, having layers of his character peeled back through every case he's in, culminating in the absolute brilliance that is Case 4 and even bloody Phoenix is one of the most determined, likable and even at points hysterical protagonists I've ever had the pleasure of playing as. Every character is great though and that's in no small part to the wonderful animation on display.

For being (when you break them down) simple static images, each and every character is full of life and charm. From the delightfully cartoonish courtroom expressions of Phoenix and Edgeworth, to the bonkers mannerisms of some of the witnesses to the wonderfully illustrated progression in thought of the villains from cocky confidence to snivelling sweating, it's absolutely fantastic stuff. It just goes to show that just because you don't have a big budget, doesn't mean you have to skimp out on animation quality (an addage that the rest of the games in this series follow to a tee).

Something that I personally look for in games that can either make or break my enjoyment of them is the music. If music in a game is good, it can vastly improve my experience and leave lasting memories that come flooding back whenever I listen to it again. So what is the music like in Ace Attorney? It's not good: it's absolutely phenomenal. The music is finely crafted to come in at just the perfect time to give the scene it's applied to the perfect amount of either humour, tension or even heartbreak. And listing out every song I like would just be listing out the entire damn OST at that point but my favourites definitely include Maya Fey's Theme, Cornered 2001, Steel Samurai and Investigation ~ Core 2001.

And I haven't even gotten to the gameplay yet which, like literally everything else, is great. You play in 2 phases: Investigation and Trial. Investigation is all about exploring the surrounding crime scene, gleaming new clues and talking with witnesses or people related to the crime at hand. Trial then takes the action to the courtroom where you listen to witness testimony, press their statements, find contradictions whilst all the while dealing with whatever BS Edgeworth (and a certain other someone) throws at you during it. Whilst from a description they may seem a bit boring, the environments you'll be navigating in the Investigation segments (even if just through clicking inputs) are varied and detailed, making it the right amount of obvious so that you'll be inquisitively scouring each and every scene for either clues, evidence or even just little pieces of inner monologue from Phoenix. And then when it comes to the trials, it gives you everything you need to take down your witnesses' statements, you just need to know how the pieces fit together. Sometimes the answer is immediately obvious just from the first run-through alone and other times it requires some thorough pressing to get where you need to be but when the dialogue during said examinations is as good as it is, you'll be wanting to press every single statement just to hear it. It may occasionally require you to think crazy (heh) in order to to solve some puzzles but compared to other games in the series, this one is much more lenient being the first and all.

All of this, combined with the brilliant DLC case, Rise from the Ashes, included with the DS release (and all subsequent releases), should be more than sufficient evidence to show that this game, to me at least, is an utter masterpiece for taking the limitations it was made under and delivering an experience like nothing else because of it. This is one of my all time favourite games ever made and I doubt there'll be many objections to that statement once you play it for yourself.

Widely considered to be the black sheep of the original Ace Attorney Trilogy, to say Justice for All is a divisive entry among AA fans would be an understatement. And, while I certainly agree that it’s the weakest out of the original trilogy, I’d still consider it an absolutely delightful romp that not only introduces a ton of memorable characters and a brand new core mechanic, but one that tells a damn compelling series of vignettes, with one in particular sticking with you long after the credits roll. But alas, I’m getting ahead of myself; it’s time to re-enter the courtroom once more and see what it is that makes JFA so damn weird. Oh and uhh…. no whips please? Thank you very much.

(WARNING: this review contains minor/vague spoilers for each of the 4 cases featured in Justice for All)

In a shift from my review of the first game, where I essentially explained what an Attorney of the Ace variety even was, I’m mainly going to be discussing what new things JFA brings to the table (since, being completely honest as someone who adores this series, if you’ve played one entry, you’ve basically played them all). In this sense, JFA is probably the biggest trend setter of the series, establishing mechanics/additions that would go on to be utilised in pretty much every single game going forward. One of the most significant new toys added to the series in JFA would have to be the Psyche-Locks: given to you just before the midpoint of the 2nd Case, this glowing magatama allows you peer into the souls of any witness who’s being particularly defensive about a given subject, functioning essentially as the Cross Examination parts of Trials but this time during the Investigation segments and only focusing on presenting the correct evidence. It’s not the deepest mechanic in the world, but it adds a nice layer of tension to Investigations that the first game lacked, connecting the two styles of gameplay together a lot more cohesively. Psyche-Locks or a variation of their general gameplay formula would stick around in every AA game after this and I’d say it was definitely for the best.

After that would be the general trends JFA would lay the groundwork for for each subsequent game in the series (there’s a lot it sets up here so buckle up). Starting off the list would be the tradition of a new composer being brought on to work for each entry (most of the time anyway), giving each new game its own musical style. In JFA’s case, Naoto Tanaka took over the reins from Masakazu Sugimori this time round, delivering some absolutely excellent new tracks throughout (particularly with his Investigation and character themes which I still hold as some of the best in the series). Next would be in how it’s structured: JFA, the original Ace Attorney and almost every game after these two follow a very similar structure: Case 1 is very much a dressed up tutorial, getting you to grips with the game’s mechanics as it throws some generally pedestrian challenges your way, Case 2 is a mix of tutorial-ness (usually through it’s introduction of Investigation segments) along with setting up the main characters/story elements that will persist throughout the entire game (or even multiple games), Case 3 is usually tied to a unique location (e.g. JFA’s is a circus) that has a few moments that tie back to the overarching narrative but mainly exists as a filler case for the devs to flex their creative muscles on what they can come up with (to….let’s just say varying degrees of success) and Case 4/5 being where shit hits the fan and a ton of loose ends and tiny things set up in previous cases all culminate in an epic climax. Not every game follows this structure (The Great Ace Attorney is a particular deviant of this) but it’s one that JFA cemented as what would be the standard going forward. Finally, and undoubtedly the biggest, would be the concept of having Phoenix (/Apollo/Athena/Ryuunosuke, take your pick really) face off against a different prosecutor each game. And who is the one to kickstart this trend you ask? None other than the offspring of the demon known as Manfred von Karma, Franziska von Karma. Franziska as a character is certainly an interesting one and, while I wouldn’t call her as multi-faceted as her predecessor Edgeworth and a certain caffeine junkie that we’ll get to in due time, she still manages to be a fascinating study of the effects of succession on the mind and how someone acts when presented with the prospect of living up to the legacy of someone revered (or in this case feared) throughout the nation. Like I said, she isn’t the deepest character compared to many of the other prosecutors seen throughout the series, but she does a great job of chastising the player and being the centrepiece of some genuinely fantastic emotional moments (the post credits scene is particularly heartwrenching). Just...don't let me near her whip, OK?

In terms of JFA’s overall case quality, I’d say it’s pretty hit or miss. The tutorial case is pretty fun (with a delightfully hammy villain at the centre of it), the 2nd is pretty dull in my opinion, with not much of note happening past the first Investigation segment (it did introduce Pearls though so that’s definitely a positive) and Case 3, while maligned by the general AA fandom as the worst in the series, was one I found to be immensely enjoyable to go through (extremely weird and uncomfortable love triangle notwithstanding) with it’s sheer absurdity and genuinely heartbreaking villain.

And then there’s Case 4: Farewell My Turnabout.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH


Farewell My Turnabout is widely considered to be one of, if not THE best case in the entire series and for damn good reason; it sets up a highly unique scenario that hasn’t really been done in any other AA games since, is filled with tons of both new and returning faces (each with their own absolutely fascinating and deeply compelling quirks and backstories) and is fueled by one of the greatest moments in Ace Attorney history that’ll leave you reeling long after the credits roll. It’s hard to really say much about this case without giving away what makes it so damn enjoyable (as evident by how vague I’m being with the details here) but just know that it makes sitting through JFA’s admittedly wishy-washy quality so worth it in the end. All in all, it’s a fascinating crop of cases that serves to tee up stuff to come in T&T while also making for an (at the very least) extremely engaging journey throughout many different locales, helping you to slowly piece together the overall narrative as they progress before climaxing in one of the most unforgettable finales in the series.

In a way, JFA’s choice of prosecutor and what they represent feels almost emblematic of the entire game to me: a sequel that couldn’t possibly hope to match the lasting legacy of their predecessor, fumbles when it tries too hard to recapture what worked in the past before ultimately soaring to new, near insurmountable heights once it decides to carve its own path, untethered by the expectations brought about from what came before. It’s this enrapturing level of perfect imperfection that lets JFA, despite of all of it's shortcomings, sit proudly alongside it’s more generally respected siblings in my eyes. Until we meet again....Mr. Phoenix Wright.

idk why everyone keeps asking if I’m red-pilled or blue-pilled when yellow is clearly the superior of the three smh

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Dr Mario is a strange little game in the grand scheme of the Mario series; it’s both one of the first proper Mario spinoff series and a franchise that’s practically instantly recognisable to those in the general gaming space….while also being a game you rarely see people actually discuss outside of the occasional ‘yep that’s a Dr Mario game alright’ when you bring it up. However, after playing through some of the games on NSO again, I’ve gotten in the mood to chat about the one that started it all for a bit. So put on your lab coat and grab your (definitely legally obtained) PhD as we take a visit to the clinic of Mr. Mario himself.

The general conceit of Dr Mario is a decidedly simple one: you’re given a randomised layout of coloured viruses (red, blue and yellow) which you have to match with the colour of one of your pills. Match four of the same colour together and you clear a row; clear all the viruses and you beat the stage. It’s the same tried-and-true gameplay loop of many puzzle games from the 80’s/90’s (think Tetris, Puyo Puyo, etc.), albeit with a bit more of random element as the pills generated can be either entirely one colour or half one colour, half another. In much the same way the text on a doctor’s clipboard reads like complete gobbledygook on first inspection, the gameplay of DM sounds a hell of a lot more complicated than it actually is as, when you’re actually playing it, you start to fall into that classic sense of focused zen that competitive-minded puzzle games from this era manage to achieve so well. This is helped doubly by the excellent music which accompanies the action; from the infectiously catchy melody of Fever to the tense yet relaxed vibe of Chill, it does a great job at pushing you to hone your skills as the pills pile up in front of you.

Now while all this certainly sets DM apart from the crowd (even to this day), it does come with an unfortunate side effect that its contemporaries managed to evade: downtime. A frustratingly common occurrence in DM are situations where you’ll be down to about 1-2 viruses remaining where you just need one more colour to finish the stage off….only for the RNG to give you every colour but the one you need, resulting in you having to awkwardly push it to the side of the board and wasting far more time than is necessary. Dr Mario is also much more punishing than Tetris or Puyo Puyo in terms of making mistakes; while you can reasonably recover from a misplaced piece drop in the latter examples, an accidental colour placement in DM can pretty much doom a run from the moment it happens unless you’re REALLY deep into a stage, an issue that gets exacerbated to an obscene degree in some of the last stages where the viruses can spawn on the screen as high as the game will allow. The save states/rewind present in the modern VC/NSO releases can mitigate this issue somewhat but it’s still a massive pain regardless.

For a final diagnosis, Dr Mario is very much like real-life medicine: it can be exactly what you need if you’re feeling under the weather, but too much of it in a short time frame can just as easily make you feel even worse. Overall then, I’d prescribe a small dosage of the NES original every now and then for when you’re ‘sick’ of other puzzle games and want something just a little bit different.

Remember when Mario Kart 8, one of the most successful videogames ever made, featured 2 circuits inspired by F-zero and people still considered some of the best racetracks they ever played?

There is a reason for that. F-zero is more than a racing game: it's an absolute masterful ride. It's like the most adrenaline inducing and blood pumping rollercoaster you even jumped on, a game so bombastic in everything it does that it will make you come back over and over again.

If you are new to the series it can result brutal and extremely unforgiving, but the presentation, the addictive gameplay, the hyperactive energy it has in its characters, soundtrack and extremely energetic moments makes you come back.

F-zero GX specifically was the result of an "alliance" between Nintendo, Bandai Namco and SEGA, and you can feel the flavors the third party companies put into the series and this gem, which presents the same enthrilling speed of a Sonic game and the same exagerated but also goofy energy of a Tekken game.

One of the best games from the Gamecube era. Nintendo should sue itself for not porting this masterpiece on modern consoles.

Chrono Trigger is often considered one of the best games ever made, at least this is what I heard years ago. So I decided to give it a shot and... from the moment I noticed the characters going into a dance animation in the optional side roadof the festival, I knew I was in for a ride.

For a game from 1995, it's incredible how many things this masterpiece achieves: it's presentation is immaculate, able to convey a gorgeous spritework with incredible environments, set pieces and designs. A literal work of art that lives one to this day. Akira's Toriyama's characters are able to remain both simple and incredibly memorable, also because of the incredible characterization that makes you care for them so much (seriously stories and some bits about like Robo and Frog are just... tear-dropping).

The story is also impressivily realized: it's not easy to make a narrative based on time-travel can result so easy to follow, but also enthrilling and full of incredible settings and twists, ableto convey fun, fear and even sadder feelings.

Compared to other jrgps, Final Fantasy especially, it can result less deeper in mechanics, but the amount of combos between allies and the overall presentation makes it stand out even more.

I feel like that final section of the game, which is less linear, can drag a bit, especially because the requirements to get the "Best ending" can be kinda tedious to discover without a guide.

But overall Chrono Trigger is amazing. One of the best jrpgs of all time, and a title that deserves all the praises it gets!

A Hat in time is a good time
Often considered one of the best indies, the hype for this title is more than justified. It's an amazing 3D platformer, incredibly polished and able to offer a really nice experience from start to finish.

Hat Kid is one of the best controlling platforming heroes: the ability to keep going, jumping dashing around and maintaining a constant bubbly momentum makes the simple ability to run around so fluind and fun that it alone will sell you on the game.

But a Hat in Time doesn't stop there: the game presents such creative maps, so charming, wide and full of secrets that are able to compete with the Kingdoms of Mario Odyssey in terms of creativity and replayability. There is not a huge amount of world to explore, but what is there it's totally worth the hype: all immensely creative and able to always offer new gimmicks and challenges, that go toe to toe with the really funny and adorable tone of the game (except for a certain manor that.... if you know you know).

Not my favorite indie game or my favorite 3D platformer, but for sure a title that will stand the test of time both on the pantheon of indie titles, and in the great general gaming catalogue.