Might be experiencing a bit of hype backlash but, I thought this game was just okay. To start with what I liked, I think there’s some really interesting ideas touched upon, many have already spoken about the depictions of anti-Japanese racism within the game but what’s more interesting is how the writing wrestles to come to terms with the rampant racism that was prevalent in this era of detective fiction that it takes so heavy inspiration from. We all have our problematic muses, and GAA is keenly aware of how romanticized the stories it looks up to are in hindsight.
Case 3 is also pretty incredible, featuring a jaw-dropping twist that calls into question one of the basic assumptions made in the series in a way that only works with Ryunosuke as the protagonist, and not Phoenix. Still, the potential fallout doesn’t quite feel fully capitalized on, leaving what could have been a truly transformative moment for Ryunosuke into a mere bump in the road.
What I end up finding myself sorely disappointed in, is the actual cases themselves. Outside of case 3, the cases featured in this game are incredibly simple and straightforward, with the writing holding your hand and all but telling you what you need to look at every step of the way. It’s the easiest game in the series, and the cases often feel incredibly drawn out. Case 5, in particular, is my least favorite final case in the entire series for how anticlimactic it is.
I’m well aware that this is meant to lead into GAA2, and from what I’ve played of 2 so far, it’s been everything I wanted 1 to be. Still, the potential for interesting explorations of ideas, and the likability of the main cast, can’t fully save the game from the dullness of the episodic cases. Not bad, but man did I feel disappointed.
Case 3 is also pretty incredible, featuring a jaw-dropping twist that calls into question one of the basic assumptions made in the series in a way that only works with Ryunosuke as the protagonist, and not Phoenix. Still, the potential fallout doesn’t quite feel fully capitalized on, leaving what could have been a truly transformative moment for Ryunosuke into a mere bump in the road.
What I end up finding myself sorely disappointed in, is the actual cases themselves. Outside of case 3, the cases featured in this game are incredibly simple and straightforward, with the writing holding your hand and all but telling you what you need to look at every step of the way. It’s the easiest game in the series, and the cases often feel incredibly drawn out. Case 5, in particular, is my least favorite final case in the entire series for how anticlimactic it is.
I’m well aware that this is meant to lead into GAA2, and from what I’ve played of 2 so far, it’s been everything I wanted 1 to be. Still, the potential for interesting explorations of ideas, and the likability of the main cast, can’t fully save the game from the dullness of the episodic cases. Not bad, but man did I feel disappointed.
2 Comments
Thanks for the comment! You’re right in that there were plenty of real-world racism against Asian people at the time as well, and that bled into the fiction at the time as a result. I’m moreso referring to how prevalent it was to make the culprit an Asian stereotype in detective stories. It was so bad that one of Knox’s 10 Commandments for writing detective stories was basically “hey you guys are all so racist against Asian people, stop making them the killers in your stories”, and even Holmes stories were not completely immune. I think it informs the immediate suspicion of Asian characters within the story, as well as how Holmes is reclaimed as a firm ally to Ryunosuke.
I really dug Susato, actually, and I was really satisfied to see what role she took in the sequel. Her story of battling Japanese sexism is compelling as well as her chemistry with Ryunosuke being pretty fun. Speaking of the sequel, I’m pretty glad to say the difficulty really gets amped up, the tutorial case is harder than nearly anything the first game threw at you. Unfortunately I think the jury mechanic is overall underutilized and never really finds its footing IMO. Ace Attorney is filled with twist mechanics that feel like that and are just too easy, like Apollo’s and Athena’s special abilities. At least the Dance of Deduction fares better in the sequel.
I really dug Susato, actually, and I was really satisfied to see what role she took in the sequel. Her story of battling Japanese sexism is compelling as well as her chemistry with Ryunosuke being pretty fun. Speaking of the sequel, I’m pretty glad to say the difficulty really gets amped up, the tutorial case is harder than nearly anything the first game threw at you. Unfortunately I think the jury mechanic is overall underutilized and never really finds its footing IMO. Ace Attorney is filled with twist mechanics that feel like that and are just too easy, like Apollo’s and Athena’s special abilities. At least the Dance of Deduction fares better in the sequel.
Rensie
2 years ago
Speaking of Kazuma, i feel like his character was really underused in this game. I imagine he somehow gets a role in the second game, but still a waste. Case 2 was my least favorite for multiple reasons but what they did to him here i was really upset about. I think the rest of the cases would be more interesting with him around instead and it wouldn't steal naruhodo's spotlight (they could have written it differently). This felt like a weird copymoment of the first Ace attorney.
I thought i was the only one that found the cases here in general simple and straightforward in compariso with a lot of the other games (i see a lot of reviews only praising the cases), so i'm glad to read that i wasn't alone in this. Even though it was easy, i really loved the way the Sherlock Holmes sequences went. Each ace attorney game comes up with new mechanics to prevent the formula from getting stale. The jury was quite big in this department, it has so much potential that i'm sure the next game will built upon (didn't try that one yet). That's how this game feel to me in general. A completely different setting that Ace Attorney as a series really needed (we have like 6 games with Phoenix as the main protagonist, which probably makes it harder to find new interesting angles in future games with those characters).
How did you feel about Susato? For some reason i really liked her as a character, more so than Maya even. For me she is the best assistant of the series
Ah sorry for making it so long ,maybe i should have written my own review XD