played remastered version on PC

An utter delight. It boggles my mind how something that's so frequently about the corruption and ineptitude found within the legal system has been such a comfort to me in the weeks it's taken me to get through it. It's just so charming, filled with all sorts of memorable characters (Edgeworth my beloved), not to mention that it's quite easily the funniest game I've played. Objectively speaking, I probably wouldn't rate this so high - it seems to sacrifice a bit to appeal to a younger audience, as the tone feels ever so slightly childish despite the somewhat gory murders, plus the archaic investigation sequences are a little bit tedious every now and then. The progression can be slightly unintuitive as well, as the investigation sequences are a bit convoluted while their courtroom counterparts have an annoyingly strict method of progression that will sometimes actively punish you for figuring out the mystery out of sequence. Regardless, it's really endearing, and the mysteries/characters are genuinely quite well-constructed. Also, as I'm likely liable to forget as I progress through the franchise, might as well summarize my thoughts on the individual cases as well.

Case 1-1: 6/10
Admirably succinct and functional as a tutorial, and the mechanics instantly hooked me although the case doesn't have much meat to it.

Case 1-2: 7/10
Feels like this one sort of exists to ease the players into the general structure and characters, plus it introduces a bit of emotional substance (though it often feels bizarrely light for what the subject matter is? I suppose the gradually introduced supernatural elements do make it carry a bit less weight). With all that considered, it is a pretty simple case, but also a lot of fun in its own regard.

Case 1-3: 6.5/10
The investigation portion struck me as a bit tedious here, which is a bit weird as it kinda feels like filler. Nonetheless, it is satisfying once the details click into place, and the game's absurd sense of humour is finally given a chance to breathe.

Case 1-4: 9/10
Hands-down some of the most fun I've had playing any game. Excellent mystery, incredible character development, and it was surprisingly evocative - a bit of a surprise when contrasted with the madcap puzzles of the preceding case, but a wholly welcome one.

Case 1-5: 8/10
Took me a solid ~6 hours to get through, almost as long as the other cases combined, and I don't think the length is entirely warranted. It's extended by stupid puzzles and some over-written segments, as well as the sheer excess of evidence to keep track of. The pacing is a bit rough to start with, but it improves once the mystery really gets going - and it's spectacular once it does. The latter segments entirely compensate for the uneven quality of what precedes them, and the ending is simply lovely.

Anyways I'll stop yapping now, far from a perfect game but I love it with all my heart anyways. Can't wait to play the sequels!

lots to love here - the story structure and premise are incredible, the themes are interesting (mostly in the ethical ramifications of altering memory and if living a delusion is as emotionally valuable as real life), and the visual style is quite nice. but it suffers from some annoying dialogue, with shoehorned in pop culture references and self-referential humour that creates an uneven tone, plus one of the big reveals is a bit much for me to believe and the way it portrays autism is a mixed bag though clearly well-intentioned. its a very poignant story weighed down by some weird and contrived elements - I found the bulk of it pretty fun to play but it kinda jumps the shark towards the end, despite a beautiful closing scene that really encapsulates everything I liked about the experience. weird story digressions aside there's a great game at the core of this, and I'd gladly check out the sequel at some point