thank god athena isn't relegated to a filler case with a shit ass clown
I really enjoyed this game. It's not all that memorable in hindsight, but it brought much needed focus back into the series after DD. It has probably the dumbest backstory for Apollo yet but it strikes enough of an emotional core that I think it ended up pretty alright.
They really added Athena for one game and then just forgot she existed huh. Anyway the last moments vision thing was actually SUPER CLEVER and I found all of them really fun. Nice of them to give Apollo another backstory, I don't think he had enough of those yet.
I just don't know. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something about Apollo's character bothered me since DD, and others' reviews shed light on it, and I was like "yeah, he's like a different character every time". It's not something super obvious, but yeah.
Tired of all the retconning these games did, which end up making these later games feel so forced.
This game is absolutely my least favorite of the 6. I dislike the Kura'in monarchy and the STUPID law that the characters are forced under, it's almost comical how ridiculous it is. I also dislike Nahyuta; he's by far my least favorite prosecutor, BUT the last chapter did make me like him in the end.
The last chapter in general was insane, but kind of in a good way. I do like how it ended up, definitely the highlight of the game.
Rayfa is cute and I love her development. Some great designs from new characters. Some really fun twists.
I left this game on a pretty positive note, but I'm so glad it's over.
Tired of all the retconning these games did, which end up making these later games feel so forced.
This game is absolutely my least favorite of the 6. I dislike the Kura'in monarchy and the STUPID law that the characters are forced under, it's almost comical how ridiculous it is. I also dislike Nahyuta; he's by far my least favorite prosecutor, BUT the last chapter did make me like him in the end.
The last chapter in general was insane, but kind of in a good way. I do like how it ended up, definitely the highlight of the game.
Rayfa is cute and I love her development. Some great designs from new characters. Some really fun twists.
I left this game on a pretty positive note, but I'm so glad it's over.
An utterly uneven experience from beginning to end that doesn't just feature two completely irrelevant trials that completely tank the pacing of the story but also dares to have one of them be one of the most boring cases in the franchise which should probably and honestly have been DLC or simple extra cases post game.
That stands in complete contrast to the two trials here that are really good, especially the third one, which may just be one of my favorites in the series. The game also feels a lot more like a proper follow up to AA4 than Dual Destinies did which somewhat makes DD feel all the more irrelevant in retrospect, which is somewhat damning since, for all its supposed faults, DD is at least a much more consistent game than this wildly over the place SoJ. They push Apollo back into the spotlight, which you may not expect because of how the story is told for most of its runtime. They address the whole forged evidence thing in a much grander scale than they did in 5 which makes this feel like a more evolved follow up to the ideas pushed forward in 4, but in the end the game is still undercooked.
The ending also fell flat on its face for me which makes this a genuinely sad ending for the franchise, with no new entry in 8 years. At least not in terms of this specific continuity. Ace Attorney 7 should still be coming according to the now years old Capcom leaks but I feel like its state is in flux. I can't say I need more Apollo but I don't feel like Takumi would want to return to Phoenix either. But considering in which directions they took Apollo he may have no other choice to go back to Phoenix or just soft reboot the franchise all over again, which may feel fans unsatisfied after so many years of waiting. If Takumi is the one helming the next entry in the first place... who knows. I hope it won't be much longer until that game gets revealed, if it still exists, and that it initiates a new trilogy – or at least Duology like The Great Ace Attorney's – that tells a more refined story over multiple games. And while we're at it, please bring back interesting prosecutors.
That stands in complete contrast to the two trials here that are really good, especially the third one, which may just be one of my favorites in the series. The game also feels a lot more like a proper follow up to AA4 than Dual Destinies did which somewhat makes DD feel all the more irrelevant in retrospect, which is somewhat damning since, for all its supposed faults, DD is at least a much more consistent game than this wildly over the place SoJ. They push Apollo back into the spotlight, which you may not expect because of how the story is told for most of its runtime. They address the whole forged evidence thing in a much grander scale than they did in 5 which makes this feel like a more evolved follow up to the ideas pushed forward in 4, but in the end the game is still undercooked.
The ending also fell flat on its face for me which makes this a genuinely sad ending for the franchise, with no new entry in 8 years. At least not in terms of this specific continuity. Ace Attorney 7 should still be coming according to the now years old Capcom leaks but I feel like its state is in flux. I can't say I need more Apollo but I don't feel like Takumi would want to return to Phoenix either. But considering in which directions they took Apollo he may have no other choice to go back to Phoenix or just soft reboot the franchise all over again, which may feel fans unsatisfied after so many years of waiting. If Takumi is the one helming the next entry in the first place... who knows. I hope it won't be much longer until that game gets revealed, if it still exists, and that it initiates a new trilogy – or at least Duology like The Great Ace Attorney's – that tells a more refined story over multiple games. And while we're at it, please bring back interesting prosecutors.
Honestly, this is one of my favourite games in the series. It might not be the best, or in the top threw, and it definitely has problems (lack of Athena and less interesting prosecutor for example) but I actually think it's a great game on the whole, in my top 5 Ace Attorney games definitely
#justiceforapollo
This review contains spoilers
I feel that Ace Attorney and Yakuza are the only two video game franchises where I couldn't allow their faults to hold me back from loving each game. Ace Attorney's way of carrying itself instantly gives me a feel that not many games have managed.
Spirit of Justice is probably the most flawed Ace Attorney game, right ahead of Justice for All. The entire emotional core of SOJ hinges on the idea that you can look past the deep, deep retcons that plague the game. As the "new protagonist", Apollo has been fighting for relevancy the last two games, and it is quite clear that the new team is equally fighting to carry Apollo on after Takumi gave very little room for expansion. This means that Apollo's now 3 backstories have to attempt to coexist on a single cohesive timeline. It was never going to not feel awkward, but despite all of that, i feel that Apollo's third story present in Spirit of Justice, just may be his best, and the peak of his arc. SOJ sees the franchise take its first change in setting in the mainline series. Instead of Japanifornia, we now take the story to the fictional kingdom of Khura’in, where lawyers are nonexistent, and verdicts are handed down by a very flawed and misguided seance. In the very first case, Phoenix bursts into court and looks death in the face as he fights for the right to a fair trial. It is the absolute highest the stakes have ever been in AA, and I found myself speeding through the case just by how enthralling this new scenario managed to be. It wasn't then until the second case that my hype deflated significantly.
Spirit of Justice has a very confused, and two-sided structure. Where 3 of its 5 main cases revolve around the very politically charged revolution of Khura’in, the other two remaining cases slot in between these "main story" chapters, and tell very inconsequential filler stories. The first filler case even has the balls to step on Takumi's feet with retcons to one of the stories he wrote for Apollo Justice. Yet the second still somehow gets worse, as it features not a single investigation stage, only 2 parts of a single trial. It just comes across as the team not writing enough of the Khura’in plot, so to fill the quota of 5 cases, they pull some meaningless stories out. The cases aren't awful by themselves, I was sufficiently entertained by both, but it kills the pacing when the plot in Khura’in is so fast, and impactful in comparison. There is absolutely nothing wrong with less intensive cases, but the way it is implemented here is poor to say the least.
By the time the final case came around however, I found that my interest in the actual core plot was entirely cemented once I began to see how everything fit together. The plot with Dhurke and the royal family is excellently thought out and realized, and Dhurke's deeply personal relationship with Apollo served to ultimately give me the motivation to see the mystery through to the end. I'd be lying if I said I didn't tear up at Apollo's decision by the end of the game, but I really don't know if that was because of Apollo's emotional arc, or because I came to realize that this was the end of the Ace Attorney saga.... for now.
Spirit of Justice is probably the most flawed Ace Attorney game, right ahead of Justice for All. The entire emotional core of SOJ hinges on the idea that you can look past the deep, deep retcons that plague the game. As the "new protagonist", Apollo has been fighting for relevancy the last two games, and it is quite clear that the new team is equally fighting to carry Apollo on after Takumi gave very little room for expansion. This means that Apollo's now 3 backstories have to attempt to coexist on a single cohesive timeline. It was never going to not feel awkward, but despite all of that, i feel that Apollo's third story present in Spirit of Justice, just may be his best, and the peak of his arc. SOJ sees the franchise take its first change in setting in the mainline series. Instead of Japanifornia, we now take the story to the fictional kingdom of Khura’in, where lawyers are nonexistent, and verdicts are handed down by a very flawed and misguided seance. In the very first case, Phoenix bursts into court and looks death in the face as he fights for the right to a fair trial. It is the absolute highest the stakes have ever been in AA, and I found myself speeding through the case just by how enthralling this new scenario managed to be. It wasn't then until the second case that my hype deflated significantly.
Spirit of Justice has a very confused, and two-sided structure. Where 3 of its 5 main cases revolve around the very politically charged revolution of Khura’in, the other two remaining cases slot in between these "main story" chapters, and tell very inconsequential filler stories. The first filler case even has the balls to step on Takumi's feet with retcons to one of the stories he wrote for Apollo Justice. Yet the second still somehow gets worse, as it features not a single investigation stage, only 2 parts of a single trial. It just comes across as the team not writing enough of the Khura’in plot, so to fill the quota of 5 cases, they pull some meaningless stories out. The cases aren't awful by themselves, I was sufficiently entertained by both, but it kills the pacing when the plot in Khura’in is so fast, and impactful in comparison. There is absolutely nothing wrong with less intensive cases, but the way it is implemented here is poor to say the least.
By the time the final case came around however, I found that my interest in the actual core plot was entirely cemented once I began to see how everything fit together. The plot with Dhurke and the royal family is excellently thought out and realized, and Dhurke's deeply personal relationship with Apollo served to ultimately give me the motivation to see the mystery through to the end. I'd be lying if I said I didn't tear up at Apollo's decision by the end of the game, but I really don't know if that was because of Apollo's emotional arc, or because I came to realize that this was the end of the Ace Attorney saga.... for now.
THIS GAME DID ATHENA SO DIRTY I AM SO MAD WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO ME ACE ATTORNEY
apollo with his 3rd backstory :P
anyways this game was pretty good too! taking place in kurain was interesting. while i don't think some of the cases are great, i did still end up enjoying them. other than that my opinion is the same as dual destinies! would recommend
anyways this game was pretty good too! taking place in kurain was interesting. while i don't think some of the cases are great, i did still end up enjoying them. other than that my opinion is the same as dual destinies! would recommend
A strong entry in the series and is leagues better than Dual Destinies imo.
This review contains spoilers
New game mechanics make this one very interesting, I do think Capcom is a coward for not making more of their major characters have darker skin. It's in South East Asia, it should not be that hard. I do think they could do Rayfa's design better as well. At least the Wright Anything Agency can add "Overthrowing a government" to it's list.
PEAK
This review contains spoilers
i can understand why people like this one, i do enjoy rayfa's character arc and case 3 was pretty cool, but it's definitely not for me. i am not partial to Little Apollo's Tale finding hidden treasure in the crystal caves. i wish i was. but i personally am not. i also feel like the last confrontation really elevates the stakes way too high for me. generally the whole killing all defense attorneys thing is just kinda silly, it's a common joke that defense attorneys and prosecutors are the most important people on earth in this series but it's actually real in this game. the defeat of a genocidal monarch at the hands of the lost son of a disgraced revolutionary hailing from the oppressed class sounds cool but not when applied to Prosecutor World in my personal opinion. it certainly appeals to some and i am glad they can enjoy.
- Excerpt from the journal of Gaspen Payne before his execution
- Excerpt from the journal of Gaspen Payne before his execution
CLASSIQUE
Jogo bom, mas a nota é baixa por causa da Divination Seance.
Brincadeira, mas Khura'in consegue ser um saco de vez em quando.
Brincadeira, mas Khura'in consegue ser um saco de vez em quando.
Bisexual man with an extensive knowledge of stepladders and a man who’s defining trait is screaming attempt to overthrow a monarch
This review contains spoilers
Okay, soapbox time - this is easily the worst AA game. The game starts out with some real promise, it feels like it's taking risks in a way that DD never did, and the first case is fun. Even in that case, I noticed my first gripe which is this game feels slow and plodding in a way earlier games didn't. Basically every case in this game should be shorter (and case 4 should be dropped entirely, letting case 5 be split across 2 cases like in DD). But my frustration started when they introduced this game's prosecutor Nahyuta, an arrogant religious zealot. If I never hear about him again, it will be too soon. Nevertheless, finding out that he was Dhurke's son and joined the Ga'ran regime as an inside man opened an opportunity for AA to tell a really compelling story: even good-intentioned people working in a bad system can do a lot of evil. But that story would be too spicy for AA, so they do a very quick 'good all along' turn and we're just supposed to brush aside the fact that he definitely sent not just innocent people to their death, but the defence attorneys of innocent people. If the writers had been willing to deny a prosecutor a redemption arc, this could've been a top-2 AA story (behind T&T), but as is, it's just a massive disappointment.
i hate this game.
capcom created the first game with a negative amount of soul in it
More like Spirit of Flashbacks cause they genuinely think I have the memory of a goldfish
TWO spiky haired lawyers in different countries?
be so for real.
this could maybe be a good game if it was not an ace attorney game. but alas. they ruined my boy
this could maybe be a good game if it was not an ace attorney game. but alas. they ruined my boy
Still playing through the game, just wanted to say that I’m impressed that The Magical Turnabout gives Phoenix, Apollo, and Trucy more character development than in AA4
To finish the apollo justice trilogy in this game was interesting with the introduction of a family dynamic, however it was not exactly as fulfilling as I had wished. By this game the number of mechinics to determine if someone is lying are so convoluted its a miracle the court system in this game gets anything done.
Spirit of Justice reeks of desperation.
Following up a game that stifled continuity so severely left the series very little room to expand. Phoenix and Apollo’s trajectories were cut off after AA4. Athena’s poor excuse for an arc was open and shut in her debut game. What ground does the series have left to stand on? Naturally, Capcom didn’t aim to slip out of the corner they backed themselves into. They raised the stakes and cornered themselves even further.
It would be remiss of me not to mention the overt orientalism present throughout the game. The original Ace Attorney trilogy centralized a family drama around a modernized depiction of spirit channeling. The ritual was used not only as a component to multiple murder mysteries but as a conduit to express generational trauma. The design aesthetics of Kurain Village and the Fey family borrowed only from traditional Japanese architecture and fashion, harmonizing with the cosmopolitan city life of Japanifornia.
Spirit of Justice not only contains uninteresting and stagnant characters that make far worse use of spirit channeling as an in-universe plot device, but the aesthetics of Khura’in (additionally a full-blown kingdom…one of this game’s many retcons) seem to broadly take design inspiration from the Middle East and South Asia without any tact or reason. The kingdom is presented as a theocratic (while also secular?) monarchy that has a ridiculous hatred of defense attorneys and wishes to execute them alongside their wrongfully charged defendants. While AA5’s only overarching theme to stand on was the pitiful and heavy-handed “dark age of the law,” completely overturning the moral argument presented to the player in AA4, Spirit of Justice’s moral argument, if you can even call it that, disavows a fictional and vaguely oriental monarchy for having a made-up law that criminalizes being a defense attorney.
I never thought I’d say this but maybe The Great Ace Attorney should learn a thing or two from this game about being anti-monarchy
AA6 continues to cast away the character drama present in the first four games to tell a story about a strawman political viewpoint and stereotyped culture that doesn’t exist, simply to raise the stakes for the player in an act of extremely misguided fanservice.
Speaking of fanservice, all of your favorite characters are back and they’re all shells of their former selves! I could go on about how The Magical Turnabout in particular is a masterclass in character assassination. In fact, I will.
Well written characters have desires. In AA4, Ema Skye was introduced to the player as a disillusioned police detective who never accomplished her goal of becoming a forensic scientist. Her grudge against the police force extends back to her debut in Rise from The Ashes, and her bias against the current justice system go hand in hand with AA4’s broader themes of disillusionment. Her viewpoint is remarkably different from the police presence in past games, and her willingness to cooperate with Apollo and Trucy (along with her past allegiance to Phoenix) subverts the player’s expectations to create a distinct web of relationships not present in newer games.
In AA6, Ema is not a police detective anymore. She achieves her goal of becoming a forensic scientist offscreen, and her disillusionment with the justice system is cast aside completely. She no longer has greater desires, and her character is no longer multidimensional. She isn’t set up to change or grow at all.
Here’s another example. Trucy was introduced in AA4 as an assistant with a lot more agency and wit than her predecessors. She frequently held her own during courtroom conversations, stalled a trial with a fake hostage, and was brave enough to confront her family trauma in Turnabout Succession. In the post-trial conversation between Phoenix and Thalassa, Phoenix mentions that he’s the only one who knows how hurt Trucy feels deep down. She puts on a face, but never truly reckons with the evil deeds done by her father, grandfather, and Valant.
In AA6, Trucy is accused of murder during her magic show. Not only does this magic show retcon a secret fourth member into Troupe Gramarye that was entirely irrelevant to the love triangle and accident that formed Trucy and Apollo’s original backstories, but this case also seems to completely rewrite and exonerate Magnifi Gramarye from his original misdeeds. Remember that original source of Trucy’s anguish? Yeah, it’s totally erased. Magnifi is genuinely portrayed as a kind and benevolent mentor here (You know, the man who blackmailed his troupe, tried coaxing one of them into murdering him, framed his suicide after that failed...). The game still tried to keep her concealed anguish as a character trait, so we’re left with a Trucy who feigns a smile for no discernable reason.
I talked about Apollo’s rewriting in my AA5 review, so I’ll keep this one short; once again, he is portrayed as a protégé who looks up to Phoenix, when his debut game had them act more like puppet and puppet master respectively. It’s the same in AA6, Apollo simply sees Phoenix as a generic mentor and the tension he felt towards Phoenix (which also fueled his desires as a character!) is completely gone.
I think it’s funny that spirit seances were chosen as the new big mechanic for this game even though the video analysis minigames in past entries were like, universally hated among fans.
Look, I could go on about how the Ace Attorney series effectively backed itself into a corner with stagnant characters and childish shonen writing (…and I probably will in a separate review for the Trilogy release), but in short, this series is left with nowhere to go. Phoenix Wright as a character is a husk of his former self, Apollo Justice is whatever the hell each game wants him to be, and Athena Cykes is a focus grouped cookie cutter “new protagonist” whose goal of exonerating Simon has been accomplished, leaving her with no more desires as well, effectively also making her a husk of what little depth she had.
Also I’ll say it as many times as necessary: DLC cases in this manner are inherently depraved. Remember when RPGs were sold as full games? Oh right, that means there has to be an actual cohesive story arc.
The stakes have been maxed out, and we’re 6 numerical entries in. This is unsustainable. What next, yet another hostage situation?
Following up a game that stifled continuity so severely left the series very little room to expand. Phoenix and Apollo’s trajectories were cut off after AA4. Athena’s poor excuse for an arc was open and shut in her debut game. What ground does the series have left to stand on? Naturally, Capcom didn’t aim to slip out of the corner they backed themselves into. They raised the stakes and cornered themselves even further.
It would be remiss of me not to mention the overt orientalism present throughout the game. The original Ace Attorney trilogy centralized a family drama around a modernized depiction of spirit channeling. The ritual was used not only as a component to multiple murder mysteries but as a conduit to express generational trauma. The design aesthetics of Kurain Village and the Fey family borrowed only from traditional Japanese architecture and fashion, harmonizing with the cosmopolitan city life of Japanifornia.
Spirit of Justice not only contains uninteresting and stagnant characters that make far worse use of spirit channeling as an in-universe plot device, but the aesthetics of Khura’in (additionally a full-blown kingdom…one of this game’s many retcons) seem to broadly take design inspiration from the Middle East and South Asia without any tact or reason. The kingdom is presented as a theocratic (while also secular?) monarchy that has a ridiculous hatred of defense attorneys and wishes to execute them alongside their wrongfully charged defendants. While AA5’s only overarching theme to stand on was the pitiful and heavy-handed “dark age of the law,” completely overturning the moral argument presented to the player in AA4, Spirit of Justice’s moral argument, if you can even call it that, disavows a fictional and vaguely oriental monarchy for having a made-up law that criminalizes being a defense attorney.
AA6 continues to cast away the character drama present in the first four games to tell a story about a strawman political viewpoint and stereotyped culture that doesn’t exist, simply to raise the stakes for the player in an act of extremely misguided fanservice.
Speaking of fanservice, all of your favorite characters are back and they’re all shells of their former selves! I could go on about how The Magical Turnabout in particular is a masterclass in character assassination. In fact, I will.
Well written characters have desires. In AA4, Ema Skye was introduced to the player as a disillusioned police detective who never accomplished her goal of becoming a forensic scientist. Her grudge against the police force extends back to her debut in Rise from The Ashes, and her bias against the current justice system go hand in hand with AA4’s broader themes of disillusionment. Her viewpoint is remarkably different from the police presence in past games, and her willingness to cooperate with Apollo and Trucy (along with her past allegiance to Phoenix) subverts the player’s expectations to create a distinct web of relationships not present in newer games.
In AA6, Ema is not a police detective anymore. She achieves her goal of becoming a forensic scientist offscreen, and her disillusionment with the justice system is cast aside completely. She no longer has greater desires, and her character is no longer multidimensional. She isn’t set up to change or grow at all.
Here’s another example. Trucy was introduced in AA4 as an assistant with a lot more agency and wit than her predecessors. She frequently held her own during courtroom conversations, stalled a trial with a fake hostage, and was brave enough to confront her family trauma in Turnabout Succession. In the post-trial conversation between Phoenix and Thalassa, Phoenix mentions that he’s the only one who knows how hurt Trucy feels deep down. She puts on a face, but never truly reckons with the evil deeds done by her father, grandfather, and Valant.
In AA6, Trucy is accused of murder during her magic show. Not only does this magic show retcon a secret fourth member into Troupe Gramarye that was entirely irrelevant to the love triangle and accident that formed Trucy and Apollo’s original backstories, but this case also seems to completely rewrite and exonerate Magnifi Gramarye from his original misdeeds. Remember that original source of Trucy’s anguish? Yeah, it’s totally erased. Magnifi is genuinely portrayed as a kind and benevolent mentor here (You know, the man who blackmailed his troupe, tried coaxing one of them into murdering him, framed his suicide after that failed...). The game still tried to keep her concealed anguish as a character trait, so we’re left with a Trucy who feigns a smile for no discernable reason.
I talked about Apollo’s rewriting in my AA5 review, so I’ll keep this one short; once again, he is portrayed as a protégé who looks up to Phoenix, when his debut game had them act more like puppet and puppet master respectively. It’s the same in AA6, Apollo simply sees Phoenix as a generic mentor and the tension he felt towards Phoenix (which also fueled his desires as a character!) is completely gone.
I think it’s funny that spirit seances were chosen as the new big mechanic for this game even though the video analysis minigames in past entries were like, universally hated among fans.
Look, I could go on about how the Ace Attorney series effectively backed itself into a corner with stagnant characters and childish shonen writing (…and I probably will in a separate review for the Trilogy release), but in short, this series is left with nowhere to go. Phoenix Wright as a character is a husk of his former self, Apollo Justice is whatever the hell each game wants him to be, and Athena Cykes is a focus grouped cookie cutter “new protagonist” whose goal of exonerating Simon has been accomplished, leaving her with no more desires as well, effectively also making her a husk of what little depth she had.
Also I’ll say it as many times as necessary: DLC cases in this manner are inherently depraved. Remember when RPGs were sold as full games? Oh right, that means there has to be an actual cohesive story arc.
The stakes have been maxed out, and we’re 6 numerical entries in. This is unsustainable. What next, yet another hostage situation?
need to replay this one too
note: I played the Nintendo Switch version of this game on the trilogy collection, though I am logging it as this since I am exclusively talking about this third title
If you want to hear my opinions on the previous Ace Attorney games up until this point, I have reviews from the original Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney up until Dual Destinies. As these games tend to be pretty similar in terms of their mechanics and ideas, I don’t feel the need to repeat myself every time- especially given I have yet to reach a point where I feel negatively towards these wonderful games.
With that being said, I am just going to outline my thoughts on the game rather than weave them into a more essay-esque review. The TLDR is that I thought this game was fantastic, but if you want to know why..
-Insanely great time here. I wasn’t expecting it given the first two were so strong, but this is probably my favorite of the Apollo Justice trilogy and has some of my favorite moments in the entire series.
-Returning cast is fantastic as always. While I think some were a little underused- Athena definitely feels like she was thrown in because they had to and not necessarily because she was integral to this story, for example- but even that criticism is outweighed heavily by how strong everyone is presented, and they do give some smart time allocation too. To counter my own criticism, having the starting intro case for Apollo and Athena be defending Trucy, for example, is a great way to give her some screen time while serving as a compelling backdrop for a case. Phoenix is used in a really fun and unique way given the new setting for his trials, and I love that they give a chance to go up against him briefly later on. Apollo really shines for me here especially, though. I love his story- and while being a little silly he never brought up his childhood in the past, I can easily overlook that given the story told here for him is genuinely compelling and serves as a great character arc and story for him. I was very invested, and it really solidified him as one of my favorite characters. I also loved the return of Maya- I think it could be argued it was a bit of a cheap way to tickle nostalgia.. But it’s Maya- it works and I was so excited to see her once more. Some other highlights were the defense pairing of Athena and Simon from the previous game- I loved that dynamic and was glad to see Simon again given how much I enjoyed him, and I loved the banter from Ema, Larry, Pearl, Edgeworth- and really just everyone. I only wish Gumshoe made a little cameo to round it all out, but what we got was excellent.
-The new characters didn’t hit with me right off the bat- but as I played more I found myself loving them more alongside it. By the end, I think this has one of the strongest rosters of new characters. Nahyuta initially seemed a little dull, but I found his story fascinatingly compelling and full of some great twists. Rayfa is a little grating at the start, but in a way that lends itself to some excellent character growth. While in different ways, Alhbi and Datz ended up being some of my biggest highlights just due to how fun they were to talk to. My favorite of the bunch, however, was Dhurke. His personality is so fun to be with, but his dynamic and story with Apollo is one of the series highlights for me. The twists and turns by the end of his story were executed amazingly and I loved every second. The lineup of antagonists were also really fun as all Ace Attorney games tend to be.
-The ramped up stakes in this game led to such a tense and fresh dynamic all around. Being under the threat of execution upon failure is just an inherently fun and exciting new spin on the courtroom battles, and I think beyond that it ties into the story in a fascinating way to unravel, and provides some equally fascinating character moments and thematic identity. Which lends itself to..
-The cases here are excellent. With the exception of case 4 (which as I said I loved the Athena Blackquill dynamic and had some standout witnesses to cross-examine) being pretty filler-y, I feel like this is one of the most fun lineups of cases in the series and the way it crescendos was presented perfectly. Case 1 isn’t my favorite intro case in a vacuum, but it teaches the new setting, stakes, and characters wonderfully. Case 2 is another great introduction to the other side of the cast and is just a ton of fun altogether. Case 3 is pretty high tier for me, with a great ramp-up of mystery, character drama, twists, and a great exploration to the overarching narrative and ideas. And then case 5 is about as wonderful a finale could possibly be for this story, and I think it isn’t far behind other final cases like the respective for Justice for All and Trials and Tribulations. Excellent stuff here. The DLC case was also excellent.
-The new divination mechanic is an outstanding evolution for the series in a gameplay sense, and while I wouldn’t be surprised if it doesn’t return in the future- given the spirit medium backdrop and mysticism of Ace Attorney, it is a wonderful, creative, and incredibly fun mechanic and it really adds to the games identity. I loved it, especially with it being alongside the other mechanics like Psyche Locks or Perceiving.
-Great presentation all around. The animations are so, so good- and the character design is out of this world as always. It always fascinates me how expressive everyone is. The music matches the quality, too.
I really don’t have anything bad to say about this game. It clicked with me just as all the other games have, and I had a consistently fun time through the six cases. With one of my favorite stories and some of my favorite characters in the series as a whole, I think of Apollo’s trilogy this is the one that gets closest to the Phoenix Wright trilogy for me. I would have to think about it for a long while, but this could be in my top 3 so far depending on what I’m feeling about Justice for All on the day of debate. Either way, this game was a blast and a perfect ending to the trilogy for me. My highest praise is that I played six Ace Attorney games in the span of like a month and a half and it never once got dull. I love this series !!
If you want to hear my opinions on the previous Ace Attorney games up until this point, I have reviews from the original Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney up until Dual Destinies. As these games tend to be pretty similar in terms of their mechanics and ideas, I don’t feel the need to repeat myself every time- especially given I have yet to reach a point where I feel negatively towards these wonderful games.
With that being said, I am just going to outline my thoughts on the game rather than weave them into a more essay-esque review. The TLDR is that I thought this game was fantastic, but if you want to know why..
-Insanely great time here. I wasn’t expecting it given the first two were so strong, but this is probably my favorite of the Apollo Justice trilogy and has some of my favorite moments in the entire series.
-Returning cast is fantastic as always. While I think some were a little underused- Athena definitely feels like she was thrown in because they had to and not necessarily because she was integral to this story, for example- but even that criticism is outweighed heavily by how strong everyone is presented, and they do give some smart time allocation too. To counter my own criticism, having the starting intro case for Apollo and Athena be defending Trucy, for example, is a great way to give her some screen time while serving as a compelling backdrop for a case. Phoenix is used in a really fun and unique way given the new setting for his trials, and I love that they give a chance to go up against him briefly later on. Apollo really shines for me here especially, though. I love his story- and while being a little silly he never brought up his childhood in the past, I can easily overlook that given the story told here for him is genuinely compelling and serves as a great character arc and story for him. I was very invested, and it really solidified him as one of my favorite characters. I also loved the return of Maya- I think it could be argued it was a bit of a cheap way to tickle nostalgia.. But it’s Maya- it works and I was so excited to see her once more. Some other highlights were the defense pairing of Athena and Simon from the previous game- I loved that dynamic and was glad to see Simon again given how much I enjoyed him, and I loved the banter from Ema, Larry, Pearl, Edgeworth- and really just everyone. I only wish Gumshoe made a little cameo to round it all out, but what we got was excellent.
-The new characters didn’t hit with me right off the bat- but as I played more I found myself loving them more alongside it. By the end, I think this has one of the strongest rosters of new characters. Nahyuta initially seemed a little dull, but I found his story fascinatingly compelling and full of some great twists. Rayfa is a little grating at the start, but in a way that lends itself to some excellent character growth. While in different ways, Alhbi and Datz ended up being some of my biggest highlights just due to how fun they were to talk to. My favorite of the bunch, however, was Dhurke. His personality is so fun to be with, but his dynamic and story with Apollo is one of the series highlights for me. The twists and turns by the end of his story were executed amazingly and I loved every second. The lineup of antagonists were also really fun as all Ace Attorney games tend to be.
-The ramped up stakes in this game led to such a tense and fresh dynamic all around. Being under the threat of execution upon failure is just an inherently fun and exciting new spin on the courtroom battles, and I think beyond that it ties into the story in a fascinating way to unravel, and provides some equally fascinating character moments and thematic identity. Which lends itself to..
-The cases here are excellent. With the exception of case 4 (which as I said I loved the Athena Blackquill dynamic and had some standout witnesses to cross-examine) being pretty filler-y, I feel like this is one of the most fun lineups of cases in the series and the way it crescendos was presented perfectly. Case 1 isn’t my favorite intro case in a vacuum, but it teaches the new setting, stakes, and characters wonderfully. Case 2 is another great introduction to the other side of the cast and is just a ton of fun altogether. Case 3 is pretty high tier for me, with a great ramp-up of mystery, character drama, twists, and a great exploration to the overarching narrative and ideas. And then case 5 is about as wonderful a finale could possibly be for this story, and I think it isn’t far behind other final cases like the respective for Justice for All and Trials and Tribulations. Excellent stuff here. The DLC case was also excellent.
-The new divination mechanic is an outstanding evolution for the series in a gameplay sense, and while I wouldn’t be surprised if it doesn’t return in the future- given the spirit medium backdrop and mysticism of Ace Attorney, it is a wonderful, creative, and incredibly fun mechanic and it really adds to the games identity. I loved it, especially with it being alongside the other mechanics like Psyche Locks or Perceiving.
-Great presentation all around. The animations are so, so good- and the character design is out of this world as always. It always fascinates me how expressive everyone is. The music matches the quality, too.
I really don’t have anything bad to say about this game. It clicked with me just as all the other games have, and I had a consistently fun time through the six cases. With one of my favorite stories and some of my favorite characters in the series as a whole, I think of Apollo’s trilogy this is the one that gets closest to the Phoenix Wright trilogy for me. I would have to think about it for a long while, but this could be in my top 3 so far depending on what I’m feeling about Justice for All on the day of debate. Either way, this game was a blast and a perfect ending to the trilogy for me. My highest praise is that I played six Ace Attorney games in the span of like a month and a half and it never once got dull. I love this series !!
the game rocks! lots of course corrections from dual destinies to mesh things better into the overall franchise while still maintaining the sort of batshit absurdity that seems to sort of give this 3ds duology its identity.
yes of course the extra backstory for apollo is kind of ridiculous but i would say hardly moreso than all the retcons in aa3 and everyone knows that game rules. in my opinion it works great and finally gives him a lot more of his own stuff to do. i found it weird that in aa4, apollo's titular game, he is largely just going through phoenix's story and battles for him (still prolly the best one besides tgaa tho).
there is no case i did not enjoy, although i will say for as fun as the game is, a bit more focus would have been good. if it were up to me, one improvement i'd make is i'd spend all 5 cases in khurain besides the first trial of case 5 and save the trucy thing in case 2 and the simon case 4 for the inevitable aa7 with thena.
datz arebal best witness ever lol
yes of course the extra backstory for apollo is kind of ridiculous but i would say hardly moreso than all the retcons in aa3 and everyone knows that game rules. in my opinion it works great and finally gives him a lot more of his own stuff to do. i found it weird that in aa4, apollo's titular game, he is largely just going through phoenix's story and battles for him (still prolly the best one besides tgaa tho).
there is no case i did not enjoy, although i will say for as fun as the game is, a bit more focus would have been good. if it were up to me, one improvement i'd make is i'd spend all 5 cases in khurain besides the first trial of case 5 and save the trucy thing in case 2 and the simon case 4 for the inevitable aa7 with thena.
datz arebal best witness ever lol
Oh yay an ace attorney game with actual themes (wasian savior complex) and so its not the series, dual destinies really is just that bad huh