Has the best case ever which literally carries the entire franchise.
Maya and Pearl could literally channel the spirits of John Lennon and George Harrison and end world hunger or something.
It's a shame the writers are braindead and never thought of this.
It's a shame the writers are braindead and never thought of this.
"It's only natural for living creatures to fight to protect their own lives. But what makes us human is that we fight for others. But who do you fight for? How hard must you fight?... That's the true measure of what human life is worth. We defense attorneys are warriors who are constantly challenged by that question. Even when the battle is over, and the bonds that connect us are severed... We always return, time and time again. Mia, Maya, Pearls, Mr. Armando... and Maya's mother too... I learned that... from all of them." - Phoenix Wright, Bridge to the Turnabout
Serving as the final entry in the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy, Trials and Tribulations moves between the past, during Mia Fey's (Phoenix's mentor) first two cases, and the present, where Phoenix goes head to head with a mysterious masked prosecutor named Godot, who seems to hold a grudge against him.
Before I move on to the cases, I just want to say that all of the following cases are pretty solid, and while some of them are greater than others, I can't really say that any of them are outright bad.
Turnabout Memories- Mia's second case, where she defends college student Phoenix Wright (yes, THAT Phoenix Wright) after he is accused of killing his girlfriend's ex.
My favorite of the first cases. Using the fact that this is Mia's second trial ever to bring up the tutorial was more appreciated and made more sense than that amnesia bullshit they pulled in the Lost Turnabout. I like how at first, it seems like a one-and-done case, but as you get into the later cases, it becomes apparent just how important this case is in the Ace Attorney lore. I also liked the culprit and thought they were better written than the other first case culprits, though that may be because this culprit is a lot more important to the story than the others. Ranking: 3rd/5th
Stolen Turnabout- Returning to the present, Phoenix defends a man who is accused of being a famous phantom thief. His first charge? Grand larceny. His second? MURDER!
The first part of this case has you solving a grand larceny trial, which is, to my knowledge, the only moment in Ace Attorney where you aren't solving a murder. You end up solving one in the second half though, and while I am a little disappointed that they didn't take the opportunity to do something different, it's not that big of a deal. Overall, I like how the case was set up, as well as the culprit, even if it was obvious that they were culprit. Ranking: 4th/5th
Recipe for Turnabout- Phoenix fails to defend a waitress who is accused of poisoning a customer. However, that Phoenix was an imposter, so now the real Phoenix must investigate the incident while re-defending the waitress.
This one is my least favorite in Trials and Tribulations, but as I mentioned before I still like it and it still holds up pretty well. The idea of Phoenix having an imposter is really intriguing in theory, but when they put it to use, I felt like they were not using that idea to it's full potential. I also felt that the culprit's plan was really convoluted and didn't make mush sense. One thing about this case that I do like is that it gives Detective Gumshoe (the detective in charge of most of these cases) a chance to shine before the Edgeworth duology was a thing. I also really, REALLY like the culprit's design. Ranking: 5th/5th
Turnabout Beginnings- Mia's (and Edgeworth's) first ever case, where she defends a death row convict after he escapes and is accused of killing the police officer whose testimony got him convicted.
One of the few cases in the Ace Attorney series that doesn't have a happy ending... Even so, this is one of my favorite cases and arguably, one of the best in the series. The way it connects itself with Turnabout Memories while foreshadowing events to come in the next case is something I liked. Taking the opportunity to show what Edgeworth was like when he started out as a prosecutor was pretty cool. The twist with the culprit was obvious, and yet it's still something that was cool to figure out in game. The twist ending was, as mentioned before, really sad and is one of the most heart-breaking moments I have witnessed. It also contains one of the most memorable lines in Ace Attorney: "The only time a lawyer can cry is when it's all over". Ranking: 2nd/5th
Bridge to the Turnabout- Phoenix must defend a nun who looks all-too similar to his ex-girlfriend, who is accused of killing an enigmatic author at a channeling temple.
Turnabout Sisters, Turnabout Goodbyes, Reunion and Turnabout, Turnabout Memories, Turnabout Beginnings. Everything that happened during these 5 cases are now suddenly connected through this final case. Every finale up to this point centered around a main character. Edgeworth's childhood trauma in Turnabout Goodbyes, Phoenix's beliefs as lawyer comin into question in Farewell, My Turnabout, and now Maya being forced to face the insidious side of her family and the dangers of becoming the master of the Kurain Spirit Channeling Technique. This case is my 3rd top favorite in the series, and it's not hard to see why. The spirit of a former culprit coming to haunt Phoenix, the twist behind the culprit and the victim, showing how much Phoenix will go through to not only find his client not guilty, but also save Maya when her life is threatened. Everything about this case is perfect. While the concept of Farewell, My Turnabout being the end of Phoenix's saga makes sense, the way this case wrapped up every event that happened in the past six years made me change my mind. Ranking: 1st/5th
With this, comes the end to Phoenix's saga, as later installments would bring new protagonists. The soundtrack, the characters, every thing about this game I find so pleasing. In fact, this is my 2nd favorite Ace Attorney game (see my favorite games on my profile for my 1st). Obviously, you have to play the previous installments before playing Trials and Tribulations, but trust me, it will be worth every second.
Serving as the final entry in the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy, Trials and Tribulations moves between the past, during Mia Fey's (Phoenix's mentor) first two cases, and the present, where Phoenix goes head to head with a mysterious masked prosecutor named Godot, who seems to hold a grudge against him.
Before I move on to the cases, I just want to say that all of the following cases are pretty solid, and while some of them are greater than others, I can't really say that any of them are outright bad.
Turnabout Memories- Mia's second case, where she defends college student Phoenix Wright (yes, THAT Phoenix Wright) after he is accused of killing his girlfriend's ex.
My favorite of the first cases. Using the fact that this is Mia's second trial ever to bring up the tutorial was more appreciated and made more sense than that amnesia bullshit they pulled in the Lost Turnabout. I like how at first, it seems like a one-and-done case, but as you get into the later cases, it becomes apparent just how important this case is in the Ace Attorney lore. I also liked the culprit and thought they were better written than the other first case culprits, though that may be because this culprit is a lot more important to the story than the others. Ranking: 3rd/5th
Stolen Turnabout- Returning to the present, Phoenix defends a man who is accused of being a famous phantom thief. His first charge? Grand larceny. His second? MURDER!
The first part of this case has you solving a grand larceny trial, which is, to my knowledge, the only moment in Ace Attorney where you aren't solving a murder. You end up solving one in the second half though, and while I am a little disappointed that they didn't take the opportunity to do something different, it's not that big of a deal. Overall, I like how the case was set up, as well as the culprit, even if it was obvious that they were culprit. Ranking: 4th/5th
Recipe for Turnabout- Phoenix fails to defend a waitress who is accused of poisoning a customer. However, that Phoenix was an imposter, so now the real Phoenix must investigate the incident while re-defending the waitress.
This one is my least favorite in Trials and Tribulations, but as I mentioned before I still like it and it still holds up pretty well. The idea of Phoenix having an imposter is really intriguing in theory, but when they put it to use, I felt like they were not using that idea to it's full potential. I also felt that the culprit's plan was really convoluted and didn't make mush sense. One thing about this case that I do like is that it gives Detective Gumshoe (the detective in charge of most of these cases) a chance to shine before the Edgeworth duology was a thing. I also really, REALLY like the culprit's design. Ranking: 5th/5th
Turnabout Beginnings- Mia's (and Edgeworth's) first ever case, where she defends a death row convict after he escapes and is accused of killing the police officer whose testimony got him convicted.
One of the few cases in the Ace Attorney series that doesn't have a happy ending... Even so, this is one of my favorite cases and arguably, one of the best in the series. The way it connects itself with Turnabout Memories while foreshadowing events to come in the next case is something I liked. Taking the opportunity to show what Edgeworth was like when he started out as a prosecutor was pretty cool. The twist with the culprit was obvious, and yet it's still something that was cool to figure out in game. The twist ending was, as mentioned before, really sad and is one of the most heart-breaking moments I have witnessed. It also contains one of the most memorable lines in Ace Attorney: "The only time a lawyer can cry is when it's all over". Ranking: 2nd/5th
Bridge to the Turnabout- Phoenix must defend a nun who looks all-too similar to his ex-girlfriend, who is accused of killing an enigmatic author at a channeling temple.
Turnabout Sisters, Turnabout Goodbyes, Reunion and Turnabout, Turnabout Memories, Turnabout Beginnings. Everything that happened during these 5 cases are now suddenly connected through this final case. Every finale up to this point centered around a main character. Edgeworth's childhood trauma in Turnabout Goodbyes, Phoenix's beliefs as lawyer comin into question in Farewell, My Turnabout, and now Maya being forced to face the insidious side of her family and the dangers of becoming the master of the Kurain Spirit Channeling Technique. This case is my 3rd top favorite in the series, and it's not hard to see why. The spirit of a former culprit coming to haunt Phoenix, the twist behind the culprit and the victim, showing how much Phoenix will go through to not only find his client not guilty, but also save Maya when her life is threatened. Everything about this case is perfect. While the concept of Farewell, My Turnabout being the end of Phoenix's saga makes sense, the way this case wrapped up every event that happened in the past six years made me change my mind. Ranking: 1st/5th
With this, comes the end to Phoenix's saga, as later installments would bring new protagonists. The soundtrack, the characters, every thing about this game I find so pleasing. In fact, this is my 2nd favorite Ace Attorney game (see my favorite games on my profile for my 1st). Obviously, you have to play the previous installments before playing Trials and Tribulations, but trust me, it will be worth every second.