This review contains spoilers
At long last, a playthrough roughly seven years in the making has finally been completed. Now that I have finally finished The Great Ace Attorney 2, a game I've been anxiously waiting to be blown away by since its initial 2017 release in Japan, I can't help but think this is probably the best visual novel I'll ever play in my life.
Unfortunately I was aware of the major story beats prior to playing; Back when it first came out in Japan, I had searched up clips of major moments since there was no indication that this game would ever come to the west. That is, until the collection released in 2021, and yet for whatever reason I was still sort of scared to actually jump into this. It took another three years since then, but I've played it now, and the wait was worth it. Even after numerous spoilers I was still blown away by the quality of TGAA2's writing. Every major character in the cast is given the time and attention needed for a full arc with a satisfying conclusion. My favorite character in TGAA1 was Gina and they did her so much justice here, too. In fact, not a single character, witness, etc. felt underutilized or overstayed their welcome.
The case quality is fantastic, from beginning to end. I think a lot of people would rank case 3 the highest, but the beginning half is a little slow and the very end of the trial section had me a bit confused. Still, it was shocking just how much it felt as climactic as a final case in any other Ace Attorney game. My favorite is easily the final case; Shu Takumi really fired on all cylinders, giving every major character something interesting to do or confront. Also, the ending made me cry, because this game is just that wonderful.
One last thing I want to mention is this game's themes. Not only does it have the typical Ace Attorney themes of seeking the truth, trusting your client, etc., but TGAA2 also explores in depth the dangers of putting full faith and loyalty in your idols, believing them to be flawless. Ryunosuke, Kazuma, Gregson, van Zieks, Gina, and many other characters are confronted with this idea throughout the game, and I absolutely adore the differences in how each character handles the revelations that come. Absolutely incredible video game, I wish I could forget everything and start all over again.
Unfortunately I was aware of the major story beats prior to playing; Back when it first came out in Japan, I had searched up clips of major moments since there was no indication that this game would ever come to the west. That is, until the collection released in 2021, and yet for whatever reason I was still sort of scared to actually jump into this. It took another three years since then, but I've played it now, and the wait was worth it. Even after numerous spoilers I was still blown away by the quality of TGAA2's writing. Every major character in the cast is given the time and attention needed for a full arc with a satisfying conclusion. My favorite character in TGAA1 was Gina and they did her so much justice here, too. In fact, not a single character, witness, etc. felt underutilized or overstayed their welcome.
The case quality is fantastic, from beginning to end. I think a lot of people would rank case 3 the highest, but the beginning half is a little slow and the very end of the trial section had me a bit confused. Still, it was shocking just how much it felt as climactic as a final case in any other Ace Attorney game. My favorite is easily the final case; Shu Takumi really fired on all cylinders, giving every major character something interesting to do or confront. Also, the ending made me cry, because this game is just that wonderful.
One last thing I want to mention is this game's themes. Not only does it have the typical Ace Attorney themes of seeking the truth, trusting your client, etc., but TGAA2 also explores in depth the dangers of putting full faith and loyalty in your idols, believing them to be flawless. Ryunosuke, Kazuma, Gregson, van Zieks, Gina, and many other characters are confronted with this idea throughout the game, and I absolutely adore the differences in how each character handles the revelations that come. Absolutely incredible video game, I wish I could forget everything and start all over again.