This review contains spoilers
This game has some of the lowest lows and the highest highs of the franchise. On one hand, there are the first and third cases, one which is forgettable, the other which is nonsensical, boring and at times, borderline creepy (uh, two grown adults fighting for a 16 year old girl?).
On the other hand, there's Case 4. My favorite case of the entire series.
There are few instances in which I cry while playing video games. For all the 6 main games and the 2 spin-offs, I only cried once with the Ace Attorney series - and it was with this game.
While Justice for All doesn't offer much in terms of a grand narrative, only really contributing with the introduction of (the utterly adorable) Pearl and her mother, Justice for All works with themes - that is, the theme of Justice.
"What is justice?", the game asks. Is it justice to lust after revenge? Is it justice to imprison someone who's sorry for what they've done? Is it justice to defend someone to the bitter end?
This game, in my opinion, is the one in which Phoenix has the most growth and character development. When Miles returns and tells Phoenix that he'll need to learn what it really means to be a lawyer, he's right. If in the first game it was Edgeworth who had to go through a personal journey, this time, it's Wright the one who's walking down this path.
So, even though the rest of the game is mediocre, I don't care. As I said, Case 4 is still my all-time favorite case. When Phoenix, Maya and Pearl finally reunite... fuck, that's powerful. And that's what I think of Justice for All.
On the other hand, there's Case 4. My favorite case of the entire series.
There are few instances in which I cry while playing video games. For all the 6 main games and the 2 spin-offs, I only cried once with the Ace Attorney series - and it was with this game.
While Justice for All doesn't offer much in terms of a grand narrative, only really contributing with the introduction of (the utterly adorable) Pearl and her mother, Justice for All works with themes - that is, the theme of Justice.
"What is justice?", the game asks. Is it justice to lust after revenge? Is it justice to imprison someone who's sorry for what they've done? Is it justice to defend someone to the bitter end?
This game, in my opinion, is the one in which Phoenix has the most growth and character development. When Miles returns and tells Phoenix that he'll need to learn what it really means to be a lawyer, he's right. If in the first game it was Edgeworth who had to go through a personal journey, this time, it's Wright the one who's walking down this path.
So, even though the rest of the game is mediocre, I don't care. As I said, Case 4 is still my all-time favorite case. When Phoenix, Maya and Pearl finally reunite... fuck, that's powerful. And that's what I think of Justice for All.