SHiNGUJi
"No one can change the past. The only thing we can do is strive to make up for our mistakes. Why must we make up for our mistakes, you ask? Because in doing so... we can find the way back to our path. And once we've found our path, we can move on from our past mistakes toward a brighter future." -Phoenix Wright
The Ace Attorney series is about a man named Phoenix Wright and his tales as a defense attorney. The series has always been known as a non-gameplay heavy series, and even so, it is still a series I would recommend you pick up story-wise.
However, because of that, I would quickly run out of things to say if I were to just talk about this game in general. Thus, I will talk about each of the cases as well rank them based on how much I liked them.
First Turnabout- Phoenix defends his troublemaker friend after he is accused of murder.
Not really much to say about this one. It does a somewhat good job introducing the characters and world of AA, but gets outshined in that regard by the next case. The main problem is that it's extremely short, like you can beat this case in 5 minutes. It's good at explaining the main mechanics though. Ranking: 5th/5th
Turnabout Sisters- Phoenix defends the younger sister of his mentor while facing off against his childhood friend, Miles Edgeworth.
Now THIS is where the game starts to kick things off. Introducing important characters, setting up a big plot point that would become important later on in the game, this case sets the expectations of what you would come across in the series. It's also pretty short, but not 5 minutes short like the previous case. The one I really dislike about this case is how they shove Phoenix into the backseat to explore some of the other character's lore for the rest of the game. Ranking: 3rd/5th
Turnabout Samurai- Phoenix defends an actor on a kid's show who is accused of killing his co-star.
Not every case in the series is going to be some insane lore-building case, so sometimes you'll get filler cases like this one. That doesn't mean they're all bad though. This one is alright, it doesn't have anything too crazy in it. Unlike the two previous cases, this case's problem is that it's too long. It has three days of trials and investigations, which add up to six segments, which is especially long for a filler case. But I still think it's more interesting than the first case. Ranking: 4th/5th
Turnabout Goodbyes- Phoenix defends Edgeworth while also investigating an incident 15 years ago that turned Edgeworth into a cold and cruel prosecutor.
Now this is PEAK right here!!!! Having Phoenix face against his childhood friend-turned-rival's tragic past to thank him for being the reason why he is now a defense attorney. Standing up for Edgeworth when no one else will because he did the same for Phoenix, even though it meant going head-to-head in court against a man who could be considered the greatest prosecutor in the world. Yuuuup, that's peak yaoi right there. It's the same length as Turnabout Samurai, but it doesn't feel like it's too long. In my opinion this case is one of the best in the series. Ranking: 1st/5th
Rise from the Ashes- Phoenix defends the Chief Prosecutor with the help of her sister while also investigating a case that happened 2 years ago that's strangely connected to the case at hand.
Originally, Ace Attorney got it's start on the GBA, but when it was ported to the DS, this case was added to make use of some of the aforementioned handheld's features. In terms of writing, I think it's on par with Turnabout Goodbyes. But while Turnabout Goodbyes had the cases before it to create a build up for it, Rise from the Ashes doesn't have that. It's just a standalone case, so it doesn't have much of an impact like it's predecessor. I also hope whoever designed the jar puzzle was fired and banned from ever working on a video game again. Ranking: 2nd/5th
Talking about the game in general, the soundtrack is alright and characters are pretty good (Edgeworth is my favorite AA character for future reference). I also liked how the game being non-gameplay heavy makes it easy for anyone to pick this game up and enjoy (except for that jar puzzle, that shit sucks ass). As mentioned before, I don't like how they just shove Phoenix to backseat to expand on other character's lore (a common problem this series has). But, overall, yeah this game was pretty great and I'd recommend it if you like story driven games.
The Ace Attorney series is about a man named Phoenix Wright and his tales as a defense attorney. The series has always been known as a non-gameplay heavy series, and even so, it is still a series I would recommend you pick up story-wise.
However, because of that, I would quickly run out of things to say if I were to just talk about this game in general. Thus, I will talk about each of the cases as well rank them based on how much I liked them.
First Turnabout- Phoenix defends his troublemaker friend after he is accused of murder.
Not really much to say about this one. It does a somewhat good job introducing the characters and world of AA, but gets outshined in that regard by the next case. The main problem is that it's extremely short, like you can beat this case in 5 minutes. It's good at explaining the main mechanics though. Ranking: 5th/5th
Turnabout Sisters- Phoenix defends the younger sister of his mentor while facing off against his childhood friend, Miles Edgeworth.
Now THIS is where the game starts to kick things off. Introducing important characters, setting up a big plot point that would become important later on in the game, this case sets the expectations of what you would come across in the series. It's also pretty short, but not 5 minutes short like the previous case. The one I really dislike about this case is how they shove Phoenix into the backseat to explore some of the other character's lore for the rest of the game. Ranking: 3rd/5th
Turnabout Samurai- Phoenix defends an actor on a kid's show who is accused of killing his co-star.
Not every case in the series is going to be some insane lore-building case, so sometimes you'll get filler cases like this one. That doesn't mean they're all bad though. This one is alright, it doesn't have anything too crazy in it. Unlike the two previous cases, this case's problem is that it's too long. It has three days of trials and investigations, which add up to six segments, which is especially long for a filler case. But I still think it's more interesting than the first case. Ranking: 4th/5th
Turnabout Goodbyes- Phoenix defends Edgeworth while also investigating an incident 15 years ago that turned Edgeworth into a cold and cruel prosecutor.
Now this is PEAK right here!!!! Having Phoenix face against his childhood friend-turned-rival's tragic past to thank him for being the reason why he is now a defense attorney. Standing up for Edgeworth when no one else will because he did the same for Phoenix, even though it meant going head-to-head in court against a man who could be considered the greatest prosecutor in the world. Yuuuup, that's peak yaoi right there. It's the same length as Turnabout Samurai, but it doesn't feel like it's too long. In my opinion this case is one of the best in the series. Ranking: 1st/5th
Rise from the Ashes- Phoenix defends the Chief Prosecutor with the help of her sister while also investigating a case that happened 2 years ago that's strangely connected to the case at hand.
Originally, Ace Attorney got it's start on the GBA, but when it was ported to the DS, this case was added to make use of some of the aforementioned handheld's features. In terms of writing, I think it's on par with Turnabout Goodbyes. But while Turnabout Goodbyes had the cases before it to create a build up for it, Rise from the Ashes doesn't have that. It's just a standalone case, so it doesn't have much of an impact like it's predecessor. I also hope whoever designed the jar puzzle was fired and banned from ever working on a video game again. Ranking: 2nd/5th
Talking about the game in general, the soundtrack is alright and characters are pretty good (Edgeworth is my favorite AA character for future reference). I also liked how the game being non-gameplay heavy makes it easy for anyone to pick this game up and enjoy (except for that jar puzzle, that shit sucks ass). As mentioned before, I don't like how they just shove Phoenix to backseat to expand on other character's lore (a common problem this series has). But, overall, yeah this game was pretty great and I'd recommend it if you like story driven games.
1999
PaRappa defined the rhythm genre. Lammy perfected it.
I've played PaRappa 1 and 2 before and now I've finally got around to playing this game. I can proudly say that not only is this the best rhythm game I've played, but also one of the best games I've played.
The gameplay is simple, you get a sequence of buttons to press and you have to press them in time with the stage's song. Simplistic, but really fun.
An improvement this game has over PaRappa 1 is that the timing in UJL is much better than in PaRappa 1. But it still has a welcome amount of difficulty, unlike PaRappa 2, which I felt was too easy.
I deducted half a star because the difficulty for stages 6 and 7 can feel frustrating sometimes, but otherwise a really great game that, along with PaRappa 1, became a pioneer for the rhythm game genre.
It also gave us the best cutscene of all time
I've played PaRappa 1 and 2 before and now I've finally got around to playing this game. I can proudly say that not only is this the best rhythm game I've played, but also one of the best games I've played.
The gameplay is simple, you get a sequence of buttons to press and you have to press them in time with the stage's song. Simplistic, but really fun.
An improvement this game has over PaRappa 1 is that the timing in UJL is much better than in PaRappa 1. But it still has a welcome amount of difficulty, unlike PaRappa 2, which I felt was too easy.
I deducted half a star because the difficulty for stages 6 and 7 can feel frustrating sometimes, but otherwise a really great game that, along with PaRappa 1, became a pioneer for the rhythm game genre.
It also gave us the best cutscene of all time
To be honest, the reason it took me so long to beat this game was because the third stratum in Etrian 3 kind of ruined the thought of playing video games for a while (It's such dogshit that I'm talking shit about it in a review for another game!).
At first, I was little turned off by the fact that demons can't level up in this game (something I'm used to in the MegaTen games I've played), but I've got over it and actually enjoyed this game a lot.
Gameplay-wise, it obviously shares a lot of core MegaTen mechanics with other games (summoning demons, fusing them to create stronger ones, etc.), but it has some mechanics that are exclusive to the Devil Summoner series, such as Demon Loyalty, and Zoma Fusion.
Zoma Fusion was ok, it allowed you to create your own demon with it's own skillset, but it was only helpful during the mid-game, at least for me. Demon Loyalty (which is where demons have personality types and having them respond accordingly to those types increase their loyalty to you) on the other hand, is a great mechanic that might seem limiting and complex at first, but once you figure it out, it gives demons a little bit of individuality that they don't get in the mainline games.
This game has a great story, where the protagonist obtains a gun-looking computer that unleashes a demon that possesses his friend. Together, they fight against a secret society that conspires to steal everyone's souls to summon a demon that will destroy the world. I don't want to spoil the story, but it gets pretty crazy.
The soundtrack is good and so was the voice acting, especially Cassandra Lee Morris' performance as Hitomi/Nemissa. I also liked the Vision Quests and how they used the perspectives of other minor characters to progress the story, as well as the first Vision Quest being used to help the player get a feel of how the game plays. The dungeons were good as well, and unlike some dungeons whose name I will not repeat, they don't feel like a slog to get through.
It's a MegaTen game so some of the random encounters can feel unforgiving sometimes, but overall, I'd say you should check this game out if you like JRPGs. If you're a MegaTen fan, then this game is a must play
At first, I was little turned off by the fact that demons can't level up in this game (something I'm used to in the MegaTen games I've played), but I've got over it and actually enjoyed this game a lot.
Gameplay-wise, it obviously shares a lot of core MegaTen mechanics with other games (summoning demons, fusing them to create stronger ones, etc.), but it has some mechanics that are exclusive to the Devil Summoner series, such as Demon Loyalty, and Zoma Fusion.
Zoma Fusion was ok, it allowed you to create your own demon with it's own skillset, but it was only helpful during the mid-game, at least for me. Demon Loyalty (which is where demons have personality types and having them respond accordingly to those types increase their loyalty to you) on the other hand, is a great mechanic that might seem limiting and complex at first, but once you figure it out, it gives demons a little bit of individuality that they don't get in the mainline games.
This game has a great story, where the protagonist obtains a gun-looking computer that unleashes a demon that possesses his friend. Together, they fight against a secret society that conspires to steal everyone's souls to summon a demon that will destroy the world. I don't want to spoil the story, but it gets pretty crazy.
The soundtrack is good and so was the voice acting, especially Cassandra Lee Morris' performance as Hitomi/Nemissa. I also liked the Vision Quests and how they used the perspectives of other minor characters to progress the story, as well as the first Vision Quest being used to help the player get a feel of how the game plays. The dungeons were good as well, and unlike some dungeons whose name I will not repeat, they don't feel like a slog to get through.
It's a MegaTen game so some of the random encounters can feel unforgiving sometimes, but overall, I'd say you should check this game out if you like JRPGs. If you're a MegaTen fan, then this game is a must play
2009
I remember getting this game as a kid and having a lot of fun. I still greatly enjoy it to this day. Great little time waster. If you're looking for good puzzle games on the DS, give this one a go.
With Etrian 2 leaving a somewhat bitter taste in my mouth, I decided to move on to Etrian 3, hoping that it would be better than the last, and it was.
Etrian 3 added a lot of new stuff, such as seafaring, subclasses for even more customization, and new classes that replace the old ones.
Gameplay is still the usual, with some new tweaks, such as campsites on each floor as a healing spot (provided you bring a tent), Limit attacks that your team can use when their limit bars are full (Boost, Force, and now Limit, they really don't know what they want to do with that thing) and Stratums being four floors instead of 5.
I honestly had a blast with this game, subclasses were fun to use and the soundtrack is as good as ever. Material gathering still sucks, but it's not as obnoxious as it was in 2.
This one is my new favorite entry of the Etrian series, so I would give it five stars, right?
However...
The third Stratum in this game is by far the WORST dungeon I have ever experienced. It was so bad, I almost shelved this game, in fact, when I finally beat it, I didn't touch the game for a month because it was so awful. It's infested with damage tiles, the puzzles make the floors feel longer then they already are, and it has enemies that can kill you even if you're prepared.
Even though the third Stratum is complete dogshit, that's really the only bad thing this game has. Honestly, I'd say this game is a better entry point for the EO series than 1 is. I'd recommend this game and would ask you to just please push through the third Stratum.
Etrian 3 added a lot of new stuff, such as seafaring, subclasses for even more customization, and new classes that replace the old ones.
Gameplay is still the usual, with some new tweaks, such as campsites on each floor as a healing spot (provided you bring a tent), Limit attacks that your team can use when their limit bars are full (Boost, Force, and now Limit, they really don't know what they want to do with that thing) and Stratums being four floors instead of 5.
I honestly had a blast with this game, subclasses were fun to use and the soundtrack is as good as ever. Material gathering still sucks, but it's not as obnoxious as it was in 2.
This one is my new favorite entry of the Etrian series, so I would give it five stars, right?
However...
The third Stratum in this game is by far the WORST dungeon I have ever experienced. It was so bad, I almost shelved this game, in fact, when I finally beat it, I didn't touch the game for a month because it was so awful. It's infested with damage tiles, the puzzles make the floors feel longer then they already are, and it has enemies that can kill you even if you're prepared.
Even though the third Stratum is complete dogshit, that's really the only bad thing this game has. Honestly, I'd say this game is a better entry point for the EO series than 1 is. I'd recommend this game and would ask you to just please push through the third Stratum.
Quite possibly one of the greatest RPGs I have ever played. I remember trying out this game, confident in my MegaTen skills after beating Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4, only to receive a brutal kick to the face for having no Etrian Odyssey experience whatsoever. I decided to give it another go after beating Etrian 1 and 2, and boy am I glad I did.
The gameplay combines crucial EO elements (Teams of 5 separated into two rows, map drawing, status ailments being somewhat useful), with bits and pieces of Persona elements thrown in the mix (Using personas/Fusing personas, obviously using the casts of Persona 3 and 4, as well as re-using the enemies from said games). It still contains the classic Atlus difficulty as well as the early-on EO difficulty, but this time it only feels challenging, not frustrating.
In terms of story, this game has one of the best stories (In my opinion) in the series. I won't spoil it in case you guys want to play it for yourself, but essentially, the casts of Persona 3 and 4 become trapped in a culture festival in another world, with some of the displays being the labyrinths you traverse through. They then meet two original characters and together, they try to find their way back to their own world as well as find out reason they were trapped here to begin with.
The soundtrack is great (especially the boss themes) and with gameplay that's fun yet challenging and never feels repetitive (One of my biggest gripes with the Etrian series), its no wonder I gave this game 5 stars
But you want to know what the best part is?
THEY FIXED ETRIAN'S MATERIAL GATHERING SYSTEM
Thank the fucking lord for that. Etrian's material gathering system sucked major ass because it forced you waste precious skill points just for a little extra money and more weapons/armor. But this game doesn't have skill points so instead they have it to where you can just gather materials at a power spot 3-5 times without the need for any special skills. I swear to god when I found out, I saw the light and heard God's heavenly choir and trumpets playing.
So yeah, pretty great game overall. If you're an Etrian fan, this is an easy recommendation. But if you're a Persona/MegaTen fan, I recommend playing at least Etrian 1 first.
The gameplay combines crucial EO elements (Teams of 5 separated into two rows, map drawing, status ailments being somewhat useful), with bits and pieces of Persona elements thrown in the mix (Using personas/Fusing personas, obviously using the casts of Persona 3 and 4, as well as re-using the enemies from said games). It still contains the classic Atlus difficulty as well as the early-on EO difficulty, but this time it only feels challenging, not frustrating.
In terms of story, this game has one of the best stories (In my opinion) in the series. I won't spoil it in case you guys want to play it for yourself, but essentially, the casts of Persona 3 and 4 become trapped in a culture festival in another world, with some of the displays being the labyrinths you traverse through. They then meet two original characters and together, they try to find their way back to their own world as well as find out reason they were trapped here to begin with.
The soundtrack is great (especially the boss themes) and with gameplay that's fun yet challenging and never feels repetitive (One of my biggest gripes with the Etrian series), its no wonder I gave this game 5 stars
But you want to know what the best part is?
THEY FIXED ETRIAN'S MATERIAL GATHERING SYSTEM
Thank the fucking lord for that. Etrian's material gathering system sucked major ass because it forced you waste precious skill points just for a little extra money and more weapons/armor. But this game doesn't have skill points so instead they have it to where you can just gather materials at a power spot 3-5 times without the need for any special skills. I swear to god when I found out, I saw the light and heard God's heavenly choir and trumpets playing.
So yeah, pretty great game overall. If you're an Etrian fan, this is an easy recommendation. But if you're a Persona/MegaTen fan, I recommend playing at least Etrian 1 first.
2023
I'm writing this just after beating the game and while I will admit this game is still a good game, it's just not as enjoyable as the first one.
For starters, the difficulty has been ramped up in comparison to EO1. FOEs no longer give out exp, TP cost has been dramatically increased for almost all skills, a lot of the old classes have been nerfed, gathering resources has somehow become even worse (I'm hoping in future games they revamp the gathering system so that you don't have to waste precious skill points on it), and a lot of the enemies have become a lot more tedious and unforgiving.
While I'm on the topic of the gathering system, is it just me or are there more fetch quests that ask you to get rare items than there were in EO1? The rare items also seem a lot more rarer too.
If there is one thing this game has over EO1, it's that the soundtrack is a MASSIVE improvement. It's also an exact replica of the original EO2 soundtrack but this one sounds a lot better than the first one.
In terms of aesthetics, I also think this game has better stratums than EO1. In fact, I think Frozen Grounds and Petal Bridge might be the best stratums in the series (at the time of writing this, I have only played 1 and 2 so if i somehow find better stratums I'll edit this).
So yeah, overall I'd say this game shares a lot of the stuff that make the first game great, but is bogged down by the difficulty increase. So while I do recommend you play this game, I only recommend you play it if you enjoyed the first one and wouldn't be surprised if you said you skipped this one.
For starters, the difficulty has been ramped up in comparison to EO1. FOEs no longer give out exp, TP cost has been dramatically increased for almost all skills, a lot of the old classes have been nerfed, gathering resources has somehow become even worse (I'm hoping in future games they revamp the gathering system so that you don't have to waste precious skill points on it), and a lot of the enemies have become a lot more tedious and unforgiving.
While I'm on the topic of the gathering system, is it just me or are there more fetch quests that ask you to get rare items than there were in EO1? The rare items also seem a lot more rarer too.
If there is one thing this game has over EO1, it's that the soundtrack is a MASSIVE improvement. It's also an exact replica of the original EO2 soundtrack but this one sounds a lot better than the first one.
In terms of aesthetics, I also think this game has better stratums than EO1. In fact, I think Frozen Grounds and Petal Bridge might be the best stratums in the series (at the time of writing this, I have only played 1 and 2 so if i somehow find better stratums I'll edit this).
So yeah, overall I'd say this game shares a lot of the stuff that make the first game great, but is bogged down by the difficulty increase. So while I do recommend you play this game, I only recommend you play it if you enjoyed the first one and wouldn't be surprised if you said you skipped this one.
2023
This review contains spoilers
A classic Atlus RPG for the DS remastered, Etrian Odyssey is a first person dungeon crawler that allows you to create your own party, as well as draw your own map.
You can create your own party out of the seven classes available (with two more classes unlocked later on in the game) each with their own set of skills, making each playthrough of the game feel unique.
In terms of difficulty, the game starts off roughly (especially at the very beginning and during the second stratum, where a lot of the enemies can kill you in one shot. This IS an Atlus RPG after all) but mellows out the deeper you go while still feeling a bit challenging at times.
The soundtrack is a complete replica of the DS version, making it sound a bit dated, but enjoyable nonetheless.
While the game lacks in story early on (it starts out with your party arriving at a small town known as Etria and being enlisted by an organization known as Radha to explore the Yggdrasil Labyrinth), it gets pretty good around the end of the fourth stratum. In the fifth stratum, the game drops a huge bombshell out of nowhere and reveals that instead of a fantasy world, the setting of Etrian Odyssey is actually a post-apocalyptic Japan (similar to Shin Megami Tensei IV now that I think about it) and the chieftain of the Radha is over 1,000 years old and is the one who created the labyrinth.
The gameplay can feel repetitive at times, and due to the early difficulty, you won't have a good amount of money (you will be constantly spending it on resting, reviving your party members, and buying warp wires to get out of the labyrinth without risking a game over) until the 3rd floor (which will take a while, trust me). But overall the game is great and I would recommend it to anybody who plays and enjoys RPGs.
You can create your own party out of the seven classes available (with two more classes unlocked later on in the game) each with their own set of skills, making each playthrough of the game feel unique.
In terms of difficulty, the game starts off roughly (especially at the very beginning and during the second stratum, where a lot of the enemies can kill you in one shot. This IS an Atlus RPG after all) but mellows out the deeper you go while still feeling a bit challenging at times.
The soundtrack is a complete replica of the DS version, making it sound a bit dated, but enjoyable nonetheless.
While the game lacks in story early on (it starts out with your party arriving at a small town known as Etria and being enlisted by an organization known as Radha to explore the Yggdrasil Labyrinth), it gets pretty good around the end of the fourth stratum. In the fifth stratum, the game drops a huge bombshell out of nowhere and reveals that instead of a fantasy world, the setting of Etrian Odyssey is actually a post-apocalyptic Japan (similar to Shin Megami Tensei IV now that I think about it) and the chieftain of the Radha is over 1,000 years old and is the one who created the labyrinth.
The gameplay can feel repetitive at times, and due to the early difficulty, you won't have a good amount of money (you will be constantly spending it on resting, reviving your party members, and buying warp wires to get out of the labyrinth without risking a game over) until the 3rd floor (which will take a while, trust me). But overall the game is great and I would recommend it to anybody who plays and enjoys RPGs.