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 !!