i already knew what to expect gameplay wise going into this game straight off of playing PLvsAA, but i didn't expect it to be this good. i thought losing the layton style investigations would be a huge hit to the experience for me and that i wouldnt be able to get into the series. thankfully i was wrong. it did take me a month and a half to finish due to poor pacing in the back half of the game, mostly in rise from the ashes (and also the release of tears of the kingdom, which caused me to forget every other game i was playing at the time). of course, the writing is on point. it's an absolute joy to press every witness as much as possible and examine every little thing to see all the possible dialogue, which i did through the whole game. i did like rise from the ashes its just easily the weakest part of the game to me due to the first investigation day and trial day being an absolute slog to get through, and ends up being my only real problem with this game. the main overarching story from 1-1 to 1-4 is absolutely phenomenal, and so is day 2 and onwards of rise from the ashes. edgeworth going from the guy i hate to my favorite character is genuinely unmatched character writing and development. overall i fucking love this game its a masterpiece and an absolute classic.

favorite osts: this game literally doesnt have a bad song. the whole ost is just banger after banger it doesnt stop once. i think my personal favorite is the courtroom lobby theme though. it really captures the essence of the entire game to me.