much like Apollo the game is fine! just fine.
it has a really strong first case and I love the new sprite art and 3d models - especially with the new perceive ability highlighting little details within the sprites. you can really see the new love given to ace attorney here
however directly afterwords the cases become rather weak and the stolen panties subplot was uncomfortable for me to play through. it does finish on a high note and Phoenix's character arc is very satisfying but the middle of the game is difficult to ignore. trials and tribulations was always going to be a tough act to follow so I feel a soft reboot was for the best, even if nothing remarkable happens

much, much stronger than the original butterfly soup in every way. brianna lei's writing has really matured; where the original i felt suffered from severe tonal whiplash and attempting to tackle serious subject matter without a payoff i felt this game was extremely charming, nostalgic, and almost painfully true to life. Diya's experience with her mother in particular was hauntingly familiar to me but the game still managed to be hopeful about the ability of people to change or ability to love unconditionally. there's so much more i could say but i will simply put it as: looking forward to more, bravo

could have been so much more but as the free updates get rolled out i realize how they're all the same thing in a new coat of paint.
the game also tries really hard to be both the most convenient and inconvenient game in the series-- many qol changes like inventory expansion and crafting but you often get the same recipes over and over with no ability to decline them, etc.
I could go on, but I will end it at that i'm glad this game came out when it did. I needed the escape it provided back in the beginning of the pandemic, but the longer I stay away the more I don't see myself returning unfortunately.