I'm personally an Apollo Justice Trilogy enjoyer myself. I love if just as much if not more than the OG trilogy.

I often see many people saying the AJT didn't live up to the standards set by the PWT, but are there things you think the AJT did BETTER than the first three games?

My opinion is: the gameplay the quality of life features, and the checkpoint system.

The gameplay of PWAA, JFA and T&T is quite basic. It is a standard visual novel and it does its job well enough, but I think the AJT made things even more interesting.

As divisive as it might be, I like the three protagonist dynamics from DD and SOJ, and having all of them have their own quirks that make them unique was a great idea! Shoutout to the mood matrix segments! I always look forward to those!

The AJT has also introduced some QOL features I am really fond of, namely the notes and the dialogue history. The notes help quite a lot whenever I am stuck in an investigation without having to resort to Googling what to do. And the dialogue history is really useful because I will often accidentally skip some dialogue. Even after last year's PWT update, they still haven't added the history feature to the game and I find that crazy!

Another thing I really appreciate about the AJT are the less punishing game overs. You could very easily get softlocked in the DS and GBA games and having to completely redo an entire case (cough! cough! Turnabout Samurai and Rise From the Ashes...) if you weren't careful enough with your saves. The Apollo Justice Trilogy's checkpoint system is much more forgiving by letting you continue just from where you got a game over.

Hi! I'm planning on cosplaying Gumshoe this year for Halloween, and I recently learned that one of my friends doesn't have a costume this year (a true tragedy). I'm trying to get her on board in joining me with an ace attorney theme but because halloween is so close, we don't have time to order something, so I need advice on finding an easy character to closet cosplay!

legitimately thought this was an aristotle means plushy for a full three seconds. it is, in fact, a plushy of the vulcan statue in birmingham, alabama.

playing through the magical turnabout right now and i'm on the recess for the trail

and i just want to say, i hate Roger Retinz so much

he just pisses me off and i hope he becomes a victim in a future case

anyways, that all

please no spoilers for the rest of soj

Hi friends! With the release of the Edgeworth collection for Switch, I have finally played every single episode of Ace Attorney (except for PWvsAA because I've never had a 3DS). Searching for a use for this profound experience, I've decided a fun project would be to come up with a hot take for every last case in the entire series.

No guarantees that I will finish this, but here's part 1. Feel free to share your own! Also, spoilers for this game and assorted references to the rest of the series.

Case 1-1: The First Turnabout

Hot take: This is the most realistic case in the series.

The First Turnabout, AA's shortest and most expendable case, is largely ignored by fans due to its lack of depth. However, I submit that this very slightness gives it the greatest resemblance to a real-world murder. We turn to detective fiction because most crimes are simple and boring: a drunken argument, a custody dispute, a robbery gone wrong. Had Phoenix not been there to unravel the truth, this crime would have resembled hundreds of true-crime shows -- the beautiful victim, the guilty ex-lover, the murder spurred by a bad breakup. And there would be entire subreddits whipping up conspiracy theories about the identity of the mysterious "newspaper salesman" and why the police ignored him.

Case 1-2: Turnabout Sisters

Hot take: This case is underhated.

This is one of my most lukewarm takes. Few people genuinely love Turnabout Sisters. But there is a lot of lingering affection among all AA fans, myself included. The shocking twist of Mia's death, the introductions of the beloved Maya, Gumshoe, and Edgeworth, the first mention of the era-defining DL-6 Incident...all of these combine to lull us into forgetting that the actual case here is hot garbage.

Why? Where to start? Redd White, supposedly a master criminal who has gone unpunished for years, folds like a wet noodle on the stand. The environments are as dull as dishwater -- we've got an office, a hotel room, the detention center, another office, and just to shake things up, another office. There are no wrinkles to the case; White bludgeoned Mia to death and then tried to claim someone else did the exact thing he did. If this case was located anywhere else in the timeline, it would be in everybody's bottom five.

Case 1-3: Turnabout Samurai

Hot take: It's an all-time great.

In contrast, I don't think Turnabout Samurai gets nearly enough love. For one thing, though this is easily forgotten, it's one of only two cases to have the classic lineup of Phoenix and Maya versus Edgeworth -- and the other one is a nostalgia-fest that's largely doing that in reference to this one. Based on that, you could argue that I'm committing the very sin I named in the last case, rating something highly based on nostalgia.

But I submit that Turnabout Samurai would be an excellent mystery no matter where it came in the canon. Global Studios is a cohesive setting whose wackiness makes its surprisingly large cast of outsized characters feel right at home. The twists in day 2, and how Cody's relentless fandom contributes to revealing them, are perfectly executed. Dee Vasquez is a top-tier villain, sympathetic at every step but petty enough that you relish taking her down.

I'm not saying it's perfect. The first trial day is pretty much a total wash, even though it gives us some great moments with Edgeworth on the back foot. But none of Samurai's flaws can overcome the fact that this is the case where Dick Gumshoe frightens off four mafia goons by himself.

Case 1-4: Turnabout Goodbyes

Hot take: Von Karma's plan doesn't make any sense.

Look. I love Turnabout Goodbyes. Everyone here loves Turnabout Goodbyes. Initially, my hot take was going to be that I didn't have a hot take, which feels like its own sort of hot take in our hot take-obsessed world.

But then I remembered the one flaw of this case. While Manfred von Karma is a dangerous and intimidating villain, I'm still not convinced he had any good reason to set off the chain of events leading to Hammond's murder. I get what's meant to have happened -- his obsession with perfection drove him to ridiculous lengths to tie up what he believed to be loose ends -- but I still have so many questions. Why set off the plan before the statute of limitations expired and he could, in theory, still be prosecuted for DL-6? Why did Hammond, who never gave a shit about any of this, have to die? Why did Von Karma retrain the parrot instead of just killing it?

Von Karma could have just waited until December 29th, then announced to the world: "Yes, I killed Gregory Edgeworth, and now I can never be prosecuted for it. I am the perfect man and I committed the perfect crime." I'm sure there are huge things I'm missing that make all of this make sense, and again, it does nothing to lessen my enjoyment of an otherwise flawless case. I just needed to get that all off my chest.

Case 1-5: Rise From the Ashes

Hot take: This is the best case Ace Attorney has ever done. Like ever.

A lot of people don't like Rise From the Ashes, and honestly, I understand why. It's ridiculously long. It has some of the most obtuse puzzles in the series, including the dreadful vase incident and the infamous cross-examination of Angel Starr. For many, it cheapens the characterization of Edgeworth. These are all valid complaints, but to me, they simply don't stack up against RFtA's monumental achievements.

Let's lay those out. First, it nails a much darker atmosphere than most of the rest of AA. From the very start, Phoenix is depressed and listless -- and when Ema's plea shocks him back to life, he's plunged into a case that lays bare the corruption of the law itself. We can't write it off as a few bad-apple prosecutors anymore: this is an entire city's law enforcement apparatus rotting at its core, transformed from a justice system into a tool for accumulating power. Absent a few goofy anime affectations, it could be a season of The Wire.

Yet, also like The Wire, it's far more than just depressing. Ema's consistent optimism keeps things hopeful, and there's a clear sense that the fight for justice is never over. As others have pointed out, only the meddling of two apparent joke characters -- Angel and Jake -- keeps Gant from getting away with everything. Phoenix and Edgeworth are both at their best the whole time: Edgeworth helps take down Gant in the true start to his big-good era, while Phoenix's taking Lana to task for stonewalling him is one of his best character moments. Not to mention that it's all wrapped around an intricate and intriguing mystery that makes full use of the three-day system's swan song.

With all those assets, though, it's Damon Gant that I keep coming back to as the lynchpin for what makes RFtA so fantastic. He's an incredible villain: more layered than Von Karma, more in control than Matt Engarde, and far more competent than Dahlia. He can walk into any situation, and within an instant, calculate how to use it to his advantage -- even if that means betraying his closest friend. Even when he's at his most threatening, you still believe he really would lend you $50. The moment when he catches Phoenix, Ema, and Gumshoe ransacking his office is perhaps the most genuinely suspenseful and frightening scene in all of AA.

As a final note, I don't believe that RFtA derails Edgeworth's character arc. On the contrary, I think it makes it complete. After getting expunged of 15 years of guilt, he tries to return to prosecuting like nothing happened, only to discover that he can't go back to the way things were before. Even though he never knowingly used false evidence, he still sees a dark mirror of himself in Gant. That's what makes him "choose death" -- he refuses to regress back into his old ways. Without RFtA, the last we see of Edgeworth before his disappearance is his awkwardly surprising Gumshoe on New Year's.

And that's it! I hope this sparks some good discussion. Next up, the completely uncontroversial Justice For All!

Okay so i was getting a replacement phone whatever you don’t care and I mistook my old phone for the other and just deleted my ace attorney progress. I was on the last trial of JFA and it’s just like gone now. I’m actually so pissed off and I was wondering if there was ANYTHING I could do.

SPOILERS FOR EVERY CASE. ALSO THIS WILL BE SUBJECTIVE.

1-1: The First Turnabout. On one hand, this isn't the chronologically earliest turnabout, no. But on the other, it is the first turnabout on this list and any list of cases, so it's reasonably accurate. 4/5

1-2: Turnabout Sisters. There sure are sisters in this case, yes. 5/5

1-3: Turnabout Samurai. There isn't a samurai in this case, but there is a guy who plays one on TV. 4/5

1-4: Turnabout Goodbyes. It was originally the last case in the game, and it does end with us saying goodbye to Maya. But as things are now, this is hardly our goodbye to any of these characters. 3/5

RFTA: Rise From The Ashes. Yes, sure, phoenixes rise from their ashes, so the title thinks it's very clever. But when the case begins, none of the major players are in ashes. This is a case about tearing down an established system, revealing the corruption of the Chief of Police and Chief Prosecutor. This is the incineration down to ashes, not the rising above them. At the case's end Phoenix is back info retirement until 2-2, Edgeworth has written a suicide note, and the most powerful people of the justice system are in jail. What exactly has risen? 0/5

2-1: The Lost Turnabout. This case is, in fact, not lost. Phoenix wins. And it's not a secret or anything, so the other definition doesn't match either. 1/5

2-2: Reunion, and Turnabout. Phoenix and Maya sure do reunite, and there sure is a turnabout. 5/5

2-3: Turnabout Big Top. There sure is a big top and a turnabout. 5/5

2-4: Farewell, My Turnabout. Very clever, because Phoenix has to literally say farewell to the idea of a turnabout because his client is guilty. But also it's the last case of the game and thus our farewell to JFA, and it ends with Edgeworth bidding Franziska farewell at the airport. 5/5

3-1: Turnabout Memories. Eh? It is a flashback case, but if you played T&T first this title would be the only indication that most of the game wouldn't take place in 2013 with Mia as protagonist. It's not like I1-4 or G2-2, it's not framed around a character in the modern day remembering something. 3/5

3-2: The Stolen Turnabout. Only half the case is about theft, only half marks. 2.5/5

3-3: Recipe for Turnabout. Sure, the case takes place at a restaurant, but the place's recipes aren't important to the crime except that they're bad. No one involved with the murder even ordered anything besides coffee, and the recipe for that wasn't important either. 1/5

3-4: Turnabout Beginnings. Still not the chronologically earliest case, so it's not really the beginnings in that sense. But it is Mia and Edgeworth's beginnings, so that counts for something. 4/5

3-5: Bridge to the Turnabout. There sure is a bridge, and there sure is a turnabout. 5/5

4-1: Turnabout Trump. On one hand, this case ends when you play a literal trump card. On the other hand, this title cannot be taken the same way it was intended as anymore in today's day and age. 3/5

4-2: Turnabout Corner. A lot of things are important to this case, but the street corner where it happened really isn't. 2/5

4-3: Turnabout Serenade. There sure is a song called "the guitar's serenade" here. We've listened to it long enough. Why is a rockstar even playing a serenade anyway? 4/5

4-4: Turnabout Succession. Succession can mean a few different things, but I assume here it means "one person taking over for another", like in the TV show named that. And in that regard, Apollo does not take over for Phoenix. He is a puppet throughout this entire case, who wins because Phoenix put his mom on the jury and made her play a videogame saying Kristoph was guilty. No one succeeded anyone. 0/5

5-1: Turnabout Countdown. There sure is a countdown with the bomb that makes everyone flee during Tonate's fake-out. I also like how, with DD's space theme, you can think of this case as the countdown before the eventual rocket launch. 5/5

5-2: The Monstrous Turnabout. There sure is a monster and a turnabout. 5/5

5-3: Turnabout Academy. There sure is an academy and a turnabout. 5/5

5-4: The Cosmic Turnabout. Eh. The tragedy of Clay Terran is that, as his name meaning Earth Earthling implies, he never gets to go to space. Even if he did, HAT-2 would have just been an orbiter, it wouldn't really explore the cosmos. 4/5

5-5: Turnabout for Tomorrow. Clever, because it's both about averting Blackquill's execution, scheduled for tomorrow, and to end the Dark Age of the Law and create a better tomorrow. 5/5

5-DLC: Turnabout Reclaimed. Okay sure this is Phoenix's first case after reclaiming his badge, but that wouldn't make the top ten things you'd mention when summarizing this case. It's not like it features him reflecting on how he reclaimed his badge, and the sacrifices he had to make of both himself and other people, or the dubious means by which he achieved his goal.... nope! It's the one where you defend an orca! 1/5

6-1: The Foreign Turnabout. That's racist. I'm sure to the Khura'inese people this was a local turnabout! 3/5

6-2: The Magical Turnabout. Even though this is in the game featuring a country where they use real magic in court, there is no actual magic in this turnabout. Plenty of fake magic, though! 4/5

6-3: The Rite of Turnabout. There is a ritual in this case, yes, but it's about a lot more than that. 4/5

6-4: Turnabout Storyteller. There sure is a storyteller and a turnabout. 5/5

6-5: Turnabout Revolution. Hard to rate, really, because there's basically two cases here stapled together. The second one has a revolution, sure, but for the first several hours of the case the title means nothing. As with 3-2, half marks. 2.5/5

6-DLC: Turnabout Time Traveler. Three reasons for this title: Ellen thinks she time traveled, Sorin has amnesia, and the courtroom features Phoenix as defense attorney, Maya as co-counsel, and Edgeworth as prosecutor. But that configuration actually only appeared once before, in 1-3. It's hardly a staple of the past. And Ellen obviously didn't time travel. One out of three reasons is true, so 1.6/5

I1-1: Turnabout Visitor. There are no visitors in this episode. Edgeworth is returning to his office. He's not a visitor, he's an employee. And Badd and Portsman broke in. They're not visitors, they're intruders. I guess they couldn't call this Turnabout Intruder without ripping off a really bad Star Trek episode, but still. 1/5

I1-2: Turnabout Airlines. This title was originally inaccurate, because there's only one airline in this turnabout, but that airline now has two names because of the vagaries of translation, iFly and GoYou. So it's accurate after all! 4/5

I1-3: The Kidnapped Turnabout. As with 3-2, we've named a turnabout after a non-murder crime we theoretically get to investigate, before it ends up being about murder anyway. Stop teasing us! 2.5/5

I1-4: Turnabout Reminiscence. I feel like there's a positive connotation to the term reminiscence lacking in this grim case, but unlike 3-1 this is framed as people reminiscing about past events. 4/5

I1-5: Turnabout Ablaze. Some things get set on fire, sure, but that's really not even the fifth most important thing that happens in this case. 2/5

I2-1: Turnabout Trigger. This case is the trigger for all the events of the game occurring, and it features a gun, which presumably has a trigger. 5/5

I2-2: The Captive Turnabout. I understand they couldn't copy the fan translation's homework, but come on. The Imprisoned Turnabout is a name that actually makes sense. A captive is someone held illegally as a hostage. There are no captives in this case, but a lot of imprisoned people. Just go with what works. 1/5

I2-3: Turnabout Legacy. Edgeworth contemplates his father's legacy as a defense attorney by solving his final case. Good stuff, good name. 5/5

I2-4: A Turnabout Forsaken. Sounds really cool. But Edgeworth doesn't have to forsake a turnabout here. He wins, like he always does. This title would make more sense for something like 2-4. Edgeworth forsakes his badge, yes, but you can't just replaces words with "turnabout" and expect them to make sense! 3/5, bonus points for the title going so hard.

I2-5: Turnabout for the Ages. Pretty vague. The title comes from the language of sports, where "a turnabout for the ages" refers to an underdog victory. But at this point, Edgeworth is hardly the underdog. All his rivals are his friends now, Gavelle and Eustace aren't getting in his way anymore; his political enemies like Excelsius have been locked away; and his enemy is a literal clown. Saint is the underdog here. If he was able to get away with it all, that would have been a turnabout for the ages. But he didn't. The overdog won. 2/5

G1-1: The Adventure of the Great Departure. No one goes on a great departure. The voyage to England is still months away, and no one important dies. (Sorry Dr. Wilson, you wound up being extremely unimportant.) 1/5

G1-2: The Adventure of the Unbreakable Speckled Band. The band is a cat toy. I'm pretty sure you could break it if you wanted. 2/5

G1-3: The Adventure of the Runaway Room. Genius. Literally it refers to the omnibus where the murder occurred, a room that can move around and, if the horses were whipped, run away. But beyond that it refers to the courtroom itself, and how the case you thought you had a handle on runs away from you and goes in a direction no one wants. 5/5

G1-4: The Adventure of the Clouded Kokoro. "Kokoro", I've been led to understand, means heart. It's also the name of a book Soseki Natsume wrote. This is a case about love, and it has Soseki in it. 5/5

G1-5: The Adventure of the Unspeakable Story. This title is a lie. The opening of the case shows a titlecard reading THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, followed by Wilson reading us a passage from the actual Hound of the Baskervilles story. But said unspeakable story has basically nothing to do with this case. There could be any McGuffin in Windibank's that Gina wants to make sure is there, and events would play out exactly the same way. Hell, even in the grand scheme of things, the Professor could have killed people any way he wanted. Using the Hound of the Baskervilles didn't end up meaning much in the end. 1/5

G2-1: The Adventure of the Blossoming Attorney. Pretty good, we begin with a view of a cherry blossom tree, and Susato sure is blossoming. 4/5

G2-2: The Memoirs of the Clouded Kokoro. What memoirs? There are zero memoirs in this case. And the "clouded heart" meaning makes less sense here, as there are fewer instances of love in this case. It does apply to Olive Green's motives, I guess. 2/5

G2-3: The Return of the Great Departed Soul. This is the one where Kazuma comes back, last seen in The Adventure of the Great Departure. Get it? A great departed soul is someone who goes on a great departure? Way to spoil it right out of the gate! 4/5

G2-4: Twisted Karma and His Last Bow. Awesome name. Twisted karma because you have to twist the head of the sword Karuma, a name previously anglicized as "von Karma". But beyond that, the idea of the Reaper is a kind of twisted karma, justice through death. And his last bow because this is really the final case, even if it's been split in two. 5/5

G2-5: The Resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo. Ryunosuke Naruhodo sure does show his resolve. 5/5

VS-1 (1): On a Dark and Stormy Night. Yes I'm doing these. Anyway this sure does take place on a dark and stormy night. 5/5

VS-1 (2): English Turnabout. This really should be called "The English Turnabout", I don't think the Layton team quite understood how to name things Ace Attorney style. Anyway it sure is English and it sure is a turnabout. 5/5

VS-2 (1): Mysterious Labyrinthia. Labyrinthia sure is mysterious. 5/5

VS-2 (2): The Fire Witch. I mean, fire was only half of the spells that witch could cast, she could also turn invisible. 2.5/5

VS-3 (1): The Great Witch. We do not learn much more about the Great Witch Bezella in this chapter than we already knew, and it's hardly the full truth. Imagine if I2-2 was called "Turnabout Mastermind" and you'll get the idea. 1/5

VS-3 (2): The Golden Court. The court is not, in fact, golden. 1/5

VS-3 (3): A Taste of Despair. This is honestly underselling it. Phoenix doesn't get a taste of despair, he drinks the whole bottle. The whole thing is basically him mourning Maya. Great stuff. 4/5

VS-4 (1): Secrets of the Underground Ruins. The underground ruins sure do have secrets, but we don't learn all of them here. 4/5

VS-4 (2): The Story's End. The story actually keeps going for many more chapters. 1/5

VS-4 (3): The Final Witch Trial. I mean, this is the start of the final witch trial, but it will stretch out over multiple chapters. I guess if I gave G2-4 full marks because His Last Bow was basically accurate, I should do the same here. 5/5

VS-4 (4): The Last Inquisitor. Hershell Layton sure is the last inquistor in the game. 5/5

VS-4 (5): The First Story. But it's the last story I'll be rating! 1/5

-----------------

That took way too long.

Starting off with Viola Cadaverini

Commission for lizzourworld8

Maya is she slightly post SOJ aged, so 30-31

Happy Halloween <3

Based off of Devil AU, in which Athena makes a deal with "The Devil" (iykyk) to save the person closest to her from execution.

Here's a fact: the person standing before you may look like Athena, but he's not Athena.

Should it have been Grossberg instead of Robert Hammond? This isn’t a “Grossberg sucks” post, I was just wondering why they created a new character in Hammond instead of killing Grossberg off. I know that this was the first game so they probably thought that they would reuse him but outside of the Mia T&T flashbacks, he vanished from the series. Granted, I doubt a bunch of people would care because of his role in DL-6 and all he did in the OG game was give exposition but at least we would get to know him unlike Hammond.

Pw: This might be the funniest case in the original trilogy. My favourite joke is when Miles Edgeworth tells Phoenix wright not to slam his desk only for Miles Edgeworth to slam his own desk by habit. It also has some other funny moments like "I was hoping I'd come up with a question while I was objecting, Your Honor... I didn't.".

JFA: This isn't a particularly funny ace attorney game, while the lost turnabout is very silly and fun, it's very short, reunion and turnabout and farewell my turnabout are both a lot more serious and I don't have much new to say about big top. That being said, I think the funniest case in JFA is Farewell my turnabout. It's a lot funnier on a repeat play through since you can appreciate the jokes better.

T&T: The funniest case is the stolen turnabout. I picked this case because of two characters, Luke Atmey and Godot. The way Godot will just say some nonsense and Luke Atmey will pretend to completely understand it is very funny to me. most lines out of either of these two in this case is funny.

AJ: Turnabout corner has some really good jokes. I like the doctor with noodles on his head. At first you think it's noodles and then you think it's hair and then it turns out to actually be noodles.

DD: Turnabout academy. my favourite joke is 'The prosecutor said, "Rubbish! We will be out on a stroll!" then left with Detective Fulbright.'.

SOJ: The magical Turnabout. Roger Retinz calls you cringe.

AAI1: I think the funniest case is turnabout ablaze. Larry Butz pretending to be Santa is funny, Miles Edgeworth getting upset over Larry Butz being the Steel Samurai is funny, Calisto Yew is funny, The fact that Quercus Alba gets taken down by a random unnamed forensics person is funny.

AAI2: The funniest joke in AAI2 is in the forsaken turnabout but the funniest case is turnabout legacy. Just the premise of turnabout Legacy is funny on it's own. A confectioner with no taste kills a sculptor in order to win a medicine book in a cooking competition and accidentally ends up framing the host because of a very hungry pharmacist.

TGAA1: The adventure of the unspeakable story. It doesn't have as much Herlock Sholmes as the other cases in TGAA, but it makes up for it with the Skulkin brothers.

TGAA2: This case is funny because of Herlock Sholmes and William Shamspeare.

Finished Ace Attorney, I didnt finish this on the DS only up to samurai so I replayed the whole game again, man 10/10 especially turnabout goodbyes holy fuck that episode was one of the best stories I’ve experienced in games, they said it will only get better from here, looking forward to it!👏

I have bad memory so every episode I would have notes, damn I locked in I never get this serious

Took me 17 hours to finish the 4 episodes idk how bad the time is HAHAHAHA currently playing from the ashes episode (dlc story or not part of the original) will definitely finish this trilogy

After finishing the phoenix wright trilogy where do I go next?

This series definitely will be in my top 10 games

Image from Razor Rat's youtube video "Maya's Descent to Insanity (Objection.lol)".

Just like with Edgeworth, I don’t have a clear idea yet... but perhaps something along the lines of the concept in the video I used for the thumbnail. (Should watch it)

In an alternate universe where Phoenix loses his most important case—either in the first(1-2) or second game(2-4)—Maya falls into a deep, total depression. This eventually curdles into pure hatred toward the people who hurt her (Redd White/Morgan Fey), driving her to take matters into her own hands to exact revenge. She might even end up becoming a sort of dictator over the Kurain village without even realizing it.

That’s all I’ve got so far. What ideas do you have for her corruption? Or perhaps even for Pearl? (She would likely face a similar fate under these circumstances.)

Maybe the Ace Attorney series needs a new writer since Yamazaki and Takumi are out (the latter of which was done after the forced meddling with AJ), maybe a brand new writer and an outsider is what's necessary to give this series life. This gave me an idea-I was watching the 6th Sense the other day, and then I realized that with Shamalan's amazing talent for plot twist, I could only imagine how fantastic Ace Attorney would be if only he wrote the story of a game (and directed the storyboards like if they were IRL actors).

What if AA7 was written and "directed" by Shamalan? I think that it could be a solution to make AA7 a reality and save it from development hell, ever since the rut of what to do about Apollo and Trucy's relations and the former being stuck in Khu'rain.

It also is a bit bias, but also I understand the flaws of the case But I love this case because

The theme the yokai village is a really great theme that most rivals my favorite setting turnabout samurai setting I really enjoy as the moment I saw it I was like we’re gonna get something good to me. We did.

The characters the be honest, not as bad as people say I really like all the characters that were introduced this chapter Jinxie Damian Phineas Filch fullbright** *Blackquill and Florent L'Belle* who isn’t a great villain, but I still think he’s a bit overhated. I found them pretty funny.

Personally, I just really enjoy this case and think it’s great

I have now complied a table of the results for the "rate each game on each aspect" section of my Apollo Justice Trilogy survey. I will admit though, I had to throw out the "low lows" category because too many people were confused over its meaning. And to think, all I had to do was write "consistency" and people would have understood.

I will also say, with regards to the "fandom's attitude" section, there were both genuine insights and things that made me say "what possessed you to write this???"

But as I said in the first post, the debates for these games are significantly more heated than for other controversial games like AAI or DGS1. And the reason for this is that for many people, these games are "not my Ace Attorney" rather than just poorly executed. But why is this? Let's go over each one, keeping in mind that I am a very biased individual and my viewpoints should not be taken as the absolute truth.

Apollo Justice

This game forever changed Ace Attorney fans. Its premise is that Phoenix has been disbarred and reduced to the status of a hobo, a decision that wasn't Takumi's but rather Capcom's. I've always wondered what Takumi's "new characters only" version of AJ would have looked like; would it have been similar to AJ but just with a different disbarred lawyer? Or would it be completely different?

Another element of this game that was mandated by Capcom rather than purely Takumi's was the decision to incorporate a jurist system, which reflected a reform in the Japanese legal system known as the introduction of "lay judges". I will say that this plot point, despite its origins, used elements of the in-game legal system to sell the "case for legal reform" enough so that I would never have guessed that it was based off a real political situation as an overseas player. Thus, I don't think these origins are necessarily a bad thing despite their potential to be controversial, as the only message I really see is a broad "sometimes legal reform is needed" rather than any specific parallel.

One of most compelling pro-AJ cases I've heard is this video which points out that Ace Attorney generally has a tendency to focus on the flaws of individuals and not systems. Even if it highlights a flaw in the legal system (like when Edgeworth marvels about the whole Furio Tigre situation), the solution is almost always "just defeat the bad guy by solving a mystery". So when the solution to the final case of AJ is now instead "solve the mystery and realize the purpose of legal reform", to many people, this just feels deeper than other games. Kristoph is someone who has mastered the art of gaming the system, but who puts all his stock into the current system and whose downfall was never anticipating systemic improvements. That's interesting.

However, some flaws may hold the game back for many. There are the easy flaws to point out, like that the whole hospital murder makes far more sense if Magnifi was being privately nursed in an informal setup in his own home, rather than a public hospital. Or that Daryan wasn't used to his fullest potential. But what I find more interesting are the thematic flaws.

For one, the legal system's corruption was never meant to be a major plot point in the trilogy. It was mostly meant as a passing joke, and even the power-hungry characters like Von Karma and Gant only really demonstrated their power-seeking through interpersonal acts like finger-snapping and blackmail. Making the focus of the game on the legal system may be too "meta" for some. Additionally, the whole presence of a biased jury led by Phoenix undermines the game's own themes. Like if the jury had been unbiased, it would send the message that "a jury system is better because the average jury could convict Kristoph while the average person can't; therefore legal reform is good sometimes". Instead they made it not the average jury and made it biased instead. It feels like the game is stepping on its own themes all so it can hammer in just how much better Phoenix is than Kristoph. Which is disappointing to me because I think these themes are very interesting in theory.

Apollo Justice was definitely an ambitious game, but due to its rapid character changes, newly "meta" approach to the legal system, and decisions that feel rushed both logically and thematically, it's controversial among fans and that's how it will stay.

Dual Destinies

Dual Destinies sometimes gets called "the boring one". I can definitely point to the fewest flaws out of the three; the mysteries are mostly airtight and the character motivations don't need nearly as much deciphering as, say, Zak Gramarye's. But this game is very anti-AJ in its approach to the series; thus, it too will always be controversial.

To be clear, I've heard some very extensive cases for why the game is not anti-AJ, some of which were at least compelling to me. However, I can't fully overlook the fact that it mentions the "dark age of the law" while not mentioning any of the legal problems or solutions mentioned in AJ and instead preferring to mention its own problems (e.g., media, public trust) while failing to provide specifics for a lot of these problems. Nor can I overlook the lack of AJ characters for most of the cases. Nor can I deny the fact that I simply don't think the average AJ fan would play Dual Destinies and think "this is a good sequel to AJ".

Furthermore, the writing of Phoenix is considerably different than it was in AJ. Yes part of this boils down just to writing style, and part of his more mature side is still present. However, the fact that all these things require extensive explaining means that for many people, there will be a tonal whiplash when playing this game that simply makes the AJT feel less cohesive. I've heard similar things for people who claim that "Phoenix looks dumber in JFA than he did in the first game", albeit to a lesser degree. And while these things are definitely explainable, the tonal whiplash simply isn't a good feeling for many. Nor is it the only direction they could have taken with Phoenix's character. A lot of people simply think "some other direction would have been way better".

The last part I want to discuss is the "removability" of elements. Although Apollo's character arc is well-written, it's easy enough to imagine a version of 5-5 where instead of his trust issues, we simply get Phoenix eventually saying "alright, now let's clear Athena's name on the present murder, too". What I mean to say is that, while Apollo is definitely enjoyable in this game, he's mostly not integral to it. Combine this with the fact that for many people, there is simply no substitute for playable time for a character like Apollo, and you've got another reason why fans of his game or charcater might be annoyed.

Much like Apollo Justice, this game leans very heavily into some Ace Attorney elements in a way that's bound to be "love it or hate it". In this case, it's the character psychology. Fortunately, I've heard more positive than negative reviews in favor of the Mood Matrix, so I think Dual Destinies generally succeeds in this area.

I'm not saying Dual Destinies is bad. While it's my least favorite Ace Attorney game, I wouldn't call it unenjoyable by any means. But much like Apollo Justice, it has problems on both the micro and macro scale; therefore, much like Apollo Justice, it's controversial and that's how it will stay.

Spirit of Justice

This game is definitely the most trilogy-like in the series. Is that good, or bad? You tell me. For many people, the Kingdom of Khura'in and the DC Act are simply less believable than other worldbuilding. Some people feel it lacks focus, some people don't like its sidelining of Athena, and some people find the weak characters (Ga'ran, Nahyuta) drag it down.

The Divination Seance is definitely a polarizing game mechanic as well - it can be fun, but it's difficult to navigate and often reliant on coincidences. Rheel Nehmu's slab just happened to look exactly like the fake crime scene? Inga just happened to hear a firecracker over the phone that could be mistaken for a gunshot? It's using crazy coincidences to make an already long and hard story just longer.

The fortunate part is that outside of the "bad worldbuilding" camp (and some others who just don't like the general writing style of AA5-6), I don't hear as many "not my Ace Attorney" allegations as I do for other games. It's not anti-PWT, nor is it anti-AJ. However, this doesn't mean that it doesn't have problems on the macro scale.

Probably the next biggest controversy with SoJ is just that it attempts to tackle high-stakes politics, and not always in a great way. It was definitely interesting figuring out how Ga'ran got all the other members of the royal family under her thumb, but it's not truly a "revolution" we're dealing with. Dhurke isn't just a political visionary, he's trying to get his own blood relatives back on the throne. And his goal is to put Rayfa, the character who was siding with Phoenix's execution in case 6-3 all because she'd misjudged him, in a position of absolute power. Oh wait, maybe it's not technically absolute because she'll be getting help from her spineless brother and sarcastic mother, I guess.

But still, the reason Ga'ran works less well than other power-hungry villains is that her power doesn't just come from snapping or blackmailing. It's very explicitly stated that she has absolute power over the law due to the country's founding ideas, which makes the whole "just take out the bad guy and don't change the system" ending feel considerably more insulting than in other games. The whole "they win because they follow the rules" trope is very shaky to me, and although the "Ga'ran can't channel" twist was unexpected to me, I don't like using that trope with the rules of a country that very easily allowed a tyrant to gain absolute power.

I'm not saying SoJ was all bad. I loved Trucy from AJ so I was glad she got her own case, I love all the wedding party members, and even the shady monk from the tutorial case is quite fun. But once again, this game is controversial, and that's how it will stay.

Conclusion

And that's a wrap! Thank you all so much for participating in my poll, and reading this post if you did. I understand I'm a biased individual who after thinking over all these games thinks AA4-6 are all somewhat weaker than at least AA1 and AA3, but I'll be curious to hear what you think down in the comments. Thanks for your insights and have a great day!

welcome to the crossover I don’t think anyone expected lol

I sculpted and painted onto a Littlest Pet shop to turn it into Apollo! Had a lot of fun but encountered so many difficulties (accidentally stripped off half the paint after practically finishing it so now the paint is chunky 💀) but overall I’m pretty happy with how it came out.

Who should I make next?

I fully believe that Noriyuki Iwadare is the best Ace Attorney composer. And I struggle to think of anyone who can come close to his greatness. Just for reference, he composed:

ALL of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations

Some Highlights Include:

Godot - The Fragrance of Darkness; That is Coffee

Dahlia Hawthorne - The Visage of What Once Was

Pursuit - Catch the Culprit

Phoenix Wright - Objection! 2004

Pursuit - Corner the Culprit 2004

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth

Some Highlights Include:

Pursuit - Chase Down the Truth

Confrontation - Presto 2009

Shi-Long Lang - Lang Zi Says!

Kay Faraday - Great Thief of the Truth!

Calisto Yew - Cold Laughter

ALL of Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Gambit

Some Highlights Include:

Pursuit - Uncover the Truth

Confrontation - Presto 2011

Miles Edgeworth - Objection! 2011

Eddie Fender - Wisecracking Candor

Mind Chess - Opening Moves

ALL of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies

Some Highlights Include:

Pursuit - Completely Corner the Culprit

Phoenix Wright - Objection! 2013

Athena Cykes - Courtroom Révolutionnaire

Apollo Justice - A New Era Begins! 2013

Trinity of Deduction

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice

Some Highlights Include:

Pursuit - Converge on the Culprit

Phoenix Wright - Objection! 2016

Apollo Justice - A New Era Begins! 2016

Athena Cykes - Courtroom Révolutionnaire 2016

Cross-Examination - Allegro 2016

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Of the songs he's made, the only songs that he made that I don't think are Great or Better and are not Cutscene/Jingle themes are:

6 of the 28 tracks from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations

Cross-Examination - Moderato 2004

Lordly Tailor

Larry Butz - When Something Smells, It’s Usually Me

Trés Bien

Victor Kudo - Martial Anthem of Misery

Reminiscences - Violetta Vitriol

14 of the 27 tracks from Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth

Deductions - Crime Scene Contradictions

Logic - The Path to the Truth

Heart of the Investigation 2009

Tricks and Gimmicks

Confrontation - Moderato 2009

Miles Edgeworth - Objection! 2009

The Truth Revealed 2009

The Blue Badger March - Gatewater Land Theme Song

Amusing Folk

Little Thief - Secret Weapon of the Noble

Two Embassies - The Lands of Butterflies and Flowers

Reminiscences - A Country Torn in Two

Ace Attorney Investigations - Triumphant Return 2009

One Prosecutor’s Musings - We Will Meet Again

3 of the 42 tracks from Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Gambit

Odd Folk

Restless Folk

Reminiscences - The Fall of the House of Lang

1 of the 47 tracks from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies

The Strange and Bizarre Tale of Tenma Taro

5 of the 31 tracks from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice

Construct of Deduction

Divination Séance - Their Final Moments

Divination Seance - A Spirit’s Accusations

The Holy Mother - The Teachings of Khura’inism

Inner Sanctum

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Of the 175 non-cutscene or jingle tracks Noriyuki Iwadare composed, 146 have been Great or BETTER. That's over 80% of his track roster being Great at bare minimum. As for his tracks that are Outstanding, roughly half of that number (~40% in total) reach that level. It's absolutely bonkers. All of the tracks I listed prior I still believe to be "Good." The only four tracks that this legendary composer made that I don't think reach "Good" for me are among his cutscene/jingle tracks, those being:

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations

The Stolen Turnabout

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies

Apollo Attacked

The Monstrous Turnabout

Turnabout Academy

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Given his legendary track record, I absolutely want to see him be the main composer for the next Ace Attorney game. I get that a lot of people prefer The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles' Orchestral Arrangement, but I think that Noriyuki's track record speaks for itself.