Here’s my hot take for a game with a cult following that released almost 25 years ago* – I struggled to get through Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. I desperately wanted to love this game, which seems to be ingrained into the cultural zeitgeist, but I struggled to connect and understand why people love this series so much. Looking back, after having recently finished the second installment – Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice For All – I realised that I had gone in to the first game with entirely wrong expectations.
I had anticipated a more typical detective game, one that relies on the player’s skills to pick up on clues and pick apart cases (your L.A Noire, The Wolf Among Us types) but I quickly learnt that Phoenix Wright is a more on rails experience and that it relies most on its eccentric, humorous characters to deliver intrigue and compel the player to continue. I’m willing to admit that it’s totally my fault for not having done any research or even watched any Let’s Plays to see what I was in for. Ultimately, I understood why people might like the game, but the reason for the devoted fan base never really clicked with me until I finished Justice For All. As the credits rolled, I finally understood the allure of the Phoenix Wright series, and could happily count myself among those with nothing but love for Phoenix, Maya and Edgeworth. And this is in no small part thanks to the way that Justice For All supplements the deficiencies of the first game.
*5 years ago for the high-definition version which I played on Nintendo Switch
A Character Witness For the Defendant, Your Honour
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice For All has much stronger writing than it’s predecessor, as evidenced by how significantly less I found myself skipping through dialogue for each case. The awful puns are kept to a bearable level, and there is a bigger focus on character defining moments. It definitely helps that there is now an established relationship between most main characters – the psychic Maya Fey, Detective Gumshoe, and even some of the minor characters from the first game all make an appearance and bolster each case with incredibly entertaining dialogue. Phoenix Wright himself is much more confident this time around, being something of an established lawyer by now. Self-depreciation is still a mainstay of his internal monologue, but it’s nice to see him in his element this time around. Miles Edgeworth, former chief prosecutor and main foil to Phoenix, is less present but arguably even more important to Phoenix’s character arc, as with the first game, helping to define for Phoenix what it means to be a defense attorney. Even new characters such as Pearl Fey, are a welcome addition as, for the most part, they avoid the rambling dialogue that permeated the first installment. Pearl and Maya are consequently now strong contenders for my list of favourite video game companions.
The Cases of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice For All
The standout improvement is the quality of cases this time. The murders themselves are much more spectacular, without being utterly unfathomable. There is still a supernatural element, but this isn’t leaned on as heavily as before. In particular, episode 2 was my favourite. It takes place in a traditional style Japanese village (slightly confusing considering the localised version of the game is set in the US but still contains references to Japanese culture). The case is essentially a locked room mystery, and this combined with the setting was very reminiscent of The Honjin Murders (book #1 in another Japanese murder mystery series that I adore). In general, locations have more variety; a spirit medium village, the circus, a grand hotel. However they avoid feeling as sprawling as they are in the first game, and personally there was much less backtracking to find clues. Supporting characters for each case are, like the main characters, better written and again less irritating to talk to (thank you, Capcom, for giving Ms Oldbag a much less prominent role) which is especially beneficial when you find yourself needing to repeat dialogue if you haven’t picked up on a clue. The circus episode had a particularly good range of characters given that it had a whole cast of carnies to work with, and although the exchanges remain silly and lighthearted, they definitely seemed less cartoonish, (though the witness stand freakouts remain as enjoyable as ever). This meant that culprits were less obvious, leading to a bigger payoff when I finally clocked them. The last case does run on a little too long for my liking, and may have benefited from being split into two smaller cases just to avoid some of the dialogue fatigue I felt by the end, and as a way to keep the ending feeling punchy, as a good finale should.
Another Exhibit for the Evidence Pile
As mentioned, ‘levels’ are smaller and concise, leading to better organised placement of evidence. In the first game, it seemed like I was stumbling through levels clicking absolutely everything at random to try and brute-force cases because I couldn’t always make the connection between the contradiction I had formed in my head, and the piece of evidence that would actually demonstrate this. As contradictions this time around are much clearer, trials themselves felt less frustrating. As a result, the story felt smoother, more cohesive due to the reduction in time spent floundering around the evidence menu, and I felt like I had much more agency over what was happening despite the game being as on rails as the previous installment. The addition of ‘profiles’ – little summaries of each person involved in the case – which can be used as evidence was also welcome, as it kept evidence separate from suspects. Where previously I was rubbish at knowing which piece of evidence to use to identify a certain person, Phoenix Wright: Justice For All leads with a much more intuitive system.
Closing Argument
Phoenix Wright: Justice For All is a significant improvement on its predecessor, and it does everything a sequel should do by keeping things similar enough to avoid alienating fans, but also by addressing all the gripes raised by its detractors (me). I finally understand why this series is so beloved – the more time you spend with the heartwarming characters, iconic art style and banger of a soundtrack, the more you will find yourself sucked into the world of Ace Attorney. I went from essentially forcing myself to play another Phoenix Wright game to eagerly seeking out which installment to play next. And yes, my new current ringtone is the steel samurai theme.
What’s your favourite entry in the Ace Attorney series? Got any good mystery/detective game recommendations? Let me know in the comments below!
