When it comes to the Ace Attorney series, I’m still something of a newcomer.
While I tried to play the original game when it was first released, it didn’t exactly
click with me, mainly because I misinterpreted how some of the mechanics were handled.
Thankfully, I had a second chance with the release of the Phoenix Wright and Professor
Layton crossover.
All of sudden, I got the appeal of Ace Attorney and soon dove into the series.
While I’ve only completed the first four games, they still stand out as some of the
funniest, most heart warming, and downright charming stories I’ve ever encountered.
And now that the original trilogy has been ported to the Switch, I’m curious how they
still stand.
Is this port the best way to experience the misadventures of Phoenix Wright?
For those not familiar with the games, the Ace Attorney Trilogy focuses on a new defense
lawyer who’s just learning the ropes of the craft.
Phoenix Wright’s clients are usually suspected of a crime, typically murder, and it’s up
to him to find flaws in witness testimony and find evidence to prove their innocence.
It always starts simple, but the twists and turns along the way can truly surprise and
even excite you.
The first game is all about introducing the ideas behind this world while the sequels
expand and really drive to the heart of many of the characters.
As the story is basically the major focus, I don’t want to give anything away, but
I remember how much I would get sucked into these moments and that hasn’t changed at
all even knowing what’s coming this time around.
It’s like a great movie.
You don’t mind replaying them because the journey is so much fun.
The Ace Attorney series works a bit like a classic adventure game crossed with a visual
novel as there are two types of gameplay.
Cases usually begin with with an investigation where you must travel from location to location
interviewing witnesses and searching for clues to help in the coming trial.
Talking to the various characters can also provide hints or key points that can help
lead you to solving each mystery.
Even better, while searching the different locations, the game will indicate what you’ve
already looked at.
So if it no longer has a checkmark, there’s inevitably something new to see.
The other half of each game are the Trials where you face off against a Prosecutor who
is dead set on getting that guilty verdict.
Witnesses will come to the stand to provide testimony which Phoenix can then cross-examine
in the form of pressing each statement.
Not everything a witness helps your case but they quite often lead to humorous exchanges
or hints to what players really want to find, contradictions.
Find these contradictions helps the player figure out when to present the correct evidence
which also proves how the witness is lying or misremembering.
However, if the wrong evidence is presented, you will receive a penalty.
Mess up too many times and the case will immediately end in a guilty verdict.
However, you can save at any time so if you’re not sure about your evidence, it doesn’t
hurt to save and try a hunch.
The Trials really are the highlight of each game.
It’s where you see the best humor, the best exchanges, and even some real emotional highlights.
There’s still nothing quite like the moment when I catch the witness in a lie and know
exactly what evidence to show.
And when the various Prosecutors inevitably find some way to rally back, it can be devastating.
But this back and forth can be surprisingly harrowing.
And each of Phoenix’s reactions help emphasize just how rough he has it sometimes.
After a while, seeing him smile confidently created a kind of cathartic reaction for me.
This basic structure is maintained throughout all three games, but the sequels introduce
a new element to spice up the investigation phase.
This comes in the form of Psyche-Locks, which are visual representations of a character
hiding something.
These are broken by presenting evidence showing that you know what they’re keeping secret.
Once all the locks are taken care of, new information is shown.
It provides a goal to work toward rather wandering each location for a specific scene to trigger.
Not only that, but if you get it wrong, you could actually fail in the investigation phase,
though it’s unlikely.
And that’s really all there is to it when it comes to gameplay.
While on the surface, it doesn’t sound like it changes much throughout the three games,
it’s the characters, scenarios, and overall stories that push you forward.
Not every case is a winner, but the highs are unbelievably great, especially in the
third game when you’ve become attached to this eclectic cast.
But what does the Switch version add to this trilogy, as this isn’t the first time Ace
Attorney has been ported?
Well, not much.
Like the previous console ports, the trilogy uses higher definition artwork of the characters.
And while these can look good on their own, the movement can be a little choppy.
A lot of the smoothness from the animations is sadly missing.
It’s not a big loss though as this is mainly a visual novel where the characters have limited
animations.
A bigger issue I had were the text boxes as, by default, they’re not translucent like
the original DS releases.
Fortunately, this can be toggled in the Options Menu which I highly recommend.
Without this, it’s possible to miss out on some of the smaller touches to a character’s
animation, especially for children.
It may seem minor, but these animations really do showcase a character’s personality.
Otherwise, everything has been reworked to fit in a single screen, and the few times
touch controls were used in the original DS release have been adapted for a standard controller
or the touch screen in handheld mode.
But that’s it.
There aren’t any extras to talk about.
However, beyond some shaky animation, the presentation really is fantastic.
The script is snappy and funny, the character designs are memorable, and the music is spot-on.
I would feel good for figuring out the inconsistency in a witness’s testimony on its own, but
the music that kicks in when I do makes me feel like I have the Prosecutor on the ropes.
It makes each moment that much better in every situation, whether the soundtrack is punctuating
a silly moment or a serious low.
If you’ve already played the Ace Attorney Trilogy, there isn’t anything new being
offered here.
It’s the same story you’re familiar with, just on the Switch.
But if you’ve somehow never played these games, I can’t recommend this release enough.
I Love It and it’s well worth experiencing the great characters, the fun mysteries, and
the absolutely satisfying conclusions.
Now we just need Capcom to port the other Ace Attorney games.
Maybe someday.
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