Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice

1. MazinroboX2

   Sep 14, 2016

   10

   I finished the game today, beating all the cases but the DLC one, and I have to say... This game is absolutely amazing. I see people complainI finished the game today, beating all the cases but the DLC one, and I have to say... This game is absolutely amazing. I see people complain that it doesn't innovate much, that it is almost the same old formula as the first Ace Attorney, but, honestly, is that a bad thing? Because I think it isn't! I just want more of the same with different stories and a few innovative additions, that's it! If something works, why does it have to change?
   
   About the game, it just never disappoints. The first case is cool, as it is a very deep case for being the first. It introduces the amazing mechanic of the Divination Séances, in which you witness the victim's final memories, and the Defense Culpability Act, which creates a lot of tension because it means that if your client is declared guilty, so is the one that defends it and he will receive the same penalty. The guitar witness was a bit annoying in this case, though, because he spoke extremely slowly sometimes.
   
   The second case is fantastic, with a very entertaining investigation part due to the troubles Apollo and Athena face during it. The trial and the way the victim died are also excellent, a very original plot, with a lot of magic!
   
   And in the third case we at last get to see Mystic Maya! The reunion between her and Phoenix was a great moment. And the plot of the case is once again very very good, extremely mystic and very well set in the Kingdom of Khura-in.
   
   The fourth case is in my opinion the worst case in this game. It's a bit odd and unrelated to the rest of the game. That doesn't mean it's boring, though, I liked it, Athena deserved her moment of glory, and the appearance of Simon Blackquill is good. Besides, the witness Uendo Toneido is extremely hilarious. It still feels too apart from the rest of the game, though.
   
   And well, the fifth case is absolutely amazing. I don't want to give spoilers, just tell you that the first trial day is unforgettable due to the circumstances that surround it. And well I was very surprised to have it focused on Apollo. I actually think that Apollo was a quite dull character in his own game, with almost no charisma, but Dual Destinies and mostly the last case of this game take us to know him a lot better and like him a lot more.
   
   I want to highlight just 2 more things, the first one is the development of the character of Rayfa. She becomes a very profound character despite being very young, for me she is one of the greatest characters ever the saga has given us. And the second one is the characters' names. Khu-rainese people have so clever names! For example, your first client is named Ahlbi Ur'gaid, which comes from "I'll be your guide". Heck, even Minister Inga's full name, Inga Karkhuul Haw'kohd Dis'nahm Bi'ahni Lawga Ormo Pohmpus Da'nit Ar'edi Iz Khura'in III, has a meaning! (How could this name be any longer or more pompous than it already is?")
   
   All in all, this game is a must-play for fans of the series, in my opinion much better and memorable than Dual Destinies. Perhaps not the best game to get started in the saga, though, but well, it's perfectly playable and enjoyable even if you haven't played the others (c'mon, play them, they are not hard to get!)… Expand

   • 7 of 7 users found this helpful
2. BaconBiscuit

   Feb 10, 2020

   10

   Perhaps a controversial opinion, but this is easily the best game in the Ace Attorney franchise. The Ace Attorney games have all beenPerhaps a controversial opinion, but this is easily the best game in the Ace Attorney franchise. The Ace Attorney games have all been fantastic, and I love each one of them very much, but in my opinion this one has the best plot, characters, and music out of all of them. All of the cases are fun (even the ones with less plot relevance), which is not something you can say for all the games in the franchise. I certainly recommend you play the other 5 games first (or at least 4 and 5), but this game is an absolute must-play in my books.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
4. SigmaSebas

   Sep 12, 2016

   10

   This is an amazing game, great cases, and awesome characters. I'm enjoying it, and my money was really worth it. Buy it if you liked allThis is an amazing game, great cases, and awesome characters. I'm enjoying it, and my money was really worth it. Buy it if you liked all previous titles, this one is one of my top 3 favorites of the franchise… Expand

   • 2 of 2 users found this helpful
5. Digibutter64

   Apr 10, 2018

   9

   Definitely one of my favourite Ace Attorney games. The characters are memorable, and the game has a great script. The game can actually getDefinitely one of my favourite Ace Attorney games. The characters are memorable, and the game has a great script. The game can actually get quite challenging in its puzzles. Gameplay-wise, the only new thing is a feature where you look for inconsistencies in the memories of victims. This doesn't add much, but I was fine with that. The spiritual themes can get overwhelming at times, and it's more of the same in terms of gameplay, bit it's still recommended highly.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
6. andrewtyl

   Sep 16, 2016

   9

   This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A worthy successor to Dual Destinies. I enjoyed every minute of playing it. Every game before this one had at least one boring case, (typically the 3rd). However, I loved every case and all are fun to play (yes, even the filler with Athena).
   The new mechanics were great and the returning ones were also fun. Music was great and even had many twists I couldn't see coming.
   Despite that, this is not a perfect game. And I only say this because I want Ace Attorney to get better over time as to not go stale. While there were many twists I didn't see coming, there were a handful I saw in advance. Perhaps it was intentional with foreshadowing in some cases, but if you've been a loyal Ace Attorney fan in the main series, you will see some recurring patterns in this game. Including Maya being accused of murder and becoming a hostage. Please just make her live happy with Nick.
   I also wish there were more character interactions. I'd love to see Pearls and Rayfa together. Athena and Maya would get along swimmingly. And Trucy needs to be more involved with the Fey cousins as they are practically family to Phoenix. There were just too many missed opportunities.
   While the game is more than worth the $30 price tag, I still wish it was longer. I understand it takes time, but perhaps more DLC cases should be added. Ones that don't have an overarching story, similar to Athena's filler case. Cases where we can get that more character interaction while not drowning out the main plot.
   The anime cut-scenes are magnificent and while the anime being simulcasted on crunchyroll has held its own, it will never compare to the quality of these. I love that they were more fleshed out. Trucy's case and the prologue (which for some reason doesn't play when you start the game immediately), had the best cut-scenes. At the same time though, it makes me crave more. I hope there is more budget and time put into making these animations, as I feel they are too great to not give more credit to.
   The music is beautiful to the ear. From the soothing tunes of Nahyuta's theme and Apollo's updated theme, to the upbeat energetic Confess the Truth and Alegro Cross Examination, this is on par with Dual Destinies. It brings classic songs with their own twist and new songs to fit the cases and landscape.
   One feature I think would be nice is to have branching paths. There were so many times where I knew the evidence that contradicts what was just said, but I can't select it until I go through 10 minutes of dialogue of Apollo or Phoenix saying "I have no clue how I can overturn this." Perhaps an interruption feature where you can have one chance to present the evidence internally (so no penalties are given) in order to skip this dilemma.
   These negatives I have outlined though are all nitpicks. You will have just as much fun in this game as you did taking down the final "boss" of every previous game. Capcom, I beg you to continue to release these in the US. You have a fantastic franchise here that deserves continuation and even ideas from fans to help expand it into a great game.
   In any case, since the "reboot" so to speak, we've had it focus on Phoenix and Apollo for the main story segment. I'll be waiting for Athena Cykes: Ace Attorney if you don't mind. ;)… Expand

   • 1 of 1 users found this helpful
7. Maarten95

   May 19, 2019

   9

   This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It has its flaws but overal this was a great experience. Also many old characters make a return in this game, aldo I wish they added gumshoe. The adding of the divince seance ads new depth to the game. It requires you to relive the final moments of the victim and point out inconsistencies. I found it quite dificult but liked it. The game focuses a lot on Apollo Justice but unfortunately doesn't finish up its story arc, which I wish they did. This is the main negative for me. The other one is the pricetag of the dlc, which is way to much for its contents. I do hope the next game does something about this. The game is the longest in its series so overal I didn;t mind it that much. I also enjoyed the story.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
8. iKiwed

   Nov 14, 2018

   4

   As a long Ace Attorney fan, I think this is the vote I'd give for this game. A not full 5.
   Let's start witht he basis:
   1) Gameplay: It'sAs a long Ace Attorney fan, I think this is the vote I'd give for this game. A not full 5.
   Let's start witht he basis:
   1) Gameplay: It's overall ok. It's good to see a comeback of some features from the old 4 games like the full examination of an area, the usage of cameras, Ema's forensic abilities, etc. I also liked the divination seance (as gameplay), so there is a somewhat level of challenge.
   But
   Except for the cross-examination and the divination seance, the rest of the old/new features don't have any kind of penalities, just like in Dual Destinies. Why doesn't the Mood Matrix have penalties? Why doesn't the magatama have penalties? Why does the bracelet a Magatama 2.0, with no real purpose in terms of challenge at all? Why doesn't the Thought Route have penalties like the Logic in AA Investigation series?
   
   Bonus Magatama: between the other "powers", this is probably the most present in the game. And still, its challenging level is zero. In Trials & Tribulations, when you investigate, you find more than 1 person to have red psychelocks, and before to unlock them you're forced to find new clues elsewhere.
   In Spirit of Justice everything is guided: You see someone with psychelocks, you're just ready to unlock them. This isn't how features like magatama, mood matrix, bracelet, etc... should work in a game where the player's logic is needed.
   
   2)
   Multimedia: This is probably what saves the game more. Graphically there is a big improvement from Dual Destinies, and the music is overall in the standards of the other Ace Attorney music.
   My only critic point is how they used the motion capture. Each case has some parts where a character uses them. Unfortunately you notice the quality drops because they look unfitting with the models and the characters. The worst case scenario is during the case 5, in a particular moment a certain character acts like a child because of how unwell they used this feature in the game.
   Plus, on 3DS the framerate drops to 30fps or less.
   
   3)
   Story: It's a mess just like Dual Destinies.
   Again, they used the main characters and tried to connect them somehow, even if the possibilities that that would happen are less than zero. In short, I'm talking about retcons. And unfortunately some characters are victims of this in the game. The presence itself of a country like Khura'In is interesting IF it was placed with other purposes, like, for example, a game where Phoenix is the only character playable, and characters like Apollo, Athena, Trucy, etc weren't connected with the game at all, because they don't have to. But, in this case, Khura'In has just ruin any expectation in a bad way.
   And I'm not talking about the characterization of the people in Khura'In, but the motive Khura'In is present in the game. Just like the motive Maya is in the game. This motive is weak and not even explained in the game. Capcom released a "prologue" animated trailer of about 10 minutes where shows why Phoenix traveled in Khura'In, which is because Maya dropped the phone during an attack of a "rebel". But in the game, that video isn't canon. So we don't even have a good start of the game.
   Speaking of rebels, I find all this very annoying. Let me explain why.
   It's true Ace Attorney isn't meant to be realistic. The law itself in the series is a joke, it's meant to be as simple as possible so that could be understandable for the player.
   But I noticed in the last Ace Attorney games they tend to exaggerate all their topics.
   In the previous games, you could somehow see that some topics were close to the real life, for example, the role of each character during the crime.
   But in this Spirit of Justice, they treat lawyer like gods and demons. Like if they only exist in a fantasy world. "The law system decided to kill all the rebel lawyers" are we serious? How can you compare this to a real life fact? You can't, because it's unrealistic. And so is unrealistic most of this game.
   It's this game meant to be fun? Yes. But I remember when Ace Attorney was also serious.
   
   4)
   Storytelling:
   Short message about how they wrote the cases: three writers devided 6 cases (including the DLC), and you can easily see who wrote what. The first two cases have a large amount of gallery speaking. In the first case, in particular, it's very annoying.
   The third and fifth case are known for the veeery long pauses with dots. You only read dots everytime they have to say something. It's really annoying in the game.
   The fourth case is probably the best written case in the game, and personally maybe the best case in the game, even if I didn't like it so much due to some motives.
   
   In conclusion... Spirit of Justice is a fun game, somewhat, but with Dual Destinies they just don't work like the previous games.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful

See all 30 User Reviews