Game Review - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice
Dustin Nichols
2016-10-18
3DS eShop
Thank you DUSTIN NICHOLS for the wonderful review!
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Spirit of Justice is the brand-new installment in the long-running Ace Attorney series, a series regular readers will know I have a strong love of (ask to see my tattoo sleeve sometime), so I went in with a positive outlook on the game before I even started to play. I was not disappointed.
In this installment, for the first time ever, you not only get to control the titular Phoenix for cases, but also Phoenix's long-time apprentice Apollo Justice as well as semi-newbie Athena Cykes (introduced in the last game, Dual Destinies) for different cases. You will control Phoenix and Apollo the most, from different parts of the world. Phoenix is off in the fictional country of Khura'in, to visit an old friend (I won't spoil who, but it's a familiar face for longtime players), when he gets roped into a murder case, because of course he does. However, things are different here than they are in the US. Spiritualism the central focus of the way of life, including in the courtroom. Also, due to an incident 23 years prior, lawyers are outlawed. Instead, cases are decided by Princess Amara and her Divination Seance, which shows the court the victim's last moments before they died. The Seance is the final word in the Khura'in government, and is coupled with what is called the Defense Culpability Act, which gives lawyers the same punishment as their clients if found guilty (spoiler: the guilty parties are sentenced to death).
Meanwhile, Apollo and Athena have taken cases over for Phoenix in the US until he returns. Eventually, the cases bleed together due to the fact that the main prosecutor in this game, Nahyuta Sahdmadhi, being a global prosecutor from Khura'in who handles cases all over the world, including those involving both Phoenix and Apollo throughout the game. There is more to him than meets the eye, as Apollo apparently has a connection to him that is revealed over the course of the game.
The formula here doesn't change much from previous games (although there are some significant changes in the prosecution and defense teams that make for a new experience), but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's a tried-and-true formula that works well, and allows the game to tell a better story, which is the biggest selling point of the series. That's not to say there aren't any changes at all, however. In addition to the Khura'in government being completely ass-backwards, making for a more difficult challenge, the Divination Seance is brand-new and a welcome addition. The Seances are the law, so as the defense, it's your job to poke holes in them and prove that things are not exactly as they appear on the surface.
The controlling is the same as ever, and the graphics/audio aren't all that different than previous installments. Again, this isn't a bad thing. I can tell you, however, that the animated cutscenes look better than in any previous game, as well as some new in-court scenes that offer a lovely cel-shaded style. It's different than the rest of the graphics in the game, but it never feels out of place and serves its purpose well.
The stories are great and the cases are a lot of fun, each one a little bit more difficult than the last. The final case in the game, which is by far the longest, especially offers a ton of plot twists involving who the guilty party is. You can start to piece things together throughout, and by the time you get to the final suspect, chances are you will have already figured it out before they are announced. Still, it's well-written and an enjoyable experience, as is the overarching story that is prevalent over the course of the game's five main cases. Also welcome is quite a few familiar faces returning, including one not seen in years, who happens to be a series favorite among most fans.
The game is not perfect, however, thanks to one or two glaring plotholes found in the last case. Given the importance of the case and everything you have to go through to get the "Not Guilty" verdict you're after, these holes were hard to ignore, and I wound up shaking my head a bit right around the game's conclusion. I am willing to somewhat forgive them, as the writers kind of painted themselves into a corner, but that doesn't make them any less glaring.
That complaint aside, Spirit of Justice is a great time and a must-have for any fan of the series. Colorful characters, great storytelling, smooth gameplay and a healthy dose of humor (including pop culture references a plenty-a staple of the series; a Doctor Who pun was especially noticeable to me) add up to make this one of the best installments, and the ending after the final case is over (which I won't spoil here) guarantees we get at least one more game, one that should tie up a big loose thread from several years back. Highly recommended.
In this installment, for the first time ever, you not only get to control the titular Phoenix for cases, but also Phoenix's long-time apprentice Apollo Justice as well as semi-newbie Athena Cykes (introduced in the last game, Dual Destinies) for different cases. You will control Phoenix and Apollo the most, from different parts of the world. Phoenix is off in the fictional country of Khura'in, to visit an old friend (I won't spoil who, but it's a familiar face for longtime players), when he gets roped into a murder case, because of course he does. However, things are different here than they are in the US. Spiritualism the central focus of the way of life, including in the courtroom. Also, due to an incident 23 years prior, lawyers are outlawed. Instead, cases are decided by Princess Amara and her Divination Seance, which shows the court the victim's last moments before they died. The Seance is the final word in the Khura'in government, and is coupled with what is called the Defense Culpability Act, which gives lawyers the same punishment as their clients if found guilty (spoiler: the guilty parties are sentenced to death).
Meanwhile, Apollo and Athena have taken cases over for Phoenix in the US until he returns. Eventually, the cases bleed together due to the fact that the main prosecutor in this game, Nahyuta Sahdmadhi, being a global prosecutor from Khura'in who handles cases all over the world, including those involving both Phoenix and Apollo throughout the game. There is more to him than meets the eye, as Apollo apparently has a connection to him that is revealed over the course of the game.
The formula here doesn't change much from previous games (although there are some significant changes in the prosecution and defense teams that make for a new experience), but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's a tried-and-true formula that works well, and allows the game to tell a better story, which is the biggest selling point of the series. That's not to say there aren't any changes at all, however. In addition to the Khura'in government being completely ass-backwards, making for a more difficult challenge, the Divination Seance is brand-new and a welcome addition. The Seances are the law, so as the defense, it's your job to poke holes in them and prove that things are not exactly as they appear on the surface.
The controlling is the same as ever, and the graphics/audio aren't all that different than previous installments. Again, this isn't a bad thing. I can tell you, however, that the animated cutscenes look better than in any previous game, as well as some new in-court scenes that offer a lovely cel-shaded style. It's different than the rest of the graphics in the game, but it never feels out of place and serves its purpose well.
The stories are great and the cases are a lot of fun, each one a little bit more difficult than the last. The final case in the game, which is by far the longest, especially offers a ton of plot twists involving who the guilty party is. You can start to piece things together throughout, and by the time you get to the final suspect, chances are you will have already figured it out before they are announced. Still, it's well-written and an enjoyable experience, as is the overarching story that is prevalent over the course of the game's five main cases. Also welcome is quite a few familiar faces returning, including one not seen in years, who happens to be a series favorite among most fans.
The game is not perfect, however, thanks to one or two glaring plotholes found in the last case. Given the importance of the case and everything you have to go through to get the "Not Guilty" verdict you're after, these holes were hard to ignore, and I wound up shaking my head a bit right around the game's conclusion. I am willing to somewhat forgive them, as the writers kind of painted themselves into a corner, but that doesn't make them any less glaring.
That complaint aside, Spirit of Justice is a great time and a must-have for any fan of the series. Colorful characters, great storytelling, smooth gameplay and a healthy dose of humor (including pop culture references a plenty-a staple of the series; a Doctor Who pun was especially noticeable to me) add up to make this one of the best installments, and the ending after the final case is over (which I won't spoil here) guarantees we get at least one more game, one that should tie up a big loose thread from several years back. Highly recommended.
