I still own this little Nintendo DS game chip that held a little memory stick filled with pirated games my uncle managed to get for me. As a kid I didn’t care where they came from, I just needed new games to play. I sped through two of the Mario games, thoroughly enjoyed a skateboarding game I can’t remember the name of, and had a blast playing the DS exclusive version of Mega Man Battle Network 5. It took time but I finished almost everything excluding a few games that weren’t properly downloaded or pirated. At the very bottom of the list was a game called Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. I never opened it for the longest time, not knowing what it would be like, but certain that I wouldn’t want to play any game that involved being a lawyer. I was clearly an outlaw of a child that preferred to live on the edge, but after a few years I revisited the list of games and opened it up.
Holy Christ! I was so bored that I closed it within an hour and pretended it never happened. Fast forward to next year; I popped in the same game chip and reopened the game to give it another shot, this time with my earphones. With a more mature mindset, and a minuscule desire for the intoxicating adrenaline that good old Mario used to provide, I sat back and enjoyed the slower paced adventure that Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney had to offer. It was a great thing that I did too, because since then I have completed the original trilogy, and have bought every sequel.
What differentiates the Ace Attorney games from most mainstream games is that it’s difficult to describe what it is or to put it into a genre. You don’t fully control a character, at least not the way you would in any other game. It places you in the shoes of the protagonist, in this case, Phoenix Wright, who is regarded as the mascot of the franchise. Rather than controlling the movement of the character, you simply click “move” and choose the destination you wanted to move to. The reason you don’t need to control every step for the character is because the games are revolved around conversation and searching for clues in the areas you visit through a first-person view. It seems rather awkward at first, but given some time it’s very noticeable how much time it saves compared to running around. But besides that, not having to worry about how the visuals look when a character is in motion lets artists roam free and create gorgeous and detailed 2D sprites. The characters look sharp, have great transitions and are so utterly unique that each is memorable.
In terms of gameplay, the games contain anywhere from 4-5 cases, often featuring a unique prosecutor through most of the cases to rival the protagonist and advance the characterization and depth of the cast featured in the game. Although most cases don’t have a direct link to a particular character, you’ll find yourself caring and connecting to many of them, attaching yourself to those you would least expect to. The slow unraveling of each case will surprise you more and more as the creators always find a way to keep the experience fresh and surprising. The usual first portion of each case tends to start slow, and the process of investigating, finding evidence and moving back and forth between locations seems tedious at the start. However, as you begin to clear the mist of each case, it becomes more of a need to discover the truth rather than a requirement to continue.
The other critical portion of each case is actually going to court to defend your client. The characters the court comprises of will usually be familiar, the dialogue is expertly written to make you laugh, think and feel fear at the right cue, and the process of cracking witnesses and uncovering the truth is methodical and challenging, particularly in the latter cases. The only complaint I ever had with the game was that in reality there are different routes to getting to the answer, and this game requires you to follow a specific route to obtain what you need. The creators did a great job in narrowing down the possibilities and leading you to the necessary answer, but at times it will be difficult to determine what is required and the wrong answer you chose is not necessarily wrong, just not what the game’s story requires. Nevertheless, cross-examining witnesses is a blast and one of the more exciting aspects of the game, and it never fails to make you think outside the box, a pleasure that few games grant.
While I have yet to tackle the sequels after the original trilogy, all the games follow the same general idea and gameplay, while adding unique features and methods of investigating or examining witness to keep the series enjoyable and worth revisiting even after completing them. On a lesser note, I appreciate the facts that the series has remained exclusive to Nintendo’s handheld consoles. It’s a slower game and it requires a decent time investment, so having access to it on the go, being able to play just a bit on a break, and using the touch screen to the games advantage is beneficial to the series all-around. This is not something I would like to play at 1080p on my PS4, and it grants a much more enticing experience on consoles like the DS and 3DS.
If it wasn’t clear already, I highly recommend picking up these games, from the very beginning. The original trilogy is available for the DS, and also available at a discounted price as a bundle of the 3DS E-Shop. The Apollo Justice (the immediate sequel) and spin-offs are available for the DS and can be played on the 3DS as well, and the most recent sequels are available on the 3DS E-Shop. If I have any advice to give, it would be to not be scared away by the looks and appearance of the game. Play through the first game before concluding that it is not for you, because if I didn’t, I would have not had the great experiences, smiles, laughs and intense moments that the Ace Attorney series made possible.
The Ace Attorney series is a video game series from video game publisher, Capcom. The games are available for the Nintendo DS and 3DS. To find out more about the games and Capcom, you can visit their website at: http://www.ace-attorney.com/ .
