4/5 ★ – DarrensTrashBag's review of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney − Spirit of Justice.

After a second playthrough, I think I like this game more. The ability for them to create a whole new world with a new culture that creates understandable conflict is very impressive. The new Divination Séances is the second best thing they have added next to logic chess. The thing about this game's writing and Duel Destinies' writing is that SOJ gets quite repetitive at times, especially Nahyuta, who I think is the worst main prosecutor in the series. Nahyuta just repeats the same insults over and over again, while Blackquill was unique with his humor and his ability to mess with the defense. Nahyuta's arc feels unsatisfactory since he barely breaks in the three cases that you have him in, so he just seems like a guy that is there to oppose you rather than an interesting mystery to be solved until the final half of the final case. I think there should have been a different prosecutor for the Japanafornia region and Khura'in. I'm glad that Ema is back, but for some reason the forensic science minigames are very hard to control and effectively find the fingerprints and bloodstains your looking for. I remember having trouble that cost me around an hour during my first playthrough. Thoughts On Each Case: The Foreign Turnabout: Good start to explaining how the new nation works and what the stakes are. Ahlbi and the killer are very good in this. I also like that they created an arc for Gaspen Payne when they did not really have one for Winston other than Turnabout Memories. When it comes to the murder plot, I forgot everything, quite bland when it comes to the creativity of Ace Attorney. I like the new judge, too, with the bit about him missing class and apologizing to his wife. The Magical Turnabout: It is great getting to see a character moment from Trucy; she was always great, but this case makes a genuine connection between her and the player. The murder method is one of the more creative tricks the writers have pulled off so far. Roger Retinz is such a good villain. For some reason the 3DS games are good at creating the most unlikable people, which to me makes them even better. Retinz's breakdown is one of the best and smoothest in the series. The only thing I was not too into was the Bonny and Betty twin mystery. It just makes me disappointed because I know they can do better than that. Also, the Trucy demonstration testimony was great. The Rite of Turnabout: I like that Maya is basically the same and is also following tradition by getting arrested. The plot twists of who Lady Keera was and the cause of death for both victims are very good. This is where divination séances are at their best. However, I think this case goes on for too long. This is where Rayfa started being a great character to me. Turnabout Storyteller: My second least favorite case in the series. The only good parts are Simon, who carries hard; Athena, who is always great; and Uendo, who I thought a character with Dissociative Identity Disorder was gonna happen sometime but I like what they did with him. Nahyuta is at his worst in this case; every line he utters is reused from the last two times we saw him, the murder plot was so boring and uninteresting that the most surprising part is the victim being killed with dough. Gairu is the worst culprit with the worst motive. There was a last ditch effort during her breakdown that she feels remorse for killing her father, but it really feels forced. The setting could have been more interesting, but instead it was just a room. Maybe an actual noodle factory or something would have been more interesting. Also, the defendant's gimmick is that he is drunk; good job writers, really created such an industry-changing character. Turnabout Revolution: Start with parts I don't like: Nahyuta's arc, as I stated earlier, is unsatifying and kinda bleak and obvious. The best part of it is that Rayfa was his sister, but that is all. Next, Ga'ran is an uninteresting prosecutor and final boss; she is just "evil" the character. This I would not mind if it was not literally the final case, and that it is not von Karma. Apollo taking her down was cool though. Some characters appear for no good reason other than fan service like Pearl. Now the good: Armie Buff is an incredible witness and she is in my top five for sure. Even though Paul Atishon is hated, I actually like him since he is just a stereotypical politician. The split between Japanifornia and Khura'in is very well done. The setup and payoff of the revolution is greatly written so that the player is behind the movement all the way. Next, Dhurke, it is insane to me that they can introduce a character at the beginning of the case and and the end of it, you are in an emotional mess from one of the best plot twists in any of the games. Apollo's arc ends perfectly here in my eyes. I prefer Turnabout for Tomorrow to this mostly because of the negatives, but rest assured that this is a great case worth the twelve hours. Turnabout Time Traveler: I liked it more the second run-through, but this is still a pretty meh case. Larry is at his best here with his funniest scheme yet. Ellen Wyatt can get a bit annoying by interrupting the trial ten times, but I still like her design and animations. Sorin's condition and how he uses the notebook and connecting that with time travel is so genius. Peirce Nichody is a great killer despite the fact that I would think that he would be one of the few culprits to not totally go insane for the last few testimonies. The murder plot was not that interesting either, except for the two receptions part. I prefer Turnabout Reclaimed, but this is kind of still worth the seven dollar price tag. 81/100