4.5/5 ★ – RetroRanger's review of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is one of those games that I had frequently heard about over the years but had given little attention to it. Many people have a series, game, or genre like that, and are subsequently filled with regret for waiting so long to explore it. I've had more than one of those in my life, but Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney hurt the worst because it was the best. || spoiler-free || played the updated version on Nintendo Switch || It's seriously impressive how much charm and wit Capcom managed to squeeze into a DS cartridge. Ace Attorney is undoubtedly one of the most charming games I have ever played and the success of every element in the game design owes itself to that charm. The characters and writing are the sources of this charm, making nearly every situation a joy to play through in even the more mundane scenarios. Ace Attorney is a melodrama, with over-the-top reactions and characters that are comically exaggerated in their quirks. Despite this, the excellent writing is able to shift the tone dramatically during serious moments, enough to cause players to connect and feel for characters that are otherwise tropey and hyperbolic. One after another, a character would be introduced and I'd find myself on two ends of either loving their quirkiness or hoping to imprison them for life. Each character had a personality and disposition, and I had a reaction to every single one of them. Ace Attorney is witty, funny, and genuinely smart with its writing, but it's not just a "30-minute laughs" experience, as characters and side-stories develop over the course of the game. Everything mentioned is accompanied by an impressively fitting soundtrack, with many of the tunes still stuck in my head. Seriously, this soundtrack from a DS game about lawyers is inescapably great and has become one of my favorites. There are charms and quirks to be found all the way down in the sound effects as well, with everything from little blips to express shock, to the iconic "objection!" line. As a story, or visual novel, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is carried by its witty writing, unforgettable characters, excellent soundtrack, and the general theme of not taking itself too seriously - a theme that made some of the best moments of the game possible - for example, when Phoenix cross-examined a parrot. As a game, I had just a few small objections. I found the point-and-click style to be enjoyable, but I also grew up playing games like Pajama Sam. One thing I didn't enjoy about it was the lack of fast traveling. I know that games like this usually don't have that feature, but there were a good number of situations where I had to visit several locations before I was able to actually reach my destination. In a game where the main gameplay elements are reading and clicking, it's important to refine everything to prevent less interested players from getting bored. I love these types of games, but having to travel "through gates" to reach my destination started to drag even for me. This isn't a big deal, just something that could be improved upon. My other gameplay complaint was the lack of clarity and consistency with the court records mechanic. The court records mechanic is the core gameplay element of Ace Attorney. It's an obvious mechanic to include in this type of game, but the way it's presented in Ace Attorney makes it feel smarter than most. Evidence is gathered between court sessions through talking with relevant people and searching crime scenes. That evidence is later used during cross-examinations in court, giving players the opportunity to likewise feel smarter than most when they choose the correct evidence to reveal in specific situations in the courtroom. This is a fun and satisfying mechanic, and as mentioned before, the writing, sound effects, and music that accompanies everything in the courtroom make everything much more thrilling and satisfying. Something that was very unsatisfying, however, was choosing a piece of evidence that could clearly be used, only to have Pheonix refuse to explain its obvious connection. Part of the fun and challenge is choosing which piece of evidence can be used to expose contradictions in testimonies, sometimes from a long list of available evidence. In some cases, there are overlapping pieces of evidence that could all clearly be used to expose the same contradiction, but the game only allows players to choose a specific one to progress. Each time this happened, the immersive veil was lifted from Ace Attorney, and instead of feeling like a prodigy detective and defensive attorney ready to unload dozens of "gotcha" moments in court, I felt like I was playing a video game. This revealed further limitations of the game. For example, many players probably assume that using different pieces of evidence can lead to different scenarios and testimonies, or, that choosing the wrong options in critical moments can make the case easier or harder. Situations like the one mentioned above reveal to the player that they are in fact playing a game, with specific actions and choices required to progress, and with a linear dialogue path. It definitely detracts from the tense atmosphere during court cases and critical decisions, giving players a "can't actually fail" mentality. Towards the midpoint of the game, I felt the shift from feeling like I was actively involved, to feeling like I was simply watching a set story unfold by pushing the correct buttons - instead of actually being the character of Phoenix Wright. The obvious argument here is that this is exactly what Ace Attorney is supposed to be, and that argument is fair, for better or for worse. My gameplay complaints were not even close to seriously hurting my overall experience with the game. Even when I felt like my immersion was lost, I was still interested in the cases and stories. Each case was dynamic, complicated, and genuinely intriguing. I've consumed a lot of media growing up, and I often see plot twists coming or figure mysteries out sooner than most. This was not the case in Ace Attorney. Each case left me guessing until the very end. Sometimes I would mule over a case for minutes just trying to piece together everything I knew so I could figure out the grand reveal of the case or solve the missing clue, but I never could completely. Some cases are better than others, but I always felt like I had all of the clues I needed to have figured out the reveal myself - something that is very important - and still never did completely. As a side note, I played the updated version of Ace Attorney on the Switch. In terms of upgrades, it could have been much better, but the original game is so timeless that many won’t be bothered by the lack of substantial modernization. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is one of the most shocking games I have ever played, and not just because of its plot twists and reveals. Ace Attorney was a game originally created for the DS, and the amount of content and passion jammed into it is just impressive. It's a game that will leave players guessing on the edge of their seats with thrilling and puzzling cases and scenarios, accompanied by charming and witty writing that is just a joy to read. Players will find themselves attached to overexaggerated characters and seriously contemplating some outright silly scenarios, all while listening to a top soundtrack in the medium. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a 4.5/5 or 9/10. Played in: 2023 Played on: Nintendo Switch Playtime: 20 hours Status: Beaten