Anyone that has been on this site long enough to hear a podcast knows that I am a fan of the DS, particularly the types of games where there is a mystery to be solved. I’d say my favorite games for the DS are Ace Attorney and Room 214.
With that kind of a background, know that I went in to this game CRAVING it. I needed it more than an American Idol addict. Phoenix, Maya, Mia, Pearly, and the other characters broke my hearts more times than the Whedoniverse cancellations.
So first, I need to warn everyone that has been an addict of this series: The creators are re-doing it.
Now don’t be scared. They had to redo it – Phoenix Wright was made more for the Gameboy than to really take advantage of the Touch Screen. Take a deep breath, and make it through all the way to the end. I promise you will not regret it.
It has been over 7 years since the last game “Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations”. The premise of the game is that you are Apollo Justice, a brand-spanking-new defense attorney. Your first case? You have been asked for specifically by Phoenix Wright to defend him (yet again) for a murder case. As Apollo Justice, you are going to gather evidence, question witnesses, present said evidence, and make your case before the judge. Same as before… with a few new twists.
Like I said, the game has been revamped a little for the DS. We can now examine the evidence, turn it over different ways, and if there is something quirky about it, we can zoom in and discuss it. We can also, when prompted, dust for prints, look for chemicals, and even get plasters of shoe prints. This actually adds a much-needed element to the game that the DS seems perfect for. Of course, the “being prompted” does decrease the difficulty of the game, and disappoints some of us.
A new aspect of the game, for those of us familiar with Maya/Phoenix’s “Psyche-Lock” game, is to “Perceive” when a suspect is lying. To “Perceive” something, a bracelet will become useable on the screen during a specific witness statement. We then must know about which segment they are lying about, and then “Perceive” their nervous twitch. This aspect is explained FAR more thoroughly than the magic Magatama, and I am incredibly impressed by how much thought was put into the explanation. Now, if only they could incorporate this “usable during a specific span” idea for the fingerprinting and other Touch-related aspects.
The character list is terrifying at first to anyone that has played the previous — No Mia, no Maya, no Pearly, no Edgeworth, none of the prosecutors we’ve seen so far, and Detective Gumshoe only makes a small cameo. Apollo does a pretty good job of filling in for the Phoenix we know and love, and Trucy Wright, Phonix’s 15 yo daughter (?? I know … and yes, it explains it by the end) does a fairly good job of filling in for Maya. The prosecutor is much more fun than Edgeworth was by the end, and everyone is very well fleshed out, just like in the past Ace Attorneys. They become people you know and adore, even if you didn’t know them the previous week.
The end is something any Phoenix Wright fan will love. You feel like you have been pulled through the 7 years and plopped into a reality you couldn’t entirely control, but have made the best with what you could. Every loose end is suddenly tied up so tight, you can’t help but be completely gratified. I squealed or yelled or moaned or pouted numerous times through out that ending.. I’m not sure I’ve ever been so emotionally pulled so many different ways by a game in my life.
So.. final review? As a personal game, it’s 5 stars, 2 thumbs up, please sir may I have another. As a Couple Game, it is not nearly as co-operative as many others, with only 1 save spot and no interactive play.
In the future, I hope to see closure to some of our other beloved characters, Phoenix being a more central character, and some more freedom in presenting things to sway how the game goes.
Of course, I have heard that this is not at all the way things are going to go.. I hear the next game, we’re the Prosecutor! NOo0ooooooOOooooo!!!!!!
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