Hercule Poirot Does the Grim Fandango
HIGH Excellent writing and incredibly creative scenarios!
LOW Some responses are unnecessarily long.
WTF A “doctor” offering to “thoroughly examine” a 15-year-old girl?!
The release of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy marks another well-deserved transition of a beloved franchise to newer consoles, delivering a stylishly-packaged love letter to the fans.
As the title states, this compilation serves up three highly-praised Ace Attorney titles (Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney — Dual Destinies, and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney — Spirit of Justice) all of which were previously available only on the Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, iOS, and Android devices. As such, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy is a full-course meal, satisfying both the initiated and newcomers alike.
The author of this review falls in the latter category and digging into this compilation was nothing short of a treat. In a nutshell, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy is a visual novel that knits an intriguing narrative full of colorful characters, captivating murder cases, and staggering conclusions waiting to be puzzled out. It’s a slow-burn play — perhaps too slow if judged solely by today’s standards, but it’s the sheer quality of the writing that sets a high standard from the get-go, before proceeding to meticulously adding fuel.
Upon launching this title, the first thing to notice is the excellent presentation. All three games are clearly delineated in the starting menu and accompanied by unique icons that communicate each installment’s main characters. Then, we can freely select one to sample, swap to another on a whim, and even opt to start our journey from any single episode within the entire trilogy, no matter its position in the overarching plot. Of course, starting at the beginning and progressing sequentially is the best path here, as these three games tell one single, epic story.
While the anime aesthetics initially fooled me into a false sense of security, I soon realized that progress rests not on simply reading through text boxes and occasionally making a choice, as in most visual novels, but on my analytical skills, above all else.
The plot is thick and heavy, expanding across several years while giving characters ample space to shine through this hyperbolical take on the US judiciary system. The lack of legal realism notwithstanding, the Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy succeeds in what it sets out to do — open the player’s eyes to objective, indubitable truth, regardless of how each episode’s villains have obscured it.
If it wasn’t glaringly obvious already, these games are narrative-driven experiences that the player experiences via a team of lawyers. Each title comprises several episodes, each set in motion by a murder that we’re tasked with unraveling — and it’s not just about finding the guilty party. No, the player must demystify each moment that culminated in or even influenced the act in question. I was pleasantly surprised by how in-depth and serious a task this turned out to be!
The episodes consist of two phases — first, collecting evidence where we visit crime scenes, analyze the surroundings, chat with the locals and utilize forensic tools (via mini-games) before the preliminary hearings begin. This is the second phase when we are in the courtroom.
When pursuing evidence, we can easily jump between locations while trying to find something key that unlocks the way forward. To make progress, I often had to ask a forensic scientist to apply fingerprint powder on an item the suspect must’ve handled manually at some point, or press an eyewitness to recall an important detail by drawing parallels with what’s been uncovered thus far. What makes this a drag at times is that most of the characters don’t have anything meaningful to say when presented with evidence that doesn’t concern them, but they’ll still continue to ramble on, wasting the player’s time. So, when trying to get something out of a character who obviously had more info, I often had to listen to the same collection of lines instead of a genuine answer, sometimes a dozen times in a row, depending on how long the list of potential evidence had gotten to that point.
And, even if that frustration was immediately alleviated once I landed on the correct item that made them spill their guts, sometimes it did feel like a random guess — an outdated point-and-click type of roadblock that I’d almost forgotten still existed in videogames.
When we’re prepared to press our case, we move to the courtroom, and there’s a tasteful gaminess to it. We are always in the shoes of an under-prepared defense attorney struggling to prove the innocence of their (ostensibly guilty) client. To slowly turn the odds towards vindication, we’ll have to pay very close attention to the court record and the evidence list. We can also examine objects in a 3D view (the Switch’s touch controls make that a breeze) to perhaps uncover a potential ace-in-the-hole to be used at opportune moments during the proceedings.
Once a hearing begins, the judge will expect us to prove our claims without any leaps in logic — not a single one! At the same time, a capable prosecutor across the aisle will diligently trace our train of thought and spot every single crack in our attempt.
From a gameplay perspective, these courtroom challenges are essentially puzzles where we have to spot a contradiction between the witness testimony and evidence pointing to a different fact. For example, when a character claimed they heard two gunshots in the room where a murder took place, I had to comb the court record and select the evidence that decisively contradicted that claim — namely, the pistol in question, which only held a single bullet in the chamber!
I’ll refrain from revealing any more examples of the type of analysis the player will be tasked to perform in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy, but rest assured, wiping the smugness off of the faces of both witness and prosecutor is always incredibly satisfying.
From start to finish, The Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy is intertwined with memorable characters and thrilling courtroom scenes depicting both the best and worst of humanity, presented triumphantly in a manner I won’t forget anytime soon. Even if the core of the gameplay loop is showing its age a bit, it won’t hinder anyone’s enjoyment by much — a good story is a good story, full stop.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Disclosures: This game was developed and published by Capcom. It is currently available on PC, PS4/5, XBO/X/S and Switch. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the Switch Lite. Approximately 45 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and two of the three games were completed.
Parents: This game has received a T rating from the ESRB and contains Blood, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, and Violence. The official summary reads: “This is a collection of three adventure games in which players assume the roles of attorneys in various murder cases. Players can study crime scenes, analyze evidence, and present clues and arguments in court cases. Crime scenes sometimes depict corpses, with bloodstained clothing and/or weapons protruding from torsos. Cutscenes and still-images depict further instances of violence/blood: a tape outline of a body with a large bloodstain; characters getting shot, sometimes with blood-splatter effects; a character strangled with a cord; characters stabbed and/or slashed, also with blood-splatter effects. One female character is depicted with breasts that jiggle during dialogue; one case revolves around players searching for missing panties. The game includes use of controlled substances: drunk characters slurring their words, swaying, hiccupping; an opposing lawyer holding a cigar; a witness blowing smoke rings in the air. The word “p*ss” appears in the game.”
Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available.
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: There is no recorded audio dialogue in the game, and every line uttered by the characters is presented solely via written text. The font size is easily readable, as every text box takes almost one-third of the screen. (See examples above.) I opted for semi-transparent text boxes, which seemed to work best for me, though several other options are available too. Certain parts of the game task the player with deciphering clues audio samples, meaning players will have to compare similar recordings and point out the inconsistencies. At those points, players who have trouble hearing can turn on “Story Mode” under the “Reader” section of the Options menu, and the game will present the correct course of action automatically. ”Story Mode” can be turned off and on at will, but be aware that it does impact which trophies players get for their performance.
Remappable Controls: This game doesn’t offer a controller diagram and the controls are not remappable. The controls are displayed at all times during gameplay at the bottom of the screen (i.e., on the Switch, the “X” button is for presenting evidence, the “A” button confirms a selected action, etc.). The player is given an infinite amount of time to make a choice.
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