Jump to content
Banner by ~ Ice Princess Silky
  • entries
    91
  • comments
    200
  • views
    43,469

Darker than a Moonless Night - Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations Review(DS, 3DS, Wii, iOS) - WARNING: SPOILERS


Megas

1,887 views

blog-0156645001443643143.jpg

Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations is the third and final game of the original Ace Attorney trilogy(and was originally intended to be the final game period). After the first two games, this one had the role of wrapping up Phoenix's story line as well as several character arcs that were present during those first two games. Does the game live up to the expectations set by the first two as well as serve as a satisfying conclusion to the original trilogy?

 

Warning, there may be some spoilers.....and this may turn more into a Godot Gushing blog rather than an actual review

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Gameplay

 

Phoenix_Wright_Ace_Attorney_Trials_and_Tribulations_-_Wii_-_1.jpg

 

It's the same as the first two games. Investigation(with some Psyche locks) and the trials.

 

Story

 

hqdefault.jpg

 

The game's story focuses a lot on Mia Fey's past and serves as the final chapter in Phoenix's character arc in what it means to deliver justice. The first case(Turnabout Memories) is the game's tutorial case, but a surprisingly strong one at that, and one that is very important as it introduces the game's main villain. The case is a flashback about Mia Fey's earliest cases where she defends none other than Phoenix Wright, who is accused of murdering fellow college student and his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend, Doug Swallow. The second case(the Stolen Turnabout) returns to the present day where Phoenix has to defend Ron DeLite, who is accused of robbery, and then murder. This case also reveals the game's prosecutor, everyone's favorite coffee loving prosecutor Godot who is totally a sexy badass easy the best character in the game. The third case(Recipe for Turnabout) involves Phoenix defending Maggey Byrde who is accused of murder once again, though unknowing to Phoenix, he supposedly already defended her and did a terrible job of doing so. Despite being a filler case like Turnabout Samurai and Turnabout Big Top, this case is surprisingly a lot of fun with despite an odd ending. The fourth case(Turnabout Beginnings) is another flashback, this time being Mia's very first trial where she, along with her boyfriend Diego Armando, defend death row convict Terry Fawles, who is accused of murdering his girlfriend's sister and detective, Valerie Hawthorne. This trial is pretty much the one that started it all and serves as a prologue to the final case in the game, it also shows to be one of Miles Edgeworth's earliest cases as a prosecutor. The final case(Bridge to the Turnabout) centers around a girl named Iris, who reminds Phoenix of someone in the past, who is accused of murdering children's book writer Elise Deauxnim. However an accident causes Phoenix to get sick and Godot goes missing so Miles Edgeworth(as the Defense) and Franziska Von Karma(prosecution) has to take it to court and fill the roles for the first day, meanwhile, Maya and Pearl also go missing. This trial pretty much goes all out in the best way possible as most of the major characters in the trials were main characters in the first two games, we get to see more backstory behind Mia's family and the connections she has to the game's villain, we get to see Godot hates Phoenix so much, and despite some parts being a bit complicated, serves as the best possible send off for not just the game, but the original trilogy as a whole. And I'm just gonna get this out there, but the game had me bawling at the end.

 

Also there's a small part where Phoenix and Franziska do the investigation together. And it is hilarious.

 

PWAA_Trilogy_Art.jpg

 

The cast in this installment is arguably some of the best in the trilogy. The main characters from the first game(Phoenix, Mia, Maya, Edgeworth, Larry and Gumshoe, and even Marvin Grossberg) as well as a few from Justice For All(In particular, Pearl, Franziska, Adrian Andrews, Maggey Byrde, and to a lesser extent, Morgan Fey). And several of the new characters introduced are really hilarious(though I can see some being more annoying with others) with more depth than they let on. And I'm not exaggerating when I say one of the villains is one of the most evil characters I've ever seen in a video game. Though the highlight character is easily Godot. Hot Shot, yet cool and collected(even when he's losing), setting his own guidelines, and his unabashed love for coffee, he's easily the coolest character in not only the game but the entire series, and a very quotable guy.

 

Also I couldn't help but notice that love is a running theme in this game, as romance can be a focal point in every trial.

 

Visuals

 

godot-catch.gif
Much like the first two games, visuals are great. Very detailed backgrounds and very funny and expressive sprite animations.

 

Sound

 


 

The sound design is again, as great as the other two games, tons of "Hold it!"'s, "Objection!"'s and "Take that!"'s everywhere.

 

The music is something else though. I'm willing to go as far as to say that the OST up there with the first game as the best in the series. Phoenix's theme and the Pressing Pursuit theme rivals those of the original game's, and almost every character in the game gets their own theme song, making them a bit more memorable than some of those in the past, with my favorite themes being Godot's and Furio Tigre's themes.

 

Overall

 

This is easily one of, if not the best, game in the series, and has easily become my favorite. Great music, strong characters, both new and returning, and one of the most emotional stories in the series, it is easily the best possible send off for the Phoenix Wright trilogy. And again, if you have a 3DS, the Ace Attorney Trilogy is the best way to go. Though I highly recommend playing the first two games before trying this game.

  • Brohoof 1

1 Comment


Recommended Comments

Usually, they more or less tell you the killer's identity.

 

But Bridge To The Turnabout actually makes you use your brain to figure out who the killer is (and you, having obviously played it, already know who it is).

 

Come to think of it, the very next case released (Turnabout Trump, the tutorial case in Apollo Justice) is similarly difficult.

  • Brohoof 1
Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Join the herd!

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...