LogFAQs > #895218099

93. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney (pjbasis)


What can I say about Ace Attorney that I haven't already said? Seems like I've been talking about it nonstop for the better part of two years! That being said, I never get tired of discussing it. It's one of my absolute favorite series, and it feels like the well never runs dry with it. I'm usually comparing the games between themselves and not with other series though, so it's actually been kind of hard to peg where I want to slot them on this list. Regardless, Apollo Justice is definitely the weakest link in Ace Attorney. If I had to describe it in one word, it'd be "Inconsistent." Even in my least favorite game in the series, I like a lot of things it does, but they're often counterbalanced by some of the lowest moments in the series. For every point I could make about this game, there would almost always be a "Yeah, but" right after.

Apollo Justice is unique in that it gives you its best shot right out of the gate instead of saving it for the end like the rest of the Ace Attorney games do. 4-1 is one of the best intro cases in the series (second only to E2-1, in my opinion, and not by much). It throws a bunch of crazy twists at you and leaves you wanting more. Therein lies the rub. You keep pressing through 4-2 and 4-3, two of the weakest cases in the series, just to get to 4-4 to see how they follow up on the mysteries they left unresolved in 4-1. 4-4 epitomizes this game so well. It's a really unique case. There's truly no other case in the series like it. I absolutely love 4-4's first day, as well as most of the MASON System stuff that follows. However, 4-4's second trial day is utterly disappointing, and 4-0 is bar none the worst thing the series has ever produced. I won't rant on specifics because I'd like for people who haven't played the game to be able to read this, but you see how much AJ makes me vacillate back and forth between what I love and what I dislike.

As far as the characters go, they're a mixed bag. I really like Apollo a lot, even though the game doesn't really do him justice (pun fully intended). He gets the worst batch of defendants imaginable, both in terms of being downright uncooperative and one of them in particular being just plain bad. He gets paired off with one of the weaker prosecutors in the series as well, although Klavier has some good points. The game does have some pretty solid villains though. However, despite Apollo's name being in the title, Phoenix is the one who steals the spotlight whenever he's around. By the end of PW1, Phoenix Wright is a fully realized character. You understand his motivations, and you've witnessed discernible growth. On the other hand, Apollo Justice is essentially the same character at the end of the game as he is at the beginning. We've learned virtually nothing about who he is or what makes him tick. Speaking of Phoenix, I love the concept of Hobonix as a character. He's fascinating. I just wish he weren't Phoenix Wright because I feel like it's an insult to what he accomplished in the first three games in some ways. He's essentially Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi.

I've already said more than I intended to say (can't help myself), so I'll close with this. Trucy might be the biggest bright spot in the game. Despite possessing Ace Attorney's trademark wackiness, the game's main theme might as well be, "Nobody gets to be happy, ever." Nearly everyone in this game has had their dreams crushed, but Trucy is irrepressibly bright, cheerful, and colorful. She helps keep the game afloat. At one point, Phoenix calls Trucy his light, and I totally understand what he means. I don't even want to imagine what this game would've been like without her. Apollo and Trucy are excellent together, and their rapport makes this game worth playing through all the ups and downs.

Bonus Question: What is your least favorite Ace Attorney game?

That's it for tonight.
---

http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/080/145/638.png
https://imgur.com/xSIWjVK