Ace Attorney Trilogy is a collection of the first three games in this long running series. You play as a rookie defence lawyer Phoenix Wright, as you aim to defend your client against all odds.
They can be classified as hybrid visual novel/adventure games where you solve murder mystery cases. Barring a few exceptions, a standard case will comprise of two parts —investigation and trial. Depending upon how long the case is, you will play through multiple investigation and trial sequences within a single one.
It almost always begins with you somehow ending up defending the primary suspect. This investigation part involves moving to various locations, talking to the people involved with the case and collecting objects as evidence. You examine objects by pointing the curser at them, and places you have already examined will now show a mark to signify that, a smart change that was introduced later on in series but was not present in these games before. At times, when a person is lying, you will have to use your Matagama and present relevant evidence order to break the Psyche locks that hide the truth.
While naturally you will be reading a lot of dialogue, this series is always fun to play because of the trial part of the game, which is by far the most exciting and thrilling aspect. You will be cross examining witnesses and breaking their testimony apart in your search for the truth.
This generally involves pressing the required statement from the testimony for more information and presenting evidence that directly contradicts what the witness is saying. A health bar denotes how many times can you mess up before it’s game over. The odds are always stacked against you, as Phoenix Wright wings and bluffs his way to the truth. The drama and tension are unparalleled.
Ace attorney games are often hilarious. It's the absurd nature and mannerisms of the characters, which complements the extremely serious story, that makes it so interesting.
It has a unique charm, from the clearly unqualified judge, goofy main character, over-the-top design of the prosecutors and absurd court room sequences, such as cross examining a parrot. Ace Attorney Trilogy has a combination of humour, high stakes drama, relatable characters and thrilling court room sequences that make this series so memorable. It knows when to make you laugh and when to make you shed a tear. This collection is by far the best version of the trilogy. Save for the final case, I am not a fan of the second title, but the first and third games are some of the best in the series.
Overall 8
