(Hm... not my best title card... I had no idea what else to do.)
I don't usually start a review on a Monday, but this is a special case. And no, it's not to avoid having two reviews posted on two days at the end of March.
We continue this look at the Ace Attorney series with
the fourth game, Apollo Justice, released for the Nintendo DS. Yeah, I know,
I’m skipping over two games, but I do not own them and at the moment, I’m
broke. So I have no plans to buy them, much less review them. I know the third
game is pretty good, but if you’re waiting for me to discuss it, if you’re waiting
for Godot, you’ll be waiting for a long time.
Buuuuut.... Here's a picture of him regardless. Hey, at least we know he exists, unlike the OG Godot. |
Apollo Justice brings us about ten years after the first game (seven years after the third game). Phoenix Wright had become a legend, two years after he started defending clients in court (the cases in Justice For All and Trials and Tribulations certainly helped). One can’t take down a legend such as Manfred Von Karma and avoid becoming a legend themselves. Since the original trilogy, a series of doubtful practices in the justice system became commonplace from shadier attorneys on both sides, leading to the public’s confidence in the justice system reaching an all-time low. This is what we now call “The Dark Age of the Law”. Take note that we’re in 2026 by then. Attorneys and prosecutors constantly circumventing the system only leads to trouble. Evidence forging has become a common tactic.
It is in a gloomy time that we meet our new
protagonist for this game: Apollo Justice, a young but promising
defense attorney, with hair even more notable than Phoenix Wright’s. Hell, his name is more notable than Phoenix’s. Oh, but our
previous protagonist is still around, don’t worry. He will be tied in some way
to three of the cases in this game.
Of course, a form of disillusionment against the
system is nothing new, in fact I’d say this is exactly what many of us are
feeling nowadays. There are many things I could say about this game’s backstory
that are scarily close to the mood around the world in this day and age, mostly
towards politics. However, this isn’t a political blog, so I will try not to
talk about it much. I mean, the justice system is affected by politics (even though it shouldn't be), but I
won’t make any mention of the current political scene. Why would I? This game
takes place in 2026, after all. Okay, enough blabbering, this is Apollo
Justice: Ace Attorney.
Images for this review were taken from this Let's Play. Go check it out! |
We start the first story of this game, called…
Turnabout Trump… Aw, for fuck’s sake!
Proof. I'm not making that up. |
We meet a very stressed
Apollo Justice in the defendant’s lobby, being told encouraging words by his
mentor, Kristoph Gavin. Apollo is also quite the Phoenix Wright fanboy, wanting to follow in his footsteps. We learn from Kristoph that he and
Phoenix actually know each other, and dined together on the day of the murder.
Oh, and for some reason, it is Phoenix who asked Apollo to defend him.
This puzzle is already complex.
Maybe it's... Winston who did it! Nah... he's too pathetic for that. |
Yeah, sure, and I only drink root beer. |
The victim, Shadi Smith, was found dead of a blow to the head at the crime
scene, a poker game. See what I meant when I was discussing poker? Ace to King,
blue backs, this sort of stuff. Here comes Phoenix’s first testimony. Since
this is could be someone’s first Ace Attorney game (as it was for me), we can
get a refresher on how cross-examination works, then we move on. Apollo’s first
presentation of evidence is unfortunately against his case, as it’s the grape
juice bottle – I can’t say that with a straight face – with Phoenix’s
fingerprints, positioned like he was holding the bottle upside down.
"Of course! Mr. Wright can't lose! I idolize him way too much to accept that as a possibility!" |
As we learn, the game came down to two full houses,
with Kings, Tens, and Aces. Ah, only in fiction are the decisive hands always
so high! You’ll rarely, if ever, hear about a fiction hero going “My
opponent lost from having a single pair of threes, I won by having a single pair
of fives!” Olga claims that the victim, Shadi Smith,
pulled a fifth ace into the game, but the photo of the poker table shows no
such thing. As for the hands, once inspected, they do reveal one blue card
among the red cards in the players’ hands – but it’s a king, third of a trio,
weirdly enough. From there, Apollo claims that Olga was the one helping the
actual cheater – and that she might have more relevance to the case than she
lets on! Ah, yes, this is the first case, obviously the true killer must be the
first witness, like all the way back with Sahwit.
Just a friendly reminder that this is what Phoenix Wright looks like nowadays. In this one game, anyway. |
In the following break. Phoenix explains that he has
had such a long winning streak, not because he cheats, but because he is able
to read people’s twitches, habits and motions, and deduce from there what
they’re up to. This, and he has a natural talent for bluffing. In the following
trial section, Olga reveals her true form: She’s not a Borscht waitress, she's a card dealer. It makes her look like a Team
Skull girl who found a part-time job at a casino. She was in cahoots with Shadi
Smith, trying to frame Phoenix as a cheater.
That power looks like it came right out of the field of magic... which isn't all that far from the truth. |
Phoenix testifies finding the victim’s balding head
hatless, even if he had never seen him hatless before. And in Phoenix’s call to
Kristoph Gavin to request a defense attorney, Kristoph accidentally mentioned the bald
head.
Sheesh, for a first case trial, this is certainly
longer than I thought it would be! In the next courtroom break, Apollo meets a
teenage girl in a magician’s outfit, who hands him a card with a red back. And
a message about having a “trump card”… As for the card, it’s an ace with a
blood stain on it. The girl leaves, but he recognizes her as the girl on the
picture in the locket worn by Phoenix. Hm…
That's a legitimate question: How do you know that, Gavin? |
We cut to a 3D look at the crime scene, which allows us to move things around. That's used here… and never again. We get more 3D set-ups for crime scenes, but none where we can move stuff around. Yeah, that would have been a welcome
addition, but nope. One case, then forgotten forever. Anyway, we use this to
solve more of the puzzle, by pointing that the victim was facing opposite of
the table (since that’s how a blood drop would fall on an ace), that the killer
used a secret exit out of that room… I know I’m going fast here. All you need to know
is that the theories coming from the bloody ace completely destroy Kristoph’s
testimony. It feels as though there’s a critical piece of evidence missing.
Something that prevents the case from being solved – that is, the ace taken
from the killer! How do you want the player to solve those cases without this
evidence?
It literally takes Phoenix messing with the judiciary
process to get anywhere with this. He practically directs the entire case,
bringing new decisive evidence when needed! Hey, whose name is it on the
freaking box cover: Yours, or Apollo’s? Cut that out, Phoenix! You're not the hero today!
Still, can’t argue with results; the line of logic
points to Kristoph being the sole culprit. We’ve yet to learn the motive, but
yes, Kristoph did it. And the guy’s freakout is impressive. The earth shakes!
He raises stuff off the ground! Good thing Edgeworth wasn’t there! Gavin lets
out something about revenge, from Wright, for events apparently related to how
the ex-defense attorney lost his badge. Folks, I believe we have a story arc
for this game!
Also, why did he suddenly adopt (no pun intended) the role of tutor/parent/father for that young girl? |
Whyyyyyyyyy?
There is one certainty, though: This was inordinately
long to solve, all because it missed exactly the required evidence. That’s
actually a genius nod to the second overarching plot of this game. There is a
reason why I mentioned the Dark Age of the Law and the dirty tricks in court.
This first case is only the first of a series of Gordian knots regarding this.
To compensate, Phoenix actually has a plan. But it might not be enough.
Since Gavin Law Offices will close down, Apollo will
go work for Phoenix at the Law Off-oh right, he’s not doing just law anymore.
Apparently it’s now called the Wright Anything Agency. Yeah, since Phoenix was
disbarred for using forged evidence, like that bloody ace, in court, the Law Office is gone. See, he
did it again. The irony being, he did it because it was the only way to get the
true culprit arrested this time.
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