Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations

2007

Audio: English, Japanese · Subtitles: Japanese, English

point-and-click
adventure
visual novel
comedy
mystery
single player

The story

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney − Trials and Tribulations (known as Gyakuten Saiban 3 in Japan) is the third game in the Ace Attorney series. Players take on the role of Phoenix Wright, a defense attorney known for taking on seemingly impossible cases. While the game focuses on a few specific cases, the overarching story of the Phoenix Wright franchise spans the length of the series, involving obscure characters from large families and intricate webs of lies, plots, and murder. The nature of the series remains generally lighthearted, something that's reinforced by its playful, anime-inspired visual style, but the nature of the crimes committed can be cold and downright disturbing. While the game's legal acumen is highly dubious, its aim seems to be more about producing comedic or stereotypically dramatic courtroom moments. Ace Attorney 3 makes light use of the DS touch screen, allowing the player to examine crime scenes and inspect evidence and character profiles. The top screen is used more for storytelling purposes, displaying various dialogue and conversations between characters. During these sequences the lower screen becomes a selection menu, displaying a series of questions to ask witnesses and further your investigation in search of evidence to use in defense of your client in each chapter.

What it’s like

Bright, flat anime sprites stand against painted courtroom backdrops and crisp, cartoonish evidence close-ups, all rendered in clean pixel-art detail that reads as bold and playful on the DS's two small screens. The palette leans on warm wood tones, primary colors and exaggerated expressions, with the camera locked to still frames that snap between speakers as dialogue scrolls and the odd dramatic zoom or shake lands a punchline. Sound is a jaunty mix of courtroom horns, sudden stings and bouncy, looping melodies that swell when a witness cracks. Pacing is brisk and talky, broken up by the pleasure of pressing and examining, with the lower screen's question menus giving a steady, low-stress rhythm. The vibe is lighthearted and theatrical, a playful caper that turns sharply dark when a case reveals its killer, so the murders are discussed with cold detachment and show up as stark crime-scene stills, with blood sparingly drawn and no gore. It suits a rainy weekend, a comfort replay or a relaxed evening on the couch, and it is for people who enjoy clever, character-driven mysteries, goofy courtroom drama and the satisfaction of catching a liar.

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