With both the Ace Attorney Trilogy and Great Ace Attorney titles available on all modern platforms, it felt like only a matter of time before we got the secondary trilogy of titles that followed the original. These three titles, which came to be combined into what is now known as theApollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy, follow the continued journeys of Phoenix many years after the ending of the third entry. This time around, however, the main playable lawyer jumps between newcomers Apollo and Athena, in addition to the triumphant return of Phoenix Wright. With nearly all the Ace Attorney titles now available on modern platforms, it’s time to take a look at whatApollo Justicehas to offer, if it’s worth fans picking up and what fantastically-outrageous stories await those experiencing these three titles for the very first time.
The three titles in this collection includeApollo Justice,Dual DestiniesandSpirit of Justicereleased in that order.Apollo Justicetakes place over seven years after the ending of the original Trilogy and follows a newcomer defense attorney Apollo and a disgraced Phoenix Wright, who has given up his attorney’s badge after an incident years prior. They also introduce Phoenix’s daughter, young Trucy Wright, who becomes Apollo’s aid and magician companion to help with his cases throughout his entry title.Dual Destiniesintroduces Athena Cykes, who has a deep level of connection to emotions and seemingly a mysterious connection to the eerie prosecuting attorney known as Simon Blackquill. There’s many a case that Apollo and Athena must work together to solve, including Apollo’s sudden decision to go on his own path out of the blue to uncover a crime related to his mysterious new jacket.Spirit of Justiceis the final of the three and mainly follows Phoenix and Apollo as they investigate court cases in the kingdom of Khura’in. This land is home to the Kurain channeling technique that Maya and her family make use of, in addition to seances in court that can go beyond the dead and get a sight into crimes like never before. While it may be theApollo Justice Trilogy, all three titles cover a range of memorable characters that won’t soon be forgotten and leave a charming impact the entire way through.
Although the majority of time spent playing Ace Attorney is reading, like previous entries before it the main draw in terms of gameplay is the detective-like investigating that leads into the iconic court battles fans know and love. Investigation takes a much smaller role wherein players travel around areas to look around scenes of interest, talking to witnesses or associated parties and examining evidence. One of the strongest elements ofApollo Justiceis item analyzing, where items can be examined much closer and often reveal little secrets or details that can’t be seen at a mere glance. This is mostly lost or minimized in the other two titles, but it’s one element that makesApollo Justicefun, especially the extra little dialogue given when looking at items or revealing their secrets to unaware parties. There’s also some forensic science involved featuring Ema Skye, who made her debut appearance in the DS version of the first Ace Attorney title. Now a Detective, she’s willing to give friends of Phoenix a hand to uncover some details that aren’t immediately obvious at a glance to help piece things together including cross-checking fingerprints and checking for blood on objects or murder scenes.
Court cases are where things always hit the ground running and where it will take quick-thinking defense lawyers in order to put pieces together. This is where the main gameplay loop begins as investigation time is over and now it’s all down to witness testimonies and all the evidence that’s been found. Court cycles between discussions between characters and cross-examination, wherein the current witness gives their statement and the attorney must either point out contradictions with evidence or prod their statements for more information. This is where all the pieces really start to be put together as lies unfold and witnesses crumble under the pressure to expose things they either didn’t want to mention or were trying to hold in to keep others safe. Sometimes it can take a lot of trial and error, especially cause there are often small details that require a keen eye to catch. Getting a statement wrong will earn the player a penalty and complete loss of the penalty bar will reset before the last save. Luckily, there’s no penalty for saving regularly, so if there’s a spot where players are really stumped they can easily save and restart before an important statement. In these three particular titles, however, regular cross-examinations aren’t all there is to offer. Apollo and Athena bring new gameplay to the courtroom whileSpirit of Justicehas its own twist on the court system to keep players engaged in the court at hand.
Apollo brings to court his innate ability to sense lies in people’s statements, further increased by the power of his mysterious bracelet. This is usually linked to a nervous habit the person speaking has which can help pressure them into revealing the information they’re trying to conceal. This is occasionally used out of court, but generally sees the most use there. Athena, on the other hand, has a special sense for emotions, wherein her helpful assistant Widget helps her analyze just what the person speaking is feeling. She can examine and spot if emotions don’t match up with statements or examine an out-of-place object within a testimony. This helps settle people who are nervous wrecks and clear up their emotional disconnect from their statements in order to get missing information out from them. Finally, inSpirit of Justicethere’s the new séance system which can only be performed by a priestess of Khura’in. She can summon the last moments of a victim’s death, which can lead to useful clues. All may not be as it seems, however, and a keen eye can tell when something is amiss and put to question the faithfulness of these death scenes in order to uncover the truth.
All three of these titles originally debuted on Nintendo’s popular dual screen handhelds.Apollo Justiceon the DS withDual DestiniesandSpirit of Justicefirst appearing on 3DS. Although each title has seen release on mobile platforms, this is the first time we’re seeing them slightly refreshed on modern systems. Apollo Justice used 2D artwork which now more than ever looks utterly fantastic to admire, especially with character details and motions just feeling clean on the eyes.Dual DestiniesandSpirit of Justicewere the first mainline titles to have moved on to fully 3D models for characters. Although they never looked bad on 3DS, it’s wonderful to see them here uncompressed and smoother looking than ever before. While the 3D models have never looked as nice as the 2D artwork, there are a lot more additional elements they can do with the new models that still makes it charming in an entirely new way. Even the animated cutscenes inDual DestiniesandSpirit of Justicehave managed to avoid looking crunchy or obnoxiously upscaled, so they’re a treat on the eyes.
In addition to the three titles themselves, this collection comes with great bonus goodies. First and foremost, all the paid DLC is included here at no extra charge, which includes outfits and bonus cases forDual DestiniesandSpirit of Justice. There’s also a museum to listen to the various soundtracks, an art library, animation studio and accolades. For those playing on any system besides Switch, these accolades will be in line with trophies and achievements, but they also act as in-game accomplishments to earn for those wanting to complete a full adventure. It’s worth noting that, much like the museum itself will say, we don’t recommend viewing these extras before having finished all three titles, as there are spoilers in every category that are worth waiting to view until after the stories have been completed.
Closing Comments:
While to many theApollo Justice Trilogymay not be as strong as the original three entries, we strongly believe they’re just as good in a variety of ways and often lean better in some stories and writing. It has all the makings of what is so utterly fantastic aboutAce Attorneyfrom an outstanding memorable cast, iconic antagonists and charming soundtrack combined with engaging puzzle gameplay to test memory and attention. It’s easy to highly recommend this outstandingApollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogyto fans new and returning alike, and we can’t wait to see what comes next from the ever-belovedAce Attorneyfranchise.
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy
Version Reviewed: Nintendo Switch
