Reviews VisualNovel / Apollo Justice Ace Attorney

Flawed, but has some good points

Apollo Justice is understandably controversial. Not only does it focus on a new protagonist, rookie lawyer Apollo Justice, but it turns out that Phoenix Wright was disbarred seven years ago and has become a changed man, which can be turn-offs to long-time Ace Attorney fans.

One problem is that it feels rather disconnected from the previous games. Apart from Phoenix himself, the Judge, Ema Skye(from the bonus case of the DS re-release of the first game) and a couple cameos late in the series, no one from the main series returns, which makes one wonder what Phoenix's friends were doing when he was disbarred, and why the creators didn't simply go for an entirely original cast.

That said, the new characters are fairly well-written. Apollo effectively comes off as a decent character who isn't too much of a copy of Phoenix, although most of his Character Development comes in later games. Klavier effectively contrasts with the other prosecutors due to being one of the most honest and friendly of the lot.

The graphics are significantly better than the previous installments, which makes finding small bits of evidence a bit easier during investigations. There are also a few investigation mechanics that take advantage of the touchscreen and 3D graphics, which is nice.

This game has a nice Perceive mechanic, in which Apollo examines witnesses in order to find a specific "tell" and a suspicious bit of testimony to prove they are lying. Unfortunately Perceiving is always required to advance the trial whenever it's available(you don't even need to press statements), which removes some of the challenge.

Now for a spoiler-free review of the cases.

The first case is not only the best case in the game, but probably the best first case in the series, and a good example of how to subvert expectations in a sequel (unlike Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony). Unfortunately, it's all downhill from there.

The second case is mediocre, with a client who's unlikable for much of the trial and a lackluster killer, and is not very relevant to the overall storyline.

The third case has many glaring logical holes, particularly the defendant being accused of a murder that's practically impossible for him. That said, the case effectively sets up the last one, so I don't think it's as bad as people say.

The last case is by far the least traditional one in the series, alternating between the events surrounding Phoenix being disbarred and a related murder case in the present day. Unfortunately, it ends rather anticlimactically, and is overall disappointing.

Overall, while most of the cases are relatively weak, it had a more coherent plot than Justice For All, and it was easier to see how the events affected the narrative.

Apollo Justice is perhaps the weakest entry in the main series(although I haven't played Spirit of Justice), but it's still worth open-minded Ace Attorney fans' time.