VisualNovel Recipe for Turnabout: Goofy Fun
This case is silly. This case is ridiculous. But dang it, it's my kind of silly and ridiculous.
I get that not everyone appreciates this style, but I have to be honest and say that I love this case. To me it is a hilarious, over-the-top romp that serves as a nice contrast to the darkness to come.
Let's get this one out of the way, Jean Armstrong is absolutely a stereotype of both gay and French men. YMMV on how offensive you find his writing and design, but personally I find him hilarious. His exaggerated antics remind me of Nathan Lane's character from The Birdcage, and reminding me of that film is a good way to put me in a good mood.
The rest of the cast is good to. It's nice to see Maggey Bird come back from JFA, and get some more character development to boot. Victor Kubo is admittedly a weird old man, but ultimately sympathetic. He feels past his prime but he wants to show he can still be useful to society. Lisa Basil is weirdly charming for how little character she has. It might be because of her memorable design. Viola is the fun kind of creepy at first, but as you learn more about her it becomes clear that she's just as much one of Furio Tigre's victims as Maggey and Glen Elg.
And speaking of the Tiger, let's dive into our jungle prowler himself. He's obviously not the most developed villain, but he is an absolute riot. It takes a special kind of chutzpah to tell the guy you're impersonating that you're the real deal. Sure, it is silly that he was able to convince everyone in court that he was Phoenix, but by this point in the series the Judge has shown himself to not be the brightest bulb in the socket and the bailiff might as well not exist. As for Maggey falling for it, well that's just part of the joke. I get that it's a joke not everyone finds funny, but I do, so I'm willing to forgive it. Tigre is such a fun character to see hamming it up, and I'm happy to go along for the ride.
If there's one problem I do have with this case, it's the way Phoenix ultimately catches the Tiger by the tail. He essentially forges evidence in order to exploit Tigre's ego. Given how seriously the rest of the series treats forging evidence and how serious it is in the real world, it feels out of place to see it treated so casually here. Even if Tigre is a massive phony, forging evidence is a line you can't uncross. I wish they had come up with a different way to take him down, because this leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Overall though, I really enjoy this case. It's mystery is just complex enough to be interesting without being too difficult, the pacing is well-handled, and the cast is a laugh riot. It may not be necessary to the story arc of the game, but it does give me plenty of entertainment while I play it. That's exactly what a good filler episode should do.
VisualNovel Bridge to the Turnabout: A Spirited Finale
Look that last review was rough, just let me have the dumb pun in the title, okay?
Anyway, we're thankfully out of the controversial territory and into a good old-fashioned Grand Finale. I've been bucking some trends within the Ace Attorney fandom with this game, but that won't be the case here. The general fandom loves it, I love it, and now I'm going to tell you why.
So the trilogy so far has had several plot threads weaving in and out. There's the growth of Phoenix, Edgeworth, and Franziska as characters and lawyers, the political intrigue of Kurain Village, the disappearance of Maya's mom, the identity and motivation of Godot, and the machinations of Dahlia Hawthorne. This case manages to take all of those disparate, seemingly unrelated elements and bring them together in a cohesive, exciting, and heartfelt finale. That might sound improbable, but it's true. To fully capture the scope of this case is a difficult task, but I'll do my best.
While visiting a spiritual training temple with Maya and Pearl, Phoenix discovers a nun who bears an uncanny resemblance to Dahlia. But before Phoenix can unravel that mystery, tragedy strikes. Another guest of the temple is murdered, and Maya is trapped on an island behind the temple after its bridge burns down. Phoenix quickly ends up in the hospital after a botched attempt to cross the flaming bridge and save her. The Dahlia lookalike, Iris, is then accused of murdering the guest. Unable to leave the hospital, Phoenix turns to Edgeworth for help in solving this mystery.
Right away this case makes some crazy but exciting changes to the usual formula. You knew the finale of the trilogy would have to bring back Edgeworth in some way, but with the difficulty in living up to his showing in the last game and the Godot plotline still needing resolution, this was probably the best way to do it. It's a great opportunity to shake things up for the player and provide more insight into Edgeworth as a character. Following it up with the return of Franziska as a prosecutor while Edgeworth moonlights as a defense attorney is also a delight. I was harsh on Franziska during my JFA review, but now that she's mellowed out she's a much more likable character. It helps that she's clearly here to help the protagonists this time, even if she may be playing the rival in court.
But it's when Phoenix returns for the second half of the case that things really start to fire up. The reveals pile up, and its a doozy. The murder took place on the island before the bridge burned down and the victim was somehow moved over to the mainland, the victim was actually Maya's mom, Misty Fey, Iris is Pearl's half-sister, and the identical twin of Dahlia Hawthorne. Oh, and Dahlia was executed for her murders a month ago.
That's a lot of interesting information, but how does it all tie together? Well a partially burnt letter provides us with some answers. This was all a plot by Pearl and Iris' mother, Morgan Fey, to to get revenge on Misty by murdering Maya. Pearl was supposed to channel Dahlia's spirit, not knowing who she was, and Dahlia would use Pearl's body as a vessel to murder the sister of her hated rival. This would deprive Misty of her second child and ensure Pearl's place as leader of Kurain village.
But wait a minute. If this was a plot to murder Maya, how did Misty wind up dead? And why was she even there in the first place? The answer to both those questions ultimately lie with one man. It's finally time to talk about Godot.
We got a major hint of what was going on with him in the last case, but this is the one that finally spells out Godot's story. Six years ago he was a defense attorney named Diego Armando, and he became Mia's boyfriend sometime after her first trial. But as he was researching Dahlia Hawthorne, she poisoned him. He was left in a coma for nearly six years, and by the time he came out he was horribly disfigured by the effects of the poison. To add insult to injury, the woman he loved was now dead.
This is where we have to get into his psychology a bit. Godot is a sexist chauvinist. He believes it is a man's role to protect women, and that failing to do so for Mia makes him unworthy. Unable to cope with that idea, he projected his self-loathing onto Phoenix. Phoenix was the main man in Mia's life, so it was his responsibility to keep her safe. But deep down, that self-loathing never truly went away. It made him question "If I had been there, could I have stopped it? Could I have stepped up when the moment came?"
Then he found Morgan's instructions to Pearl. And this is where he makes his greatest mistake. Had he taken the letter away and burned it before Pearl could read it, none of this tragedy would've happened. But that wouldn't be very manly, would it? If he could find a way to prove that when the chips were down he was capable of defending Maya's life, that would make up for not being there for Mia, wouldn't it? And so he recruited Misty and Iris enact his plan. Misty would try to distract Pearl from channeling Dahlia, and failing that she would channel Dahlia herself. Godot would be lying in wait to stop Dahlia from killing Maya, and Iris would dispose of the evidence. The plan went awry, and Godot ended up killing Misty.
So here it is. The moment came, and he did manage to stop Dahlia from killing Maya. He stepped up. But it came at the cost of her mother's life. Godot had his moment, but it didn't change anything. It didn't bring Mia back, and it hurt the woman he was trying to protect. Meanwhile, Phoenix had managed to expose Mia's killer in court, and help take down Dahlia twice. Mia's spirit even joins Phoenix in exposing him as the true killer. In every way, he seems to be the loser.
I alluded in the last case that Godot was the embodiment of toxic masculinity to Dahlia's toxic femininity. Dahlia used her charm and pretty exterior to manipulate others into the perfect position for her to backstab them. Godot demeans women while also putting them on a pedestal. He takes even a perceived failure as an affront to his sense of self. Mia didn't die because of her own mistakes or because of the actions of an evil man, she died because he wasn't good enough. Of course the reality is that what happened there wasn't his fault or Phoenix's. No one could've stopped what happened, and blaming anyone other than Redd White is unhealthy. It's taking on an unbearable amount of responsibility. But because of Godot's chauvinism, he does. And it's not until the end of the trial, when everything is said and done, that he's able to admit the truth. He didn't do this for Maya. He didn't do it for Mia. He did it for himself. Diego Armando was waiting for Godot to prove himself worthy, but the reality is he would never arrive. And it's when he's finally confronted with this stark reality that the bloody tears come down. It's finally over.
Amazingly, that does not apply for this review just yet. Maya is rescued, Iris is acquitted of murder, though she will be facing another trial for tampering with the body, Pearl and Maya reconcile, Mia congratulates Phoenix and assures him that she has nothing left to teach him, and just about everyone gets a happy ending. Three cheers all around!
If you can't tell, this case is a LOT. It's great, but like Rise From the Ashes it is sprawling. This time it's more because of how much content from the previous games comes full circle than having to introduce new material, but the size is still pretty comparable. There's plenty of parts I glossed over or skipped entirely because it's just so big. Almost everything that comes back is welcome though, with the sole exception being Larry's return. Like in Stolen Turnabout, he's a selfish would-be womanizer who's more annoying than entertaining. At least he's a good artist.
At the end of the day though, this case is superb. It wraps up all the loose plot threads in a satisfying way, the mystery is wild but excellent, and the final confrontations with Dahlia and Godot are some of the best moments in the series. This finale absolutely lives up to the hype, and I have no qualms calling it my favorite Ace Attorney case.
VisualNovel Turnabout Beginnings: Why Did it Have to be so Problematic?
I've been kind of dreading talking about this case. Not because it's bad, but because there's a lot of Unfortunate Implications throughout it. Turnabout Big Top can at least be written off as poorly made filler. But this case is not only essential to the story, it's also really good in a lot of places. That makes the parts that aren't all the more disheartening. Especially since the bad parts run into some very charged and sensitive topics. I'm going to do my best to treat those topics with care, but if you're wanting to avoid reading about subjects such as pedophilia, suicide, mental illness and neurodivergance, and child abuse I would suggest stopping now, and probably skipping this level too. Okay, is everyone ready? Here we go.
Let's start with defendant Terry Fawles. He is a death row inmate who allegedly murdered a fourteen year old girl and five years later murdered her cop sister. He is, of course, innocent of both crimes. What he is not innocent of is starting a romantic relationship with the 14 year old while he was 20. This would ordinarily be enough to make most Western audiences hate this character, and for good reason. Unfortunately the matter is complicated by the fact that Terry is very clearly coded to be neurodivergent, and quite possibly mentally ill. He has a childlike persona and comes off very naive. It makes the nature of his relationship complicated to talk about because while it's obvious that the 14 year old is not capable of having a healthy romance with someone his age, it's also questionable if Terry is capable of having a healthy romantic relationship. Basically the entire concept is already a quagmire, and that's before we even get into the fact that the girl in question is Dahlia Hawthorne.
I didn't mention Dahlia in my review of Turnabout Memories both out of a desire to avoid spoilers for new players regarding the first case and because it makes more sense to talk about her later on once we know more about her. Well, here we are. By this point you already know that Dahlia was the murderer in that case, and it shouldn't be surprising that she is here too. Both cases have shown her to be a manipulative, ruthless, and cunning woman who cares only for herself. The game frequently paints Dahlia as a force of pure evil. And if her crimes had started when she was 19, I might be willing to go along with it. But in setting the backdrop of this case five years back, it creates some problems. Dahlia has supposedly been manipulating Terry from the start of their relationship, but frankly it's a little hard to believe that a 14 year old could pull that off, even factoring in Terry's probable handicap. We're asked by the game to accept that Dahlia is and always has been evil. Not only do I disagree with the concept that anyone can be born purely evil, there's a character in the next case that shows this assertion about Dahlia to be highly improbable. And that makes the tragedy of this case's ending all the more questionable.
Essentially the game makes out that a character who could quite reasonably be argued to be the victim of abuse is actually the abuser and responsible for an innocent man's death. What's worse is that if you agree with the first assertion, then the man who dies is her abuser. That's obviously not going to sit well with a lot of people. Where do I stand on the matter? That's complicated, surprise surprise.
I think that ultimately, this case needed a rewrite. If they were truly set on depicting Dahlia as an unsympathetic villian, then she needed to be eighteen years old during the staged kidnapping. Yes, that means making it so that only one year passed between that incident and this case. Yes, that would require rewriting several aspects of the mystery. But frankly, it would be a lot better if they did that than accidentally putting in pedophilia. It would also make Dahlia's villainy more believable. The way she's depicted during the present day works very well at capturing a cruel woman who perfectly embodies the toxic side of femininity (which will dovetail nicely with a character who embodies toxic masculinity in the next case). If she and Terry were of a similar age from the start, it would go miles towards making Terry's death the moment the game wants it to be. Because it is clear that this case is supposed to be a tragedy, and it does perform many aspects of that well. It's a shame that what it gets right is unfortunately drowned out by the things it gets wrong being really, really wrong.
Final Note: To the Moderators, if this review steps over any lines, please let me know. It was not my intention to hurt anyone with this review, but if I've made any mistakes here I'd be happy to correct them.
VisualNovel The Stolen Turnabout: Squandered Potential
I seem to be in the minority of Ace Attorney fans with regards to this case. I don't particularly enjoy it. I'm not opposed to the idea of switching up the crime to larceny, in fact I like the idea a lot. What I don't like is the mystery itself and the way it switches halfway through to go back to being a murder case. That feels wishy-washy to me, like the game was afraid we would lose interest if someone didn't die.
It doesn't help that the small cast of characters in this case leaves only one real possibility for the culprit. Said culprit compounds matters by being both fairly easy to catch the first day and overly difficult on the second. Luke Atmey would've been a fun character in small doses, but he really overstays his welcome here. The defendant isn't much better. Ron Delite's antics with trailing off in thought whenever he's asked a question are annoying and tedious. I want to like the guy, but he makes it really hard. But the biggest offender for unlikable characters here has to be Larry Butz. Now, you might think based on the name that this is the same character from the first game, Phoenix's childhood friend and good ally when the chips are down. Unfortunately you'd be wrong. This is not that Larry. This is a lookalike who has had all redeeming traits stripped away and been reduced to being an utter sleazeball. From hitting on married women to calling 9 year olds attractive, there are no depths this new Larry will not sink to. Joy.
I alluded to this above, but the mystery here doesn't really work either. Its predicated on several shaky premises that just don't add up. How did the sword get bent if no one ever actually used it to hit anyone? Why would a security company allow a keycard from a fired employee to work a month after he was let go? Why are we supposed to care about the murder victim at all? None of these questions receive satisfying answers, and it makes the whole thing feel sloppy. If you were to tell me that the first half of the case and the second were written by two different people, I would absolutely believe it.
So is there anything I do like about this case? Well yes. It's nice to have Maya and Pearl back and together for a case. Adrian Andrews was a welcome return. Godot is an interesting and charismatic new prosecutor, even if he doesn't feel that intimidating or effective this time. And again, the concept of a larceny case could've been cool if they had committed to it.
In the end, this case is okay. But its only just okay. It could have been so much better. Still, I suppose if the weakest case in this game sits at merely 'okay', then it speaks volumes to the quality of the rest of them.
VisualNovel Turnabout Memories: A Great Tutorial
The trouble with tutorials in a long-running series is how to justify the main character having to relearn everything they did in the previous entries. This is part of the reason why the main character starting the story with retrograde amnesia is such a common video game trope. But since we already did that last time, it would stretch credulity to try it again. So how do you justify things a third time?
Well you go for the other common video game trope: switching P Cs. This time instead of Phoenix, you're playing one of Mia Fey's first cases. This in and of itself is a cool concept, but the game goes even further by using this case as the start of its main story arc. It admittedly feels a little contrived that Phoenix is your defendant, but it's ultimately necessary for the sake of what will come later.
Setting up things is ultimately the main point of this entire case. From a gameplay perspective it introduces the trial mechanics that you'll need to use later. From a story perspective it introduces several of the key characters and some of the concepts that will be integral to the finale. As a result, it's hard to talk about a lot of what happens here. We get enough information for this one to work, but there's clearly more going on that we don't know.
That ultimately makes this case a bit difficult to recommend replaying. It's good, and the difficulty is the right level of spiciness for a tutorial, but so much of what makes it good is linked the fourth and fifth case of the game. It doesn't stand on its own because it was never intended to. So if you're going to replay it, remember that part first. And if you're brand new to the franchise? This probably isn't a good starting point. The First Turnabout is a better introduction to the series.
VisualNovel The apex of Ace Attorney
Trials and Tribulations, the third Ace Attorney game, is probably the best in the series for the simple reason that it stays true to what made the first game so entertaining and keeps the improvements from the second game that worked while improving on the quality of the individual mysteries and overall story.
The plot is the culmination of the various threads brought up in the first game. Without spoiling too much, the final case ties everything together- from DL-6 to the Fey Clan's internal strife to Mia's first case- in a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.
The game also has one of the best-constructed plots in the series, since every case is relevant in some way to the overarching narrative. Even the ones without events that are referenced later feature Chekhovs Guns and foreshadowing.
The first case, in a nice change of pace, allows you to play as as Mia back when she was a rookie. It's one of the more challenging first cases, but not too much that it's completely unsuited to beginners(although while T&T is the best AA game, it probably shouldn't be your first).
The second case is one of the best standalone cases. It's well-constructed and features a cunning and entertaining villain. It also follows up well on the previous game's final case and establishes some plot elements for this game.
The third case is easily the weakest due in part to several characters making boneheaded decisions and some unlikable witnesses. That said, it does have some nice bits of Foreshadowing, so it isn't a complete waste of time.
The fourth case is relatively short, but it's a tragic and memorable case that effectively leads in to the final case.
The final case is probably the best in the franchise. It's a complex and entertaining mystery with many twists that concludes some of the plotlines and allows Phoenix to truly come into his own as a lawyer. While I enjoyed many parts of the sequel trilogy, this would have been an excellent place to conclude the series.
In short, Trials and Tribulations is well worth your time if you're a fan of Ace Attorney, although I recommend playing the previous two games first to give yourself the appropriate context.
VisualNovel Second Closing Statement
You'd think after that monster of a review I wrote for Bridge to the Turnabout that I'd be done talking about this game, but you'd be wrong! Somehow, I'm still not done. Let's tackle the game as a whole and some more of my thoughts on Dahlia and Iris.
I've established that I see Dahlia as an attempt at a pure evil antagonist with a backstory that didn't quite gel with that intent. My opinion on that has changed. I will say that her relationship with Terry hurts his character and the reason for his presence in the story more than it hurts her. What's interesting is that based on what we learn from Iris and Bikini in Case 3-5, Dahlia actually has quite a tragic backstory. Born to Morgan Fey and a man who likely married her for the power she was expected to wield over Kurain Village, her father left Morgan after Misty became the new leader. He took Dahlia and Iris with him, and remarried a woman who already had a much older daughter. Dahlia says that she convinced her father afterwards to send Iris away to Bikini's temple, but that claim is suspect based on the chronology of events. Still, the fact that she makes it all is rather telling. When Dahlia says this, she's disguised as Iris. This is an opportunity for her to talk up her own virtues, but instead she casts herself as the master manipulator. Why would she do that?
The obvious answer is that she’s feeding Phoenix what he wants to hear so that he won’t think too hardly about who’s actually talking to him, but I think there’s a deeper answer. Dahlia, at the end of the day, covets control. Control over her own life and control over the people around her. Perhaps it's a response to years of abuse or neglect from her father and birth mother. Perhaps she also feels like Morgan that she was robbed of the life that was rightfully hers. Whatever the case, her claim is a way to make it seem to others and to herself that she has the power.
Dahlia’s childhood sucked. This much is true. Her life before she jumped off Dusky Bridge was defined by two parents who never loved her (and a step-mom who never really factors in). This is confirmed by Iris herself. But here’s the thing: lots of people grow up in bad homes and don’t become multiple murderers. Dahlia had five years on her own free from her parents to become a better person. Instead she became worse than them. As an adult she murdered her half-sister to preserve her secret, and even after it was exposed she kept murdering in attempts to cover up the first one. She could’ve stopped at any point. Instead she continued on past the bitter end, trying to strike even from beyond the grave.
Some fall from grace. Some are pushed. But just because you’re pushed doesn’t mean you’re right to try and drag others down with you.
On to Iris! So Iris is basically the surprise good twin of Dahlia. She’s kind, gentle, and helpful to a fault. No really, her desire to be helpful to people actually causes problems. Beyond Dahlia, she’s also a willing partner to Godot’s plan and tampers with the crime scene to obfuscate what happened. Her flaw is fittingly the opposite of Dahlia’s: she’s too submissive. Still, she does admit to her crimes and faces her punishment head-on. That’s more than her sister could say. Her relationship with Phoenix is also kind of cute. I’m not a shipper or anything, but I would be interested in seeing her come back in the future. But before we get to the future, let’s finish summing up the present.
I said when I reviewed the first game that I believe it to be the most consistently good of the trilogy. I maintain that stance, and if I had to rank them overall this one would come in second place. Its highs are astronomically high, but its lows are lower than the first game's. They’re mostly not as low as JFA’s though. The biggest problem is the Terry quagmire, which I’ve already talked about enough. Even my least favorite case from this game, 3-2, is still one I’d take over 2-1 or 2-3. And when it comes to both first and final cases, this game is the one to beat. Trials and Tribulations may not be as consistent as I’d like, but it starts with a bang and ends with one amazing fireworks display. If the series had ended here, it would’ve been a good place. As things stand, the original AA trilogy is still one of the best in gaming.
This will not be the last time I talk about Ace Attorney, however I will be taking a brief detour before I return for Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. Nothing too big, just a quick stop by a rather curious village...