History VisualNovel / PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyTrialsAndTribulations

* AnachronicOrder: The first and fourth cases are set five and six years before the second, respectively. The FramingDevice of the fourth case is set early into the fifth case, roughly the day prior to the first day of court.

* DubInducedPlotHole: In Case 2, when Godot first comes up, Atmey states that Edgeworth personally named him the best prosecutor in the country, yet, in Case 5, not only have the two not met, but Edgeworth states he's never even heard of him. This is the result of a translation error - the Japanese line is supposed to be a metaphorical remark stating Godot was now the "strongest" prosecutor with Edgeworth having left the country.

** In the third case, in two occasions: [[spoiler: first, Gumshoe enters in a fight against Don Tigre and Armstrong so Phoenix would keep a piece of evidence; second, Gumshoe bursts into the court with "Decisive Evidence" at the last minute! ...Which turns out to be fingerprints that became irrelevant no more than 2 minutes ago. Though it still serves to be the evidence that breaks the case.]]

* BrickJoke: In the final case of Trials and Tribulations, Phoenix has a conversation with [[spoiler: Edgeworth where he feels much stronger, as if he had literally passed on his cold to someone else]]. In the next scene, we find that [[spoiler: the judge who looked over the first half of the trial suddenly developed a cold]] and couldn't make it.

** [[spoiler: A remix of the first game's "Pursuit" theme, "Cornering the Culprit", plays when you're presenting evidence against Godot, and a remix of said theme's "Variation" plays after the epic finger point.]]

* CerebusRetcon: ''Justice For All'' had Pearl be all ShipperOnDeck for Phoenix and Maya. ''Trials and Tribulations'' reveals why: the women-centered culture of Kurain Village has led to men ending their marriages once they feel sidelined in the village's affairs. Even Pearl's father left Kurain when she was very young, so Pearl is very invested in Maya having a happy relationship.

** Pearl being unable to spell "gravely" and "roast" comes back later [[spoiler: when she's given instructions by her mother with those words and misinterprets them.]]
** Godot's visor glows in the dark. This is only brought up once, and is easily overlooked. [[spoiler: It's used to pin the murder of Misty Fey on him two cases later.]]
** Godot's [[spoiler:inability to see red on a white surface]] comes up in the third case, and returns in the final one [[spoiler:as a means to prove that he was Misty's killer]].

* ContinuityPorn: Case 3-5, let us count the ways. It brings back two criminals, one from an earlier case and one from an earlier game, and both of the main prosecutors from the first two games. It manages to incorporate the ''entire'' Fey family, and that goes for the main family, the branch family, the living, and the dead. [[spoiler: And yes, tragically, that includes Misty Fey.]] Even the DL-6 incident is tangentially relevant, as is [[spoiler: Edgeworth's fear of earthquakes]]. Franziska references a previous case when she says there's a precedent for [[spoiler: a flying defendant; remember Max Galactica from 2-3, who allegedly flew away after killing someone]]? And, on top of all of that, Gumshoe brings out the same metal detector Phoenix used in case 1-4 to [[spoiler: convict Manfred von Karma,]] and the mechanics change so that it works the same way as Gumshoe's bug sweeper in case 2-4. Phew! Fitting for the conclusion of the trilogy.
* CostumesChangeYourSize: [[spoiler: Apparently, Luke Atmey's giant nose can fit under Mask☆[=DeMasque=]'s... [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment mask.]]]]

* CrimeAfterCrime: [[spoiler: Dahlia Hawthorne]]'s looooooooong list of murders to cover up the previous ones.

** [[spoiler: Edgeworth]] [[LampshadeHanging remarks]] on how his glare scares people. You can't see his in-game sprite while he's saying that, but if you think about the sprite while reading that, it makes sense.

* DisproportionateRetribution: [[spoiler: After Larry admits that, instead of reporting the burning bridge, he was sketching an impression of it, Franziska]] whips him for [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking sketching in a notebook instead of a sketchpad.]] Even The Judge isn't sure what to think about it.

* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Phoenix and Iris with varying reactions. Maya goes in full ShipperOnDeck mode, [[spoiler: Edgeworth]] is mildly supportive but mostly treats it matter-of-factly, Laurice is [[GreenEyedMonster pissed]], Pearl is pissed [[DieForOurShip for different reason]].

* FailedASpotCheck: Furio Tigre manages to fool the entire court into [[spoiler: thinking he's Phoenix Wright. This despite the fact that he's probably half-again Wright's weight, acts nothing like him and, oh yes, '''has bright red skin.''' But what was enough to fool the court, including the prosecutor, the judge, and the defendant (all of whom had met Wright multiple times)? Tigre wore a blue suit, made a fake badge for himself ''out of cardboard'', and has the same hairstyle as Phoenix.]]

* FissionMailed: [[spoiler: Presenting the correct piece of evidence at the end of 3-5 has Godot deliver the exact same dialogue as if the player picked the wrong piece of evidence. [[WhamShot Until the camera pans to Phoenix.]]]]

** At the end of case 1, Phoenix says that [[spoiler: he doesn't believe the Dahlia he saw during the trial is the one that he knew]], Mia thinks that he's delusional. Then it's revealed in the ending of the final case of the game that [[spoiler:she really wasn't the Dahlia he knew, but her twin sister Iris, who was a genuinely nice girl]].

*** Desirée [=DeLite=] talks about how Ron saved her life when they fell in love. Maya then asks Phoenix if he would ever risk his life for her. [[spoiler: In 3-5 Phoenix believes Maya's life is in danger while a murderer is on the loose and chases after her across a burning bridge]]

** [[spoiler: Edgeworth]] in case 4:
--->'''[[spoiler: Edgeworth]]:''' Young people these days simply don't know how to respect their elders.\\
'''[[spoiler: Mia]]:''' (Why you...! [[LampshadeHanging You're even younger than me, you hypocrite]]!)

* IdenticalStranger: Wright's doppelganger [[spoiler: is a complete subversion. Aside from the hair they don't even have the same skin color or accent.]]

** If you haven't already figured out her identity through {{Foreshadowing}}, once Elise Deauxnim's charm is stored in the Court Record as [[spoiler: Kurain Master's Talisman]] it's pretty obvious that she's [[spoiler: Misty Fey.]]

** An important plot detail lost completely in the localization was that of Morgan's fate. While the reference to her early in Case 2 just states that she is serving a prison term in isolation in the English script, the Japanese directly translates to "...In a solitary cell, she waits for her punishment to be carried out..." (''"‥‥刑務所の独房で、 刑の執行を待っている‥‥"''), a description which ''heavily'' implies she is actually on death row awaiting execution. [[spoiler: This causes her single scene in Case 5 to lose much of its meaning, as the mention of her "last wish" for Pearl to become Master coupled with the text turning red strongly insinuates these are her final thoughts before her death. In the ENG, Morgan instead seemingly [[WhateverHappenedToTheMouse vanishes from the story entirely]] despite being the direct instigator of the cases events.]]

* RunningGag: Phoenix cleaning the toilet in 3-2.
* SandInMyEyes: Inverted. After being revealed as the true murderer of [[spoiler: Elise Deauxnim (A.K.A. Misty Fey)]] at the end of case 3-5, [[spoiler:Godot starts bleeding from behind his mask due to the stab wound he sustained from Dahlia, but [[ManlyTears he insists that it's tears]] because he can't see red.]]

* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: Both Luke Atmey and Ron [=DeLite=] describe a thief's appearance at a crime scene as him "dancingly descending". From the entrance.

** The sight of Iris [[spoiler:with Dahlia's hair-stroking animation]], serving as final proof that [[spoiler: the two pulled off one last TwinSwitch]].

** In the final case, after a long and arduous battle, [[spoiler: Dahlia Hawthorne is exposed for the failure she is]] and the case seems to be resolved... but then Godot chimes in, pointing out that [[spoiler:it still hasn't been established who actually did the stabbing]]. Thus, there's one final gameplay segment over which Phoenix eventually proves that [[spoiler:Godot himself]] is responsible.
* YouShouldntKnowThisAlready: [[spoiler:When trying to break "Iris"'s Psyche-Locks in the second investigation day of Case 5, what you have to present to break the last lock is a person that could have passed off as a second Iris when the murder happened. Even when Bikini tells Phoenix that Iris had a twin sister (that the player can quickly assume is Dahlia Hawthorne), presenting the twin sister's profile will incur in a penalty until Edgeworth tells Phoenix that Dahlia is dead.]]

** In the second case, Ron [=DeLite=] [[spoiler:actually does turn out to have been Mask [=DeMasque=] all along, albeit he was the UnwittingPawn of Luke Atmey]]. It's also justified why he never faces any consequences for this, as [[spoiler:he gets acquitted of grand larceny during the case's first trial, meaning he can't be re-tried due to double jeopardy laws]].

** In the fourth case, Terry Fawles [[spoiler:wasn't guilty of murdering Dahlia or Valerie Hawthorne, as it turns out the former wasn't dead at all, and later killed Valerie herself. However, Terry ''was'' guilty of attempted extortion, breaking out of jail, and grand theft auto]].

** Case 2: [[spoiler:In his final testimony, Luke Atmey says there were no fingerprints in the buzzer because Ron [=DeLite=] was in his Mask [=DeMasque=] costume. Problem is, the fact he was in costume was only mentioned during the trial for the murder of Kane Bullard, which was at the same time Atmey was being on trial for stealing the Sacred Urn. That inevitably points out Atmey was the murderer]].

** [[spoiler: A remix of the first game's "Pursuit" theme, "Cornered", plays when you're presenting evidence against Godot, and a remix of said theme's "Variation" plays after the epic finger point.]]

* CerebusRetcon: ''Justice for All'' had Pearl be all ShipperOnDeck for Phoenix and Maya. ''Trials and Tribulations'' reveals why: the women-centered culture of Kurain Village has led to men ending their marriages once they feel sidelined in the village's affairs. Even Pearl's father left Kurain when she was very young, so Pearl is very invested in Maya having a happy relationship.
* CharacterShilling: Right after the first trial in Case 2 ends, Phoenix declares that Godot is the most dangerous adversary he's ever faced... even though Godot doesn't do anything particularly remarkable when it comes to running the case -- heck, both Edgeworth and Franziska employed a lot more in the way of underhanded tricks during their first trials against Phoenix, to say nothing of Manfred von Karma -- and by his own admission had never prosecuted a case (much less ''successfully'' prosecuted one) before that day. About the only way he stands out as being especially dangerous at that point in the game is that he throws mugs of coffee at Phoenix when he gets annoyed.
** Subverted when Edgeworth returns in Case 5 and has no idea who Godot is.

** Minor, but curious. At the end of ''Justice for All'', Franziska von Karma says that she'll give [[spoiler:the card with Maya's drawing of Phoenix]] to him the next time they meet. She doesn't. To be fair, however, the next time Phoenix and Franziska meet, [[spoiler:it's during an extended emergency during which someone might or might not have died in a cold and snowy cave. It's possible the card simply slipped Franziska's mind during the chaos and confusion. She certainly wouldn't be the ''first'' person in the world who forgot something really important out of being overwhelmed by events.]]

* AdultFear: [[spoiler:Doug, Phoenix, and Terry]] ''all'' suffer when they fail to spot the major BitchInSheepsClothing. [[spoiler: Viola]] is far from a saint, but she also has to go through the pain of realizing that all the bad things done to help [[spoiler:Furio Tigre]] were for a very sincere, yet fully unrequited love. [[spoiler:Desirée]] has to find out that [[spoiler:her husband Ron, who saved her from criminals, is a criminal himself, something she generally despises]]. Family members of [[spoiler:Dahlia and Morgan]] also have to go through this for a different sort of love, with the biggest example being [[spoiler:Dahlia's twin sister Iris and Morgan's youngest daughter/Dahlia and Iris's baby half-sister Pearl]].
** Furio Tigre is a gangster and also, [[spoiler:almost erased Phoenix (again saved only by an opportune entrance of Gumshoe)]].

Like its two predecessors, the game follows Phoenix Wright, a kind and intelligent yet hapless defense attorney who works to save innocent clients from guilty verdicts. By his side are his loyal assistant, Maya Fey, her older sister Mia, and her cousin Pearl. The game culminates the ''Phoenix Wright'' trilogy by way of the mysterious coffee-guzzling prosecutor Godot. The Fey clan and its Kurain Channeling Technique is a big portion of the plot in this game, as Phoenix, Edgeworth, and the Fey clan are more connected than they realize thanks to a mysterious beauty named Dahlia Hawthorne.

*** Godot mentions that when he finds evidence he picks it up and puts it in his pocket, very much like Phoenix does. [[spoiler:And as it just so happens, Godot was originally a defense attorney.]]

*** Maya asks what Phoenix would think if she came in calling herself Ayam (which is both the backward spelling of her name and a homophone of "I am"). Early in case 3, when it turns out that someone is [[spoiler:impersonating Phoenix, who Maya calls Xin Eoph]], Maya asks, "I wonder if [[spoiler:Ayam]] will make an appearance?". Later, we see that [[spoiler:Phoenix's impostor also has an assistant from a messed up family who looks a teensy bit like Maya, although the person said assistant impersonated wasn't Maya.]]

*** If you present Godot's profile to Mrs. [=DeLite=], she'll mention that she doesn't like him. Now remember that she doesn't like criminals either... [[spoiler:Sure enough, Godot is the final criminal in the game]].

-->-- '''Phoenix Wright'''

* ContinuityDrift: When Phoenix first meets Grossberg in the first game, they don't appear to know each other, but in this game, Grossberg was Mia's aide when she defended Phoenix. Even so, Grossberg doesn't appear to have the best memory anyway, since later in this same game, he has once again forgotten Phoenix and Maya's relation to Mia. Still odd that ''Phoenix'' does not recognize ''him''.

Chronologically, the game is followed by ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'', starring a new cast but with Phoenix in a [[SameCharacterButDifferent surprising]] mentor role.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aceattorneyslider11.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:From the past to the present, the truth will finally be brought to light...]]

* {{Zeerust}}: ''Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney'' takes place in 2016, and it shows many computers with CRT monitors. CRT monitors have been obsolete since around 2007 in our world.

[[caption-width-right:350:Two lawyers bridge the gap to reveal one absolute truth!]]

* AmbidextrousSprite: In case 3-5, when [[spoiler:Edgeworth becomes acting defense attorney.]] [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] somewhat, because while the animations were flipped without accounting for handedness, the sprites ''were'' redrawn to keep the buttons on his vest/jacket facing the right way.

''Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Trials and Tribulations'' is the third game in the ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'' trilogy and the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' visual novel franchise, following ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyJusticeForAll''. It was initially released for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance in 2004.

''Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Trials and Tribulations'' is the third game in the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' visual novel franchise, following ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyJusticeForAll''. It was initially released for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance in 2004.

''Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Trials and Tribulations'' is the third game in the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' visual novel franchise. It was initially released for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance in 2004.

[[redirect:VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney]]