Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a rather old game, it was first released in Japan in 2001 for the Gameboy Advance by Capcom. Since then, the Ace Attorney franchise as it is known, has spawned numerous sequels and spin-offs. Yet even though the original game is 10 years old now, it still holds up very well. While many may laud it for having such a linear path, it is because the game chooses to focus on laying down a story where the player feels a connection to the characters that it can still hold up 10 years later. The best way to describe the game-play would be a visual novel, a story where the player makes certain decisions to try and advance the story.
Main plot: You play as Phoenix Wright, a rookie attorney who is thrust into the legal world. Dealing with cases concerning deaths, forgery, deception, and defending your rival.
Game-play: Touch-based controls where the player chooses on-screen prompts to help advance the story.
Why it's special: Although this game has been around for awhile, it still not quite mainstream. Bringing Ace Attorney to the iOS platform has made it much more accessible to play this game.
Main Dish (likes): Writing: The story for this game goes above and beyond in terms of writing. It keeps you guessing until the very end of each case before you feel confident you know everything that is going on. Of course one would expect such a text heavy game to require good writing, it is still refreshing to see cases where the plot twists are unexpected yet anticipated and done in such a well fashion. Capcom's localization team did an excellent job in keeping the humor so jokes wouldn't fall flat upon translation. While there are some grammatical and spelling mistakes in the game, it is forgivable considering how much text they were working with and how far and few there were.
Characters: While this could be considered apart of the writing, each character leaves a lasting impression on the player. From Phoenix's iconic spiky hair to Edgeworth's ruffled ascot, each character has a unique aspect about them that sets them apart from the rest of the cast. Of course in addition to just physical oddities, each character is different and character development is great leading the player to develop strong ties to the cast. Even the villains in the game turn out to have motives and make them much more human than just killing machines.
Side Dish (dislikes):
Screen Size: While porting this game to the iOS is great, it does feel like Capcom were doing a simple port of the game, not bringing anything fresh. Since iPhone and iPod Touch have much smaller screens than Nintendo's DS it does feel more cramped. A player cannot enjoy the art as much simply due to screen limitations.
Controls: For the special 5th case that was originally designed for the DS, it feels clunky on the iOS. When trying to examine objects with the touch screen, it feels like you are never fully in control instead just trying to get an object somewhere close to where you want it. It gets a bit frustrating when it feels as if the device is working against you instead of helping you.
Plot Advancement: The game feels like it really holds your hand in guiding your way and giving plenty of clues as to what you are supposed to do next. Yet when it doesn't give you a hint, it feels like running into a brick wall. There are times when you finish talking to a character yet they don't give any hint as what you are supposed to do next, leaving you to run around and trying to talk to everyone until you somehow manage to present the right piece of evidence to continue. While this would not be so bad on its own, it does feel like it takes you out of the story.
Meal (overall): Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a 10 year old game that still stands well. It is definitely not a game that lends itself to replays. Yet for some reason, even as I write this review I feel the want to play through it again, just to see those moments again obviously showing that it is a great game. The iOS may not be the most ideal platform to play this game (considering it is also on the DS and Wii), yet for those that want portability and to be able to play it in small chunks it is good enough.
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