![]() Check out the launch trailer above for a taste of what to anticipate in the latest entry in the courtroom drama, then hit the jump below for even more of what you can expect to see in the full game now and later in the month – including DLC costumes available today completely free until September 14th, 2016! The Ace Attorney series has always been known for its colorful cast, clever puzzles, witty writing, and courtroom drama, and Spirit of Justice is no exception. Spirit of Justice proves that the series still has legs, and is just as fun today as it was in 2001.Today’s the big day! Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice launches today on the Nintendo 3DS eShop across North America and Europe for $29.99 / £24.99 / €29.99. ![]() Getting to watch familiar faces interact with the citizens of Khura’in is not only entertaining, but a rewarding payoff for a longtime fan. This blend of old and new makes for a perfect celebration of what makes the series so special. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice manages to reinvigorate a series in its sixth main entry by introducing several smart new features while also bringing back mechanics that had been cast aside. It’s not exactly a new idea for the series (as Dual Destinies wove a terrific connected narrative), but there’s plenty of meaningful character development going on and old faces to be seen. This allows for other members of the Wright Anything Agency to get camera time (such as returning playable characters such as Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes), and the two sides really come together in the game’s fifth act to create a memorable intertwining story. It’s also worth mentioning that while the Kingdom of Khura’in is certainly the star of Spirit of Justice, half of the game also takes place in Ace Attorney‘s version of America (which is still as Japanese as ever, with a later case revolving around soba noodles of all things). There’s no more need to save scum to get through the game, and it allowed me to just focus on enjoying the narrative instead of fretting about getting a guilty verdict. The game also auto-saves often, so any game over screen will simply take the player back to the last part where they were. These are fully optional to engage with, but I found that it made for a much more enjoyable experience. In a really smart decision, Capcom has added a hint system that appears after a few failed attempts at presenting evidence. In past titles, this would’ve led to me saving the game, and presenting random pieces of evidence until I found the right one or received a guilty verdict. I was often left stumped and couldn’t think of any contradictions to point out. Spirit of Justice also feels like a much more difficult game than its predecessor. Spirit of Justice is a great example of making a sequel retain the magic of its predecessors while also feeling new enough that it doesn’t feel like a retread. I still spent most of my time cross examining witnesses, and presenting evidence at contradictions, but the séances added a nice cherry on top of the regular proceedings. While I’m glad that the series hasn’t gotten away from what works, there’s no denying that things have stayed pretty much unchanged since 2001. Séances may be overly complicated at first glance, but they really make the courtroom scenes feel fresh. All of that is back, and the game feels so much more alive due to it. Levels are filled with references to past cases, there have been running gags going on for over a decade, and I’ve always adored that so much care was put into every single line of dialogue by the localization team. It may seem like a small change, but my enjoyment of Phoenix Wright’s courtroom misadventures has always come from the attention to detail. Spirit of Justice goes back to its roots by giving players the ability to examine every single corner of its world. This made the game feel much more linear than its predecessors, and as a long-time fan it felt terrible not being able to examine a ladder when I saw one in a background. Instead of every area being able to be examined (which always guaranteed hilarious dialogue exchanges if not clues), only specific locations could be looked upon thoroughly. A lot of my qualms with Dual Destinies were with the way the game simplified the series’ investigation scenes. ![]() Thankfully, I can say that Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice puts the series right back on track and is a stellar follow-up to what was a slightly disappointing entry. ![]()
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