Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney is a 6 game series (11 including spinoff story games) made by Capcom on Nintendo platforms, iOS, and GooglePlay stores. This adventure visual novel mainly follows Phoenix Wright, an upcoming defense lawyer in a world of crime where his defendants seem guilty without a doubt.
Now you may be thinking, “Why would I play as a lawyer? That’s boring,” and yes, it may sound boring, but the creators at Capcom were incredibly creative in their storyboarding and character design/development. These games may not be too popular in America – yeah, my friends had no clue what this game was – but they are EXTREMELY liked in Japan. There is a great demand for more games in the series, along with an anime series and a musical production, but what is so intriguing about a lawyer game?
As mentioned before, Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney follows Phoenix Wright, a young defense lawyer who takes on murder cases where there seems to be no hope in his clients to be innocent. He works alongside a young spirit medium in training (yes, it seems a bit out there, but stay with me), who also influences the cases and Phoenix’s success. As a defense attorney, Phoenix goes head to head against a series of corrupt prosecutors whose main goals are to get Phoenix’s clients declared guilty. This gives Phoenix, and the player, the motivation to get a “not guilty” verdict and to help the defenseless. But beyond all of this, there is something else that gives Ace Attorney its charm: the characters and the pacing of the story.
There are a handful of recurring characters within the game that old players love to see reappear every now and then. The repetition of characters in different murder cases was a strategy of the creative team due to the lack of sprite storage in the first production of the game, but concerning actual gameplay, the reoccurring characters make the world seem more familiar to the player so, even in the most outrageous murder cases, the player has some sense of familiarity. Also, each new case reveals more about the characters, whether it is a backstory, a newfound alliance for the future, or both. The player even learns about Phoenix Wright, even though they are playing as him in the game. However, the intensity of the courtroom during the case can be seen as a stressful back and forth between Phoenix and the prosecutor, the periods in between are key for character development in the game.
There are two main parts of the game that alternate as time passes: courtroom disputes and investigation time. As Phoenix Wright, the player is to assume that the detectives investigating the case only find surface-value evidence, which means that it is up to Phoenix to find the evidence that is harder to find. These parts of the game are completely different from the stress inducing courtroom scenes where you are constantly concerned about your client’s outcome. These periods are not timed and the player chooses to roam in different areas concerning the case until they find what they need. During this time, characters talk amongst each other, creating more in depth character development and maybe even more evidence for Phoenix to use in the case or future cases to come.
One thing that Capcom does right in creating the game is that the player is not completely connected to Phoenix Wright. When the case gets difficult or there are points where the player thinks “How am I supposed to figure this out? I’m not a lawyer,” we are reminded that Phoenix is a lawyer, and a smart one at that. Although the players take control of Phoenix’s actions, his thoughts are fully his and he can connect the dots that the players may not see, promoting the game to progress.
All and all, this game series is more than the typical “beat the bad guy and win.” The progression of characters and the build up of the story with all of the cases gives the game a unique sense of inclusivity, pulling the player into a world where they belong and can succeed alongside Phoenix Wright.
-Helen L.
New Media: Storytelling in Literature, Films, and Games 