Leger vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Wii)

Initially planned for the Game Boy Color Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney launched on the Game Boy Advance in 2001. Only in Japan, of course. It would take another four years until the port to the Nintendo DS made the game available for English speaking audiences and another five until console players could run the game on the big screen.

Of course I had to wait another thirteen years until I actually played the game, going backwards compatible on the Wii U where all my digital Wii licenses resides today.

Unless counting a bunch of old text adventures, mainly Infocom ones, my relation to the visual novel (which Infocom games actually are not) is no more in depth than the obscure and since long forgotten Lux-Pain on the Nintendo DS; A game I reviewed back in 2009.

I kind of liked it.

Thus, I have to question myself why I did not bother to explore the genre a bit. Taking on some classics, such as Snatcher or whatever.

Well.

Now I finally have.

Some basics, first.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is not just an emulation of the Nintendo DS version of the game.

Not that the graphics have been revamped to make use of the higher resolution, or that motion controls have been forced upon the player (besides the activation of the possibility to rotate evidence in 3D in a later stage of the game, or having the option of waving the wiimote to initiate certain actions)... but, well... yeah.

Thus, the graphics looks rather low resolution on the big screen (which I love, by the way) aswell as it is presented in a framed state and navigating the menues and moving the cursor on the screen during investigations are done with the d-pad and buttons (thankfully).

You could argue that Capcom have made the smallest effort possible without having to deal with a shitstorm of complains about the port.

But I could not care less, since the heart and soul of the game is in the writing and the presentation works just fine as it is.

Oh, and the fifth case originally added to the Nintendo DS version of the game is an optional DLC in this version.

Now, as for the game it is divided into two separate parts.

The courtroom trials, where our hero aswell as rookie attorney Phoenix Wright defends his clients by cross-examining witnesses by trying to find faults within their testimonies.

Pressing for more wording on certain topics, presenting evidence that proves this or contradicts that. Answering questions from the judge or other involved persons.

And the investigations, where places are visited, people talked to, clues looked for and whatnot in hope of bringing more things to work with during the trials.

This is repeated over the course of five cases, which over time seems more interconnected than not much thanks to the reappearing characters and storylines that follows them.

As a game Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney have some apparent issues which at times brings the flow of the story to a halt.

During the investigations it may be more than unclear exactly what the game wants the player to do and in which order to progress the story... no matter how crystal clear the solution to a certain problem may be.

Maybe you have to show a particular item to a specific person to get the chance of asking a certain question, leading to showing exactly everything you have access to just to be sure not to miss out on something.

Over and over and over again.

Getting stuck during the invastigations is such a bore, and while the trials can be rather frustrating aswell for example when trying to find out exactly WHEN to present WHAT evidence they bring with them nothing like the annoyances in the investigations.

Just look up the solution to your problems in a walkthrough, it will be worth it.

Out of the five cases the first one acts as a tutorial of sorts. The rest grows longer and more complex, even adding more days of investigations and trials to deal with. The fifth case is actually so long that it feels like an entire (short) game.

There is also some new features added to the fifth chapter. Forensic investigations, such as looking for bloddstains, fingerprints and piecing together broken objects. Looking at the objects acting as evidence in 3D, rotating them to find hidden clues.

Nothing ground breaking, but it does help to add some welcome variety to the otherwise quite monotonous gameplay.

So, yeah... recommending looking up solutions to unsolvable problems in a walkthrough is really not my style.

But when it comes to this particular context, a visual novel, the most revarding aspect of the experience is the story in itself; To get stuck feels like having problems with the streaming of a movie or listening to a section of a track play over and over again because the needle skips on the LP due to a cut in the vinyl.

It is not that the character portraits are deep, or that the story in itself is a masterclass in writing, but the way everything is presented makes me engaged wanting to bring the idiots down with many well placed utterances of OBJECTION!!! slowly watching them getting closer and closer to a complete breakdown.

The Japanese style of the graphics adds so much intensity to everything. Cringe-y, over the top. Camp. Instant jumps between different extreme mooods. Tears flying all over the place, nervous breakdowns countered with explosions of joy and pride.

It is so hysterical. So hysterically funny, yet still smart and effective in making me actually care about what happens and to whom.

Some of the relationships presented keeps evolving while twisting and turning, getting deeper and deeper, turning hate into love and the other way around.

No matter the at times surreal supernaturality of it all.

No matter how utterly ridicilously not at all true to how things work in reality in this very context things play out.

And, yes. It is a conscious choice by me of not mentioning any of the characters besides Phoenix Wright.

I will leave that part to when I have beaten the sequel.

A sequel I hope will have adressed some of the problems with the gameplay so that the story will be easier to enjoy.

Without the shittiest parts of the investigations, without the sometimes never ending surprise turnabouts in certain trials that just takes things a few steps to far.

Indeed.