Rating: 8/10
I have seen videos online about this game, so I was excited to see that we were playing it this week. I played together with three classmates, Phuc, Jenny, and Olivia, and we definitely had a lot of fun together! The tiktoks I’ve seen online portrayed the game as funny and very “meme-y”, but I still didn’t quite know what to expect going into the game….
For those who don’t know, Ace Attorney is a visual novel adventure game first released in 2001. The player steps into the shoes of various lawyers to investigate cases and represent clients in court. Since its release, there has been many sequels and even an anime series based on the story. For this first episode, we are playing as Phoenix Wright, a new-time defense attorney tasked with defending his childhood friend, Larry Butz, who was accused of killing his girlfriend.
I love murder mysteries and crime tv shows, so this was right up my alley and I loved the suspense of watching the case unfold >_<. The beginning sequence illustrating the first murder case was super cool to watch; it feel like I was watching a movie, and that drew me in. I can see why this was categorized as a visual novel game, it really felt like I was flipping through a webtoon rather than playing a game! As an avid webtoon reader, I was instantly hooked.
[murder scene of ep. 1]
The visuals were appealing and detailed, but extreme facial expressions, especially for Larry, were more simple and funny, which I had a good laugh about. There was more comedic relief in the dialogue and imagery than I expected. For example, the bright red bubbles with OBJECTION and TAKE THAT, along with the corresponding sounds, were silly, as well as the blue narration depicting Phoenix’s thoughts (hands shaking…..).
[red speech bubbles when we objected]
[Larry Butz’s funny expressions]
The characters – from their designs to their unique personalities – were all also very memorable and entertaining in their own ways. They did a really good job of making the real murderer, Sahwitz, look like a sleezebag lol. The storyline / case itself was also captivating; I found the elements of the case, from The Thinker Statue being a clock to finding the loopholes in Sawitz’s witness statement about the time very intricate and unexpected, which made solving the case more fun.
Regarding the gameplay itself, I liked being able to click on the pieces of evidence and object in specific parts of the witness statement. Although I do feel like this might get repetitive, so I wonder if they add more to the mechanics of the game as we take on more cases.
Overall, although I have only played the first episode, so far, I love the storytelling and puzzle-solving aspects of the game, which I think was only made better by how quirky and amusing it was. We were all very invested in the case and the characters, and I would definitely play through the other episodes to see how the story plays out and also if the cases get more challenging to solve!
Thanks for the detailed review, Tracy! Your excitement about playing Ace Attorney with friends really comes through. It’s great to hear how much fun you had and how the game exceeded your expectations, especially with its mix of suspense and humor. I agree that the characters and their quirky expressions add a lot of charm to the game. The intricate storylines and puzzle-solving elements are what make it so engaging. I also wonder how the mechanics will evolve in later episodes. Your review makes me want to dive back into the series and experience the cases all over again!