Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney
Review
Justice shall be served!
by Bulerias
reviewed on NDS
Narrative, Graphics, & Music
The writing is by far the strongest point in the game, as it should be of course. All the games in the Ace Attorney series can be described as visual novels, and this new one is no exception. Another excellent portion of the game is the music. You definitely don’t come into a court simulation expecting an excellent score, but that is what you will find in Apollo Justice. The “Objection!” and “Testimony Investigation” themes are particularly well-written. But that is not surprising. After all, the music was composed by Toshihiko Horiyama, of Megaman X series fame. It is interesting how the Gyakuten Saiban (the Japanese name for Ace Attorney) features consistently great music in addition to the great narrative. It just shows that the developers truly care about offering the best experience possible.
And let’s not forget about the graphics either. Though some assets are reused, most of the backgrounds were re-drawn. The new courtroom and Detention Center in particular look great. To add to this, there’s also a new “Crime Recreation” mode where Apollo is tasked with recreating a crime scene to better understand what happened. It is all done with 3D, and though it’s pretty basic, it most certainly gets the job done. Finally, a few animated cut scenes pop up from time to time, but it is a pity they’re so rare.
It’s not all great, though...
Sadly though, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney isn’t without its faults. As you can expect from such a game, there is virtually no replay value. Once you have beaten a case, you know exactly how to do it again. The game is extremely linear, but it wouldn’t have worked any other way. However, it is slightly interesting to replay the cases many months after, when you have forgotten the solutions, but the thrill and excitement is largely absent.
Apollo Justice is a one-time thrill ride, so enjoy the show while you can! There is also another small issue; Apollo, though a great guy, is certainly not as likable as Phoenix. Granted, the latter still plays a huge part in the story, and you do end up hearing a few Phoenix-spoken “Objection!”s, but playing the game as Apollo just isn’t quite the same. Also, a few fan favorites, like Maya and Edgeworth, fail to show up, except for a few sly references only fans of the series will pick up. It is definitely a little disappointing, but at the same time, all the new, great characters make up for it.
...but it still delivers
Overall, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney is a worthy successor to the Phoenix Wright series. Featuring the great writing, music and characters the series is known for you will have trouble putting it down. It’s like reading a good book; you’ll be hooked, and you’ll love every minute of it. Overlooking the few (and unimportant) flaws, you won’t be disappointed. For newcomers, it might be better to replay the original games before this one, but it’s not necessary, as you’ll still understand everything. It’s also highly recommended to fans of the previous games. This isn’t a game I can recommend to absolutely everyone, but you should definitely check it out even if you are just slightly interested. You might be very pleasantly surprised.
9.0
fun score
No Pros and Cons at this time
