Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice

 3DS
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 65 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 58 out of 65
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 65
  3. Negative: 0 out of 65
  1. games(TM)
    Nov 14, 2016
    70
    There’s a wonderful nugget of a game in Spirit Of Justice. The writing, as always, is gripping and clever – even if the puns aren’t – and the series hasn’t looked this special since the intricate sprite art animations of the first three games. It’s a shame that it’s wrapped up in what feels like nervousness – the worry that a visual novel can’t compete with the big boys.
  2. Digitally Downloaded
    Oct 3, 2016
    70
    I hope the next Ace Attorney game has more structure in its overarching narrative and the developers actually have the cases flow naturally from one to the next. Even with its flaws, Spirit of Justice is good fun, through, and another quality example of a narrative from the ever-growing stable of visual novels we are now getting translated into English.
  3. GameSpew
    Sep 23, 2016
    70
    Considering just the gameplay alone, it’s incredibly fulfilling – and at times, quite tricky.
  5. IBTimes UK
    Sep 21, 2016
    70
    Spirit of Justice is yet another enjoyable entry in a cherished franchise, which doubles-down on the delightfully zany aspects of the series to great effect. The back-and-forth courtroom disputes suffer from a weak presence on the opposing bench and several decade-old mechanical flaws, but none of its sins are egregious enough to quash the divine character work and enchanting anime style. An imperfect, but nonetheless victorious, return for Capcom's distinguished defence attorney.
  6. Slant Magazine
    Sep 8, 2016
    70
    Fans know exactly what they're getting from Phoenix Wright, and Spirit of Justice doesn't disappoint.
  7. The Escapist
    Sep 8, 2016
    70
    Spirit of Justice, the sixth game in the Ace Attorney series, is really starting to show some franchise fatigue. The puzzles and the technical systems behind it have improved, but the writing has begun to suffer.
  8. IGN
    Sep 8, 2016
    65
    There’s enough snappy dialogue and silliness in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice to satisfy long-term series fans, and the conventional courtroom sequences still feel rewarding when you get on a roll and a witness starts to unravel. But the heavy-handed mysticism of its bloated middle act and the general lack of innovation makes for a less than essential entry in the Phoenix Wright saga on the whole.
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  1. Kotaku
    Oct 19, 2016
    There’s just something about these games—the logical threads, the ridiculous courtroom antics, the outlandish plot twists—that makes me really happy. Spirit of Justice is no exception. I hope Capcom never stops making these things.

Awards & Rankings

13
#13 Best 3DS Game of 2016
16
#16 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2016
21
#21 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2016

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 148 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 117 out of 148
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 148
  3. Negative: 22 out of 148
  1. MazinroboX2
    Sep 14, 2016
    10
    I finished the game today, beating all the cases but the DLC one, and I have to say... This game is absolutely amazing. I see people complainI finished the game today, beating all the cases but the DLC one, and I have to say... This game is absolutely amazing. I see people complain that it doesn't innovate much, that it is almost the same old formula as the first Ace Attorney, but, honestly, is that a bad thing? Because I think it isn't! I just want more of the same with different stories and a few innovative additions, that's it! If something works, why does it have to change?

    About the game, it just never disappoints. The first case is cool, as it is a very deep case for being the first. It introduces the amazing mechanic of the Divination Séances, in which you witness the victim's final memories, and the Defense Culpability Act, which creates a lot of tension because it means that if your client is declared guilty, so is the one that defends it and he will receive the same penalty. The guitar witness was a bit annoying in this case, though, because he spoke extremely slowly sometimes.

    The second case is fantastic, with a very entertaining investigation part due to the troubles Apollo and Athena face during it. The trial and the way the victim died are also excellent, a very original plot, with a lot of magic!

    And in the third case we at last get to see Mystic Maya! The reunion between her and Phoenix was a great moment. And the plot of the case is once again very very good, extremely mystic and very well set in the Kingdom of Khura-in.

    The fourth case is in my opinion the worst case in this game. It's a bit odd and unrelated to the rest of the game. That doesn't mean it's boring, though, I liked it, Athena deserved her moment of glory, and the appearance of Simon Blackquill is good. Besides, the witness Uendo Toneido is extremely hilarious. It still feels too apart from the rest of the game, though.

    And well, the fifth case is absolutely amazing. I don't want to give spoilers, just tell you that the first trial day is unforgettable due to the circumstances that surround it. And well I was very surprised to have it focused on Apollo. I actually think that Apollo was a quite dull character in his own game, with almost no charisma, but Dual Destinies and mostly the last case of this game take us to know him a lot better and like him a lot more.

    I want to highlight just 2 more things, the first one is the development of the character of Rayfa. She becomes a very profound character despite being very young, for me she is one of the greatest characters ever the saga has given us. And the second one is the characters' names. Khu-rainese people have so clever names! For example, your first client is named Ahlbi Ur'gaid, which comes from "I'll be your guide". Heck, even Minister Inga's full name, Inga Karkhuul Haw'kohd Dis'nahm Bi'ahni Lawga Ormo Pohmpus Da'nit Ar'edi Iz Khura'in III, has a meaning! (How could this name be any longer or more pompous than it already is?")

    All in all, this game is a must-play for fans of the series, in my opinion much better and memorable than Dual Destinies. Perhaps not the best game to get started in the saga, though, but well, it's perfectly playable and enjoyable even if you haven't played the others (c'mon, play them, they are not hard to get!)    … Full Review »
  2. snakekill321
    Sep 8, 2016
    9
    This game lives up to the hype, the cultural influence, the story, the entirety of the game is amazing, the game feels and looks like duelThis game lives up to the hype, the cultural influence, the story, the entirety of the game is amazing, the game feels and looks like duel destinies but really feels like i am playing the older games. The voice acting and soundtrack are on part. You can investigate almost anything and everything, and the comedy is there as well. definitely worth the 30$… Full Review »
  3. iKiwed
    Nov 14, 2018
    4
    As a long Ace Attorney fan, I think this is the vote I'd give for this game. A not full 5.
    Let's start witht he basis:
    1) Gameplay: It's    As a long Ace Attorney fan, I think this is the vote I'd give for this game. A not full 5.
    Let's start witht he basis:
    1) Gameplay: It's overall ok. It's good to see a comeback of some features from the old 4 games like the full examination of an area, the usage of cameras, Ema's forensic abilities, etc. I also liked the divination seance (as gameplay), so there is a somewhat level of challenge.
    But
    Except for the cross-examination and the divination seance, the rest of the old/new features don't have any kind of penalities, just like in Dual Destinies. Why doesn't the Mood Matrix have penalties? Why doesn't the magatama have penalties? Why does the bracelet a Magatama 2.0, with no real purpose in terms of challenge at all? Why doesn't the Thought Route have penalties like the Logic in AA Investigation series?

    Bonus Magatama: between the other "powers", this is probably the most present in the game. And still, its challenging level is zero. In Trials & Tribulations, when you investigate, you find more than 1 person to have red psychelocks, and before to unlock them you're forced to find new clues elsewhere.
    In Spirit of Justice everything is guided: You see someone with psychelocks, you're just ready to unlock them. This isn't how features like magatama, mood matrix, bracelet, etc... should work in a game where the player's logic is needed.

    2)
    Multimedia: This is probably what saves the game more. Graphically there is a big improvement from Dual Destinies, and the music is overall in the standards of the other Ace Attorney music.
    My only critic point is how they used the motion capture. Each case has some parts where a character uses them. Unfortunately you notice the quality drops because they look unfitting with the models and the characters. The worst case scenario is during the case 5, in a particular moment a certain character acts like a child because of how unwell they used this feature in the game.
    Plus, on 3DS the framerate drops to 30fps or less.

    3)
    Story: It's a mess just like Dual Destinies.
    Again, they used the main characters and tried to connect them somehow, even if the possibilities that that would happen are less than zero. In short, I'm talking about retcons. And unfortunately some characters are victims of this in the game. The presence itself of a country like Khura'In is interesting IF it was placed with other purposes, like, for example, a game where Phoenix is the only character playable, and characters like Apollo, Athena, Trucy, etc weren't connected with the game at all, because they don't have to. But, in this case, Khura'In has just ruin any expectation in a bad way.
    And I'm not talking about the characterization of the people in Khura'In, but the motive Khura'In is present in the game. Just like the motive Maya is in the game. This motive is weak and not even explained in the game. Capcom released a "prologue" animated trailer of about 10 minutes where shows why Phoenix traveled in Khura'In, which is because Maya dropped the phone during an attack of a "rebel". But in the game, that video isn't canon. So we don't even have a good start of the game.
    Speaking of rebels, I find all this very annoying. Let me explain why.
    It's true Ace Attorney isn't meant to be realistic. The law itself in the series is a joke, it's meant to be as simple as possible so that could be understandable for the player.
    But I noticed in the last Ace Attorney games they tend to exaggerate all their topics.
    In the previous games, you could somehow see that some topics were close to the real life, for example, the role of each character during the crime.
    But in this Spirit of Justice, they treat lawyer like gods and demons. Like if they only exist in a fantasy world. "The law system decided to kill all the rebel lawyers" are we serious? How can you compare this to a real life fact? You can't, because it's unrealistic. And so is unrealistic most of this game.
    It's this game meant to be fun? Yes. But I remember when Ace Attorney was also serious.

    4)
    Storytelling:
    Short message about how they wrote the cases: three writers devided 6 cases (including the DLC), and you can easily see who wrote what. The first two cases have a large amount of gallery speaking. In the first case, in particular, it's very annoying.
    The third and fifth case are known for the veeery long pauses with dots. You only read dots everytime they have to say something. It's really annoying in the game.
    The fourth case is probably the best written case in the game, and personally maybe the best case in the game, even if I didn't like it so much due to some motives.

    In conclusion... Spirit of Justice is a fun game, somewhat, but with Dual Destinies they just don't work like the previous games.    … Full Review »
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