Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice

 3DS
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

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  1. vahn
    May 14, 2017
    10
    I'm a huge fan of the Phoenix Wright series: I own nearly all installments of the franchise (including Vs Layton) and I practically love every single one of them - maybe AAI a little less - and while I don't own all of them because of external reasons (PLEASE bring dai gyakuten saiban and gyakuten kenji 2 already PLEASE!), I constantly replay each one of them once a year. For over 10I'm a huge fan of the Phoenix Wright series: I own nearly all installments of the franchise (including Vs Layton) and I practically love every single one of them - maybe AAI a little less - and while I don't own all of them because of external reasons (PLEASE bring dai gyakuten saiban and gyakuten kenji 2 already PLEASE!), I constantly replay each one of them once a year. For over 10 years.

    So it's no surprise if this game will get a 10 out of 10 from me. To be fair I was nearly going for a 9 for a pretty small reason, but then I thought that this game deserves all the love it can get. And the reason is, this game's true name should be Apollo Justice 2.

    Yep, remember that pipsqueak that nobody cared in that supposedly new installment of the franchise? the one that apparently nobody liked and forcing them to make Phoenix return? Well I do because I loved Apollo Justice and he had quite the potential to become a better character, and in Dual Destiny he was mostly a side character where all the developed was for Athena instead. And even then Athena is still quite anonymous if you ask me.

    But in Spirit of Justice, Apollo is the main protagonist. Sure, Phoenix and Athena are still there and the first case it's one of the best of the series so far (with only Apollo Justice's first case being, in my opinion, still the best for story importance), but Apollo will soon steal the scene and, at long last, he'll get his deserved backstory filled up and going as we finally know what happened to his family and what this will mean for him.

    I can't spoil the game for obvious reasons however I can say a few things that make this game good.

    For starters, this is (I think) the second game in the entire series that has a story that is straightforward and doesn't jump all over with its chapters, with only the first game doing the story like this. Basically, each chapter pushes the story forward without jumping back and forth between them, which became quite the common thing since Justice for All (I'm not lying: the first case in JFA is actually the second, and only the third and fourth cases are chronologically correct). This makes the story feel more tense and you'll always want to see what's gonna happen next.

    Secondly, the setting of the game is different but not just that: the mentality of the people will make you, the player, feel in danger: you'll soon discover that whoever tries to help the defendant gets the same punishment as them, including death. So from the very beginning, you'll feel underpowered and I never felt that way in a long time, but in a positive way. It's just good story writing and dialogue that helps you immerse into the setting and it's amazing.

    And third, while the story is good, It's the characters that definitely make the game worth it: apollo becomes a better leader, Trucy is back and we get to see her weak side for once - which is something that was never shown to this day - and we get to see Maya again...but for some reason she just feels as bland as she was in the original trilogy. Yeah, I wasn't a big fan of her but only because she just feels bland and very uninteresting, but this is just my opinion.

    There is more to be said but it would go into spoiler territory, so I want to tell you why this game nearly got a 8-9 instead...and that is, the game is underwhelming in some parts. Very, very underwhelming.

    For one thing the game has 5 cases (6 with the dlc) and only 3 of them are really relevant to the main story, with the other 2 being completely unrelated. However, while the 2nd case was good because it was very well done and it had trucy in it, it's the 4th is just bad and feels rushed as it doesn't even have an investigation scene and has Athena in it (the only case where she is in the game). They are not terrible by all means necessary and while I could defend the 2nd case for its quality, it's the 4th case that ruins it for the wrong reasons: if it was removed nobody would miss it. And the 6th case, while a nice throwback to the original games thanks to Maya being the assistant again, it wasn't very spectacular at all and it's definitely inferior to the 6th case of Dual Destinies. In other words, they went with quantity rather than quality and among 6 cases, only 3 are just the "best" ones.

    Also the new seance mechanic is a nice touch, but it's not easy to get used to it and you might fail quite a lot of times before understanding how it works.

    So do I recommend it? If you're a fan of the series you probably already have it but if you don't, I highly recommend it without restrictions: sure half of the cases aren't great but I never thought to quit because of them and even if underwhelming, they were still fun to play. And the fact that the story is played throughout the entire game instead of few parts is a nice touch that really helps making this one of the game chapters.

    Also, enjoy the first case's villain...he's amazing.    … Expand
  2. JackintheBox333
    Aug 20, 2018
    10
    If you do not like Visual Novels, you will not like this game. Period.

    That being said, this game sets the bar incredibly high for the Visual Novel medium in the English speaking world, a bar which was already hard to match considering the previous quality of the series. Gyakuten Saiban 6, known as Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice somehow manages to continue the high    If you do not like Visual Novels, you will not like this game. Period.

    That being said, this game sets the bar incredibly high for the Visual Novel medium in the English speaking world, a bar which was already hard to match considering the previous quality of the series. Gyakuten Saiban 6, known as Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice somehow manages to continue the high standards of writing that the previous 5 titles in the main line series had managed, and excel in in the presentation of the narrative.

    The music is superb. The game is full of contextual clues and foreshadowing for plot points that are sprinkled all over the narrative. For the first time in the series, the game has clues that the in-game characters do not point out, but you as the player can find and make a mental note of, which can provide clues for future plot progression and plot twists. Even the English title of this game has a double meaning. This title would seem to the first time player to play off the mysticism aspect of the new setting, however the title also represents Apollo Justice himself, as he grows and finally surpasses Phoenix Wright.

    The 3d engine this title runs is a reworked Dual Destines one, and is far more optimized for this game. This allows for full in engine cutscenes using the in game models. They look fine for the most part. It is a 3ds game, so don't expect anything too realistic looking.

    The complaints for this title are fairly minor. Case 4 is somewhat weak and there are less animated cutscenes than in the previous 3ds title. That's really it honestly.

    The only thing I can say to people looking to jump into this game is that this game, unlike Dual Destinies does rely on the player having some prior knowledge of the previous games. Jumping into the Phoenix Wright series blind with this title is not recommended.    … Expand
  3. SigmaSebas
    Sep 12, 2016
    10
    This is an amazing game, great cases, and awesome characters. I'm enjoying it, and my money was really worth it. Buy it if you liked all previous titles, this one is one of my top 3 favorites of the franchise
  4. Lucius_13
    Sep 27, 2016
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. here's my review of this game and ill be reviewing different aspects of it not counting the DLC and ill try my best not to Spoil anything so here goes.

    Artwork/Character Design: 10/10 absolutely fantastic once again Capcom proves how amazing they are at making characters (although I was annoyed Dick Gumshoe didn't appear once again), the artwork was absolutely gorgeous and it shows Capcom put a lot of love and care into it, out of all the new characters introduced I got to say my favorite is Princess Rayfa Padma Kurai'in mainly because I felt bad for her in the end and she was a very fun character

    Storyline: 10/10 although I wish Athena Cykes was given a more in depth storyline it was still amazingly well thought out, the storyline as per the normal has many twists and turns (some were predictable and others not so much so it evens itself out) and the ending is either foreshadowing a new game or a DLC either way I loved it, the one thing I both loved and got annoyed at was the Séance trials they were fun and annoying at times but overall a very enjoyable challenge

    Overall Impressions: 10/10 this game has it all, from all the wonderful characters to the return of the ability to investigate anything and the comedy especially in Athena Cykes case, this game is definitely worthy of being called a Phoenix Wright game and I highly recommend this to fans of the series its definitely a step up from Dual Destines, this game is definitely worth the 30 dollars to play especially when you get the alternate outfits DLC free with the game (Mr. Wright dressed as Furio Tigre was hilarious)    … Expand
  5. Terrik
    Sep 9, 2016
    10
    Phoenix Wright is back! The series has definitely made a step in the right direction. Great music, animation and humor. Rest assured, you'll get your money's worth
  6. 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 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'sI 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!)    … Expand
  7. LogdotInGaming
    Sep 17, 2016
    10
    "The greatest turnabout in series history"

    Pros:
    Improved reanimated visuals
    Fantastic Story
    Good Music
    Returning Characters

    Cons:
    Case 4 is crap
  8. rayraydeep
    Sep 24, 2016
    10
    This game has many hateful reviews on other sites but they all have no evidence to support them. This game has an engaging story. They cases are always entertaining, And the ending is priceless. I would recomend this game to every 3ds user
  9. Imamagicmuffin
    Jan 16, 2017
    10
    Absolutely wonderful. Great story, dynamic characters, plot twists galore. This might even be the best Pheonix Wright game. It's also great for newcomers to the series.
  10. rinitis
    Oct 19, 2019
    10
    This game is an excellent extension of the strengths of the previous works, and the scenario shows the highest level of perfection.
  11. BaconBiscuit
    Feb 10, 2020
    10
    Perhaps a controversial opinion, but this is easily the best game in the Ace Attorney franchise. The Ace Attorney games have all been fantastic, and I love each one of them very much, but in my opinion this one has the best plot, characters, and music out of all of them. All of the cases are fun (even the ones with less plot relevance), which is not something you can say for all the gamesPerhaps a controversial opinion, but this is easily the best game in the Ace Attorney franchise. The Ace Attorney games have all been fantastic, and I love each one of them very much, but in my opinion this one has the best plot, characters, and music out of all of them. All of the cases are fun (even the ones with less plot relevance), which is not something you can say for all the games in the franchise. I certainly recommend you play the other 5 games first (or at least 4 and 5), but this game is an absolute must-play in my books.… Expand
  12. SirFelixIII
    Feb 5, 2023
    10
    Great game! .
  13. TianLong1
    Mar 31, 2023
    10
    New characters, new mechanics, more challenging mysteries to solve. Spirit of justice is a great addition to this legendary series you just cant get enough of.
  14. Kenmei
    Apr 14, 2017
    9
    As a long time PW fan, this game was meant for me. The main draw to the game are all the throwbacks to previous games that are just littered throughout the entire game, with the main draw being the new setting and focus on the Spirit Median things that were a main point in the first three games, including the reintroduction of a main character from the first 3 games that had been absentAs a long time PW fan, this game was meant for me. The main draw to the game are all the throwbacks to previous games that are just littered throughout the entire game, with the main draw being the new setting and focus on the Spirit Median things that were a main point in the first three games, including the reintroduction of a main character from the first 3 games that had been absent from the newest games.
    However, each case had some kind of throwback, even to the previous game, Dual Destines.
    I felt like the new setting, the Kingdom of Kuar'in was a very cool place to go to and there was alot of interesting names that the localization team fit in there that made me chuckle all the way throughout the game. I definitely felt that this was one of the better games in the series and my favorite of the "new generation" of PW games that have come out on the DS systems.
    However I felt like the newest prosecutor just didn't cut it for me like previous ones have. He's certainly no Edgeworth and not even as good as the previous games' prosecutor, who makes a cameo appearance during a case dedicated to the DD throwback. And I had an issue with the final case as it's very disjointed in its presentation. While both parts I felt were great, the thread that connected them felt a bit flimsy and almost felt like the creators of the game just made up a scenerio for that first part to happen (no spoilers) and had to tie it into the second, main part of the final act. While both parts were good, combined it didn't flow very well. Plus I have to mention the case that focuses alot of Soba making, a traditional Japanese dish that most westerners won't know anything about. It's a main component of the case and American audiences won't be to come to the conclusion for some of the puzzle pieces in the case because of the cultural boundary. I'm surprised the writers would put the case in there, especially since it wasn't really necessary in the first place from a story standpoint. Almost felt like they had to force a case in the game for Athena to be the main character in, when she wasn't used very much up to that point. By far one of the worst cases in the series because of the cultural boundary. I could understand it being in the first game but not with the popularity of the series at this time.
    In the end, the game is meant entirely for Phoneix Wright fans and people won't truly appreciate the appeal of this game until they've gone through the entire series up to this point. I fully recommend it to any and all fans of the series.    … Expand
  15. Jcdbengals
    Sep 28, 2016
    9
    MAKE SURE TO GO TO OPTIONS AND TURN ON: TEXT SKIP ALL! This allows you to fast forward the text for all of you fast readers! Invaluable. I've always loved Phoenix Wright games, and this one is once again amazing. Dual Destinies is hard to top, but this one is at least on par. I do miss the ending sequences introduced in Dual Destinies when everything ties together and that crazyMAKE SURE TO GO TO OPTIONS AND TURN ON: TEXT SKIP ALL! This allows you to fast forward the text for all of you fast readers! Invaluable. I've always loved Phoenix Wright games, and this one is once again amazing. Dual Destinies is hard to top, but this one is at least on par. I do miss the ending sequences introduced in Dual Destinies when everything ties together and that crazy awesome music kicks in, but other than, this game had everything I love and more. PLEASE get official Investigations 2 and Great Ace Attorney translations over here in the US. PLEASE!… Expand
  16. Silverintosteel
    Sep 19, 2016
    9
    A brilliant addition to the series.

    Compared to DD, this does everything better, and addresses some of the complaints people had about it comparing it to the original big three games. It has an absolutely fantastic storyline, and is a very long and fulfilling game. Definitely recommended for fans of the series, especially those disappointed by the last main outing of the series. It's    A brilliant addition to the series.

    Compared to DD, this does everything better, and addresses some of the complaints people had about it comparing it to the original big three games. It has an absolutely fantastic storyline, and is a very long and fulfilling game. Definitely recommended for fans of the series, especially those disappointed by the last main outing of the series. It's also good for players new to the game, because it catches you up if you've never played before, but of course it's best to start from the beginning because there is so much to enjoy.    … Expand
  17. 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 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$
  18. Digibutter64
    Apr 10, 2018
    9
    Definitely one of my favourite Ace Attorney games. The characters are memorable, and the game has a great script. The game can actually get quite challenging in its puzzles. Gameplay-wise, the only new thing is a feature where you look for inconsistencies in the memories of victims. This doesn't add much, but I was fine with that. The spiritual themes can get overwhelming at times, andDefinitely one of my favourite Ace Attorney games. The characters are memorable, and the game has a great script. The game can actually get quite challenging in its puzzles. Gameplay-wise, the only new thing is a feature where you look for inconsistencies in the memories of victims. This doesn't add much, but I was fine with that. The spiritual themes can get overwhelming at times, and it's more of the same in terms of gameplay, bit it's still recommended highly.… Expand
  19. buildz
    Sep 17, 2016
    9
    Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice is a fantastic new entry into the long-running series that does a lot of things right, and only a few things wrong.

    (+ is positive; = is something that isn't good nor bad; - is negative) + Fantastic, stylised visuals and graphics + Intriguing cases + Excellent writing and character development, especially for Apollo + Divination    Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice is a fantastic new entry into the long-running series that does a lot of things right, and only a few things wrong.

    (+ is positive; = is something that isn't good nor bad; - is negative)

    + Fantastic, stylised visuals and graphics
    + Intriguing cases
    + Excellent writing and character development, especially for Apollo
    + Divination Seances are a new, challenging and interesting gimmick that is well utilised
    + Investigation segments are much less linear than Dual Destinies, as you can Examine anywhere now
    + Amazing soundtrack with only a few 'meh' tracks
    + This may seem trivial, but the addition of an options menu to turn off the 'Consult' feature is nice

    = Strange choice of structure in cases 2 and 4, but nothing that ruins them completely
    = To some, the culprits could be a little obvious, but only really in case 2

    - Strange pacing
    - Some older gimmicks, such as the Magatama, are rarely used and should've been removed or utilised more
    - Slight frame rate issues on older 3DS hardware

    Still, this game is one of the best in the series and well worth a purchase. Go pick it up now!

    9/10 - buildz    … Expand
  20. andrewtyl
    Sep 16, 2016
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A worthy successor to Dual Destinies. I enjoyed every minute of playing it. Every game before this one had at least one boring case, (typically the 3rd). However, I loved every case and all are fun to play (yes, even the filler with Athena).
    The new mechanics were great and the returning ones were also fun. Music was great and even had many twists I couldn't see coming.
    Despite that, this is not a perfect game. And I only say this because I want Ace Attorney to get better over time as to not go stale. While there were many twists I didn't see coming, there were a handful I saw in advance. Perhaps it was intentional with foreshadowing in some cases, but if you've been a loyal Ace Attorney fan in the main series, you will see some recurring patterns in this game. Including Maya being accused of murder and becoming a hostage. Please just make her live happy with Nick.
    I also wish there were more character interactions. I'd love to see Pearls and Rayfa together. Athena and Maya would get along swimmingly. And Trucy needs to be more involved with the Fey cousins as they are practically family to Phoenix. There were just too many missed opportunities.
    While the game is more than worth the $30 price tag, I still wish it was longer. I understand it takes time, but perhaps more DLC cases should be added. Ones that don't have an overarching story, similar to Athena's filler case. Cases where we can get that more character interaction while not drowning out the main plot.
    The anime cut-scenes are magnificent and while the anime being simulcasted on crunchyroll has held its own, it will never compare to the quality of these. I love that they were more fleshed out. Trucy's case and the prologue (which for some reason doesn't play when you start the game immediately), had the best cut-scenes. At the same time though, it makes me crave more. I hope there is more budget and time put into making these animations, as I feel they are too great to not give more credit to.
    The music is beautiful to the ear. From the soothing tunes of Nahyuta's theme and Apollo's updated theme, to the upbeat energetic Confess the Truth and Alegro Cross Examination, this is on par with Dual Destinies. It brings classic songs with their own twist and new songs to fit the cases and landscape.
    One feature I think would be nice is to have branching paths. There were so many times where I knew the evidence that contradicts what was just said, but I can't select it until I go through 10 minutes of dialogue of Apollo or Phoenix saying "I have no clue how I can overturn this." Perhaps an interruption feature where you can have one chance to present the evidence internally (so no penalties are given) in order to skip this dilemma.
    These negatives I have outlined though are all nitpicks. You will have just as much fun in this game as you did taking down the final "boss" of every previous game. Capcom, I beg you to continue to release these in the US. You have a fantastic franchise here that deserves continuation and even ideas from fans to help expand it into a great game.
    In any case, since the "reboot" so to speak, we've had it focus on Phoenix and Apollo for the main story segment. I'll be waiting for Athena Cykes: Ace Attorney if you don't mind. ;)    … Expand
  21. vagkws99
    Sep 19, 2016
    9
    Case 1:great intro weak story, best witness ever
    case2: great case ,predictable killer
    case3 :one of the best cases
    case:4 a mediocre filler
    case5: the best final case yet
    OST:exellent
    graphics: really good animations
  22. Diegochocho
    Jul 3, 2018
    9
    Asombroso, no se como hacen para sacar juego tras juego sin que decaiga la saga, sin palabras.
  23. aditya1101
    Sep 4, 2018
    9
    I really loved this game, one of my favorite ace attorney games for sure. I really liked the story/setting - the ace attorney series seems to do such an exceptional job of taking random tidbits that we already know about the characters and expanding them out into these vast, lush stories that can really stand on their own as opposed to just being story gimmicks. The cases here are aboveI really loved this game, one of my favorite ace attorney games for sure. I really liked the story/setting - the ace attorney series seems to do such an exceptional job of taking random tidbits that we already know about the characters and expanding them out into these vast, lush stories that can really stand on their own as opposed to just being story gimmicks. The cases here are above average, and the characters/humor is excellent. This is an A+ tier Ace Attorney Game.… Expand
  24. Maarten95
    May 19, 2019
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It has its flaws but overal this was a great experience. Also many old characters make a return in this game, aldo I wish they added gumshoe. The adding of the divince seance ads new depth to the game. It requires you to relive the final moments of the victim and point out inconsistencies. I found it quite dificult but liked it. The game focuses a lot on Apollo Justice but unfortunately doesn't finish up its story arc, which I wish they did. This is the main negative for me. The other one is the pricetag of the dlc, which is way to much for its contents. I do hope the next game does something about this. The game is the longest in its series so overal I didn;t mind it that much. I also enjoyed the story.… Expand
  25. pcschmidt00
    Dec 18, 2020
    9
    What a way to end the Apollo Justice Trilogy as I call it. Cases were good, characters and music were great, and the final case was one of my favorites in the series. Now I'm just hoping for an Athena Cykes game in the future
  26. Jofe
    May 16, 2022
    9
    Excellent game. The fourth case is quite bad, but all others cases are really good. The second and third cases are among the best in the series.
  27. VidyaBum
    Nov 25, 2016
    8
    I have a lot to say about SoJ, but I'll give you a quick rundown:

    Unlike Dual Destinies, this game actually has challenge and isn't directing you all the time, or rather it does so in much subtler ways and the difficulty has "helps" that never become an annoyance. Besides that, its music is really great(one of the better soundtracks in the series IMO), it looks good, model and    I have a lot to say about SoJ, but I'll give you a quick rundown:

    Unlike Dual Destinies, this game actually has challenge and isn't directing you all the time, or rather it does so in much subtler ways and the difficulty has "helps" that never become an annoyance.

    Besides that, its music is really great(one of the better soundtracks in the series IMO), it looks good, model and animation are mostly top notch and the general quality is undeniable.

    Case 1: It opens up Khurain as a country and an AA setting. A great opening. Again with the "showing the real culprit in the opening cutscene" **** but else it's really good. I was very sceptical about Khurain in the trailers and it all felt gimmicky to me, but after this case I was very impressed. Spirit channeling was a clever part of court and not overbearing, and the idea of setting up a country on the brink of civil war was also brilliant.

    Case 2: Trucy gets in trouble. In not-Japan. It's...a fine case by itself but it's a tremendous letdown inside this game. I'll explain in detail later.

    Case 3: Khurain again. Great case again.

    Case 4: I sincerely think that while this case was fun and enjoyable, it really, really is the kind of fanservice (Athena and Simon Blackquill fanservice) that feels out of place. While I liked it a lot of people didn't and I can see why.

    Case 5: Final case is as usual the one that picks up everyone and makes the Grand Finale to the game's story, and this one certainly delivered in terms of plot. And difficulty. Problem is, everything else was a relative failure.

    Now for the details:

    Without a doubt the series has departed in many ways from the original games written by Shu Takumi. Since AJ, we had Magic as one of the main themes, DD added some neat new elements and it chose space exploration as its main final theme, and SoJ has gone for a full new social study with Khurain.

    I don't mind that the new writers have different tastes than Takumi and thus will create new things. It's probably better for everyone.

    But despite all that, Ace Attorney has become a typical example of a takeover that is IMO done with good will, but without understanding of the core value of the project.

    To say it bluntly, I think the guys who write AA now don't understand the series' strength.

    Classic AA has always gone for the mix of how to make a story interesting: make it sad or tragic, thus emotionally involving, make it kooky or funny to keep us into it, add a little crazy to have our attention and just go wild with these three elements.

    Crazy's still here. That's good. It's not as strong as it was but it still makes me talk about it.

    Funny, not so much. I will say that most of the old AA games always cracked me up at one point. It's not AA if it didn't make me go nuts with laughter. And here, I had a few laughs. Some quirks were quirky, too, I guess. The funniest lines in game were the Judge's slights. And that's it. In general, SoJ didn't make me laugh that much. Some lines, here and there, some situations. But overall I think any other game in the series, made me laugh more.

    And yet the real problem is with the emotions.

    Classic AA did a wonderful job at making you laugh but also pulling your heart strings. A lot of the situations in the games were full of tragedy, greed, stupidity, and all the little vile parts of mankind.

    SoJ has almost none of that. I think that's mostly due to the writers' style, but not only.
    Take this (no spoilers) example: at some point, a little girl's father gets killed. When the killer is found in court, I remember thinking "come on, NOW you just have to have her cry and scream to him "why did you kill my dad", you just have to do it". And nope.
    The emotionality of such a scene is glaring. It's scenes like this that get you invested and feel for the characters. It's also a classic "innocent child" vs "greedy criminal", a perfect white vs black, and this kind of moment doesn't exist in this game.

    The saddest parts are glossed over, or quickly dealt with. I really think that it's writer's style to not pull on your heart strings, but it heavily damages a game that holds a great story, cast and the best setup in the series, and could have been another 9 or 10/10, but because I never really felt much, and didn't laugh that much, I can only call this inferior writing.

    Besides the emotional side, the game has a severe lack of focus. Case 1 builds Khurain wonderfully. Case 2 shoves it aside. Case 3 expands Khurain. Case 4 ignores it. Case 5 finishes Khurain. What were case 2 and 4 even doing here?

    They're not even bad cases, but the game has this ridiculous notion that we need fanservice for everyone from AJ onwards. I love Trucy, but if she was supposed to not be part of the Khurain story, I'd rather not have had her at all and not ruin the great vibe I had with Khurain. Without lack of focus and the lack of emotionality, this is a great AA. But they're here and they take it down quite a few notches.    … Expand
  28. giannis2001
    Jun 7, 2021
    8
    Follow Dual Destinies, I found this game quite interesting but a little bit lower level than the prequel and not as not as good as Trilogy and AJ of course. I believe it's overall the weakest of all the other games if you add up all the factors but it still is a great game since is AA, and everything (or most at least) that an AA must have is there. The best cases by my opinion are: theFollow Dual Destinies, I found this game quite interesting but a little bit lower level than the prequel and not as not as good as Trilogy and AJ of course. I believe it's overall the weakest of all the other games if you add up all the factors but it still is a great game since is AA, and everything (or most at least) that an AA must have is there. The best cases by my opinion are: the 2nd and the last (which is absolutely amazing in the second part, with a huge twist). As of the other 3 they are good but nothing special. The DLC also is a good overall case. As for the plot and the new court theme and location, I have to say that I found it quite good. Gameplay - wise,the game introduces the Diviation Seanse which is a "display" of the last moments of a victim. You ought to find contradictions there so you can continue the trial. It is a quite interesting feature in my opinion. As for the characters, I didn't like the prosecutor that much.. His personality wasn't as interesting as the others in the series ,but he is still likeable. The other characters who I liked a lot is Dhurke and Princess Rayfa, and there are some other likeable characters as well, which are part of spoilers so I won't mention.

    The soundtrack is great as well like all the AA games.

    Overall, the game is great and if you enjoy the series, then this one is another addition you will enjoy as well.    … Expand
  29. Junior95
    Jul 9, 2022
    8
    A great return and closure to the 2nd trilogy!

    This game is the Revenge of the Sith of the Ace Attorney "Sequel Trilogy" where basically Apollo Justice was not bad but dissapointing and after a long hiatus Dual Destinies ended up being one of the very worst entries in the series but thankfully, the developers gave their best with Spirit of Justice.
  30. 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 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    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.    … Expand

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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. Adventure Gamers
    Mar 22, 2019
    100
    It’s hard to find much fault with Spirit of Justice. Dramatically improving upon its predecessors’ storytelling and varying the familiar gameplay elements, this game gives the trilogy – and series, for now – a more-than-polished conclusion that engages the brain as well as the heart.
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  2. Games.cz
    Feb 14, 2017
    80
    Another addition to the series of legal detective stories. Very solid game with the established pattern boosted by several pleasant news.
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  3. CD-Action
    Jan 13, 2017
    80
    Spirit of Justice does little to refresh the series but it neatly rounds up ideas from previous Phoenix Wright games. [01/2017, p.74]
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