The Ace Attorney trilogy is a pretty massive anomaly on the list of my 100 favorite games because it's the only one to be a visual novel. I don't dislike visual novels or anything, I've played/read a decent amount of them, but it's not a genre I tend to gravitate to. For starters, I usually play games for the gameplay above all else, but even if I'm in the mood to just read a good story, visual novels are long. Even with the Ace Attorney games, I had to dedicate around 50 hours to finish just that initial trilogy, and they're some of the shorter games in the series.
So, because Ace Attorney is a visual novel series with each game divided up into cases, I think I'm going to approach this a bit differently from the other games. I'll start with a general overview of the series, before briefly reviewing each case since I've never really talked about these games here before.
Ace Attorney is a bit of an interesting case as far as visual novels are concerned since it's a lot more gameplay-focused than many other games in the genre. Half of the game is taken up by investigation segments which play out like a point and click adventure where you examine environments for clues which you can use in the trial at the perfect moment. I don't need to tell you how fun the trial segments are. While some of the solutions can feel a bit cryptic, it's always satisfying to come up with the perfect counter and discover how all the clues fit together. However, I also want to single out the investigation segments because they tend to be overlooked compared to the trial. The trial segments tend to be incredibly plot-focused, but the investigation segments give you a lot more time to interact with Ace Attorney's fun cast of characters outside of the courtroom. And that's good because Ace Attorney has a fantastic cast, boasting some of my favorite characters in the medium. Phoenix is a great protagonist with a strong arc and also serves as a fun straight man to the many wacky characters he encounters, Miles Edgeworth is one of the most compelling rival characters pretty much ever, Gumshoe is such a immensely lovable goofball, Franziska is an incredibly fun ham, and of course, Maya Fey is an absolute treasure and one of the most vibrant characters in a game.
The first game, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is my least favorite of the trilogy, though that's mostly because it's a more simple introduction to the characters. It does a great job at establishing the cast's dynamics and many of the games' best running gags, and I'd say it definitely has the strongest comedy of the trilogy. Each case also builds on and ties into the previous ones in a satisfying way.
The First Turnabout is a solid tutorial on how trials work. It's not super memorable or plot-heavy, but it doesn't need to be, it does exactly what it needs to.
Turnabout Sisters is where the game really picks up as it introduces the vast majority of the really important characters like Maya, Gumshoe, and Edgeworth. It has some pretty shocking twists for a case so early on in the game, along with some of the series' most iconic moments like Edgeworth updating the autopsy report.
Turnabout Samurai is the first of a trend of more lighthearted third cases. It's not as strong as the ones it's sandwiched between, but it offers up a ton of fantastic Phoenix/Maya banter, along with introducing some of the series' best running gags like the Steel Samurai theme and the stepladders bit. It also has the legendary "unnecessary feelings" quote from Edgeworth.
And Turnabout Goodbyes is easily the high point of the game, a satisfying and climactic final chapter that ties everything into a neat bow, gives Edgeworth a lot more characterization, and leaves enough sequel hooks to get me excited for the sequel. This is also the chapter where you cross-examine a parrot which is always a good time.
Rise From The Ashes is an interesting case though as it was made exclusively for the DS game. It's a totally fine and even pretty good chapter, but it's so long that I tend to treat it as its own separate game from the rest of the trilogy. I prefer to skip straight to Justice For All to keep the momentum going.
Justice For All is often singled out as the weakest game in the trilogy, but it's actually my favorite? It's definitely the most uneven in terms of chapter quality nor is it quite as tight as the other two, but JoA has this uniquely bleak and harrowing aura to it that I just find really gripping. The cases feel more serious and screwed up this time around, and Phoenix's view of the justice system is consistently tested in increasingly uncomfortable ways. The game also introduces some of my favorite new gameplay elements like the Psychlocke system, so mechanically, I think it's way more engaging than its predecessor.
The Lost Turnabout is my least favorite chapter in the trilogy due to leaning on one of my least favorite tropes, the amnesia plot. However, it's once again a short tutorial meaning it ends just as soon as it begins, and it does do a great job at establishing JoA's darker atmosphere.
Reunion And Turnabout is fantastic though, definitely one of my favorite non-final cases in the series. It's got a great balance of fun comedy and engaging tense drama, the new characters introduced like Pearl and Mimi are great, and the whole case moves at a brisk pace.
Turnabout Big Top is often considered the worst of the trilogy's cases but I don't fully agree. I do concede that the core case itself has its fair share of problematic moments and contrivences, but I do like how it plays with the concept of a fucked-up circus full of awful people tearing itself apart, and it has some of the best investigation banter in the trilogy. It's definitely one of the weaker cases, but I don't think it's even close to being the nadir of the franchise.
And of course, Farewell My Turnabout is the best case in the franchise. Some say that this case carries JoA and that is true, but it's also like half the length of the game so that's really substantial. Farewell My Turnabout has one of the most gripping, intense narratives I've ever experienced in a game, it depicts the absolute worst possible nightmare scenario for Phoenix and boasts a final act that had me at the edge of my seat like nothing else.
Trials And Tribulations doesn't quite reach the same emotional depths as its predecessor, but it offers a perfect ending to the trilogy on almost every level while also expanding the series lore in interesting ways. It's also far and away the most consistent entry in the trilogy, with not a single weak case in the bunch.
Turnabout Memories is far and away the best of the intro cases, using a unique flashback format to expand on characters like Phoenix and Mia while also setting the stage for the rest of the game's main narrative.
The Stolen Turnabout and Recipe For Turnabout are two of the most pure fun cases in the series. The former is certainly the better of the two thanks to its fun characters and premise, how it messes with the formula, and the addition of Godot, but they're both an absolute blast.
Turnabout Beginnings is another flashback and it tackles some of the most serious subject matter in the trilogy. I don't think it handles it all the most elegantly, but it's elevated by one of the most crushing emotional gut punches in the series, not just from what happens but from how it impacts the characters.
And Bridge To The Turnabout is yet another phenomenal final case. It perfectly wraps up the trilogy and ties up pretty much every loose end, it offers one climactic and tense case, and it has one of the coolest gameplay twists in the series that really caught me off guard. The Ace Attorney trilogy isn't perfect, but it all feels so purposeful and well laid-out. There are great future games, but if the series was just this initial trilogy, I wouldn't complain because it's such a satisfying three games narratively.
Presentation-wise, this is an interesting case. The Ace Attorney games had some pretty well-drawn art, with stellar character designs and iconic poses and expressions for the whole cast. However, if I had to say what really completes Ace Attorney's presentation, it's the sound design. My god is the sound design in these games phenomenal. The decision to make all the sound effects during the trial sound like they're straight out of a fighting game, sells Ace Attorney's unique brand of verbal combat so much more, while also accentuating the sheer comedy and surrealism of each situation. The soundtracks also very much help, early Ace Attorney music has such a charmingly energetic vibe to it, from the plucky interrogation tracks, to the pensive trial themes, to the consistently stellar objection and pursuit tracks. The first two games are the peak in terms of music, though, with Turnabout Sisters, Cornered, and Allegro 2002 standing out as my favorites of the trilogy.
Overall, the Ace Attorney trilogy is just a great story. It's got engaging mysteries, lovable characters, a strong sense of continuity, consistently great writing that perfectly balances comedy with drama, and satisfying final cases that bring each game to a perfect and fitting close. The fun investigation gameplay and stellar sound design is just icing on the cake, but ultimately, the reason why I'm ranking these games so high on my Top 100 list is because of how invested I managed to get into these characters and their stories.
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