Technical Information

Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Release Date: April 9, 2019

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is the first game in the trilogy released in the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy collection. It was previously released for the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance.

Step into the shoes of rookie attorney Phoenix Wright and defend your first clients. Prove their innocence by talking to the people involved in each case and investigating the scenes that depict each homicide.
An excellent visual novel that blends point-and-click elements. A must-play for fans of criminal investigations and for those who enjoy story-rich games.

Final Thoughts – Analyzing the Game as a Whole

Graphics and UI

Personally, I found the art’s color palette quite ugly. The environments are nice, but the characters have a very sloppy finish, their coloring looks like it was done by a beginner artist. Capcom could have put in more effort, I found it very disappointing.
There are indie visual novels that look far better visually, so you can’t even blame a lack of resources!

The menus are very clean. During gameplay, next to each action there’s an icon indicating which button must be pressed to perform it.

Soundtrack and Sound Effects

A very striking soundtrack, with music that emphasizes each moment extremely well.
The sound effects are quite basic, but considering this is a game that was originally made for the Game Boy Advance, that’s completely forgivable. I understand that the goal was to preserve the game’s originality rather than add voice acting, which could have ruined the experience for more nostalgic players.

Gameplay

The gameplay is simple. Basically, everything you do is read dialogue and choose where you want to go.
During investigations, it’s possible to collect evidence by clicking on different parts of the environment.

Even though the game is very static, it’s highly engaging and full of twists and turns! There are five cases, but the game doesn’t treat them as completely independent. Some events carry consequences into later cases, giving the player a sense of progression throughout the story as a whole.

In every case, your mission is to prove your client’s innocence. During each trial, you have a “life” bar, and if you present the wrong evidence, it decreases. When it runs out, the judge delivers an incorrect verdict and the game ends.
There are many save slots, giving the player the freedom to save whenever they feel it’s most appropriate.

Overall, the game’s difficulty is moderate. However, there are some very challenging moments that really forced me to think hard, making me restart several times from the same point because I kept draining my life bar completely.

Replayability and Game Retention

I found the game extremely memorable because of the whole package: soundtrack, character design, and engaging cases. It’s definitely a game I’ll play again in the future to relive all its storylines.