Phoenix Wright: Spirit for Justice is the latest game to be released in the Ace Attorney franchise and it’s a thrilling and hilarious addition to the series! With plenty of twists and turns and the triumphant return of several beloved characters from the previous games, Spirit of Justice was a ton of fun to play.
The story starts with Phoenix Wright traveling to the made-up Kingdom of Khura’in in order to be reunited with his old assistant Maya, who is completing her spirit medium training there. Of course, almost immediately after arriving, Phoenix finds himself embroiled in a murder trial. Khura’in trials are a bit different from what we’ve seen before. In this country a special séance is performed by the high priestess, which allows you to view the victims last memories before they were killed. But that’s not all! They also have a rule that if the defendant is found guilty, then their attorney is found guilty of aiding a criminal and must share in their sentence! Meaning the stakes have never been higher for Phoenix and crew, because if their client gets the death penalty, they do too!
This game has everything you’d expect from an Ace Attorney game. The trials offer increasingly complex mysteries to solve and Khura’in is an intriguing country with a complex history to unravel as you navigate your way through the story. Each case involves a host of hilarious characters, both new and old, and, of course, the long-awaited return of Maya was extremely exciting for a long time fan like myself. It’s great to see her and Phoenix back together again! But this isn’t the only reunion that occurs in this game. I don’t want to spoil anything, but suffice it to say, there are several big revelations regarding a major character’s past.
The game play remains the same as seen in previous Ace Attorney titles, except for the addition of the séances. Getting a glimpse of the dead’s final moments is a cool idea and it’s incorporated into the trials well. I hope that we’ll be able to see this element return in future games. You also get to switch around and play as several different characters throughout the story, so Phoenix, Apollo and Athena all get their chances to shine. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of Athena, but that’s just a nitpick.
If you haven’t played an Ace Attorney game before, you should still be able to follow along with the story, but I recommend that you start from the beginning and play the other games before picking up this one. I feel the story is more impactful if you’re familiar with the characters and there are also several jokes and references to events from previous games that will likely go over your head. If you are a fan of the series, then this is a must buy. Spirit of Justice is a great game and a satisfying continuation to the series that really advances the stories of our heroes. Lots of fun, mystery and excitement await you, so be sure to check it out!
Final Grade: A
For more information check out Nintendo’s website: http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/phoenix-wright-ace-attorney-spirit-of-justice-3ds
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