What I love most about extended holiday weekends, like Memorial Day, is it gives you the opportunity to do whatever fun activity you’ve been wanting to do for a while now. Whether you have holiday plans to hit the beach or stay in and catch up on that video game you’ve been wanting more time with, an extra day can do wonders for you. If only we had more extended weekends every single month. Before I say goodbye to May, let’s see how I did with this month’s video game challenge.
Playing the first case, Turnabout Trump, of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney has been a comfortable and familiar experience from the start. Even though Phoenix Wright isn’t the main character in this entry of the Ace Attorney series, I found myself willing to follow Apollo’s lead in his first debut as a defense attorney. As luck would have it, Apollo’s first client is none other than former defense attorney Phoenix Wright himself who is accused of murder after a poker game gone wrong. With the aid of Apollo’s mentor Kristoph Gavin, you’re tasked with uncovering the truth and clearing Phoenix Wright’s name.
Seasoned gamers who have played any of the Ace Attorney games will not have any trouble navigating through Apollo Justice. Mechanics are all the same where you hear the witness testimony, find the contradiction in the testimony, and present evidence in the right spot to either reveal more information for further examination or expose the true criminal in each case you play.
The first case alone immediately dives into its first plot twist from the start, which shakes everyone in the courtroom to their very core. I can’t exactly say I didn’t see the twist coming, based on process of elimination as to who the true murderer might be, but what I liked best about Turnabout Trump is Phoenix Wright going head-to-head with one of the characters in this case. Phoenix Wright’s showdown towards the second half of Turnabout Trump is reminiscent to the showdown Mia Fey has with Dahlia Hawthorne in Bridge to the Turnabout in Trials and Tribulations. Phoenix Wright’s showdown felt just as epic and exhilarating to play through as Mia’s in Trials and Tribulations. It’s satisfying and you’re cheering on your favorite former attorney, while helping Apollo in the process, to nail the real killer in the best way possible by presenting irrefutable evidence that exposes the criminal when they least expect it. At this point in the series, you can tell Phoenix Wright has grown a lot as a lawyer and a person. He reached the same level as his former mentor Mia Fey, which puts him in the perfect position to mentor a new generation of lawyers. It makes me happy to see this character evolution occur for Phoenix Wright.
While I have managed to finish the first case of Apollo Justice, unfortunately, I have not finished the entire game itself. Finding the time to play video games in general is a constant struggle daily. This is why I wish every month had long extended holiday weekends to give me plenty of time to catch up on all the fun hobbies I like to do. Despite having failed at finishing Apollo Justice within a month, I’ve decided to extend my run with this challenge for June. The main motivating factor to still make the push to finish Apollo Justice is the newly announced release date for the upcoming Phoenix Wright game in North America. As I only have this game and Dual Destinies left to play in the lead up to Spirit of Justice, I’m hoping to be all caught up by the time the game drops stateside.
Join me at the end of June in what I hope will be a completion report for Apollo Justice!
simpleek 
Is the Ace Attorney series one where you kinda need to have played the previous games in order to really get anything out of the later games? I’m interested in checking it out and was wondering what a good jumping-on point would be.
I don’t think you necessarily have to have played any of the previous games to understand what’s going on. Most of the games can act as a standalone I think. However, if you want a better appreciation for character development and some minor plot details that can come up in later games then I’d highly recommend starting from the beginning. Later games can reference older cases from earlier installments or they bring back characters that showed up in earlier games too. I don’t think a person would get lost if they jumped in at say three instead of at one, but it’s way more satisfying to get these references if you start from the beginning and then play them in order from there. The pay off is huge from a character and story perspective with the Ace Attorney series.