Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations: - The Trilogy's Finest Objection

Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney (known as Gyakuten Saiban in Japan) was met with surprising success when it was released in the United States. I'd be lying if I said that thought of playing a 'lawyer game' didn't put me off a bit, but upon giving it a chance I found it to be one of the most original and fun titles I've played in years. The success of the first game led Capcom to deliver us a second taste of their lawyer text adventure with the game's sequel; Justice for All, and recently a triple dip with Trials and Tribulations. This third iteration is the finest we've seen so far, and it also just happens to be the topic of this review.

Phoenix Wright is a rookie defense attorney turned pro. With his overcoming sense of justice, annoying sidekick Maya Fey, and blind luck he's out to defend the undefendable. Trials and Tribulations takes place about a year after the original game's sequel - Justice For All. A few cases in the game are actually flashbacks where you'll be able to play as Phoenix's deceased mentor, Mia Fey. This is a first for the series, and is a very welcome feature.

Trials and Tribulations takes place over five cases. Your clients this time around range from a young Phoenix Wright himself, to a rather timid master thief, and more. Telling you much more would probably spoil the story so I'll just leave you with this - Trials and Tribulations features the most vile and evil villain to ever grace the fictional courtroom of Phoenix Wright.

The game features a huge roster of returning characters from the two previous games - some predictable and others not so much. Along with that, Trials and Tribulations introduces us to a pretty decent new cast which include your clients, witnesses, and the like. Trials and Tribulations introduces us to a new prosecutor named Godot who seems out to get Phoenix by all means necessary. While the coffee obsessed Godot may not be as calculating as some of the past rivals Phoenix has faced (Franziska and Edgeworth are much more interesting) he adds a unique sense of style to the game. As far as strictly new characters are concerned this may be the weakest link of the trilogy.

The cast of characters are really what make the game so charming. Phoenix Wright associates with an intensely quirky bunch of folk, from the rugged (and extremely poor) detective Gumshoe, to the overly serious (and stiff as a board) Edgeworth. My favorite character, Larry Butz even makes a glorious comeback after sitting it out in Justice for All and trust me, he's just as entertaining as ever.

There's nothing else that's quite like Phoenix Wright, for the most part. The game is divided into two sections featuring very different gameplay from one another. The first of these are the investigation sequences. These control like old adventure games such as Shadowgate or Myst where you move from destination to destination. In Phoenix Wright this is strictly to investigate crimes either by searching for not so cleverly hidden evidence and by talking, and showing various pieces of evidence to characters you run into.

To be frank, the investigatory segments aren't as fun as they sound. They get old after a while and one of the main reasons the game takes so long to complete is because you'll tire of them quickly and take extended breaks away from them. Capcom tried to make these meatier by including a feature called "Psyche locks" which they premiered in Justice for All. These locks appear when a character is being dishonest - forcing you to present evidence to disprove them and get the truth out. These play out a bit like the main trials only they aren't nearly as fun, and I think the game would be more enjoyable without them.

The meat and potatoes of the game (and the entire series for that matter) is in defending your clients in court. These court hearings are very much unlike the investigation sequences - you read over and analyze witness testimony while looking for contradictions with the evidence. Some of these cases are easy while other more subtle instances actually require a lot of concentration. It is while court is in session that the majority of the storyline takes place.

The trials are carried out with a lot of flair. For nearly every contradiction you find the prosecution will Object. Scripted events during the trials will usually carry out for great lengths while Phoenix and Godot battle it out, all the while the camera swirls around to whomever is speaking. It might be super cheesy but it's surprisingly exciting especially with the rather upbeat soundtrack and the various voice samples.

The game is surprisingly fun, but because of it's alternate style of gameplay it's certainly not for everyone. The courtroom sequences at times feel like large logic puzzles and it can be extremely rewarding to solve them. My only real problem with the game stems from the fact that it's terribly linear. All evidence has a very specific point at which to present them during testimony, and even the investigative sequences often rely on you to present objects to characters to trigger new dialogue from them to advance the storyline. Don't be confused - this is no lawyer simulation, it's a text adventure game.

Graphically, Phoenix Wright Trials and Tribulations is a very pleasing game. It's not going to win any awards for best looking, but the graphics are more than adequate. What this game really has going for it is style. All the characters are drawn in typical anime fashion with pointy chins, big eyes, and overly exaggerated expressions. The investigative sequences aren't anything particularly special as far as aesthetics go - they consist mainly of still drawings in the background and animated characters in the forefront. Court is a different story though - the swirling camera effect and animated characters really add a lot to the experience.

The original game featured one of the best (even if it was cheesy) soundtracks I've heard from a DS game, and that left a lot to live up to with Trials and Tribulations. Thankfully Capcom has come through. The music is only slightly less memorable than it was in the first game. The various compositions fit the game extremely well, but the new Turnabout Cornered Theme in particular stands out. The sound effects aren't anything special and are pretty typical sounding GBA samples (this is a port of a GBA game after all). What's cool is that all attorney's and prosecutors in court have their own voice samples for when they shout "Objection" and "Take That!" and these actually sound pretty good. These add a lot to the atmosphere.

Trials and Tribulations doesn't do anything radically different as far as controls are concerned in this series. You have the option of using the touch screen or the Nintendo DS' standard face buttons. Some people will prefer one or the other - personally I like wading through text with the A button. If you do opt to ignore the touch screen input there's only one way you can press statements or present evidence - and that's with the microphone. The game recognizes when you hold down the Y button and shout "Objection", "Hold It", or "Take That" at appropriate intervals. It's cheesy, but I rather enjoy doing so. Overall the controls work very well.

Final Recommendation
Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations may be more of the same old stuff, but with it's more enthralling story it's my favorite of the trilogy. This is also my new favorite game for the DS. If you're planning on jumping in I would definitely recommend playing from the original game first, and be sure to check out the next Gyakuten Saiban game, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney when it releases in the US in February!