Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney review

There’s a certain amount of cynicism that lingers in the air when a new Ace Attorney is announced. Sure that there’ll be four (five if you’re lucky) new cases and a few new over the top characters, but the core mechanics of the game remains the same. Investigate, point and click, present random evidence and hope for the best. It’ll probably still suffer from TMTS (Too much text syndrome), and that trial and error aspect still forms a large part of the game. *sigh

So the very fact that Apollo Justice is exclusive to the Nintendo DS, brings a certain amount of hope to those who have stuck by the series. Revamped gameplay maybe? Possibly FMVs. Remember, the first 3 games were merely ports of the original GBA games, so the allure of just sticking the same game on a newer portable with a few added features (although shouting Objection on a crowded bus never gets old), was too tempting for Capcom and co. New characters, new scenarios and possibly new game play? Is it all too much to ask?

Apparently yes. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney is, essentially the same game. Sure you’ve got your new characters (and there’s plenty of them, plus a few old faces here and there), and new scenarios, and the compulsory new mechanic to play with, but you’ll still be hopping around from scenery to scenery, questioning ridiculous characters and presenting random pieces of evidence in the hope that you’ll make some sort of progress, any progress! Then you’ll arrive at the trial, where the shi* goes down, and you’ll be forced to cross examine witnesses in order to determine whodunit. Never mind the fresh coat of paint; it’s still the same old wagon.

I might be sounding cynical, but it’s hard not to lament the missed opportunity Capcom had. Instead of utilising the strength of the DS, they merely stuck with what they knew best, and hoped that fans would rush out and stomp over store clerks in order to secure their copy. Same old investigation techniques, same old trial and error, same old...well trial! The only noticeable change in gameplay is the ‘perceive’ function, in which Apollo Justice has the mysterious ability to sense when someone’s lying or nervous through minute body details. While new, it isn’t anything game changing, and soon enough it becomes old searching and searching for the smallest amount of detail that changes within a witness. Six months it took me before I decided to look under the guy’s armpit and notice a small amount of sweat. C’mon capcom.

And yet, I tried, for six months to look for it. If this game wasn’t worth playing I’d put it down long before that. But six months I tried, because of one thing. The story. As with every other Ace Attorney game, the one thing that pushes the player through the tirade of trial and error, is to experience the plot that goes into each case. Sure the plot is over the top, and likewise with the characters, but they’re all so interesting and endearing in their own way. Apollo Justice may be clueless and rash at times, but by the same measure, it’s also what makes him so lovable. When he makes an error you’ll forgive him, when he succeeds, you cheer for him. New Prosecutor Klavier Gavin, is nothing like your typical, cold, steely eyed prosecutor. He’s calm, relaxed and plays air guitar in the middle of a trial, a refreshing break from the harsh, mysterious prosecutors of past ace attorney games. Along with a few old favourites, it’s a trend that Capcom hasn’t disappointed on.

Likewise with each plot as all four manage to be fresh and unique. Each is filled with enough humour, mystery and deep theme to make it exciting to play. There are the usual twists that occur somewhere in the middle, and each character always feels like they’re given enough game time to feel like they’re important to the plot. There might be a Berlin wall full of text, but if you can tear it down and be bothered to read it, it’s really quite rewarding. The last case in particular, is one of the best of the series, due to the ONE risk Capcom took in mixing up the usual structure of the game play. Adding this to the already absorbing story which ties up all the loose ends of the game, and it results in one of the best cases of the series.

So in the end, Apollo Justice really comes down to patience. Patience to weather the same old game play, and become engrossed in the aspect that Capcom has thankfully not disappointed on: the story. Some might call the game a lazy effort, and that’s correct certain to do a degree. But in the end, Capcom has retained what makes the Ace Attorney series so appealing, the engaging plot and over the top but lovable characters. Be thankful that Capcom has done justice to that.