So despite the fact that I talked about Dual Destinies, it is not my favorite of the Ace Attorney games. Sure, I am aware of it’s really good story and it’s technical advancements to the franchise, but my favorite in the franchise is the very first one I played… And considering the narrative in the franchise, it may not have been great to start with the third game in the franchise, but whatever.
Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations follows Phoenix Wright in his third year of being a defense lawyer. As he deals with the past that is coming back to haunt him in the form of a mysterious prosecutor that goes by the name Godot, flashbacks of trails with Mia Fey, Maya’s older sister and Phoenix’s mentor, show us the connection between Godot and Phoenix, as well as their connection to a ruthless killer that connects all these things together. Trials and Tribulations already had my attention at the start when I realized that I was not playing as Phoenix Wright, but rather defending him, and all I could think of was, “Wait, what’s going on? Why am I not playing as him, and why is he an annoying loser?” And as I went deeper into the game and saw the story, I was amazed. And this was also the game that made me realize I sucked at mystery games. I had no idea how to find evidence and if you are me, you are probably used to the sound of a guilty verdict way too often. But as I kept playing through the game and learning the ways of finding the evidence, I was able to prevail through it all. And even then, I had a bunch of papers written down for the cases showing off the evidence. This was the first game I owned that actually made me write down my own little walkthrough so I could get through it again. I don’t know why, since I already experienced the story, but I really wanted to go through the game again in the hopes of preparing myself for the future, and while my handwriting was sloppy, to say the least, it was nice to see the work I put into learning this game at an early age. Finally, something from my youth that didn’t make me shrink into my torso like a snail. And the characters in this game are real fun and interesting. I was not prepared to see the kind of over-exaggerated expressions and character designs of Ace Attorney, but I soon grew to love it by the end of the game and wanted more. And Godot is usually considered the favorite prosecutor of the franchise… And I am one of those people and I will continue to say he is the best until future games can prove me otherwise. Blackquill was close, and whatever his name was in Spirits of Justice wasn’t even close.
Trials and Tribulations was my entry into the franchise and, while I did have questions about some characters, it was still an amazing experience for me through and through and I wanted to see more of it. I really do look forward to the games future installments, and I am really looking forward to that Ace Attorney Collection coming out soon. And here we are, up to the top twenty five. What games hold a real special place in my heart? Well, let's find out.