Phoenix Wright, attorney at law, starred in three
games of his own. But seven years ago in game time, he hit a case that ruined
his career, and now a new attorney with scary hair and a knack for last-minute
revelations has taken his place. Yet the older, boho Wright is still hanging
around, which gives Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney a strong overarching plot: While Apollo Justice has four separate cases
to tackle, he also has to figure out how he's connected to Wright and his
dapper magician daughter, Trucy—and what they're going to need from him.
Like its predecessors in the Phoenix Wright: Ace
Attorney series, Apollo Justice is a point-and-click adventure with writing that's
cartoonish enough for kids, but sharp enough for adults who like kids' games.
Each case after the first one is split between detective-like investigations
and fast-paced court battles. The investigations tend to be a drag: They're
mired in repetitive dialogue and tedious screen-searching, and they often feel
like padding. Fans of this style of game may be happy to spend hours wandering
between the same few rooms to find clues, but others will wish they could skip
right to the trials, where the evidentiary brain-teasers and combative
objections distract from the goofy plot points. Never mind what a 15-year-old
girl's panties stuffed in an exhaust pipe have to do with cracking a murder:
You'll just be happy you figured it out.