Apollo Justice - Impressions

sThe following is as free of story spoilers as I could make it, though certain new gamplay mechanics will be explained in detail.

After finally finishing with the excellent end of the trilogy, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations (*gasp*), I have had a chance to sit down with the new kid on the block, Apollo Justice. A while back I read a few reviews and while none of them panned the game, I was left with a lingering worry that this would be a sort of zombie-esque Phoenix Wright, which went through the motions but had none of the soul. Perhaps that is a bit over-dramatic but at least a few reviewers just didn't find the game as likeable. I've just finished the second trial, which is to say the first 'full' trial and I'm about ready to say what I think so far.

Lack of soul, whatever that could mean, is a genuine worry for me because it's one of those intangible, impossible to describe things that is so easy to get wrong while getting everything else right. For example, Portal wasn't completely wonderful owing to its puzzles or even its main gameplay mechanic, as great as those were. Those alone would have made a really good game. What made it excellent, same as what makes a great book, was that feeling you get like the game is communicating directly with your brain. I think Stephen Fry described it best when talking about Douglas Adams he said that when other people say that his books are funny, you know they get the jokes, but you have a sneaky, pleasant and completely innacurate feeling that nobody quite gets it as well as you. Well it's the same as with the games you really find special - other people might enjoy them but you just know that they're not as qualified to enjoy it as you. Phoenix Wright was one of those games for me.

Well, then, without further digression I am delighted to report that Apollo Justice arrives with soul intact. There are still the weird and wonderful characters, twisty-turny plot lines, completely bizarre courtroom antics and just about everything you'd expect from an Ace Attorney game. The new protagonist is likeable, if not particularly distinct from Wright himself - except for seeming a little more unsure of himself, being a rookie and all. The extra abilities are put to reasonably good use in a similar way to the final case of the first Phoenix Wright game on DS, so you'll be dusting for fingerprints and various other activities. I've heard complaints that this side of the game is under-employed and while I'm not far enough through the game to judge, so far I'm glad that they're not over-employed. They seem to serve as a nice break in the investigative phases of the game which were - and still are - the least interesting parts of the game.

The biggest difference to the actual gameplay comes in the courtroom, in the form of an occasional use of the power of perception. At certain key moments in testimony, rather than pressing for more information or presenting contradictions, you might get the opportunity to scour it for something more subtle. Using a bracelet in a way that has not yet been explained, you watch a slowed down replay of the segment of testimony you want to examine, while on the touch screen you can scroll around a zoomed-in version of the witness. You may notice a particular nervous twitch that you weren't able to see before when they say a certain word or phrase and that is when you pull out a 'Gotcha!' on the witness. Pointing out their telltale twitch, you press them further on the exact word/phrase that caused them to twitch, which usually leads to them breaking down, with the help of evidence.

At the moment, I'm not quite sure how much I like this system. Certainly it's not as troublesome as I feared. I was worried that it would go something like:

Apollo: Aha, you wiggled your finger! That means you're lying!
Judge: That seems perfectly reasonable to me.
Witness: Oh, okay I admit it!

That would be ridiculous even for the courtroom we know and love. Instead, it's something more along these (fictionalised) lines:

Apollo: You seem to have a nervous habit - why do you rub your arm with your finger whenever you mention Bob?
Witness: What? That's ridiculous.
Apollo: I've got an idea why - it's because of this evidence, isn't it:

And then you'd present evidence relevent to this new line of questioning. Often, it seems, the nature of the twitch itself is a clue as to what is being hidden - maybe, for example, the witness rubs their arm because Bob punched him in it, or something, and the evidence is some as-yet-unexplained blood on a ring. For example.

The thing is, it's never quite as well implemented as the Psyche Locks from the previous two games. Those worked well because they acted like a mini-trial to break up the investigation sections so even though it was a little contrived, it seemed to have a good purpose and it was satisfying to see those locks break open. Percieving a twitch is also satisfying but it felt like it served less of a purpose, especially considering that the trials are already plenty of fun. Also, it must be considered that if this is to be the new special power, it's going to be around for at least as long as Apollo Justice lasts, so we're stuck with it now. It's kinda interesting and kinda fun but it we were going to be stuck with a game mechanic for a while, I'd rather one that really added to the game.

Nevertheless, fans have nothing to fear from this new start to the series - from what I've played so far, the intangible core of what makes the games so enjoyable is still intact and you can feel free to enjoy the hell out of this game. Just don't think you'll be able to enjoy it as well as me.