The Ace Attorney series has always been a delight with its mixture of grand court cases, sharp writing, and shocking twists. The adventure games require plenty of logic (or a ton of trial-and-error) to figure out and always leave a memorable mark on players. While the first three games, plus the two The Great Ace Attorney spin-offs, are already available in remastered form, the second trilogy has now gotten the deluxe treatment in the form of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy.
It’s worth noting that the collection is named a bit goofily as Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney is the only one that actually stars Apollo Justice as the protagonist. Both Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice have Phoenix Wright return as a defense attorney. He’s also all over the first game’s plot as well, which picks up seven years after Trials and Tribulations, so expect to see plenty of familiar faces from the original trilogy. While this trilogy will work as a stand-alone experience, I definitely recommend playing the first collection beforehand, as they’re three great games and add further gravitas to the events that happen here.
If you’ve played the mobile port or the previously released Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy, then you’ll know what to expect in terms of what to expect. The 2D art for Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney has been cleaned up and looks incredible in high definition. Meanwhile, the 3D models of Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice look surprisingly gorgeous as well (similar to The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles). There are also some great quality-of-life improvements that have been implemented, such as the ability to start cases from any chapter start and the ability to turn the games into visual novels via an optional story mode.
Each game also throws in some unique gameplay twists while retaining the familiar investigation and court phases of previous games. In Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, players are able to zoom into character’s animations and perceive nervous tics that show up whenever they are lying. Meanwhile, Dual Destinies introduces another new protagonist, Athena Cykes, who is able to pick up on emotional cues in the voices of witnesses. Finally, Spirit of Justice adds in Divination Séances, which are a look into a victim’s final moments that need to be further explored. These are all a blast and do their job of keeping the gameplay feeling fresh despite the series retaining the same core formula for six games.
My favorite of the bunch is the first game, which provides a unique character study of a very different Phoenix Wright than we saw in the original trilogy. There’s not a huge quality disparity, though, as all three range from very good to excellent. The three games are quite lengthy, so you’ll definitely get your money’s worth in terms of content.
What really makes the Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy special is the impressive array of bonus content. All of the soundtracks are included, plus two orchestral concert recordings, totaling up to 175 tracks you can listen to. Playing through the games will also unlock pieces in the art gallery, which range from concept sketches to original art celebrating the series; plus, you can even make your own scenes in the game via the in-game animation studio. These are all really nice touches that add to the package and make it worth picking up, even if you’ve played the games before.
Most of the previously released DLC for Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice is also included. These include alternate costumes for the three main characters, plus bonus cases that were previously behind a paywall. Dual Destinies’ special case is particularly fun as it sees Phoenix Wright defend an orca accused of murder, which is as ridiculous as it sounds. The only bummer is that the non-canon joke theater cases, “Phoenix Wright: Asinine Attorney” and “Apollo Justice: Asinine Attorney,” aren’t included. It’s not a huge loss — they’re easy enough to find on YouTube and are only 30 minutes long — but it would’ve been nice for completionist’s sake.
The Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy is another great compilation from Capcom. Fans of Phoenix Wright will be glad to know that the second trilogy of games is just as thrilling, with no shortage of fascinating court cases and memorable characters. These are some of the best adventure games released in the past 20 years and made even better thanks to the new features included in this lovingly crafted package.
SCORE: 9/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 9 equates to “Excellent.” Entertainment that reaches this level is at the top of its type. The gold standard that every creator aims to reach.
Disclosure: The publisher provided a PlayStation 4 copy for our Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy review. Reviewed on version 1.00.
