Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
A courtroom drama visual novel where players assume the role of defense attorney Phoenix Wright, investigating crimes and cross-examining witnesses to prove their clients' innocence.
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Story
' Maya: 'That's exactly 15 years ago from the day after tomorrow'}}</ref>"}},"i":0}}]}'> Phoenix Wright , a newly hired defense attorney at Fey & Co. Law Offices, agrees to represent his childhood friend Larry Butz who has been charged with the murder of his girlfriend Cindy Stone. With the help of his boss and mentor, Mia Fey , Phoenix proves that Frank Sahwit, the prosecution's eyewitness, is the real murderer. Mia is killed in her office shortly thereafter, and her younger sister Maya , a spirit medium in training, is arrested on suspicion of Mia's murder after Detective Dick Gumshoe finds her name written on a note in Mia's blood.
Phoenix takes her case, facing off against Miles Edgeworth , a skilled prosecutor Phoenix knows from childhood and who has yet to lose a case in his career. Phoenix manages to identify Redd White, a professional blackmailer, as the real killer, but finds himself charged with the murder after White pulls strings at the Prosecutor's Office. Representing himself, Phoenix works with Maya, who uses her spirit medium powers to channel Mia's spirit and Mia subsequently gets White to admit his guilt. In gratitude, Maya becomes Phoenix's assistant as he takes over Mia's law firm.
His reputation established, Phoenix takes on another case, this time defending Will Powers, the lead actor in the Steel Samurai children's TV show, against accusations that he killed his co-star Jack Hammer. It is revealed that Hammer was being blackmailed by Dee Vasquez, the show's producer, who killed him in self-defense after he tried to kill her and frame Powers for her murder. On Christmas, Edgeworth is arrested on suspicion of murdering attorney Robert Hammond. After relenting for Phoenix's help after an initial refusal, Wright faces Edgeworth's mentor Manfred von Karma , who has not lost a single case in his forty-year career.
Phoenix discovers that former bailiff Yanni Yogi shot Hammond with a gun provided by von Karma. Fifteen years earlier, Edgeworth's defense attorney father Gregory ruined von Karma's spotless record when he got von Karma penalized for forging evidence. Unable to deal with a blemish on his record, von Karma murdered Gregory and manipulated Edgeworth into believing that he was responsible. At the same time, Yogi was publicly blamed and convinced by Hammond, his attorney, to plead insanity, which got him acquitted of all charges at the cost of both his fiancée and social standing, leaving the truth hidden until the present day.
Von Karma suffers a breakdown in court and confesses to Gregory's murder, and Edgeworth is released. Following the trial, Phoenix explains that Edgeworth motivated him to become an attorney after he defended Phoenix from a false theft accusation as a child, to which Larry admits he was the true culprit. Edgeworth, however, decided to become von Karma's pupil following his father's murder due to his hatred of criminals; he decides to rethink whether or not he should continue prosecuting. Meanwhile, Maya returns to her home village to finish her spirit medium training.
In a fifth case added for the Nintendo DS and subsequent releases, Phoenix is hired by Ema Skye to defend her older sister Lana, the head of the prosecutor's office, who is accused of murdering detective Bruce Goodman. Together with Ema, Phoenix traces the origins of the murder to an incident two years ago, when serial killer Joe Darke allegedly murdered prosecutor Neil Marshall while trying to escape custody, but Phoenix also discovers a piece of evidence that implicates Ema as Marshall's killer. Police Chief Damon Gant attempts to force Phoenix into exposing Ema's guilt, but Phoenix figures out that Gant actually murdered Marshall and tampered with the evidence to frame Ema so that he could blackmail Lana into doing his bidding for the past two years; Gant subsequently confesses that he killed Goodman after he requested that the Joe Darke case be reopened, and forced Lana to take the fall. Although Lana is cleared of the murder charge, she will face judgment as Gant's accomplice.
With Ema being sent to Europe to continue training as a forensic investigator, Phoenix looks forward to continuing his career defending the innocent. It is then revealed that Edgeworth has disappeared. There is also a bad ending where Ema is implicated as Marshall's murderer and Lana is found guilty.
Gameplay Systems
These cases are played in a specific order. After finishing them, the player can re-play them in any order. Each case begins with an opening cinematic cutscene often depicting a murder; shortly thereafter, the player is given the job of defending the prime suspect in the case. The gameplay is divided into two sections, investigations and courtroom trials.
During investigations, which usually take place before or between trial sessions, the player gathers information and evidence by talking to characters such as their client, witnesses, and the police. The player can move a cursor to examine various things in the environment. By using a menu the player can move to different locations, examine evidence, and present evidence to other characters. By showing certain pieces of evidence to some witnesses, the player can access new information.
A fifth case titled "Rise from the Ashes" was created for the Nintendo DS version (and included in all subsequent releases), which is a post-credits bonus episode that is unlocked when the main game is completed. In "Rise from the Ashes" the player is able to examine evidence more closely, rotating it to view it from all sides, and zooming in or out on it using touchscreen controls; they are also able to move a cursor to investigate specific parts of the evidence. The fifth case is significantly longer than the other episodes, and it also features forensics tests the player can use at crime scenes to find clues. The player can spray luminol by tapping areas they want to examine on the touch screen allowing them to see otherwise invisible blood stains.
They can touch the touch screen to apply aluminum flake powder to search for finger prints. After applying it, they can blow into the microphone to reveal the prints. Once the player has gathered enough evidence, the investigation section ends. During the courtroom trials, the player aims to prove their clients' innocence; to do so, they cross-examine witnesses.
During these cross-examinations, the player aims to uncover lies and inconsistencies in the witnesses' testimony. They are able to go back and forth between the different statements in the testimony and can press the witness for more details about a statement. When the player finds an inconsistency, they can present a piece of evidence that contradicts the statement. In the Nintendo DS version, the player can choose to press and present by using vocal commands.
In the Wii version, players have the option to present evidence by swinging the Wii Remote . At certain points, the player has to answer questions from the judge, the witnesses, or the prosecutor through a multiple-choice answer selection, or by presenting evidence that supports Wright's claims. A number of exclamation marks are shown on the screen; if the player presents an incorrect piece of evidence, one of them disappears. If they all disappear, the client is found guilty and the player must restart.
When the player solves a case, they unlock a new one to play.
Media Reviews
About Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a classic video game released for the Nintendo DS on January 1, 2005. Developed by Capcom and published by Capcom, this title has become a beloved entry in the retro gaming library.
This wiki entry provides comprehensive information about Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, including release details, gameplay information, and story synopsis. Whether you're looking to revisit a childhood favorite or discover classic games for the first time, Emulator Games Wiki has you covered.
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