What makes a good Ace Attorney case?

It’s so hard to get a game involving murder cases right. There are so many factors that must work together absolutely perfectly to create an air-tight case with no plot holes or confusing points for the players. The Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney original trilogy provides some of the best examples for both cases that work incredibly and cases that make absolutely no sense. In this article, we will compare them, and determine what actually makes a good case. 

In the trilogy, the undeniable fan favourite case is the finale of the third game - case 3-5: bridge to the turnabout. The case is complicated from start to finish, referencing events that have featured in previous games and bringing fan-favourite characters back. The case is intrinsically involved in the main plot of the game, giving the players a sense of completion after finishing the game that neither of the previous games really had. It brings back old characters, adds new incredibly developed characters and continues the stories of the characters that have featured consistently. The story is next to none for the entire third game: the ongoing villain throughout is perfectly constructed by the developers to create the sense of nausea as you figure out their plot for the millionth time, and a sense of fear as you see their character appear in the court for the first time in a trial.

 Characters are also such an important part of the trial, and the characters chosen for the finale of the trilogy make so much sense. The twin sister of the objective villain, the spirit of the villain, a spirit medium and her young cousin, the medium’s supposedly dead mother, the old prosecutor from previous games, the main character’s best friend, and the rival prosecutor. Every character adds some new form of mystery to the case, whether it is by helping or confusing the main character even more. You really can’t tell who actually committed the crime until the last trial of the game, let alone guess how it was completed. The plot of the whole trilogy is also wrapped up so incredibly, with plots with major holes in the first game finally getting reasonable conclusions. The case, while having obvious fantasy elements, manages to balance their ideas of fantasy and reality to an impressive point. The twists will make your jaw drop at every point, and you will not finish this case without sobbing.

On the other hand, we have two of the most universally disliked cases: Case 2-1: The lost turnabout, and Case 2-3: Turnabout big top. The cases are hated for their ridiculous story elements, generally bad characters and unsatisfying conclusions. For the lost turnabout, the case’s whole premise is bad. As it is the first trial in the entire game, it needs a clear way of telling the player the general mechanics of the game. To do this, they decided to give the main character temporary amnesia. This is purely ridiculous, and although the game is ridiculous in itself, this type of ridiculousness isn’t presented in a slightly fun way. The big ‘plot twist’ of this case is very literally when the villain mistakes a baseball glove for bananas. Bananas. The case is underwhelming, with a weak story, twist, antagonist and ending. 

Similarly, Turnabout Big Top features some of the most insufferable characters you will meet in your life. The defendant, Max, is an arrogant magician who is in love with a sixteen year old girl. The witnesses feature a man who only talks through a wooden ventriloquist dummy and an irritating clown. Oh, and the ventriloquist is in love with the sixteen year old girl as well. The case is overall fun enough, with fun locations and pretty decent gameplay. The murderer in the case has a genuinely sad story, with an actually sad breakthrough. The ending, though, is still underwhelming, with the twist being the classic trope of ‘it was here all along!’. After the case, the entire cast starts flying after the conclusion. The worst part is, that’s not even a metaphor. Other than the truly shocking cast of characters and the horrific twist, the case could be worse.

So, what makes a good case? The cast of characters matters horrifically in a story, and involving the right ones with the right cases matters so spectacularly. Involving a case with the main storyline of the game is also incredibly important, along with having a generally good idea for the crime itself. The realism and fantasy mix of the game needs to be somewhat even, and overall, the case needs to be interesting enough to captivate an audience.