Just Another Notch on Phoenix's Belt
Justice for All gets off to a hazy start in every way. The game’s opening case is a lack luster endeavor that serves to re-introduce the characters from the last game to new players. The game’s introductory cutscene has Phoenix, the protagonist defense lawyer, getting clonked on the head with a fire extinguisher which, naturally, induces amnesia and leaves Phoenix unable to so much as remember his very unique name. The amnesia card is used as an out for having to re-teach and explain everything that the first game covered, and having played the original Phoenix Wright, I can’t say that I appreciated it. Fine, I’m aware that the second iteration is the first largely distributed English version of Phoenix Wright and fresh players need to know the score, learn who everyone is, and how to win a case, etc. but to a seasoned Phoenix veteran such as myself, the case came off as a waste. This in itself wouldn’t be an issue if it weren’t for the fact that there are only four cases in the game, and the first one is a flimsy reminder mission. Not a roaring start by any means.
To compound my frustration, the developers chose to largely ignore the character development made in the first game. Friends that you got off the hook for murder last time around? They don’t seem to remember or care. The detective who helped you solve every case, and whose hide you saved in the end? Still doesn’t trust you, and acts as though he’s never met you. Your rival, Miles Edgeworth, the world renowned prosecutor, whose father’s murder you solved? Thinks you’re impudent and incapable. It felt as though the strong opening chapter that was the original Phoenix Wright had been cast aside and I had wasted my time playing it. Putting those logic gaps in the rear view mirror, I’d like to discuss the drive of Phoenix Wright: the trials. The game is divvied up into four murder trials, and each time you’ll be representing the defendant who, as usual in the Phoenix universe, is unwaveringly innocent yet happens to have a mountain of evidence against them. It then becomes your personal mission as the greatest-darned-defense-lawyer-ever to get the defendant off the chopping block. To do this, you’ll have to scour the crime scene, interview witnesses and key players and generally have a sharp wit and a keen eye. The whole process of tracking down the real culprit can be pretty exhilarating when you’re on a roll, mowing down the prosecutions allegations with evidence you racked up by being snoopy at the scene. You’ll be whipping out documents, witness profiles and clues found at the murder scene to reveal contradictions in the opposition’s case, and to prove the innocence of your client. There have been some changes made to the evidence gathering process since the last time around. Phoenix will sometimes run up against what is called a “Psyche-Lock,” which tells you that whoever has this lock is keeping a secret. In order to find out what their secret is, you’ll have to present the right evidence to break the lock. The exercises are often confusing and out of place, as you’ll find yourself choosing random pieces of evidence based on vague hints from the person you’re interviewing. It would have been much more seamless had the developers simply chosen to integrate these secrets into the branching dialogue already used in the game. There are already scenarios written in that prompt for the presentation of evidence that aren’t Psyche-Locks, so why break the immersion to have an animation occur where chains cover the character and the music takes a very paranormal tone? It’s an odd design choice, if there ever was one, but the locks still get the job done in the end.
Unfortunately, this Phoenix doesn’t seem to have been treated with even half the care of its earlier incarnation. The new characters are difficult to sympathize with as they have evolved from ridiculous but lovable to just flat out annoying. In one case, the entire cast of the mission is made of circus performers, and not a single on of them is a character worth carrying over into the next game. For instance, the clown, who never ceases to laugh, stretches out the gameplay time by what I’m sure is at least an hour with his mid-sentence giggles.
The animation in the game is still strong as ever, having two dimensional representations of characters and locals serve to tell the story. The hand drawn art is highly expressive, and each character sports dozens of animations. They developers even have a sense of humor about these 2D cutouts in that one character wears glasses, but often breaks them, and yet she will continually produce another pair from her jacket so that her standard animation remains the same throughout the game. It’s good to see developers poke fun at their limitations. But, to cut to the chase, it’s very obvious that Justice for All will go down in the books as just another addition in the series. It suffers from a sever case of sequel syndrome. I can recommend it to those who felt taken in by the first Phoenix Wright, as I was, because there is still some things to enjoy, but don’t expect to relive the original. For those new to the series, I will tell you that if you can get your mitts on a copy of the first Phoenix, by all means do so. If not, play this one to support the franchise and keep your fingers crossed for Phoenix Wright 3.