Notes
Introduction For most people who have played the trilogy, the usual play-through order is first PW, then JFA, finally T&T. However, I personally played JFA first, and got to PW and T&T later. Playing JFA the first time, I knew I was missing something because of the way Phoenix would talk about Edgeworth, but besides that I never had much of a problem in enjoying the game. When I got around to playing PW, I enjoyed it, and I remember loving Redd White as a villain. However, as the years passed and I played all of the other games, I realized there were problems with PW, especially as an initial game in the franchise. From here, I will explain why playing JFA before PW leads to greater enjoyment of the trilogy. Again, beware of spoilers in points 1 and 8. Arguments 1. First of all, to the Ace Attorney veterans, you may be protesting that you wouldn’t be playing the game in the right chronological order. May I remind you that Trials and Tribulations has two flashback cases, and I am sure you aren’t protesting about playing those in the order presented. The only things that you are missing from starting at “The Lost Turnabout” are the circumstances surrounding Mia’s death and Edgeworth’s character arc. The former is superfluous to the enjoyment of “Justice for All.” As for the latter, I make the case that ultimately, the player does not need to know Edgeworth’s backstory to enjoy “Justice for All.” In fact, it barely changes any of the emotional payoff in “Farewell My Turnabout” to know what Edgeworth has gone through. This is because Edgeworth doesn’t play a character in JFA so much as a plot device that urges Wright to realize something about being a lawyer. The player simply needs to know that Wright and Edgeworth have a long history together, and that Edgeworth had to deal with his traumatic past. This is all stated in “Justice for All” by the writers without spoilers for “Turnabout Goodbyes.” In this way, Edgeworth’s presentation in “Justice for All” doesn’t differ much from that in “Phoenix Wright” until “Turnabout Goodbyes.” As a result, one can think of “Justice for All” as an extended lead-up to “Turnabout Goodbyes.” Certainly, knowing the events of “Turnabout Goodbyes” wouldn’t hurt, as it helps explain where Edgeworth is coming from in “Justice for All.” However, not knowing is not pertinent to the playthrough of JFA. 2. The cases are more trite (no pun intended), like Spiderman-ey. This sets a grounded tone that the other games don’t embrace as much, even though that “normality” feeling remains a core aesthetic pillar of the series. In PW, the middle cases (other than the tutorial and the final cases) involve a megalomaniacal, worldly data-and-information dealer and a popular TV show celebrity. In contrast, the JFA middle cases involve a secluded mountain village and performers in a traveling circus. JFA’s settings and characters aren’t rich guys who have no lifestyle similarities to that of Maya or Phoenix, the main characters. While they are still quirky characters, their lifestyles are more relatable and similar to the lives of the main characters, and indeed, the people playing the game. The player can more easily envision themselves in a scenario akin to the ones experienced by characters in “Reunion and Turnabout” than “Turnabout Sisters.” The only exception is Franziska’s whipping, but I mean grounded more in terms of the dialogue, story and characters. But just like the channeling ability of the Feys, the court whippings become simply a bizarre-for-us but normal-for-them trait of the Ace Attorney world. They, again, provide a stellar foundation for the dealings with normal people, and the very real impact of the legal system, that keep the Ace Attorney series feeling so thrilling and significant. Like Star Trek, there is that underlying nature of ethics and ordinary human nature that secures the fantastical elements present elsewhere in the fictional universe. For a case study in how unbelievable the first game is, nothing exemplifies the abrupt shift from normal to fantastical quite like the transition from “The First Turnabout” to “Turnabout Sisters.” “The First Turnabout” concerns a crooked newspaper salesman, and “Turnabout Sisters” concerns a man who has the entire world in the palm of his hand through his control of information. If you didn’t get the dramatic shift from teacup stir to tsunami, you have to read that sentence again. It is jaw-dropping to me that this choice to go from 0 to 100 was made by Shu Takumi and company. This shift would throw a zillion players off of playing the rest of the game, let alone the rest of the franchise. In contrast, JFA starts the player off on three relatively grounded cases, before throwing in a megalomaniac in the fourth case. 3. This idea of ramping up appropriately, and the sensible flow of writing, is very important to me. Normally, things go gradually from 1 to 3 to 6 to 10. They don’t go from 0 to 100. While PW has 0-to-100 moments, JFA does not. Starting at JFA means the player gets gradually used to the world of Ace Attorney, instead of diving into the deep end right away. 4. The final case, “Farewell, My Turnabout” is a perfect summation of the main theme of the entire franchise – to discover and reveal the truth. 5. Admit it – Edgeworth becomes a more likeable character after he deals with his traumatic past. After “Turnabout Goodbyes,” Edgeworth becomes much more tolerable in a conversation. So when you see later on what a big bitch he was in the first game, you are amazed at how far he’s come. 6. “Rise from the Ashes” isn’t such a cognitive hurdle. “Rise from the Ashes,” the fifth and final case in the updated 2005 version of “Phoenix Wright,” is arguably the greatest case of the entire franchise. However, a common complaint even among fans of the case is the placement of the episode in the chronology of events in the Ace Attorney universe. Due to some of Edgeworth’s actions feeling pre-Turnabout Goodbyes and some feeling post-Turnabout Goodbyes. If you play “Justice for All” then “Phoenix Wright,” then you will be okay with the episodic nature of some of the cases, and the placement of “Rise from the Ashes” won’t bother you so much. It will simply feel like a great case taking place around the time period when Maya is gone, rather than a contradictory moment in Edgeworth’s arc. 7. “Justice for All” is a better starting point to get used to the leaps in logic of the series. The fantastic twist in “Reunion and Turnabout” regarding Ini Miney is the perfect way to gain perspective on the kind of out-of-the-box thinking expected of players working through the series. Once this twist is out of the way, the player understands where the creators of the game want the players’ heads to be, and the bizarre nature of revelations in other cases, including in “Phoenix Wright,” can be more easily taken in stride. 8. I think Ace Attorney veterans can all agree that Mia’s character gets more development and screen time in death than in life. In “Phoenix Wright,” we see Mia pretty much only in the courtroom and defendant’s lobby before her life abruptly ends. We actually get more time to spend with Mia in JFA as a channeled spirit than in PW alive. We actually get glimpses into her personality in JFA, whereas when she gets killed in “Turnabout Sisters,” all you know is that she was your mentor and she has a little sister. Mia’s death actually gets a bigger emotional payoff after playing JFA! As a result, JFA is a superior starting point simply due to the ample time having Mia as a side character to talk to leisurely during investigations, as compared to only getting informational briefings and advice in “The First Turnabout.” Not only that, but since the player plays as Phoenix, Mia is just a blip on the screen of the other dozen things to worry about, with Larry’s case being his first case and all. Mia being such a significant aspect of the trilogy, her abrupt death in “Turnabout Sisters” doesn’t make much sense from a storytelling aspect. Conclusion I have made my case that JFA is a superior starting point for the Ace Attorney trilogy than PW. For people who have played the games already, this doesn’t matter. But there are people who haven’t played the games, and Ace Attorney continues to slowly grow in public awareness. The fans need to promote JFA as the first game to play, so that the potential fans are more likely to enjoy the game. Thank you for reading, and let me know your thoughts in the comments!
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AuthorI was born and raised in San Francisco, California. I am proud of my Chinese heritage, and I think my background gives me a unique edge on this vast field of opinion. As a self-proclaimed music historian, I have loved pop music ever since I first heard it. These are my opinions on some of the recent albums and songs that are making a splash in the industry. Archives
December 2020
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