Line #76 VideoGame/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyConflictOfInterest


1	[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ifb3ybh.png]]
2	''Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Conflict of Interest'' is a fangame based on the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' series.
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4	This game takes place a year and a half after the events of [[VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney Apollo Justice]]. Phoenix has retaken the bar exam and gotten his attorney's badge back. With his former assistant, Maya Fey, [[TheBusCameBack back at his side]], he finds himself involved with a series of cases, all apparently connected to each other.
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6	Phoenix also faces a new court rival, Obadiah Williamson, a veteran prosecutor who takes his job very seriously. He hates both criminals and defense attorneys and seems to hold a grudge against Wright, despite never having met him.
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8	Can Nick unmask this conspiracy of lies, forgery, and betrayal? Or will he too become corrupted by it?
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10	The full game has been released on July 29, 2016. More information and download links can be found [[http://www.forums.court-records.net/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=20194 here.]]
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12	Fuandon does a LetsPlay of the game [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwuUUgTRyow&list=PL467EE9E4621F4560 here]]. [=Shitaki08=] also does a LetsPlay of the game [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsYMhI4kSxQ&list=PLZaxVcdYZSlwaR1bT4zmHDGjH_jOqfFNX here]].
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14	----
15	!!This Fan Game provides examples of:
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17	* AbortedArc: [[spoiler: Phoenix's bluff about Dahlia being channeled is pretty much ignored during the 2nd day of court. After all, it was just a ploy by Phoenix to buy some more time to investigate.]]
18	* AllOrNothing: [[spoiler:After a certain point in the first part of ''Turnabout Consequences's'' trial, Obadiah dares Phoenix an all-or-nothing chance to not only find a solid reason, on top of having to prove the motive, as to why someone would do something as illogical as channel Dahila Hawthorne, knowing the danger Dahila poses. From that point on, Phoenix cannot afford to make any mistakes, as one slip-up would land Iris in prison. Oh, and let's not forget the SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic[[note]]The developer of the game calls it ''Obadiah Williamson ~ Arguing for Justice'', its' actual name is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goGJQa9XKzg "Rose at Eclipse"]] by NemesisTheory.[[/note]] playing whilst trying to counter this argument of Williamson's. Phoenix manages to win this gamble by claiming that the reason that anyone would dare summon Dahliah was to '''kill off Maya Fey'''. The person who would do it? '''Makoto Fey''', who goes by the stage name of '''Gladys Porter'''. When did Gladys do that? '''Between the 2nd and 3rd shots, more specifically, AFTER the second shot.''' How can this accusation be smacked onto Gladys? '''Because, while Gladys has an excuse for the 1st and 2nd shots, she does not have one for the third.''' Proof? '''Gladys had planted a recording bug'''. For some reason, however, Gladys refuses to elaborate on why, thus resulting in another investigation being necessary, even if Obadiah thinks Phoenix is lying.]]
19	* AlternateContinuity: This game takes place in an [[AlternateUniverseFic alternate universe]] to official ''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies Dual Destinies]]''. However, the branching point is set somewhere back from the current events, with the disappearance of [[spoiler: Pearl Fey]].
20	* AlwaysMurder: [[spoiler:Subverted for one of the first times in the series in ''Turnabout Consequences'', as Maya is still alive after she was shot.]]
21	* ArcWords: Five years ago.
22	* ArtEvolution: Should become quite obvious, if you compare author's earlier sprites (made primarily from various elements of already existing characters) with new ones, done completely from scratch. He even went as far as to hire professional artists from deviantART for cutscene images.
23	* AssholeVictim:
24	** [[spoiler:Victor Timmons was a member of the Rivales Family who ensured that everybody would drop charges against Kylie Washington.]]
25	** [[spoiler:Michael Rivales was TheDon of the Rivales Family. A brutal, ruthless, odious, and abusive monster, he was thoroughly detested even by his own employees.]]
26	** [[spoiler:Subverted with Walter Webb. The player is initially led to believe that he was a member of the Rivales Family, but he was actually an undercover cop investigating the Family.]]
27	** Carlo Luciano in the flashback case, being a ruthless assassin for the Rivales Family responsible for the deaths of many people. [[spoiler:Subverted in that Luciano faked his death. However, if you covered for the culprit back in Case 4, he becomes one for real when Francisco Mendirez can't be talked out of [[NeckSnap snapping his neck]]. Given that he's personally responsible for most of the actions taken in Mendirez's name through the game, it can't be said that he didn't have it coming.]]
28	** [[spoiler:If you covered for the culprit back in Case 4, Francisco Mendirez will kill Carlo Luciano. However, Luciano's pistol goes off and shoots Mendirez in the chest, resulting in his death. Though he's not responsible for most of the actions attributed to his name through the game, he's still TheDon of the Rivales Family and kick-started the events by setting Sir Gallante against members of the Family - incluing Luciano, who vowed revenge against Mendirez. Furthermore, to cover up his faking of Carlo's death he allowed a MiscarrageOfJustice and framed an innocent man when he was accused of the murder.]]
29	* BaitAndSwitch: After Finnegan Hood sets himself up as a ShadowArchetype of Phoenix, being an AmoralAttorney who was disbarred for forging evidence, you'd expect to see him as the defense attorney against Williamson in the MN-6 trial {{flashback}}. Instead, it turns out to be [[spoiler:Kristoph Gavin]].
30	* BigBad: Francisco Mendirez. An interesting example as, unlike many Ace Attorney villains, his name, role and motives are always clear, but he still manages to be a HiddenVillain, as neither the audience nor the in-universe characters have seen what he really looks like. His name is one of the few things we ''do'' know about him. [[spoiler:Turns out it's not so simple: the man we've known as "Mendirez" for the entire game was Carlo Luciano, the true BigBad and an imposter trying to ruin the reputation of Allen Yossarian, the real Francisco Mendirez.]]
31	* BigGood: [[spoiler:Steven Jameson, also known as "Jimmy"]] seems to be this, having gathered both [[spoiler: Gladys Porter]] and [[spoiler: Walter Webb]] in order to bring Francisco Mendirez down. [[spoiler:The fake Mendirez, that is. When he finds out that Carlo Luciano has been the one pulling the strings, he tries to help clear the real Mendirez's name and put a stop to Luciano. It costs all three of them their lives, but by the end Luciano is unmasked and either [[AssholeVictim killed by Mendirez]], or arrested.]]
32	* BittersweetEnding: The ending of ''Turnabout Consequences'' won't leave you indifferent: [[spoiler:you, as Phoenix, have to piece it all together and bring down one of the characters who Phoenix held most dear: Pearl herself. The final choice is yours to make, but should you go all the way through, you will have to deduce the awful truth: that Pearl is thoroughly broken inside, that she convinced herself to be a danger to Maya, and that her first solution to avoid putting Maya in danger was to attempt suicide.]]
33	* ButThouMust:
34	** Surprisingly averted in Turnabout Consequences. It's up to player if they decide to [[spoiler:cover for the real culprit or to expose the truth]]. Both choices lead to [[MultipleEndings different endings]] and will have repercussions in the final case.
35	** Played straight earlier in the case as no matter what you choose, [[spoiler: Meredith is accused of the murder.]]
36	* CallingCard: Whenever members of the [[spoiler: Rivales Family]] want to send someone a message, they leave a card with a bear emblem on their crime scenes.
37	** Sir Gallante's sign is also a specific example.
38	* ChekhovsGun: TheReveal at the end of ''[[VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney Apollo Justice]]'' that [[spoiler:Apollo and Trucy are half-siblings]]? It allows Trucy to [[spoiler:use Apollo's bracelet to search witnesses for "tells" in their testimonies]] during the events of ''Turnabout into the Unknown''. [[spoiler:Of course, she still has no idea ''[[IgnoredEpiphany why]]'' [[IgnoredEpiphany she's able to do it.]]]]
39	* ContinuityNod: The crumpled photo of Phoenix, Maya and Pearl on a boat has been evidently taken in Gatewater Land, during the events of ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth''. One can even spot little Miles' figure in the background.
40	** [[spoiler: 'Jimmy']] in ''Turnabout Consequences'' poses as a prosecutor and he pulls the same cheap trick Furio Tigre used in ''Trials and Tribulations'', albeit this time with a cardboard prosecutor's badge.
41	* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler:Cody Hackins is murdered in ''Turnabout on the Web'' after having been a supporting character for the first half of the case and ''The Rogue Turnabout''.]]
42	* TheDogWasTheMastermind:
43	** Who is Sir Gallante, the criminal-murdering serial killer? [[spoiler: It's none other than Virgil Black, the jobless friend of Wayne Parker.]]
44	** Likewise this is true for the game's actual BigBad. What is the identity of Francisco Mendirez, the man responsible for most of the game's events? [[spoiler: Well... this is where it gets muddy. The mastermind's identity is the unassuming coroner, Morton Dreisan, who in truth is the infamous assassin Carlo Luciano. As it's revealed however, he's only using the identity of the real Francisco Mendirez to ruin him in the eyes of his fellow mobsters.]]
45	* TheDon: Michael Rivales was the head of the Rivales Family up until his demise. After he's killed, he's succeeded by his nephew, Francisco Mendirez.
46	* EarlyBirdCameo: [[spoiler:Franziska von Karma]] can be seen in the background visiting [[spoiler:Maya]] in the hospital with Gumshoe during Case 4 before briefly taking over for Williamson as prosecutor during Case 5.
47	* EasterEgg: Visiting the Police Station at specific points in game may lead to stumbling upon some [[TheCameo interesting individuals]] like inspector Chelmey and constable Barton from ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton'' or Lynne and Missile from ''VideoGame/GhostTrick''.
48	* FamilyDisunion: The Fey Clan Reunion resulted in an attempted assassination of [[spoiler:Maya Fey, the current Master of Kurain]], with another family member landing on the defendant's chair... before it even began!
49	* FlashbackNightmare:
50	** Phoenix suffers from one of those at the beginning of Case 4.
51	** There's also one at the beginning of Case 5 depending upon whether or not [[spoiler:you choose to prove Pearl's motive in shooting Maya]].
52	* GeorgeLucasAlteredVersion: Starting from version 1.50 onwards, the game has undergone a significant number of improvements and alterations - some scenes from past cases were rewritten and characters’ designs were revamped.
53	* GoryDiscretionShot:
54	** Sir Gallante’s killings are rather brutal for an ''Ace Attorney'' game, although the game refuses to directly show you any of his victims’ bodies. But then again, go and read again the detailed autopsy report of Michael Rivales and try to imagine how his corpse must've looked like.
55	** The victim codenamed "Rosencrantz" in ''Turnabout into the Unknown'' had their face so badly smashed in with a shovel that the body was unidentifiable without dental records (and even then, the teeth were scattered all over the place). Players never see the body in this case either, though if Phoenix's reaction is anything to go by, it's definitely a horrible sight.
56	* HopelessBossFight: Kristoph's final argument in the flashback MN-6 portion, which you can only progress by emptying your penalty meter. Justified as the outcome of the trial is a ForegoneConclusion, and Kristoph has to remain a KarmaHoudini until ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney''.
57	* IronicEcho: At the end of ''Turnabout Consequences'', if Phoenix [[spoiler:proves Pearl's motive in shooting Maya]], Williamson praises his decision, referring to him as "less of a damn hypocrite" than Williamson himself. At the end of ''Turnabout into the Unknown'' in that same route, Williamson once again refers to himself as a hypocrite when he reveals to Phoenix that [[spoiler:he forged a piece of evidence in order to put Mendirez away for Jimmy's murder]].
58	* JurisdictionFriction: Occurs in Case 3 between the LAPD and FBI.
59	* KlingonPromotion: [[spoiler:Francisco Mendirez had Sir Gallante kill Michael Rivales, resulting in him ascending to the leadership of the Rivales Family.]]
60	* LampshadedTheObscureReference: Two unidentified victims in the fifth case were given quite original placeholder names [[Theatre/RosencrantzAndGuildensternAreDead Rosencrantz and Guildenstern]]. When Wright fails to catch the reference, Williamson responds ''"You don't read much literature, do you, Wright?"''
61	* LastBreathBullet: [[spoiler:If Phoenix tried to cover for the culprit in Case 4, he is unable to convince Mendirez not to kill Luciano at the end of Case 5. Mendirez [[NeckSnap snaps Luciano's neck]], but Luciano's pistol goes off and shoots Mendirez in the chest, and [[TakingYouWithMe he succumbs to his wound on the witness stand shortly afterwards]].]]
62	* LeftHanging: Case 1 intentionally ends with some plot threads waiting to be resolved in the next cases.
63	* LoggingOntoTheFourthWall: Link that [=PureMadness=] posted on Ace Fanclub leads to a really unsettling image of Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog (formerly it led to an equally distorted picture of [[Franchise/MassEffect Commander Shepard]] but the old link has expired).
64	* MiniGame:
65	** Putting together pieces of a [[spoiler: broken gun]]. With super glue!
66	** Again in case 4,this time with [[spoiler: a broken statue]].
67	* MobWar: One between the Rivales Family and the Cadeverinis was brewing around the time of the MN-6 incident, and the prospect of one plays into Obadiah's proposed motive for Mendirez.
68	* MoodWhiplash:
69	** ''Turnabout on the Web'' is especially guilty of this. At first we have a case full of {{Take That}}s and [[ShoutOut shoutouts]] to Ace Attorney community, internet trolls, and rabid fanboys... and then, on the second day of investigation, we go to the Criminal Affairs. It gets worse from there.
70	** ''Turnabout Consequences'' might be even worse. We finally get to the Fey Family Reunion where we finally find out that [[spoiler:Pearl is alive.]] All is well, everyone's happy. Then [[spoiler:Maya gets shot by an unknown sniper and things take a much darker turn, with the Rivales Family getting involved again.]] At the end, it turns out that the culprit is [[spoiler: Pearl Fey, of all people.]] Wow. Ropfa truly wasn't kidding when he said that things are going to get darker from Turnabout on the Web.
71	* MutualKill: [[spoiler:If you covered for the culprit in Case 4, Phoenix will be unable to convince Mendirez to hand Luciano over to the police. Mendirez will proceed to [[NeckSnap snap Luciano's neck]], but [[LastBreathBullet Luciano's pistol goes off and shoots Mendirez in the chest]], resulting in him dying on the stand a few minutes after Luciano's death.]]
72	* MythologyGag: During the credits for the final case, Trucy comments about how the agency should [[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies hire another woman]], while Maya comments about wanting to visit the [[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritOfJustice Kingdom of Kurain]].
73	* NonStandardGameOver:
74	** In ''The Rogue Turnabout'', failing to present the right piece of evidence at the right time results not only in the killer walking free, but [[spoiler:forces Phoenix and Maya to escape the city before Sir Gallante can follow through on his death threat to them and make them his next victims.]]
75	** Happens in ''Turnabout into the Unknown'' if in you fail to conclusively prove the true identity of the killer in the final testimony. [[spoiler:Carlo Luciano disappears without a trace after Francisco Mendirez is executed, and it's heavily implied that he goes on to murder Phoenix, Obadiah and the rest of the heroes after Mendirez is dead.]]
76	* OutOfOrder: Case 1 (called also Case 0) was released AFTER Case 2 and 3. WordOfGod says that this case had been initially cut off, as it had almost nothing to do with the main plot. However, while working on Case 3, the author decided that it might be a good idea to [[ArcWelding throw it back in and rewrite some parts of the plot]], so now it fits with the other cases. It also gave Trucy some screen time in the courtroom.
77	* PlayingPictionary:
78	** Wright has a hard time with interpreting a picture drawn by Maya for a Fey Clan Reunion flier:
79	-->'''Phoenix:''' Why is the Pink Princess strangling that man?
80	-->'''Maya:''' That's not the Pink Princess! That's me!
81	-->'''Trucy:''' And she isn't strangling anyone...
82	-->'''Phoenix:''' Sorry, my mistake.
83	** It happens also with the aforementioned CallingCard, as almost nobody can recognize a bear on it.
84	* PoliceAreUseless: Actually a major plot point in Case 3.
85	* PunnyName: Rivales Family's hitlist includes such names like [[LeeroyJenkins Leroy Jenkins]] and [[UsefulNotes/AlbertEinstein Albert]] [[Creator/StephenHawking Hawking]].
86	* RedHerring:
87	** Turnabout Consequences does it's best to make you confused as to who the real culprit is. [[spoiler:Raphael got an early bird cameo right before the case came out in the prologue case as one of the Rivales thugs talking with Timmons, so people would be suspicious of him, Meredith outright says she did it at the end of the second investigation. By the end of the case, you will be slapping yourself at how simple the solution is and depressed at the outcome.]]
88	** Turns out, another one has been going on all game. [[spoiler: You thought Mendirez was the BigBad? Well, you thought wrong.]]
89	* RogueProtagonist: [[spoiler:The identity of the shooter who tried to kill Maya in Case 4 is none other than Pearl Fey, in a tragic case of Morgan's abuse having deeply traumatized her.]]
90	* SplitTimelinesPlot: Nick's decision from the last day of ''Turnabout Consequences'' has a big impact on the next case. Choosing not to [[spoiler: accuse Pearl Fey]] initiates a chain of events where [[spoiler: both the defendant and culprit die at the end of ''Turnabout into the Unknown'' and Obadiah Williamson uses a forged piece of evidence which gets him removed from the case]]. It is however crossed with InSpiteOfANail because in both routes the final mastermind and his scheme are exposed.
91	* StoryBranching: Case 5 has two paths. Which one you follow depends on the answer you give to the question at the beginning of the case: [[spoiler: Did Phoenix prove Pearl's motive in the previous case?]]
92	* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Applied to a character's mental state: [[spoiler:whereas Pearl [[AngstWhatAngst seems to be fine in the canon games]], ''Conflict of Interest'' prefers to take an another route, as one would definitely not remain unscathed from discovering they had been used their entire life by their own mother and was a central piece in a murder plot. ''Conflict of Interest'' decides to run with the idea that Pearl has been traumatized by her childhood's events, and to follow one of the worst possible scenario to its logical end.]]
93	* ThrowTheDogABone: In A Turnabout Is Worth a Thousand Words, if you present Phoenix's profile at the right time, the judge will ''retract any and all penalties he has given'', his reason being that he "cannot let competence go unrewarded."
94	* TitleDrop: Happens a lot in Case 4.
95	* [[TrophyRoom Trophy Wall]]: Phoenix and Maya have keepsakes from all the past cases placed on a wall in the Wright's Agency. [[note]]This feature was introduced in version 1.42 and therefore cannot be seen in older versions or Let's Plays.[[/note]]
96	* TroubledBackstoryFlashback: [[spoiler: MN-6 trial reveals hidden ties between some characters, as well as the reason for Williamson’s antipathy towards Wright.]]
97	* UnwinnableByMistake: During the first trial of ''Turnabout Consequences'', you are supposed to present a bullet and Maya's injury report gotten from talking to Dr. Eldoon. It is possible to go to court without the injury report if the player doesn't talk to the doctor.
98	* UnwittingPawn:
99	** [[spoiler:Deconstructed with Pearl in Turnabout Consequences. After being used as a pawn by her mother at the end of Bridge to the Turnabout, she disappears to protect Maya from herself.]]
100	** This can also be applied to [[spoiler:Virgil Black, aka Sir Gallante]], the culprit of Case 1. [[spoiler:In the final trial, it's revealed that his killing of high-ranking Rivales members to get his friend Wayne Parker out from under their thumb was actually orchestrated by the real Francisco Mendirez to facilitate his rise to TheDon once Michael Rivales was out of the way.]]
101	* WhamLine:
102	** The biggest one comes during the second half of the final case, though it's not so much the line itself as who says it.
103	-->'''Kristoph:''' Name, please.
104	-->'''???:''' [[spoiler: Allen Yossarian.]]
105	-->'''Obadiah:''' OBJECTION! Your Honor! He hasn't been up there two seconds and he's already lying!
106	-->'''Kristoph:''' OBJECTION! Allow me to handle this. [[spoiler: Yossarian]] is his code name he uses as a safety measure. He fears for his life and so lying is a necessity. Sir, we already know who you are. Your ''real name'', please.
107	-->'''[[spoiler: Yossarian:]]''' ....Francisco Mendirez.
108	** Another line, this time from the present case:
109	-->'''Yossarian''' (When asked about [[spoiler: Luciano's identity]]) He's [[spoiler: the doctor]].
110	-->'''Phoenix:''' [[spoiler: Th- The doctor?]]
111	-->'''Obadiah:''' [[spoiler: Dreisan?!]]
112	* WhamEpisode: Turnabout Consequences.
113	** By the author's own admission, [[spoiler: Cody Hackins' death]] in Turnabout On the Web is this, he marks it as the point where [[CerebusSyndrome the entire game takes a turn for the dark.]]
114	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: A major point gets brought up later in Turnabout Consequences that neither most players nor Phoenix ever considered at the beginning of the case: [[spoiler:Where was Pearl during the shooting?]]

Context VideoGame / PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyConflictOfInterest