Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney / YMMV

This page covers the fourth game in the series, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney.

Accidental Aesop: Don't use your daughter as a pawn in a criminal scheme. In addition to the character who did this in the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy, there are about four characters who do it in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. Phoenix had his daughter give Apollo evidence that Phoenix had forged so that Apollo would present it in court; Drew Misham had his daughter forge paintings and evidence for money; Magnifi Gramarye arguably did this when he blackmailed his students with something they had done to his daughter while apparently not doing much to help her; and Zak Gramarye had his daughter help him escape from his murder trial. Phoenix's example is particularly noteworthy because he exploited the exact same trap that killed his own career, right down to using the same person from his own experience to carry it out.
Accidental Innuendo:
- Daryan Crescend's hairstyle looks very... phallic. It also reflects his personality.
- This line in the middle of 4-3:
  Apollo: Lamiroir, fingering Daryan Crescend. Not only is he a guitarist, he's a detective!
- Apollo trying to butter Ema up into doing forensics with him in 4-4 sounds a bit too much like a sex request.
  Apollo: What is it we always do... scientifically?
  Ema: Ah, you know me too well! OK...
  Apollo: OK... meaning we can get erm, scientific now?
  Ema: Oh, I suppose. Just this once!
- This line from the MASON System in the final case, when Phoenix presents Apollo to Zak Gramarye to break his Psyche-Locks:
  Zak: You can show me pictures of strange boys all you like.
Alternative Character Interpretation: Phoenix's new, Anti-Hero persona is sometimes speculated to be the result of Suppressed Rage over years of Butt-Monkey moments — with Kristoph's petty Frame-Up of him simply being the final tipping point into Who's Laughing Now? territory.
Americans Hate Tingle: In Japan, it remains the highest-selling game in the series after the Updated Re-release of the first. While its reception in the west wasn't especially poor — its review scores on its first release weren't as good of those of the first or third game, but better than those of the second — it was by far the lowest-selling main-series Ace Attorney game, and ahead of only Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth as the lowest-selling Ace Attorney game overall, likely contributing to Capcom's pulling the plug on physical releases of the series in the west... until the release of the spin-off series in the form of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles in 2021.
Angst? What Angst?: Klavier doesn't seem that affected by having two people very close to him proven to be treacherous murderers, within months of each other. He even air guitars when Daryan admits to his crimes.
Anti-Climax Boss:
- As great as taking down Kristoph in the final case is, the final trial day is practically an automated level, with only one part where you have to present something and only one cross-examination segment (Both at the beginning of the trial), which involves using the bracelet to spot one of the most obvious tells in the entire game. He gives a much better fight in the first case, which says a lot. Heck, the Pursuit theme doesn't even play in the last trial day.
- Valant Gramarye, who's technically the culprit in Phoenix's last trial — he didn't kill Magnifi but tried to frame Zak. After a conversation with Phoenix in which Phoenix breaks his two Psyche-locks, he shares some of his secrets, then turns himself in. His final fate is never revealed.
Arc Fatigue: "Turnabout Serenade" takes forever to finish, as Apollo is forced to rely almost purely on theories and hypotheses due to the small amount of evidence, all while contending with some of the most cryptic and unhelpful witnesses since Rise from the Ashes and endure lots and lots of displays of the new 3D modelling. Worse, the player, using basic logic, can point out that the crime the defendant is accused of is all-but physically impossible... but the case still goes on.
Awesome Bosses:
- Kristoph Gavin ironically is far more climatic in his first fight. He's a seasoned lawyer who knows the tools of the trade and seeing him reveal his true colors as he turns against his "allies" is shocking and memorable. He's not at all a pushover for a Starter Villain and his confrontation is usually regarded as one of the highlights of the game.
- Daryan Crescend is far more formidable than he first seems. Being a good detective with almost no morality whatsoever, he holds his own through stubborness and willpower. He's a difficult foe who keeps Apollo on his toes, long after he's first accused as the culprit. Taking the dickhead down is a high point of a case regarded as pretty mediocre.
Awesome Ego: Klavier prides himself on his dual rockstar/prosecutor career, and loves the attention he gets from fans; during one witness testimony, the witness is staring at him (though more out of anxiety and confusion than admiration), and to Klavier, being stared at is business as usual. He's also a very popular character, especially amongst female fans. It helps that despite his ego, he's one of the most competent, nicest, and least corrupt prosecutors in the series.
Awesome Levels: "Turnabout Trump" is considered one of the best first cases in the series due to the emotional impact of Phoenix Wright being the defendant and Kristoph Gavin, the seemingly friendly lawyer being the true culprit. It has good twists and turns as well as an incredibly satisfying boss fight with Gavin himself.
Base-Breaking Character:
- Apollo Justice's cast is either a fresh take on the Ace Attorney series after three games of Phoenix Wright, or replacement scrappies for not just Phoenix, but also most of the supporting cast from the original trilogy. It doesn't help that when some of them return in future games, Apollo himself is the most distant towards them (stemming from his insistence to be professional), and at the end of Spirit of Justice Apollo leaves the Agency to stay in Khura'in. There are also those who love Apollo but wish that he could have been given more Character Development rather than being sidelined in a game that bears his own name.
- Trucy Wright. Many enjoy her interactions with Apollo and her ability to avoid getting in trouble every single game unlike Maya, while others feel instead that her chemistry with Apollo is a weaker attempt to echo the Phoenix-Maya duo. Despite her role as an assistant, she also has the recurring tendency to imply to Apollo that she's solved the mysteries behind the cases well before he has, and yet chooses not to explain them to him directly.
- Klavier Gavin. Some dislike him for his much less harsh attitude toward the defense, arguing it makes him an underwhelming adversary, and what are seen as stereotypical Bishōnen tendencies. Others like him because of his surprisingly helpful attitude and aversion of the Persecuting Prosecutor trope, as well as his zany rock star attitude and career, and point out that (for the most part) the prosecutor isn't meant to be a villain; they're simply there to present counterarguments to the defense, something that was established in the Phoenix arc between Phoenix and Edgeworth. General opinion of him seems to have swung more positively since, with many lamenting that he was Demoted to Extra in both Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice.
- Ema Skye, initially a fan-favorite assistant for the first game's bonus case. Her redesign is adored as she is one of the few assistant girls in the series to avert Not Allowed to Grow Up, but her newfound grumpy personality after her failure to qualify for the forensics unit has made her divisive. That being said, there are those who greatly appreciate this distinction from the other assistant girls. Her relationship with Apollo is another point of debate; some of Apollo's detractors tend to give her a pass for venting out at him for no reason at all while others feel that their bickering is more friendly and harmless than anything, particularly in the fourth case.
- Wocky Kitaki. Many fans hate him for being an abrasive Jerkass who does nothing but berate his own defense attorney to the point of outright complaining about getting acquitted on murder charges, all because Alita, a Bitch in Sheep's Clothing who openly admitted to using him for money, was outed as the killer, and who rarely if ever shows redeeming qualities of any kind. Others appreciate him for his moments of Hidden Depths and his relationship with his parents, as well as presenting the unique scenario of defending an unlikeable jerk who is still innocent.
- Kristoph Gavin. He’s either a great final villain, or he's one of the worst final villains. A lot of this is due to his motive, that being that Zak passed him over for Phoenix, in his eyes, because Phoenix won a poker game. As a result, he ruins Phoenix's career by making him present forged evidence, kills Zak years later, and tries to kill Vera Misham. This, as mentioned below in Broken Base, either makes him hard to take seriously because of how petty he is or incredibly scary because of how petty he is. Defenders of Kristoph argue that he's possibly the most Crazy-Prepared and intelligent villain in the entire series, and like to point out the fact that he's the only villain not caught because of a certain evidence, but because the entire legal system had to be changed to change the odds against him.
Broken Aesop: A central theme of the Ace Attorney games is the flaws of a judicial system where the letter of the law is absolute. The final case introduces an experimental Jurist System as an alternative, permitting a jury to use common sense in reaching a verdict. The game strongly suggests that this is a more fair solution. However, the trial where it debuts is possibly more biased than any other in the entire series.
- The most fundamental problem is that the person responsible for the creation of the Jurist System, Phoenix Wright, has a multifaceted personal stake in the first case handled by it — it's made abundantly clear that he introduced the new system for the specific purpose of altering the outcome. He actively gathers evidence in support of the defense, who technically works for him. A related case resulted in the loss of his job and an orphaned child left in his care. Then, in another related case, he was framed for murder by a person he considered a friend. This same person gives instructions and interprets the law for the jury.
  - Moreover, the MASON System itself (the interface by which the jurors participate in the trial) also skews favor towards the desired outcome by introducing facts and evidence that are presented only within the MASON System, meaning it was hand-chosen by the individual who designed it. The MASON System presents situations and information that aren't a part of the trial but still crucial towards coming to the verdict. Everything contained within it is true, yes, but it's unquestionably partial in nature.
- Juror Number Six. She is Apollo's mother. Before learning this, Apollo successfully defended her close friend against murder charges. She's also a tangentially related, yet important figure in the events leading up to the current case, and the witness Apollo paints as the killer was convicted of murdering her husband. She even suggests that she shouldn't be on the jury, but Phoenix uses the letter of the law to justify her presence.
Broken Base:
- Apollo Justice divided fans into a Phoenix Wright camp and an Apollo Justice camp. Some wished for Phoenix to be returned to his original role as a lawyer and the central protagonist, while others believed that Apollo was a good character in his own right who just needed another game or two to develop, pointing to Phoenix's own much longer stint as protagonist. This division was only exacerbated by the confirmation that Dual Destinies would be returning Phoenix to the central protagonist role and further pushing Apollo out of focus.
- Some instead enjoy both characters but dislike the Time Skip and related case. Considering that the Phoenix Wright trilogy ended on an triumphant Earn Your Happy Ending moment, the way Apollo Justice opens can be something of a mood killer, to put it mildly.
- The final villain’s motive. It’s either dumb because of how petty it is, or scary because of how petty it is.
- While the final case, "Turnabout Succession", is near-universally agreed to be a Disappointing Last Level, it's debated just how much of a disappointment it is. It's either a bad case all around, or just a disappointingly mediocre case. Some say it makes absolutely no sense, others say that it does once you analyze and/or replay it, then some counter that by saying that the case should not need to be analyzed to be enjoyed. In any case, it's hard to find people who hate the case more than "Turnabout Ablaze", the final case of the first Investigations game, but it's also hard to find people who really love the case as much as most other final cases in the franchise.
- "Turnabout Corner" is either a fun filler case that serves as a decent introduction to Trucy, Ema, and Klavier, or is a slog filled with either boring or annoying characters, an irritating defendant, a dull culprit, and an overabundance of "magic panties" jokes that get old fast.
Captain Obvious Reveal: It's pretty easy to figure out that the amnesiac Lamiroir is actually Thalassa Gramarye due to their identical hairstyles.
Character Perception Evolution:
- Despite their initial divisiveness, Apollo, Trucy, Klavier, and the adult Ema eventually found love within the fanbase, particularly in light of Trucy being Flanderized, Klavier being sidelined into irrelevance in Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice, Apollo's abrupt replacement as central protagonist by the similarly divisive reinstated Phoenix, and Ema's Divergent Character Evolution setting her firmly apart from other pre-timeskip characters like Pearl and Maya, who would later be shown to have barely changed at all even after nearly a decade of in-universe time.
- Klavier Gavin wasn't well-liked by players as a prosecutor at first, likely due to the shock of having a prosecutor who isn't a contemptful Amoral Attorney who physically and verbally abuses the defense at every turn. But he became better-liked over time due to being a surprisingly deep character who goes through a lot and because he's such a Nice Guy and not just another "get a guilty verdict at all costs" Persecuting Prosecutor like the main prosecutors of the last three games, while still having some amusing quirks to help him stand out like the fact that he's also a band guitarist who sometimes plays Air Guitar in the courtroom and as a result has an awesome theme song. It's to the point where many players were disappointed that while he returns in Dual Destinies, he doesn't get much screentime.
Common Knowledge:
- In "Turnabout Serenade", it’s near-universally assumed that Machi confesses to smuggling to avoid being charged with murder. He doesn’t, though; he confesses to smuggling in the American courts to avoid being punished more harshly for the smuggling in Borginia. Apollo and Phoenix both affirm that sufficient evidence has already been gathered to obtain an acquittal of the murder charge, but Apollo points out that Machi could still be deported to Borginia to be tried for the smuggling, unless he confesses on foreign soil first.
- The MASON System in "Turnabout Succession" is being experienced by the jurists, not by Apollo himself. Said system is where it's revealed that Apollo and Trucy are half-siblings, meaning Apollo can't have been privy to it since Phoenix states during the epilogue that he still doesn't know. On the second trial day, Apollo reflects on how Phoenix had personally brought him up to speed on the events of the past seven years, which wouldn't have been necessary if he'd been playing through the MASON System.
- Kristoph's Black Psyche-Locks are often referred to by people as an unresolved plot point, with many people including it among the list of other story elements dropped in later games. It's actually made incredibly clear what they're concealing, that being his reason for killing Shadi Smith, that being that he recognized him as Zak Gramarye and thus could expose him as being behind the forgery scandal which got Phoenix disbarred, something shown by Kristoph's reaction when made to confess it in court. The confusion is most likely a combination of the locks never breaking on-screen (because Apollo doesn't possess the Magatama) and the explanation for why the locks are black only happening in Dual Destinies and not seeming completely compatible with the situation presented (since "I don't want to get found out for this other crime" doesn't really seem like a motive too deeply buried for Kristoph himself to acknowledge).
Complete Monster: Kristoph Gavin is a seemingly-helpful mentor who is really one half of the diabolical duo to usher in "The Dark Age of the Law" by disbarring Phoenix Wright. Kristoph did this out of a petty grudge for Phoenix being chosen as a lawyer for a client instead of him, and so murders said client and manipulates a shy artist and his own brother to enact his vengeance. Poisoning both the artist and her father, Kristoph intended for both to die, gloating to Apollo that he knew the latter's line of questioning would make her nervously bite her nails, where he had put the poison. Having started poisoning the artist when she was only twelve, Kristoph is happy to then sit back and watch her face conviction for her own father's murder committed by himself.
Contested Sequel: Some enjoy the new setting and characters. Others consider it to be the oddball of Ace Attorney for the way its plot barely connects to the first three games and how different the game’s tone is. How Phoenix and Apollo are handled is the biggest point of contention.
Critical Dissonance: While the game was widely praised by critics and was given identical scores to the trilogy, fans are much more divided on it.
Disappointing Last Level: "Turnabout Succession" to some people. Aside from the final trial segment often being seen as a major anti-climax, due in part to having only one cross-examination and the decisive evidence being presented without player input, complaints about the case include the poor execution of the MASON System, which has two pieces of evidence seemingly travel backwards through time, Phoenix and Gumshoe acting decidedly more arrogant than normal during the flashback Gramarye trial, and Apollo being effectively sidelined as Phoenix takes center stage instead of giving his apprentice a chance to shine. While the case isn't hated like "Turnabout Serenade", and probably isn't even the most-disliked final case from the franchise — "Turnabout Ablaze" from the first Investigations game is nearly unanimously considered to hold that title — a lot of fans agree it's a mediocre final case.
Draco in Leather Pants: Valant Gramarye. Zak was a jerk; almost definitely more of a jerk than Valant, but that doesn't excuse Valant for deciding to frame him for murder, especially when the main motives were jealousy and money. Nevertheless, Valant maintains a substantial following of fans.
Ensemble Dark Horse:
- Vera Misham is rather popular character despite appearing only sporadically in a single case and spending half of it comatose, owing to her heartbreaking personal story, being a surprisingly positive portrayal of a girl with a mental disorder, and just being plain cute. She is also unique in the game in being the only defendant who is genuinely sympathetic (even after she's revealed to be a forger) and not some type of Jerkass or another, earning her additional love from fans. Even the game's detractors often admit to liking her.
- Winfred "Big Wins" Kitaki and Plum Kitaki are far more well liked than their son, with both of them being likable and surprisingly complex characters. Their character design and sprites are memorable and they go through some realistic Character Development giving up their criminal lifestyle to try and rehabilitate their son.
- From the same case, Guy Eldoon is generally seen to be a highlight. He's grounded without being boring and his motivations and personality are interesting and well developed, with his Hidden Depths not detracting from his original motif.
- Daryan Crescend is the Arc Villain of the third chapter and a memorably despicable person, which is doubly impressive considering how loathed the chapter is overall. He's a Large Ham who steals the scene whenever he appears. He also has an incredibly memorable design as well as being a formidable opponent who puts up a much tougher fight than Kristoph Gavin, the main villain.
- Valant Gramarye is usually considered one of the best characters in the game, despite his limited appearance. He's able to be both comedic and dramatic and adds an emotional payoff to the forgery sub-plot, which is considered a massive Broken Base. His personality is captivating and he's a complicated and sympathetic Anti-Villain who is one of the series' rare examples of a criminal who owns up to his crimes and turns himself in out of remorse.
Epileptic Trees: There are some fans who believe that Trucy forged the bloody Ace of her own accord and Phoenix only took credit for it to protect her.
Fan Nickname:
- Phoenix in this game is often dubbed "Hobo Phoenix" by fans, due to his casual clothing and stubble giving him a slight hobo vibe. Alternatively, he gets called "Beanix" because of his beanie.
- Sometimes, detractors of the second case refer to Alita Tiala as Bootleg Dahlia due to seeing her as a watered down version of that character.
Fanon Discontinuity: Some just can't accept the choices made with Phoenix's character in Apollo Justice, which is probably a large part of the reason Phoenix returns to his original role as main protagonist starting in Dual Destines. Another camp ignored the game entirely, aside from Trucy and Apollo's existence in the law office. It helps nothing that Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice went on to either quietly ignore or outright retcon large portions of the game itself.
Harsher in Hindsight:
- Early into the second case, Trucy uses Mr Hat to fake a hostage situation with herself as the "victim", so as to prevent the trial from being ended prematurely. This can be harder to watch after playing the finale of Dual Destinies, in which Trucy is taken hostage for real.
- During the MASON System present segment, when Valant gets Phoenix to guess who killed Magnifi Gramarye. Before realizing the truth that it was suicide, Phoenix wonders if there were more Troupe members who would kill Magnifi. Spirit of Justice's second case reveals there was indeed such a Troupe member who would kill a Gramarye, though he did not get the chance to kill Magnifi.
- Players have noted that "The Guitar's Serenade"'s lines, "Burning on in my heart. Fire. Burn my love away. All away.", happen to be quite fitting given the reveal in Spirit of Justice of how Lamiroir's first husband died.
- During case 3, Lamiroir frets over the notion that her past may contain some grievous crime that she’s unable to remember. Come the events of Spirit of Justice, we learn that she did abandon her son in Khura’in when he was a baby, thinking he had perished in the fire that killed his father.
- Near the end of case 3, Daryan mentions that "Lying must be a national pastime in Borginia. ...And wherever you're from, Mr. "Justice"." While it almost certainly wasn't intentional, that line makes a hell of a lot more sense when you learn in Spirit of Justice that that much of Apollo's childhood was not spent in America, and especially considering the situation in the country he did spend that time in.
- In the event that you present the wrong evidence in court, one of the judge’s responses is an insinuation that Apollo was dropped on his head in his youth. Come Spirit of Justice, it’s shown that the infant Apollo’s father actually did drop him onto the floor when he was murdered via a blow to the head.
- In the "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue, Klavier announces that the Gavinners are disbanding and that he's looking forward to the next time he faces you in court. The following two games would see him Demoted to Extra and he never faces off against Apollo and Trucy ^note who also got Demoted to Extra again, save for the unofficial "mock mock trial" with Apollo and Athena in 5-3.
Heartwarming in Hindsight:
- During case 3, Apollo admits he feels sympathy for Machi Tobaye, considering how hard it must be to be alone in a foreign country at such a young age. Come Spirit of Justice, we learn that a lot of Apollo’s past trauma stems from being sent to live in America when he was only nine years old, after which he fell out of touch with his foster family in Khura’in and had to start from scratch.
- Also from case 3, there are a few instances where Apollo considers learning to play guitar, with Trucy suggesting that if he does, he could accompany her performances with his music. This becomes more poignant after you learn of Apollo’s connections to Troupe Gramarye later in the game. Even more so, Spirit of Justice reveals that not only was Apollo’s father a performer, he was a guitarist.
Hilarious in Hindsight:
- The whole incident surrounding Phoenix Wright getting hit by a car and flung into a pole and only suffered a sprained ankle. With his inclusion in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, he had to contend with a variety of attacks, such as She-Hulk's Level 3 Hyper, which involves getting hit by a car (Sunday Driver, according to her), and her new attack in Ultimate swinging a lpole. The best part is that the hit and run incident in the game took place on a Sunday.
- At the end of Case 2, one of the characters says simply, "Please understand." Remember that this game came out years before Nintendo started doing the Nintendo Direct series.
- For players that thought that the game's story revolving around Phoenix instead of Apollo as the game's title would suggest was a bad idea, don't worry; Apollo returns the favour in Spirit of Justice.
- Towards the end of the final trial, Apollo makes a comment saying that the justice system has to change and he'll be there when it does. Fast forward to Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice where he actually gets to change the judicial system for the better, though it's in another country.
- While talking to Valant, Phoenix asks if Magnifi had another disciple who could have killed Magnifi, which Valant thoroughly mocks. Come Spirit of Justice, it turns out there was another disciple who had a bone to pick with Magnifi: Mr. Reus.
- Related to the above, Valant specifically says Magnifi has two disciples- Zak and Valant- in the previous case. Considering the aforementioned twist, it seems like a Suspiciously Specific Denial.
- In the first trial, Kristoph claims that an accusation is baseless, to which Phoenix counters by saying "Oh, I assure you it's quite based." This was three years before "based" would gain its current internet slang meaning, and many more years before it became immensely widespread. New and old players alike commonly do a double-take when encountering the line now.
- Phoenix Wright introducing jurors to the court may seem like a move just to get back at Kristoph, especially with the system getting disregarded in the following two games. However, with The Great Ace Attorney duology having jurors be a major game mechanic in the Old Bailey cases, it could also be seen as Wright taking a page from the cases his ancestor worked on.
- In Case 3, Apollo mentions how you can't build a case with just feelings. Cut to the very next game...
Incest Yay Shipping: It would count as Surprise Incest, but some people ship Apollo and Trucy, who are half-siblings, though to date neither is aware of the fact. Kristoph and Klavier also have a sizeable amount of shippers, but many times it's portrayed as varying levels of unhealthy.
Iron Woobie: Klavier has to prosecute his bandmate and friend Daryan, and later his own brother Kristoph. Despite a brief Heroic BSoD while dealing with the latter, he ultimately takes it all in stride, doing what needs to be done to get justice served, and it's implied that he disowns the latter when it's made clear that Kristoph has no place in the big picture of a just court.
It Was His Sled:
- Because of, or perhaps despite, its lack of resolution to this day, Apollo and Trucy being siblings and Thalassa being their mother are very well known.
- Kristoph being the game's Big Bad, despite being Apollo's co-counsel in the very first case and appearing in promotional artwork, which usually never feature the Big Bads.
Jerkass Woobie: Wocky Kitaki is widely seen as the worst client Apollo gets due to his bratty personality. But still, almost getting himself killed and all, being lied to concerning this, and then learning the truth about Alita... He does start to cry at the very end, then abruptly returns to his "gangster" persona before exiting at top speed. It's implied he understands what his father has done for him and that the family will be okay.
Memetic Molester:
- Kristoph seems to be a bit... too chummy with certain people sometimes.
- Daryan Crescend, with his infamous pompadour, which he loves stroking.
Memetic Mutation: "Oh, I assure you it's quite based", Phoenix's reply when Kristoph accused him of making a baseless argument. Screenshots of Phoenix saying the line occasionally find their way into internet arguments.
- "Zak Gramarye is a jerk", thanks to a comic by Hiimdaisy.
Narm: Daryan Crescend's breakdown where he tries to bribe Machi not to talk, before outright begging for him to keep his mouth shut, which was most likely intentional.
Nausea Fuel: Spark Brushel's nervous tic is a sweating armpit, which is what forms the detractors for the character and the Perceive mechanic overall.
Never Live It Down: Zak Gramarye takes the brunt of the blame for Phoenix losing his attorney's badge, the reason being that he neglected to give Phoenix the actual last page from Magnifi's diary before the trial, something Phoenix specifically calls him out on when they meet again. Never mind the fact that Zak wouldn't have known the diary would be presented as evidence, nor did he know that Phoenix had been given a forged page that could be presented instead. The accusation also glosses over the actions of three other characters who were even more culpable for what happened: Drew Misham for feigning obliviousness as to who requested the forgery, Kristoph Gavin for having requested the forgery, and Zak's own partner Valant, who framed him for murdering Magnifi in the first place.
Player Punch: Mixes with But Thou Must! in the flashback trial. Phoenix is blissfully unaware that he's about to present forged evidence, thinking he's riding the easy train to victory for once. Both the circumstances and the context of the rest of the game already make the player aware this will not end well, but they are dragged kicking and screaming into presenting the evidence to move the plot forward all the same. The entire scene really makes the player feel like they're responsible for Phoenix's disbarment.
Polished Port: The HD versions give the game a visual overhaul and make many quality of life improvements that create a much better experience overall. While neither version is perfect — the iOS version has lesser sound quality while the 3DS version doesn't go full HD with the visuals — both are still very solid options for playing the game.
Replacement Scrappy:
- To some, Apollo fits this for Phoenix. After playing three games spent playing primarily as Phoenix, many feel unable to grow as attached to Apollo.
- While not outright hated, Klavier Gavin is not as well liked as some of the other prosecutors by the fandom, mostly because his Hero Antagonist status removes the antagonistic conflict that made the other prosecutors feel like true rivals. Others feel that a prosecutor who is openly honest, helpful, and non-villainous straight out of the gate is a refreshing change.
Rewatch Bonus: Perceiving Kristoph Gavin in the fourth case reveals that under his Scary Shiny Glasses is a rather intense Death Glare, giving a whole new meaning to the animation whenever it is used in the first case, such as after Wright suggests there may have been a fourth person in the room.
The Scrappy:
- Zak Gramarye. Most agree that he is both a despicable human being and nonsensically and inconsistently written, with his sympathetic qualities being impossible to reconcile with his questionable, violent actions. At times, he almost appears to be written as if he and Shadi Smith, the victim of the first case who later turns out to be him, aren't even the same person. Most positive conversation surrounding him focuses on the sheer comedic value there is in shining a light on how openly heartless his actions were.
- Wesley Stickler, due to being an incredibly unlikeable, unfunny and all-around creepy Panty Thief with zero sympathetic traits, yet whose antics are played for comedy and whom the player spends an entire trial phase being forced to cross-examine. It doesn't help that his quirk of going on lengthy tangents is essentially copied from Wendy Oldbag, who is a Scrappy herself (at least in the West). Many dislike 4-2 purely thanks to him.
- Alita Tiala is widely detested due to being an incredibly boring culprit while failing to act as an effective Femme Fatale-esque character, earning her the pejorative Fan Nickname of 'Bootleg Dahlia'. Even fans of "Turnabout Corner" consider her a weak point of the case.
- Spark Brushel thanks to a majority of the fans being put off by his Non-Standard Character Design and odd animations. His numerous character tics make his perception phase in his testimony that much more difficult to solve (for reference, it's actually the mundane action of sweating in his armpit).
Scrappy Mechanic: Many consider the various "scientific investigation" segments to be boring and guilty of needlessly slowing down the game's story. As a result, the games to follow dialed these mechanics back to only fingerprinting and Luminol-testing segments.
Sequel Difficulty Drop: This game reintroduces automatic health bar refills during trial sequences, which had been missing in the first two sequels, and lacks any occasions where it's possible to instantly lose the trial irrespective of your health level. Additionally, you don't have to mess around with Psyche-Locks during the investigation phase anymore, meaning that you're guaranteed to start every trial with a full health bar. On the other hand, you no longer have Mia to bail you out; the cases require you to tie everything together, and some elements of Moon Logic Puzzle remain. Your mileage may vary on whether or not the game is less difficult or just less frustrating.
Shocking Moments: Even series veterans were likely caught off guard when the murderer of the first case turns out to be your mentor.
Squick:
- Trucy's frequent mentions of her "Magic Panties" throughout Case 2. It's even in-universe Squick for Apollo, something Trucy takes delight in exploiting.
- "Director" Hickfield, a blatantly mentally unstable, disturbing, perverse man, making sleazy remarks towards Trucy, a 15-year old, in front of her father and brother, no less, although the latter would only be in retrospect.
That One Level: "Turnabout Serenade" is among those cases that are considered the worst in the series. Other than having a needlessly complicated plot, it also has several blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments that might stump players for a while. Almost every twist is a Captain Obvious Reveal and most testimonies are tedious, especially since almost all of them are from Lamiroir,^* with the only really interesting one being the one where she translates what Machi is saying, and even then all that is needed to do is to perceive first Machi, who has an extremely noticeable tic, and then Lamiroir, who has the same tic as before. The mixer mechanic is also extremely boring. Most players don't find themselves enjoying this case due to the aforementioned reasons and also for how slow the case goes. The only real good thing of the case is widely considered to be Daryan, who works well as a character and as culprit.
That One Puzzle: Perceiving Spark Brushel's nervous tic. He has so many tics (something he admits to later on) yet the one that has to be Perceived is among the least obvious ones.
They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character: All three of the central characters get these reactions from some fans for varying reasons, including their handling in subsequent games:
- Despite being presented as the new protagonist and having a personality that sets him apart from his predecessor Phoenix, Apollo is given very little Character Development of any kind throughout the game, with the player learning little about him beyond the fact that he used to work at Kristoph's law office and is Thalassa Gramarye's son, something almost completely irrelevant to the plot. This is compounded by his being heavily Out of Focus in the final case, barely interacting with the main story at all while it segues into a Whole Episode Flashback, and being reduced to an exposition device in the final trial who doesn't even take down the Big Bad through his own actions. Subsequent games would attempt to remedy this problem, with Spirit of Justice outright promoting him to the main hero of the final case, but even that is subject to a major Broken Base.
- Trucy, despite being promoted as the new heroine, is given a similarly small role in the story, and unlike Maya almost never takes part in any major emotional developments over the course of the game. Notably, despite being the heir to the Gramarye name, she is completely absent from the parts of the story explicitly discussing the Troupe, and beyond certain very subtle hints in her dialogue, her status as using her performer persona as a mask to her real feelings is reduced to a single line in the game's final scene not even given by herself. Dual Destinies subjected her to severe Flanderization, turning her magic obsession into her only character trait while at the same time reducing her role to that of a minor supporting character who seemingly only continued to appear because her status as Phoenix's adopted daughter makes her impossible to write out completely, although Spirit of Justice would attempt to remedy this somewhat with an A Day in the Limelight intended to give her some more explicit depth.
- Of the three, Klavier easily has it the worst. While even the game's detractors admit that a genuinely supportive prosecutor has the potential to be an interesting change of pace, his character is left extremely underdeveloped, with his feelings on such events as his close friend and brother turning out to be dangerous criminals, his band disbanding, or learning he was an Unwitting Pawn in Phoenix's disbarment going largely unexplored, along with his relationships with Apollo and Kristoph despite the latter being the Big Bad. Worsening matters is that he would be brutally Demoted to Extra in subsequent games, having only a minor supporting role in a single case of Dual Destinies, where he continued to be unfazed by the loss of important people in his life, and then not even appearing at all in Spirit of Justice outside of two passing references and a non-canon gag DLC. Many fans also think he should have been the prosecutor for the first case, due to the resulting drama from his brother's true character being exposed, instead of him acknowledging it in passing during the second case without seeming particularly affected by it.
They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot:
- In "Turnabout Serenade", the revelation that the Chief Justice tried to buy a Borginian cocoon from the culprit in order to cure his son's Incuritis turns out to be this in two different ways. First, it shows that while the ban on exporting cocoons due to them being able to be used to create poison is ostensibly meant to save lives, it also prevents people like the Chief Justice's son from getting life-saving medical treatment. Second, the fact that a high-ranking member of the justice system tried to illegally procure a cocoon would likely result in yet another scandal not unlike those that caused the "Dark Age of the Law." Neither of these possibilities is ever followed up on, and the fact that the Chief Justice is the buyer is merely shown as proof that the killer, who otherwise thought it would be too dangerous to sell cocoons on the black market, had a buyer who wouldn't betray him due to having more to lose should the scandal become public.
- On the second trial day of "Turnabout Succession", it’s revealed that Phoenix finally came clean to Apollo about the events he’d kept secret about the past seven years, in an exchange which happens entirely offscreen. Despite how Apollo had previously glorified Phoenix until being confronted by his surly demeanor and underhanded court tactics, we never get any conclusion as whether his opinion had been salvaged by such revelatory context to Phoenix's actions, since the two don't interact with each other for the rest of the game.
Underused Game Mechanic: The first case features a 3D diagram of the crime scene in the first case that you can manipulate in the courtroom to see possible contradictions. Despite being potentially useful, it sees only very limited use in Cases 2 and 3 afterward.
Unexpected Character: Among the very few returning characters,^* probably no one expected Mike Meekins to appear in "Turnabout Succession" during Phoenix's investigation, especially since he was a scrappy back in day.
Unfortunate Character Design: Some people find Daryan Crescend's hairdo rather... phallic. With his abrasive, unpleasant personality, many players have taken to calling him a figurative and literal dickhead.
The Un-Twist: You would think that a prosecutor in this series being this nice and friendly outside of court to you must have something to hide. Nope! Klavier Gavin has no dark secrets. He really is just a good guy who's genuinely dedicated to truth and justice.
Values Dissonance:
- A recurring fact throughout the game is that it's hard for civilians to acquire guns. In the second case, the Yakuza Kitaki family illegally has firearms, while in the third case, the victim, an Interpol detective, is shot with his own revolver. This is true in Japan, which has strict gun laws, but in America it's relatively easier to acquire firearms.
- The same goes for gambling, which is illegal in Japan but commonplace (if restricted) in the United States.
- The Jurist System. The game goes out of its way to make a big deal of its introduction. In Japan, trial by jury hadn't been in practice for the past 50 years at the time of the game's release, instead employing trial by judge like in much of the series. In the US, trial by jury is a fundamental right (in fact, loss of jury trials was one of the complaints in the Declaration of Independence) and it would require a change to the Constitution itself to remove it — which would be extremely unlikely to pass if the only reason was to speed up the docket.^note
Vindicated by History: While it's still not regarded as the best game in the franchise, opinions towards the game, while initially cold at first due to the shift away from Phoenix in favor of Apollo, on top of some controversial story decisions, have warmed up over time, with many fans now regarding it as a flawed, but good entry that, for all its flaws, attempted to take the franchise in a ambitious, new and interesting direction that has since been mostly ignored by later games in favor of "playing the hits."
The Woobie:
- Vera. Dear God, Vera. Being accused of killing your own father is already an abysmal situation, but having her nail polish dipped in poison since she was twelve? Give the girl a break.
- Possibly Trucy as well, if you take some lines from Phoenix at the end of the game into consideration.
- Klavier. Poor guy has to see his bandmate and later his own brother indicted for murder charges. He also feels terrible about getting Phoenix disbarred 7 years ago due to being said brother's Unwitting Pawn. To make the gravity of these actions even greater, he is a prosecutor who simply sees prosecution as a means of seeking the truth rather than an excuse to antagonize defense attorneys.

YMMV / Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney

Edit Locked