LL's Ace Attorney Hell!

Ranting about Ace Attorney and always being correct

[liccalavender]

My verison of the Ace Attorney favorite character meme.

In general, it's rather basic, but I think it's helpful in understanding my opinions on the series.

Yes, I know Alita Tiala is a strange pick for my favorite culprit when compared to my other favorites. I don't really have a logical or thoughtful explanation. I just enjoy her immensely.

If it wasn't clear, my favorite game mechanic is logic/mind chess. I was looking for a good photo of it and came across this image of Edgeworth pulling Frank Sahwit into the chess dimension. I had a little laugh about it and just had to use the image for this.

Also, apologies for my lackluster editing skills. My true talent is thinking about writing multi-page think pieces on a 24 year old visual novel series about lawyers. Then not doing so.

[liccalavender]

There's a special day before Christmas, but that's also after the 23rd of December. This is Christmas eve, otherwise known as "Almost Christmas". Which also means, that it isn't Christmas. Almost Christmas means it wasn't Christmas.

[liccalavender]

I finally have time to play the updated Original Trilogy (Which my friends have had to hear much about. "They'll do anything but make Ace Attorney 7! They're remastering the remaster!"). One of the favorite things in the newer remasters is the history feature, where you can pull up and reread the conversation. I liked this most for taking screenshots to save for later analysis and referencing. It's much easier to take a screenshot of the history than multiple individual ones of the characters talking. But... this remaster remaster does not have this feature? Why not? I'm very disappointed, I really thought they would put the history feature.

[relicsongmel]

On Iris and Miles: the commonalities of Ace Attorney's most underrated duo

Ah, Iris and Miles...by this point it's no secret that the pair has one of my favorite dynamics in all of Ace Attorney. They're just...silly. Delightfully so. Autism-to-autism communication except their autism wavelengths aren't compatible in the slightest. Autism starers who hate being stared at lest the other see the hidden depths of their soul they’ve put so much work into hiding. Spacing out and getting lost in thought and needing to remind the other that they’re still there and the conversation isn’t over. Among many other charming little moments.

Of course, nothing in this series is surface level, and there's a lot more to be said about Iris and Miles aside from the fact they're both socially awkward disaster introverts who at times can barely seem to stumble their way through basic conversation (and believe me, I say that with nothing but love for them). In terms of fandom discussion, one of the most common things you'll see is conversations regarding Iris' canonical romantic feelings for Phoenix Wright versus Miles' subtextual ones (if it can even be called "subtext" at this point), and specifically how a certain bit of easily missable dialogue seems to imply that Iris is aware of Miles' feelings (which I give my thoughts on in this post here). And while analyzing their relationship from that angle can certainly be interesting...

There is so much more to Iris and Miles that I've never seen anyone else talk about.

Don't get me wrong; I don't think anyone's in the wrong for getting lost in Gay Lawyer Excitement. I'm far from innocent of it myself—it's compelling to think about, and the Narumitsu framework serves as a backdrop for much of my analysis on the franchise, BttT and Iris included. I just think it's reductive to focus solely on the possibility of love drama and jealousy between her and Miles, while ignoring everything else that makes that oft-referenced scene actually work—that being, the very way the two work exceptionally well together as characters, through the many, MANY parallels in their upbringing and traits that I can no longer be silent about.

In fact, I'm just gonna come out and say it: Sister Iris Fey-Hawthorne of Hazakura Temple mirrors Miles Edgeworth so goddamn much that she is quite literally the perfect choice for his first client as a defense attorney. And it's through this mirroring that his choice to defend her becomes so much more than a desire to help his childhood friend, or a chance to briefly live the life he once dreamed of at age nine—it's emblematic of his own personal self-acceptance and healing, and culminates his trilogy character arc in a beautifully full-circle, satisfying way. So, let's get into the details, shall we?

The first point I'd like to bring up is that Iris and Miles have a shared disdain of spirit channeling. There's some slight differences in how they express it—Iris' distaste is mostly directed toward the practice of channeling itself, as she states very early on in BttT. That said, she lives at Hazakura Temple even as an adult and continuously dedicates herself to her training, so she still has some level of respect (or at least tolerance) for spirit medium culture. Miles, on the other hand, rejects everything to do with channeling and mediums themselves/their lifestyle, as seen by how he angrily denounces Misty Fey at the mere mention of the Kurain Channeling Technique. The way his and Iris' lingering resentment presents itself is different, but the root of it is the same: The DL-6 Incident, an event that brought both of their families to ruin and left them with a great deal of trauma. They were inextricably linked by it years before they met—and though we never see Miles move beyond his denial of spiritual abilities (there's kinda a whole lotta other shit in BttT that needs to take priority), I like to think that he and Iris could have some very interesting conversations with each other on the subject post-canon.

Next, I'd like to point out that there's a noticeable parallel between Iris hiding herself away at Hazakura after Turnabout Memories and Miles “choosing death” after AA1. I'm of the opinion that neither of them had any intentions of returning to Phoenix, let alone explaining anything, when they set out to do so—Iris resolved to train endlessly as a form of self-flagellation penance, never appearing before Phoenix again so as not to hurt him any more, and Miles left his note at the Prosecutor’s Office with full confidence he would never again return to the courtroom (whether it was truly a suicide note is up for debate, but the game makes it fairly clear that before his offscreen epiphany Miles' initial choice was to leave his prosecutor career for good). They both wholly blamed themselves for being the reason they were even put in such a position, and their absences left Phoenix with unresolved grief as large as a mountain, and deep as an ocean. They both had events that brought them out of hiding—Miles chose to reforge his life and helped Phoenix from the shadows during Turnabout Big Top, and Iris received and accepted Godot’s request for help with his plan (though I’d imagine Phoenix’s presence caught her by complete surprise). They both were put through the wringer and came out of it resolving to reveal the truth. Phoenix, despite being hurt, wanted to believe in them both and ultimately decided to forgive them due to his unwavering faith.

Now, as for the events of BttT themselves, specifically Miles' choice to take up the mantle of a defense attorney and represent Iris in court, it's worth noting that he has multiple reasons for doing so. He just saw his best friend clam up in the hospital when pressed about Iris and wants to do what he can to help him heal, and in Miles' mind, truth in the most healing thing of all, so he becomes her attorney on the condition that she will eventually tell Phoenix what she's been hiding from him. The popular fanon joke about this is that Miles flew halfway across the world in a private jet when he heard his boyfriend was in peril, and took his attorney's badge simply because he couldn't say no to him—and they do have a point that that is an utterly Deranged™ way to express loyalty to someone...but I will argue until my dying breath that it wasn't just about Phoenix or Miles' latent feelings for him (or his latent jealousy prompting him to self-sabotage by pushing Feenris together). It was more than that.

Phoenix may have been the instigating factor, but I believe the reason Miles ultimately decided to defend Iris was because he empathized with her.

Because he saw himself in her.

A young, guarded individual stuck in the detention center for a murder they didn't commit. Going along with the punishment because even if the crime they're on trial for isn't the same as the one they committed, they believe themself guilty regardless. Stuck in a hopeless rut of neverending self-blame, and desperate to keep someone they care about from discovering the truth about them.

Sound familiar?

Miles doesn't make any promises to Iris initially, but after hearing her out...he learns of a tale all too familiar to his own experience in the defendant's seat two years prior, and he empathizes with it. He's far from upfront about his own feelings most of the time, but he demonstrates on multiple occasions that he actually has quite the knack for understanding other people's emotions (such as the end of BttT, when he explains to Phoenix that Maya is very emotionally resilient when there's someone she has to be strong for). Miles may have chosen the path of a prosecutor, but due to his upbringing of having been raised by Gregory, he has the instinct of a defense attorney—he feels strongly compelled to save people, whether they be the falsely accused or the victims of crime. And after finding common ground with Iris, he resolves to do the same thing for her as Phoenix once did for him—save her by proving her not guilty and giving her closure. It's an undeniably selfless act that speaks volumes as to how far he's come since we first met his douche-y AA1 self, and serves as excellent contrast for how we just saw Bratworth act in Turnabout Beginnings.

What really tips the scene over the edge, however...is that because Iris reminds Miles so much of himself, his offer to defend her becomes symbolic of his own self-acceptance.

While it's true he was proven innocent two years ago, and reinvented himself as the kind of prosecutor who can truly bring about justice for those who need it, and shows nothing but confidence in his newfound ideals...we never really see him acknowledge that he was worthy of such redemption. Certainly not with words, at least.

But thanks to Iris, we get to watch him prove it through his actions. Through his unyielding dedication to ensuring that this woman, who's clearly suffering from repressed guilt, knows that she is just as worthy as he was of being freed from her shackles, both real and self-imposed, by the all-encompassing light of truth. And I don't think it's a stretch to say that Iris found that inspiring. So much so that after a single conversation, she decides to finally let go of her need to obfuscate anything and everything about herself/her actions that could interfere with how she feels she has to be perceived in that moment, and begin to own up to the harm she's done by telling Miles what she did (in vague terms, granted, but this is the most progress ANYONE'S made in getting Iris to come forward with what’s on her mind to this point, which is still impressive). And for the first time, someone has helped her realize that maybe, just maybe...she could start on the path toward revealing the truth to the person most in need of the answers she's kept locked away in her heart all this time.

Iris wouldn't have found the courage to seek the truth if not for Miles. And it's because of Iris that Miles gets the chance to prove to himself that he was worthy of salvation all along.

They're perfect, your honor.

[foolish-fran]

Dahlia Hawthorne's name was based on the short story "Rappaccini's Daughter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, about a young woman who was poisoned by her own family and became poisonous herself as a result. I finally got my hands on the book, so I wanted to read it through the lens of "what does this story say about Dahlia?"

Thoughts:

- Beatrice Rappaccini is a beautiful young woman, the daughter of an affluent scientist and the member of a noble family that has fallen into ruin. She has spent her entire life in an idyllic garden of flowers, which was once prosperous and thriving, but has fallen into decay and disrepair as the years have passed. This reflects how Kurain Village was once prosperous, but the village and Fey Family's reputation has crumbled since DL-6.

-It's clear from her dialogue that Beatrice knows nothing of life outside the garden. She is incredibly sheltered, having never left the garden before and knowing nothing of worldly things outside of her small bubble. Similarly, most spirit mediums in Kurain (Pearl and Iris in particular) have never left Kurain Village, growing up sheltered.

-Beatrice is beautiful, delicate, and virtuous, but anything she touches, whether plant, animal, or human, will decay and die by poison. She doesn't *want* to be this way, but her nature cannot be changed. Even when she attempts to take an antidote to her poisonous breath, it fails.

-The author goes out of his way to depict Beatrice not as a monster but as a product of her environment. Beatrice does not *want* to be dangerous, but she was *made* this way by her father, who kept her confined to his garden and used her as a pawn for his own schemes. Her father Giacomo Rappaccini raised her not as a daughter but as a tool, a pawn, a weapon for his own plans and experiments, and turned her into who she is today. Cough cough Morgan Fey

-There is a beautiful purple flower in the garden that Beatrice considers her "sister”. The two have an almost symbiotic relationship, with the protagonist noting that Beatrice and her “sister” seem as if they could be two sides of the same coin. Sounds like Irissss

-The protagonist of the story, Giovanni Guasconti, is a young man who falls in love with Beatrice despite her lethal nature. Through it all, he is desperate to believe in her, hoping against hope that the relationship can work out and that Beatrice is truly good despite the deaths he’s seen her cause. Hmm, a man who wants desperately to believe in people even at the cost of his own life….Feenie?

-Giovanni’s mentor, Baglioni, holds a longstanding grudge against the senior Rappaccini, and Beatrice by extension. He fears for Giovanni’s safety if he keeps seeing Beatrice, but his main priority is seeing Rappaccini fall for the sake of his own revenge. He's a good person, an intellectual with years of experience in the field of science. But his anger consumes him and leads him to harm both Beatrice and Giovanni, seeing them as tools in his plan rather than anything else. Godot?

-When Beatrice asks her father why he made her poisonous, he responds that the poison can function as a defense mechanism. If Beatrice is poisonous, than nobody can hurt her. It's better to be dangerous yourself than to be vulnerable to danger. It’s just like Dahlia!

-This whole exchange:

“”Wherefore didst thou inflict this miserable doom upon thy child?”

“Miserable! What mean you, foolish girl? Dost though deem it misery to be endowed with marvelous gifts, against which no power nor strength could avail an enemy?” Reminds me of how Morgan and the Feys saw spirit channeling as a gift, but Dahlia and Iris seem to see it as a curse

[liccalavender]

Recipe for Turnabout is the pinnacle of Ace Attorney ridiculousness. There is no case that comes close to it frankly. While it has aged quite badly over the years, I can't find it in me to hate this case. It's horrible and I love it.

For starters, your client has already been declared guilty! Maggey Byrde has already been tried and convicted for the murder of Glen Elg.

She's only found guilty because there is a man posing as Phoenix. A man who is bright red, has a thick Jersey accent, has ties to the mob, and rides a scooter far too small for him.

A man who is blackmailing a (Honestly. What kind of stereotype is Jean Armstrong supposed to be? A drag queen? A transgender woman? Does it really matter? It's offensive either way) who is absolutely failing at running a restaurant. Just completely running it into the ground. A chef who can not make edible food. Who's only clientele is an old man who likes to stare at the waitresses' dress. Who's affinity for the straps of maid dresses is actually an incredibly important piece of testimony.

This evil Phoenix, Xineohp, Furio Tigre, wore a cardboard badge to court and just... got away with it. Did nobody notice that Phoenix got many inches taller, bright red, and completely changed his manner of speech? It's funny, and it does foreshadow nobody noticing Edgeworth is a prosecutor during Bridge to the Turnabout when he was subbing in for Phoenix.

I could probably go on for days about this case. There's so much to talk about, so much to question. But no matter how much you do so, it will never be anything but utterly, completely, absolutely ridiculous.

[liccalavender]

My hottest take is that while Trials and Tribulations as a whole is a more enjoyable game to play. I prefer the plot to Justice for All.

Aa2 doesn't exactly have the best case lineup in the series. Arguably having 2 of the worst cases of all time. But is an Ace Attorney game the sum of its cases? Does 2-1 and 2-3 negate the existence of 2-2 and 2-4? I don't think so personally.

Edgeworths disappearance, Franziska and Phoenix dealing with grief, Maya's feelings of immaturity, and the examination of what it means to be a defense attorney are all great storylines. I love them all to bits.

I think more people should look at Aa2 as a whole, more critically. Many get lost in the circus, and miss the story that is being told. I too, used to be on the Aa2 hate train. But a recent replay changed my opinion greatly.

This is not to say Aa3 is bad. It has a great case lineup, and I don't loathe playing a single case. The plot to Trials and Tribulations is great too. But when it comes to what games story occupies my brain the most consistently, it's Justice for All.

[relicsongmel]

Iris, Miles, and their mutual "secret"

The Ace Attorney fandom is no stranger to discussions of homoerotic subtext in the game's script—pretty much everyone who's spent more than five seconds here will be able to tell you that. Screenshots of lines that imply romantic tension between same-gender characters are all over the place, to the point that many fans are drawn to the series purely by its reputation as "the gay lawyer game." Some scenes are more well-known than others, but one I find brought up fairly regularly is this conversation between Miles and Iris:

This is optional dialogue that can be triggered by presenting incorrect evidence on Iris' Psyche-Lock during the Investigation portion of Bridge to the Turnabout. The argument here is that the "secret" Iris is referring to is the same as her own: that being, a romantic interest in Phoenix Wright. Which is definitely hilarious when you consider that Iris has known Miles for less than a day and she's already reading him for filth (granted, she could have been clued in by the similarly infamous "indispensable friend" line, and she's also exceptionally good at reading people despite Miles thinking otherwise). As a Narumitsu shipper myself I am not immune to enjoying that interpretation; however, I feel like there's a lot of nuance in this scene that isn't often addressed by the fandom at large. Which is unfortunate because watering it down to just Iris calling out Miles for being the gayass he is (to be fair. she's not wrong) does a MASSIVE disservice to both of their characters, and I'll explain why.

My bone to pick with the usual analysis of this scene is mostly centered around the larger conversation to be had regarding the treatment of female characters in fandom spaces. All too often they tend to play second fiddle to the male characters, and a similar principle holds true for ships with their canonical male love interests: mostly ignored in favor of the the more popular M/M ship(s). At best these women are sidelined, at worse they are flattened into wingmen for the boys (as is frequently the case with many AA girls and Narumitsu, Iris included), and at the absolute worst they are demonized for their perceived "competition" with whatever gay ship is most popular and therefore the Only Valid One for the male characters involved (as exemplified by some very "passionate" fans that I generally try to avoid interacting with). Whenever this scene gets brought up, the focus is almost always exclusively on Miles and what the interaction says about his relationship with Phoenix; Iris is only relevant insofar as she's the one initiating Miles' Homosexual Moment™—you could replace her with almost any other character and there'd be a similar level of neglect for their role in the interaction. Only very rarely will you see attention given to what Iris' question about Miles' secret means when she is the one asking it, and what it can tell us about her relationship with Miles/what she thinks of him, and vice versa (absolutely wild how even Miles himself is often flanderized despite being the fandom's golden child). It's all too characteristic of the systemic misogyny that has plagued fandom since its inception, which is deeply frustrating to me as someone who adores Iris as much as I do (if that wasn't obvious by now). So that said, let's dive deeper into what I think the missing link is here: namely, the Iris-Miles dynamic as it pertains to their relation to Phoenix.

Iris and Miles is one of my favorite relationships to explore in the whole series—but as I've described above, unfortunately a lot of people get it wrong in my opinion. Discussion about the two is frequently centered around Narumitsu Love Drama—which is a conversation worth having, don't get me wrong—but the elements at play there aren't always represented the way I envision them, which again, is frustrating. Take the idea of potential jealousy, for instance: it's pretty standard love triangle fare that can be (and often is) quickly turned into demonization when it's used in a shipping context, character assassination be damned (re: Narumitsu fanfic authors that project their personal dislike of Feenris onto Miles via his jealousy of Iris and/or how they tend to portray Iris unfavorably). However, it's not inherently a bad thing to explore: personally, I do believe that there is mutual jealousy between the two of them. Miles might not have the full context of Iris' history when this conversation takes place, but he's emotionally intelligent enough to pick up on what Iris means to Phoenix, and vice versa. And him being a jealous hoe about it isn't out of the question when you consider that he's a bit of a loner by nature and doesn't have many close friends or outlets for socialization outside of his job. The crucial element that's sometimes missed, though, is that Miles not only lacks the self-awareness to realize he's a jealous hoe...he's also a self-sabotaging jealous hoe.

And the same can be said for Iris, who is similarly introverted and doesn't often leave her home at Hazakura Temple.

The whole reason Miles is peering into Iris' heart in the first place can be found in this exchange, after he breaks her Psyche-Lock:

Miles uses the Magatama in order to gain the answers he needs to bring the truth to light and get Iris acquitted, and he does so for the express purpose of reuniting her with Phoenix so they can find closure—in fact, he reiterates this to her multiple times. He obviously recognizes how Phoenix is suffering from what happened between them (I'd argue he sympathizes with Iris' plight as well) and has resolved to do what he can to help him heal, but there's no reason for him to be so insistent that she rectify things with Phoenix when it does nothing but harm his own chances with him. Unless, of course...that's the whole point.

To convince Iris to reveal her secret so he doesn't have to face his own, because he thinks himself undeserving.

And Iris, noticing this because she empathizes with that feeling of unworthiness, calls him out on it in an almost uncharacteristically forward manner when she asks him what he's hiding.

Takes one to know one, indeed.

Iris highly respects Miles for taking on her defense despite the risk to his job as a prosecutor. She's willing to trust him after hearing he's a friend of Phoenix, hearing him out and letting him reason with her. She still keeps her cards close to her chest in some regards, but she's more honest with him than she's been with anyone else in her life apart from her sister. She sees his commitment to the truth and how it starkly contrasts with how she's lived her life to this point, and thinks that this is the type of partner Phoenix deserves—not someone like her, who only knows how to survive using lies and deception. She sees so much strength in him but still recognizes the insecurity lurking beneath his tenacity, which is why when he falters in his logic, she takes a leap of faith and gives him one last chance to examine his reasons for pushing the burden of his unspoken affections onto her, as if to say: "Look in the mirror. Is this really for me? Or is it for you? Do you really seek the truth for its own sake, or do you merely hope to find one truth so you might run from another?"

Her question to Miles is a gamble—a coin flip of self-sacrifice. If she loses and he presses on, she has to face the secret within her heart she's been suppressing for five years. But if she wins and he gives in to the truth in his, she has to live the rest of her life watching it unfold and knowing she threw away her chance to finally stop living in fear of her own love.

Either way, there's no escaping heartache for her anymore.

Miles and Iris both want what's best for Phoenix and prioritize their vision of his feelings over their own. However, they are also both deeply emotionally repressed people who find difficulty in being direct with their feelings, and are predisposed to self-sabotage due to childhood trauma. These tendencies may manifest in different ways for both of them, but the fact remains that such people would likely not compete for a person's affection in the traditional sense, which is exactly what we see with how Iris and Miles deflect their feelings for Phoenix. These selfless, lovestruck idiots toss that man around like a game of hot-potato because their mutual self-hatred for the ways they've harmed him has rendered them terrified of the reality of what he means to them, and desperate to find a way out of admitting to it. It's the most compelling explanation I can think of for why the usually unassuming Iris makes such a bold judgment about what Miles might be keeping locked away, and why Miles goes to such lengths to make sure she talks to Phoenix and tells him the truth—his agreement to defend her was conditional on that exact promise. They go through this whole song-and-dance of playing wingman to ignore their own feelings while still trying to bring Phoenix the happiness they think he deserves—and then they wonder why seeing Phoenix give the other one attention burns them up inside.

Because they’re dumb. And I love them.

TL;DR the Iris Psyche-Lock scene in BttT is so much more than just "haha Miles gay" and I wish people talked about it more. Also Iris and Miles are way more similar than they appear at first glance and if I think about it for too long it makes me physically ill thank you for coming to my TED talk

[liccalavender]

Does everyone know it's almost Christmas? Has everyone been informed? Because it is indeed almost Christmas.

[liccalavender]

It's an international tragedy that Clay Terran gets more attention than Adrian Andrews.

[liccalavender]

...Did they seriously just advocate for playing the Ace Attorney series out of order? No way, they did not just do that.

Not playing Ace Attorney in order is absolutely detrimental to your experience of the story. Sure most games recap the events of the previous ones. But hearing about these events in strings of dialog isn't the same as seeing them unfold in game.

There's absolutely no way to connect with certain games properly without playing in order. If you start with aa4, you're not going to care about a random washed-up disbarred attorney. Because you haven't experienced his story yet! Imagine playing investigations collection without knowing who Edgeworth is! It takes away so many elements from the story if you have no baseline knowledge of the timeline.

[liccalavender]

I should definitely advocate for a new mainline Ace Attorney game where Phoenix Wright isn't playable from a storytelling standpoint...

But I'm not. I'm arguing from a fan standpoint. I want Phoenix Wright as the protagonist forever. I never want anyone else.

"But we need to give other characters spotlight!" No we don't

"He's playable in enough games" No He's not

"But what about Apollo/Athena" Do not care

I'm joking (mostly. Not at all, actually. Kinda. You, the viewer, should decide)

[liccalavender]

Very rarely do I not prefer the original version of something. But in the case of Investigations 1... I don't think I'll ever be playing the original ds verison again. I am in love with Investigations collection.

One of the first things I noticed while playing aai for the first time is how the pixel sprites add to scenes. And the updated graphics in Investigations compound on this. Giving us amazing animations in high detail. I am in love with it.

The updated UI is great as well. Puzzle themes for the logic mechanic is a fabulous idea! Having the evidence organizer look like an actual organizer is amazing! I am in love with it.

In the case of Investigations 2, I will definitely continue playing the original. The fan translation is just such a cozy little thing to me. I don't know if I'll ever be able to give it up. I'm pleasantly surprised by the official localization, though!

[ot3]

every time i think about aa5 and 6 i get so blisteringly mad at takeshi yamazaki i start praying for his downfall but then i remember how much love i have for the investigations duology and i just deflate. how did he pull it off. how do you make both a game that many people* consider to be the best in the entire ace attorney franchise and then also put out two that are in a hardcore death spiral vying for last place. but more importantly than any of that how can i stay mad at the man who made "miles edgeworth has never stacked folding chairs in his entire life" canon? like, yeah. of course he hasn't. but now we know that.

[liccalavender]

I am very, very, very excited for the Investigations Collection. But I am not as excited to have to defend Investigations 1's honor.

It is a good entry into the Ace Attorney series! Yes, it has its issues, but it's fun. I don't really understand why so many people put it at the bottom of all the games. Because personally, what it adds outshines it's issues.

I'm very excited for more people to play Investigations 2. But I have a premonition that people are going to mischaracterize Raymond Shields (Eddie Fender).

I've put myself on a "no investigations replaying" diet impending the release of the collection. So once I've replayed it I'll make a longer post about why I think aai is worthy of being a middle tier Ace Attorney game. (And why aai2 is a top tier game)

[strawberryjamsara]

The thing about ‘Apollo gets a new backstory each game’ that really annoys me is it refuses to engage with the perfectly interesting backstory AJ gave him. In what world is ‘magical orphan boy who grew up admiring Phoenix Wright but was let down by his hero, and learned everything he knew about lawyering from an actual serial killer’ not something you’d want to get into? In what world is ‘No dialogue best friend who dies’ more interesting? What does the entirety of SOJ add except to muddle what we already know about Apollo?

[liccalavender]

Yes exactly! Giving the protagonist a simple backstory and building upon that is always good. Take Phoenix, for example. All we knew for 2 games is that he was childhood friends with Edgeworth and Larry. Then, becoming a lawyer to save Edgeworth. He doesn't get a 'proper backstory' until aa3. But it fits his character and the established lore very well.

But for Apollo, almost everything just comes out of left field. Sure, it's believable he also had a friend that inspired him. But would it kill them to actually make him a character? When Apollo is understandably upset that his friend is dead. I have a hard time caring. Because Clay Terran has the presence of a Cindy Stone, but the game is trying so hard to convince you he's a Gregory Edgeworth.

A story about Apollo coming to terms with his life being filled with lies and deceit would have been perfect. A story about Apollo coming to terms with his idols being frauds would have been great. But no. We get "Wow I love Mr. Wright I'm so glad he never did anything wrong ever and never lied to me ever he's like my number one hero wowwowwow!".

[liccalavender]

Others have talked about this, but Larry Butz in Trials and Tribulations is so strange.

He wasn't a creep like this in the first game. He does make a comment about Maya being cute. But it didn't exude the raw "ick" that it does in aa3. He was a well-meaning but clumsy guy who fell in love easily and frequently. Then, after 2 years of being absent from the story. He becomes a man who definitely belongs on a list of some sort.

It's bizzare, and short-lived as well. Because he is back to normal by Investigations. Relatively speaking, of course. I can't speak for his portrayal in Spirit of Justice. But I'm assuming it's similar to Investigations.

Why? Why this strange, sudden, and brief character change? This was the same writer as the previous games. Why was Larry flanderized in only his second appearance in the series?

I find this so strange specifically because he's the only character to act so vastly different than they did in previous games. If everyone was acting off, I'd assume the writing just took a turn for the worse. But it's exclusively him!