The Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney trilogy has three full-length games in it, including the bonus episode in the first game. I'll write a review of each one down below. The games are visual novels where you play a lawyer who has to successfully solve cases. It's a linear game so failing to solve a case will just give you a game over screen and start you on your last save. The gameplay usually consists of two phases. Investigating: where you go around and talk to people and collect evidence. Then the trial, where you have to correctly present the evidence at the right time while calling out witness testimonies. The two phases usually go back and forth. 

Overall, it was a lot of fun. I know the games have a huge following so I don't think I fell in love with them as much as other people did. I'm still very glad I played them. I thought the characters were very likeable and charming. The cases were hit or miss. Most of them were so creative and had some unexpected twists. I was very bad at the game so I did have to cheat through some of it. At least I learned something about myself. I should not be a detective or a lawyer. 

I definitely gravitated towards the friendship between Maya and Pheonix. As well as Detective Gumshoe. He's a great character. He deserves a spin off game.  I also love the frenemy relationship between Phoenix and Miles Edgeworth.

I felt indifferent to Pheonix as a protagonist. He never did anything that wowed me, or that made me love or hate his character. I do like how he interacted with his friends. His reactions and inner monologue add to some very funny dialogue too. The game has a lot of comedic moments. When I started the game, I thought it would be more serious with a more accurate portrayal of the court system.  Once I got used to the goofy tone of the game, I really enjoyed the comedic side of it as well as the occasional dramatic moments.

 One personal pet peeve I had with the games is that the culprit is almost always the witness, or given away to us right at the beginning. I want to try and guess who the killer is.. Oh, also the fact that the main characters keep getting framed for the murder on multiple occasions. Maya, Miles, and Maggie were framed like two or three times. 

I'll write a little review of each game and case below. I'll be vague but be aware of the spoiler tag!

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

This is the first game in the series. You are introduced to most of the recurring characters. You meet Phoenix, Mia, her sister Maya, Gumshoe, and Miles Edgeworth. This is a fantastic introduction to the world of Ace Attorney. We learn about the characters and we are given the tone for the series. It has some solid backstory and character development. The comedy hits the mark and the cases are well written. . 

 The First Turnabout The first case is the shortest. It serves its purpose of setting up the gameplay and characters. It introduced my least favorite recurring character. (Sorry, Larry, you're just too annoying 😭). The trial is pretty straightforward. It's a great tutorial. It's short, to the point, and has a couple "gotcha!" moments for the player. It also demonstrates Pheonix Wright's lack of experience but strong dedication to his friends.

 Turnabout Sisters The second case is more involved. We also meet Maya, who becomes a very important character throughout the series. I was actually shocked when Mia died. It was a huge bummer because I was looking forward to exploring her character. Luckily, they bring her back in other ways. The case itself wasn't very memorable. Or at least I don't remember it. It does establish Pheonix and Maya has a dynamic duo. I would then get Mia and Maya's names mixed up for most of the game. 

Turnabout Samurai: The third case is bigger and better. Lots of comedy in this one. Some world building and plenty of fun side characters. The case itself was kind of confusing. It had my brain working overtime to remember what was happening towards the end. I didnt see that ending coming. Overall, fun case, and the writing was tight.  I like that it gets referenced a lot in the rest of the trilogy. 

Turnabout Goodbyes: This is the final case (if you exclude the bonus episode). This is a fantastic case. The story is gripping. It adds so many more layers to Miles Edgeworth. He only gets better and better. You get some flashbacks of Pheonix and Miles past and it has many twists and turns. It brought some good backstory, character development, and the comedy is spot on, even if its a more serious case. It also introduces undefeated attorney, Manfred von Karma. A ruthless prosecutor who feels like a rael threat.

Rise from the Ashes: This is a bonus episode. I did not like this one. It was added later for the Nintendo DS. I like some things about it. Maggie is a good character. The side characters they introduce are unusual, in a good way. They set the episode apart from the rest.  The story would have been pretty good if condensed more. What ruined the episode for me was that it was soooo long. The final case of the third Ace Attorney was two hours longer than this one, and it felt five hours shorter. The pacing on this drags on, killing any momentum I had for this case and the next game. The DS mechanics didn't age well, especially on PC and the episode was also added in much later, so it messes with the narrative a little bit. 

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All

This is the second game in the trilogy. It's my least favorite game, but I still enjoyed it. It introduces a really cool new gameplay mechanic, a fierce new prosecutor, and one of the best cases in the whole trilogy. 

The Lost Turnabout: This is another introduction case. Even though it serves as a tutorial, I like how they came up with an idea to make Pheonix feel like a newbie attorney again without making him dumb. There is a returning character, a couple of twists. Nothing crazy. It's simple and not the best written case, but I enjoyed it. Overall, solid tutorial. 

Reunion, and Turnabout Such a good case! This case gave us so much backstory on Maya and her culture and powers. We are also introduced to the magatama, which adds a whole new layer to the gameplay. Pearly is introduced and although the villain was obvious, the motive was not so predictable. I also really like Lotta. It was nice to see her back again. Overall, a very solid case. I like that Mayas spirit world mixes with the somewhat realistic world of judges and courtrooms. It led to some hilarious dialogue and reactions. It also raises some good questions about Maya's abilities and the result of using them. 

Turnabout Big Top: oof this case. At first I was really excited about this case. The circus setting is so interesting to me, and I loved the wacky list of characters it introduces. I used to be obsessed with magicians like Criss Angel as a kid, so Max Galactica was an emberassing and hilarious reminder of that. I liked the clown, I was intrigued by the ventriloquist, and theres a teenager who tames wild animals. How cool is that?
Then it started getting weird. Firstly, the logic in the case started to unravel pretty quickly towards the end. I won't go into details, but there is a lot of luck that went into this murder plan. The murderer ends up being a character that isn't even introduced until the very end of the case.  Oh, and also, two grown men fall in love with a sixteen year old girl. There is a love triangle between Max - who is 21, and the ventriloquist - who is a 31 year old man. Apparently it's fine because his puppet loves her.. and not him… They have a huge fight over her and Max even talks about marrying her the whole case. There are even moments where Pheonix and the judge develop a crush on her. She's 16! And she's sheltered and niave, which makes their obsession with her even worse. There are things I enjoyed about this case but I wouldn't go back and play it;

Farewell, My Turnabout: These final cases are just too damn good. This is one of the best cases in the whole trilogy. This case has danger, mystery, twists, and fascinating characters. The stakes feel higher than they ever have. Plus, on a side note, detective Gumshoe gets some nice moments. I love his character and he deserves more appreciation. So many characters worked together in this case. It truly felt like a finale. I even finally grew to like Franziska. Also Miles Edgeworth gets better and better. Some twists could have been handled better and I was hoping for some more character development from Pheonix himself. But these are small gripes in an overall fantastic case. It's also the only case in the trilogy to have multiple endings.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations

This is my favorite game of the trilogy. It learns from the best parts of the other two games. It contains a tightly structured narrative that contains humor, high stakes, and gives our favorite characters a wonderful send off. The cases build on each other. Each one brings something important to the story. 

Turnabout Memories: I was wondering how they were going to do a tutorial case again without making the characters forget how to do their job. I was pleasedly surprised to find out this case is a flashback. We now see a rookie defense attorney, Mia Fey, take on her second case. She is nervous and inexperienced, and she has Phoenix Wright as a client. This is a wonderful introduction, as usual. The case does several things right. It shows us how two main characters met. It introduces some important characters. It sets up a narrative that will be relevant throughout the game. Plus, it explains some questions we had in the previous games. My only complaint is, why did they make Pheonix such an idiot. It wasn't set that long ago, but Phoenix is unsufferable. I'm glad he did some growing up lol

The Stolen Turnabout: This case was pretty good, but I honestly don't remember much about it. I remember liking some of the twists and the misdirections. There were a couple of good side characters, and one character I wish we saw more of. I was surprised to find out it was not a murder case we were working on. But then it quickly became a murder case. Overall, solid case, but too much Larry.  

Recipe for Turnabout:  Probably my least favorite case in this game, but unlike in the second game, I actually enjoyed every case in this game. Even if this was a weaker story than the rest, it's still a funny case and a nice reprieve from the more serious cases around it. Unfortunately, this is one of those cases where they show you who the killer is right away, even if he doesn't show up until later.. It makes up for it by having the killer be so obvious on purpose because hes such a weirdo. Furio Tigre is actually such a fun villain. This case goes full strange. I love it. The beginning hook gets you and its a wild ride throughout. Unfortunately, the case does drag a little bit. There are definitely some unnecessary parts. Some annoying characters too. The chef is the worst. And while it does introduce some interesting characters, it also leads to some unfortunate wasted potential. An example is the character Viola. Viola is so fascinating and I love her story. She's barely on screen. I would love to see her return. This case does not take itself seriously. I think it was meant to be a palet cleanser for whats to come.  

Turnabout Beginnings: This is another flashback case. This one features a younger Mia and Edgeworth. This one is great. It exists to set up the next episode, but its a great set up. Lots of suspense in this one.. Armando is a captivating character in his short screen time. You already know how it ends based on the knowledge given to you previously, but you still wonder what will happen. Knowing how it will end but not the details makes it even more nerve wracking. I really enjoyed it. 

Bridge to the Turnabout: This is it! My favorite case. This case does so many things right. They built up this case throughout the whole game and all the pieces of the puzzle fall in perfectly. The stakes actually feel high again, with Maya in danger and Phoenix unable to save her. It was a genius idea to switch perspectives and have us play as Miles Edgeworth. The villain felt like a real threat. There were plenty of twists. One was really obvious but the game treated it like it was a much bigger surprise than it was. All the characters played a role. There were plenty of emotional moments. Especially with Maya. This felt like a great send off to the series. I know they made more games after this, but if I stop here then I'll feel content.

In conclusion, Ace Attorney w as a wild ride and I enjoyed it a lot. I like games with a more serious tone so it wasn't my favorite visual novel, but Im glad I played it! Feel free to tell me if your opinions matched mine or are totally different. 

Animal Farm is a text based choice game. It is based off the Animal Farm book, but it does take its own paths away from the source material. I never quite understood how my choices were effecting things or how to get the other endings. I chose to call it quits after two endings. It isn't clear what the end goal is. I know the book doesn't end happy, but the game has an unclear objective so you make a lot of choices at random. The gameplay is also too repetitive, so replaying wasn't fun.

It's not a bad game though. It's simple to play, the dialogue is good. It's represents the book and it's meaning in a clever way. I'd recommend this game only if you are a big fan of the book.

Steam Deck Compatibility: Animal Farm is "verified" on Steam Deck and it worked perfectly fine. Same with Ace Attorney since I forgot to mention it.

Not for Broadcast is an FMV Choice game. You work at a news station and you get to decide what gets broadcast and what doesn't.

Wow! What a hidden gem. I started this game thinking it'd be a little comedic management game where I have to hit the right buttons and turn the right knobs. While it is a comedy drama (dramedy?) it's also much more complex than that. 

There are a lot of moving parts in this game. It apparently won a Guiness World Record award for having over 42 hours of FMV footage. It definitely deserves it. There is so much FMV happening in this game, I can't imagine how much work it was to put it all together. 

Not for Broadcast has a lot of British humor. If that's your thing, I undoubtedly recommend it. It also contains deeply impactful moments. As the player, you are given choices throughout the game. The choices really do matter. The game is a political FMV set in a fictional world. It takes a lot of inspiration from real life situations and events. The political tension is high in the game and there are a lot of opinions from the audience. The game has you choose what you want to air and what you don't. You control the station. You decide what the audience sees. It's a brilliant mechanic that changes the story in multiple different ways. The closest comparison I can think of is the game "Papers Please." In both games, you have an important job to do, but you have to make those hard hitting choices knowing there are more important things on the line.

The characters are wonderful. Some you love and some you hate.  A lot of them are overdramatized and hammed up for comedic reasons, but a fair share of them carry the plot a lot. One character is "the goat" as the kids would say. 

There is a lot of bonus content. Extra footage and challenges can be found on the menu screen. You can even see more FMV footage that wasn't caught in the broadcast. 

Overall, a hidden gem for sure. The choices really do matter and will put you down the path of one of the fourteen different endings the game provides. I did only play the game once. I got the best ending and didn't want to go back in for a second time (yet). Unfortunately, the Not for Broadcast is fairly long for a game that has that many multiple endings. 

Some segments drag on a lot and aren't fun to replay. Maybe one day they will add a skip feature or a way to speed up on multiple playthroughs.

Steam Deck Compatibility: This game is "playable" on the Steam deck. Overall, it worked great. I got stuck on the menu a couple of times, but it worked fine afterwards. The game doesn't require fast movement speeds so the deck was preferred over PC for me on this game.