Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials & Tribulations (DS)

Reflexes take a backseat to reading comprehension in this compelling mystery.
2/17/2008 12:00 AM | 0 Comments | Page 1 of 2

In 2007, gamers were treated to a lesson in storytelling economy. Portal, an imaginative hybrid of puzzler and first-person shooter, took a less-is-more approach to spinning a videogame yarn. With a cast of two (one of which was mute), Portal showed that evocative atmosphere and a light narrative touch could create a compelling story. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations falls on the opposite side of the spectrum.

The game is built entirely around story, populated with a troupe of unique characters -- each with their own complex personality, backstory and motivations. Flashbacks and monologues are plentiful. It's a chatty, wordy, text-heavy game. Where Portal goosed innovative game mechanics with sparse dialog, this third game in the Phoenix Wright series continues to keep user interactivity at a bare minimum. Players have very little control over the way the game's story unfolds. The game is a testament to the breadth of experiences videogames can offer. Games can transform players into gods who control every detail of a virtual world, or they can thrust us into a strict series of events where we can enjoy the rush of being swept up by fate. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations delivers some of the best storytelling in videogames by pulling players into a world of murder, mystery and magic with the most old-school of all storytelling tools -- the written word.

With three games under his belt, Phoenix Wright is no legal rookie. As a successful defense lawyer, he's saved many an innocent man and woman from wrongful imprisonment or worse. His modus operandi is not unlike the kind you'd see on 'Law & Order,' only Wright handles both the investigation and the jurisprudence. Unfortunately, the local fuzz doesn't have the best sleuths on staff. Detective Gumshoe, the game's resident boy in blue, means well, but is always missing or misinterpreting vital bits of evidence.

In the Law parts of the game, Phoenix explores crime scenes, police departments and detention centers trying to suss out the truth of the case. Each scene is rendered as a flat, hand-drawn backdrop that players can poke and prod with their stylus in search of clues. Each vital piece of data is added to Phoenix's court record. There are also tons of witnesses, suspects and allies to pump for information. Much of the game is told in conversations between Phoenix and the many people he meets during the course of his investigation.

When the big day arrives and it's time for the client's day in court, the game becomes a battle of wits between Phoenix and the prosecutor. As witnesses and the defendant testify, Phoenix can press them to elaborate on each point they make. When players notice an inconsistency in a defendant's testimony, they can go to their cache of clues and statements they collected during their investigation and throw the tidbit in the fibber's face. Phoenix is penalized for wrong guesses. A sort of health bar measures the judge's patience for Wright's tomfoolery. When the bar is drained, the judge declares the defendant 'guilty,' and it's game over.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations spans five cases, which at first seem like they're unrelated. But as the hours pass, it becomes evident that there's an overarching element tying most of the trials together. The common thread is Wright's friend Maya Fey, sister of his now-deceased legal mentor Mia, and heir to a mystical secret -- the Kurain Channeling Technique. Maya and other members of her spiritually sensitive family have the ability to summon the deceased and allow themselves to be possessed by the dead.