When we find out that there’s a gaming anniversary going on or will be happening soon, we can’t help but celebrate the game. That goes double if the game is impactful in some respect or helped set a trend that many games followed. Many of you are likely fans of the beloved character Phoenix Wright. He’s been featured in many games and crossovers over the years, but his personal saga still holds up as a great detective/lawyer game. Yesterday, Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations celebrated its 16th anniversary, and we thought we’d look back at what made the game so special.
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations was the third game in the series, and it capped off the original trilogy in the saga. The focus was on a now more mature and experienced Phoenix Wright as he took on the most personal and dangerous case in his history. That alone is quite a statement given all the cases he had done before and how he’s had to save certain people he cared for multiple times.
What made this game stand out was many-fold. First, it was the first game in the series to do not one but two “flashback cases.” The two cases focused on Phoenix’s mentor, Mia Fey, and the two cases that shaped her career while also putting her in contact with Phoenix for the first time. These insights helped define the “ghostly” character even more and helped Phoenix find the strength he needed in several key moments as he finished her story.
Then, there was the mysterious Godot, the prosecutor who drank 17 cups of coffee every single trial and had an odd visor over his eyes. His hatred for Phoenix was palpable, and while no one understood it at first, all was made clear at the end.
Every case in the game was dark, complex, and had several twists. But the kicker was the “saga of Dahlia Hawthrone,” whom we easily consider one of the most evil characters in the history of video games. We won’t spoil much, but when she got her “just desserts” multiple times? It was worth it.
The irony of the game was that it was meant to be the end of Phoenix’s story. The creator of the trilogy even admitted that. But Capcom wanted to keep it going, so they eventually made a new trilogy that will be released next year for modern consoles in the Apollo Justice Ace Attorney Trilogy.
