Bridget van Zaanen 16174344 Online Games, Play and Gamification Assessment 3 , Creative Artefact Game: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Ace Attorney?
You mean this game series is about lawyers?
It sure is! And I know exactly what you’re thinking - “How is a game about lawyers fun?” You know how I know that? Because that’s exactly what I thought when I first heard about the series. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a series of visual novel adventure games set in the United States in the late 2010s. You take control of novice defense attorney Phoenix Wright as he solves murder cases and tries to get his clients a not guilty verdict. Throughout the series, you see him grow from a young, rookie attorney to being a fully-fledged lawyer with proteges of his own. The cases he has to investigate are often bizarre with his clients and suspects being unusual and over the top caricatures. Phoenix -- who seems to be the only “normal” character in the entire series -- provides entertaining commentary throughout. The scenarios you play through are both comedic and suspenseful provide a really fun gameplay experience that will leave you asking yourself “maybe I took the wrong career path!”
So what exactly is a visual novel? To understand what sort of game Ace Attorney is, you need to have a little bit of an understanding of the visual novel genre. The visual novel genre originated in Japan and a way to describe it would be interactive literature. Typically they focus heavily on storytelling and character development as there often isn’t a lot of action or adventure to pad the gameplay out. There are two distinct styles of visual novel and it’s important to understand the difference between the two.
Type 1 – NVL
Type 2 – ADV
(short for novel)
(short for adventure)
This style is more reminiscent of an actual novel and features very little interactivity other than speaking with other characters. The words are written in a novel format (“he said” “she laughed” etc) and are usually accompanied by a static background image. The image below is an example of an NVL visual novel.
This style has, you guessed it, adventure game elements. The text comes out line by line and is accompanied by an image or sprite to indicate who is speaking. This style is usually accompanied by interactive elements, such as interactive backgrounds and tasks that you need to complete to progress to the next part of the game.
Alright, so how does this series play then? As indicated by the image on the above page, Ace Attorney falls under the ADV visual novel genre. Throughout the series, you take control of Phoenix and experience the game through his eyes. Not only do you get his outer dialogue, but you also get to read his inner monologue and thoughts. The game is divided into two different modes – the case investigation and the courtroom trial. Each section has different types of gameplay. Investigation mode The primary goal of the investigation sections is to gather clues and information about the case. This involves speaking to witnesses, detectives and other important figures in the case. Each character he interacts with is represented by a character sprite on screen and you have two options when engaging in conversation. You have the option to speak to them about certain topics or to present evidence or other character profiles. Both may potentially provide Phoenix with clues about the case.
Investigation Mode
Phoenix can travel to different important locations during this investigation phase and can interact with these locations but examining them. This is down by moving the cursor around the screen and clicking on items that may seem important to the case. This often turns up clues and provides witty dialogue between Phoenix and the other characters. Courtroom mode The second section of the game takes place entirely in the courthouse where you play through the trial. Phoenix is represented by a sprite but you still are able to hear his inner thoughts. The main gameplay element of this section is the cross-examinations where you attempt to find a contradiction from the witness by pressing them for more information and presenting evidence. The truth always come out at the end of the trial, although often unexpected and with many plot twists.
Courtroom mode
Why is it so much fun? There are two answers to that – the characters and Phoenix’s reaction to everything going on around him. The characters he interacts with are bizarre and larger than life, and Phoenix reacts to them in the way a regular human would: in confusion. Many games put you in the protagonist’s shoes but you never get to know them personally. But due to the narrative style of Ace Attorney, you get an understanding of who Phoenix is and how he feels about and reacts to situations. His dialogue is witty and he is oftentimes exasperated with the craziness around him. Because we get to read his inner monologue, we form a relationship with him. It makes him feel more human than a lot of other protagonists. The games director, Shu Takumi has stated that Phoenix is him in every way except in name. The fact that his character was modeled after a real person really helps bring him to life.
And lastly, the impact and importance Game reviewer Carrie Gouskos said in 2005 that the series “revitalised the adventure through its bright, rich, and lengthy adventure that could hardly have been improved upon otherwise.” It was first localised into English in 2005 and at that point, action games such as God of War were all the rage. Ace Attorney introduced players to a different genre of game that was action-packed but through narrative and dialogue. But perhaps the most famous part of the game is the “Objection!” scenes, which have been parodied by countless shows and games. Due to its roaring success in the Western gaming market, the series has gone on to spawn a tv show, a movie and several spin off games, including a crossover with the famous Professor Layton.
Thank you!
Reference List Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney [Nintendo DS]. (2005). Capcom. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy [Nintendo Switch]. (2019). Capcom. Minotto, M. (2019). The RetroBeat: Capcom’s Phoenix Wright remains the best thing in adventure gaming. Retro Beat. Retrieved from: https://venturebeat.com/2019/05/09/the-retrobeat-capcomsphoenix-wright-remains-the-best-thing-in-adventure-gaming/ Crimmins, B. (2016). A Brief History of Visual Novels. Medium. Retrieved from: https://medium.com/ mammon-machine-zeal/a-brief-history-of-visual-novels-641a2e6b1acb (2015). Do you prefer NVL or ADV style for reading Text in a Visual Novel? Reddit. Retrieved from: https://www.reddit.com/r/visualnovels/comments/30jyu1/do_you_prefer_nvl_or_adv_style_for_reading_ text/ Webster, A. (2019). If you haven’t played the wacky Ace Attorney trilogy, now is the best time. The Verge. Retrieved from: https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/12/18306762/phoenix-wright-ace-attorneytrilogy-remastered-review-xbox-ps4-switch Adler, A. (2019). Our Lawyer Reviews Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy. The Escapist. Retrieved from: https://www.escapistmagazine.com/v2/our-lawyer-reviews-phoenix-wright-ace-attorney-trilogy/ Gouskos, C. (2005). Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Review. Gamespot. Retrieved from: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Review Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Art Gallery. Creative Uncut. Retrieved from: https://www.creativeuncut. com/gallery-05/praa-phoenix-wright4.html Wallpoper. Retrieved from: https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/399483429421539788/ Jenkins, H. (2004). Game design as narrative architecture, Computer 44(3), 118 - 130. Ace Attorney HD PNG Images. Plus PNG. Retrieved from: http://pluspng.com/ace-attorney-hdpng-5140.html