Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, released in Japan as , is a visual novel video game for the Nintendo DS. It is the fourth video game in the Ace Attorney series.

Apollo Justice is the first game in the series to be developed specifically for the DS as opposed to being a port of a game originally for the Game Boy Advance. As such, the DS' touch screen and microphone features are a fundamental part of Apollo Justice.

Details

Apollo Justice is the first game in the series that does not feature Phoenix Wright as the main protagonist, though it is not the first time a different attorney has been playable. A limited edition of the game was made available for the Japanese release on April 12, 2007. It includes branded headphones, a Gyakuten Saiban Dictionary on a DS card, and a series highlights DVD.^[1]

Localization title

The new game no longer features Phoenix Wright as the protagonist, as the previous three games did. Capcom's previous naming for the translated games has included the localized name of "Phoenix Wright" as the protagonist in the title for these games. A photo taken from a Nintendo Europe event which included a banner for the game confirmed that the protagonist, Housuke Odoroki, is localized as "Apollo Justice", with the game title being Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney.^[2][3] This was confirmed when the English trailer for the game was presented at the 2007 Tokyo Game Show.^[4]

New gameplay elements

The bracelet on Apollo's left arm can be used to "zoom in on witnesses to gather information about them", and is called the Perceive System. It is used primarily in court to look for motions or actions made by witnesses that show nervousness, like playing with one's fingers. The move even comes with a new phrase, "Gotcha!" ( in Japanese). Psyche-Locks, first introduced in Justice for All, are used only during the final case. The game also includes a "Crime Recreation Mode" that "allows players to reveal hidden clues by re-creating the scene of the crime."^[5]

Characters

The first names listed are those confirmed for the English localization, followed by the Japanese names.

Apollo Justice /

The new protagonist of the series, he is a young attorney with "a passionate heart burning red." He is 22 years old and can point out lies by examining body language through the Perceive system.

Trucy Wright /

Apollo's assistant, and Phoenix's adopted daughter. She is a magician who shares the gift that Apollo possesses and acts as Apollo's assistant and co-council.

Klavier Gavin /

The new prosecutor. He became a prosecutor at the age of 17. He is the lead vocalist in the band "The Gavinners."

Phoenix Wright /

The former protagonist of the series. He now plays piano and poker in a Russian restaurant called the Borscht Bowl Club, in addition to owning a talent agency.

Kristoph Gavin /

Apollo's mentor and Phoenix's good friend, he is the brother of the game's main prosecutor, Klavier Gavin. Described as "always smiling."

Ema Skye /

Scientific investigator who first appeared in the original "Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney". Somewhat bored with her life, she assists Apollo and Trucy if the situation will give her an excuse to use forensics.

Plot

Most of Apollo Justice occurs roughly seven years after Trials and Tribulations, though events prior to this set much of the plot in motion.

Case 1: Turnabout Trump

Seven years after being stripped of his attorney badge, Phoenix is once again accused of murder over a game of poker and hires his friend Kristoph Gavin's apprentice Apollo Justice to defend him.

Case 2: Turnabout Corner

After joining the "Wright Anything Agency", Apollo received the task of solving three simultaneous incidents which seemed unrelated at first, until it is proven that they share connections with a murder case, and he is summoned to defend Wocky Kitaki, the hot-headed son of the local Kitaki family gang, who is accused of the crime.

Case 3: Turnabout Serenade

Justice and his assistant Trucy Wright are invited to prosecutor Klavier Gavin's concert. However, a murder occurs during the show, and they receive the task of defending the main suspect, pianist Machi Tobaye, one of the concert's guest stars.

Case 4: Turnabout Succession

In the first case for the experimental "Jurist System", designed to replace the bench trials seen in cases so far, Apollo is incumbed of defending Vera Misham, who has been accused of poisoning her father, Drew. During the course of the trial, the mysteries surrounding Phoenix's last case as an attorney are unveiled. This is the sole session of the game where the player can interact as Phoenix.

Reception

After release in Japan, Gyakuten Saiban 4 has been highly praised, with Famitsu giving it a 9/9/9/9 score (36/40), and selling around 250,000 copies during the first retail week, according to Media-Create. Six weeks after its release, Capcom announced that they had shipped 500,000 copies, accounting for twenty-five percent of the series' two million units worldwide.

Music

Gyakuten Saiban 4 Original Soundtrack cover art.

References

External links

• Official site
• U.S Official site
• Court Records, an Ace Attorney series fansite.
• Apollo Justice English Demo, playable version of part of the first trial.

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