Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney

This rerelease of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney is an interesting one because it doesn't really do anything that we didn't see when it originally came out 10 years ago, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Rather than of a rebuilt game with shiny bells and whistles that clutter up the core experience, we're instead treaded to a faithful rendition with updated visuals for a modern console generation. It's the easiest way to experience the game if you haven't before, and it's a great way to pay it another visit if you have. As its lifecycle crawls to a close, the Nintendo 3DS has become somewhat of an archive, collecting franchise favorites and housing them all in one place. With the rest of the mainline Ace Attorney series already available on the 3DS eShop, it was just a matter of time before Apollo Justice had his day in court.

By bringing Apollo Justice to 3DS, every main title in the Ace Attorney series is now readily available to fans looking to dive into court cases on the handheld.

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy is an absolute delight, chock-full of optional extras that fans will revel in, and a narrative journey that takes fun and fascinating twists and turns. Delivered with an unmatched tone and energy, an impressive, evolving art style that enables players to see how the franchise evolves in real time, and some smart mechanics that have been well adapted from handheld systems, this collection is a must for first timers, new fans or old school fans with its variety and consistent quality.

Even with its flaws, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney proves the series' longevity by remaining a riveting and entertaining romp through its oddball legal world.

It may have taken its time arriving on the 3DS, but Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney is just as engaging as it was over ten years ago. Franchise veterans may be a little disappointed by the lack of positive changes in this new version, but those who didn't get to experience franchise's most exciting leap forward in its original incarnation are ensured a fantastic time here, and it's a great way to contemplate the classic series' genius before its brave leap onto the Nintendo Switch in the coming year.

The writing is captivating, and the visual updates appreciated. It's satisfying to finish, yet I was also a bit sad to see the credits roll.

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney remains as fun today as it was on Nintendo DS, improved with manual text scrolling right out of the gates and improved visuals. The storyline will grip you from beginning to end, with a satisfying payoff that really helps bring things to a proper climax. 3DS might be long in the tooth, but the quality of software that continues to hit the platform is keeping the platform feeling fresh.

For those that have yet to witness his early career, it is still hard to deny that the return of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney on Nintendo 3DS is the perfect chance to experience it for the first time. It’s slightly more expensive than Capcom’s port to smart devices, but, stylus in hand, there’s no better way to defend those in need.

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney is still a great game eleven years after its original release. This porting, homewever, feels incredibly lazy due to the little difference in comparison to the original release. This, along with the questionable price tag, makes this remastered not so easy to recommend.

Despite my criticisms, Apollo Justice is an unforgettable entry in the Ace Attorney series. It serves to push the series' overarching plot forward in meaningful ways while hammering home the value of truth to a world that so desperately tries to avoid it. It even represents the peak of comedy in a series that is renowned for it.