Reversal of Fortune Reversal

Yesterday, I spent the entire afternoon playing on my NDS and finally completed Gyakuten Saiban 4 (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney 4). While I was excited, I couldn’t help but feel that the plot of Gyakuten Saiban 4 was weaker compared to the previous installments, and the courtroom deductions were more formulaic, with a less intense sense of reversal. However, the last case was still commendable, as it connected the events of seven years ago with the current murder case, and even had a relation to the first case in Gyakuten Saiban 4. The entire logical chain was complex and perfectly showcased a massive conspiracy, while also resolving most of the doubts in Gyakuten Saiban 4. The new Mason system was also interesting, allowing me to travel between seven years ago and the present, searching for clues in different locations.

Actually, one of the reasons I like the Gyakuten Saiban series is that I’m deeply moved by the spirit of the defendants who refuse to give up, even when faced with overwhelming evidence. In Conan, as long as there’s a fingerprint or something, the defendant will immediately kneel down and confess. Or, they’ll just coldly laugh and then confess. In Gyakuten Saiban, it’s often the case that even when the defendant is cornered, they’ll still manage to escape, stubbornly refusing to admit guilt. As the defense attorney, the protagonist can only repeatedly turn the case around, coming up with new possibilities. Therefore, whether a case is exciting or not often depends on the “inner workings” of the case, i.e., the original appearance of the case must be extremely bizarre and unconventional. I particularly like the spirit summoning murder case in Gyakuten Saiban 2. (For details, please refer to the relevant strategy guide). Especially at the end of the case, when the motive is revealed - as a player, after sorting through all the testimony and evidence, I was shocked to discover that all the clues pointed to a terrifying fact: the person standing in the courtroom was the already deceased sister, not the younger sister! When I arrived at this conclusion, all the mysteries were solved, and I had a chilling feeling.

However, in Gyakuten Saiban 4, this kind of plot twist was much less frequent, and some of the plot devices were obvious from the start (although, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that my skills have improved). Therefore, I felt that the overall plot was weaker. Additionally, while the defendants in this game still retained some of that precious “small but strong” spirit, the simplification of the cases led to a faster courtroom process, making it feel like I couldn’t experience their stubborn “small but strong” spirit. As for the [looking-through] system, I didn’t feel like it brought anything new. And, after staring at that news BT guy for an entire afternoon, I have to say that he’s really disgusting.