One of Trials & Tribulations' notable aspects is the villain, Godot, who is a very terrifying prosecutor and certainly one of the series' finest antagonists. Going up against Godot is no simple chore, as he always seems to have a strategy to counter your every move and is armed with a plethora of coffee analogies.

Trials & Tribulations' five cases all weave into one another, as well as deliver a satisfactory conclusion to the original Ace Attorney trilogy. Each of the cases in the game stands out on its own, but the last case, "Bridge to the Turnabout", elicits strong emotions in every fan of the series. Trials & Tribulation is Ace Attorney at full throttle, delivering lots of surprises and turns while closing things up in a well-thought-out, gratifying manner.

Series: Ace Attorney
Platforms: PC game, Nintendo DS, Wii

Link to buy: amzn.to/3PF1bTC

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney was the game that started it all, and while it lacks some of the subsequent gameplay enhancements, it has some of the series' most memorable cases. It established the five-case framework that would be used throughout the series and introduced Phoenix as a new defense attorney at Fey & Co.

Phoenix is a fumbling lawyer at the beginning, but he eventually wins cases via sheer perseverance and a little dumb luck. The original game had an intriguing overall scenario in which you learned about Phoenix Wright's past with the adversarial prosecutor, Miles Edgeworth. It also concludes on an emotional high note, with what may be the finest final case of any game in the series.

Series: Ace Attorney
Platforms: PC game, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS

Link to buy: amzn.to/3LHecce

Spirit of Justice is the newest game in the Ace Attorney series, and it moves the franchise to a whole new place, the mysterious Kingdom of Khura'in. This fresh location seems to revitalize the Ace Attorney series, and there is a slew of amusing and engaging new characters featured, as well as the return of old fan favorites.

Phoenix is at Khura'in to see his old aide Maya Fay, who has been studying there for two years to become the head of Kurain Village. While Phoenix is away, it is left to Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes to keep things running in America as more bizarre murder cases emerge. Khura'in's spiritual mysticism pervades everything in Spirit of Justice, even court hearings in which a Divination Seance is utilized to glimpse the final moments of a murder victim. The stakes are also higher than ever for Phoenix, as the foreign country has enacted a statute known as the Defense Culpability Act, which requires a defense counsel to face the same punishment as their client if found guilty.

Genre: Visual novel
Platforms: iOS, Nintendo 3DS

Link to buy: amzn.to/3LHecce

Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright is actually just half an Ace Attorney game because it also includes Professor Layton's problem-solving gameplay. However, it turns out that the combination of the two series works quite well. Layton and his helper Luke are called for assistance by a young girl named Espella, who is being pursued by an unknown power. A mysterious book takes the couple to a strange village named Labyrinthia as part of their inquiry. Phoenix Wright and his helper Maya Fey later come upon the identical book, which transports them to town as well.

This book is considered a fact in Labyrinthia since it forecasts the future. The book's narrator disturbs the heroes' inquiry after he writes in a part that predicts Layton becoming a gold statue and accuses Maya of being a witch. The action alternates between Layton and Luke researching the area and solving riddles and Phoenix defending clients accused of witchcraft in court. The two distinct approaches keep things interesting, and it's great to watch all four characters interact with one another.

Series: Ace Attorney, Professor Layton
Platform: Nintendo 3DS

Link to buy: amzn.to/3lGOdH2

Apollo Justice was a pleasant surprise, centering on a young up-and-coming lawyer named Apollo rather than Phoenix Wright. Phoenix is still in the game, but he's left the legal profession following a humiliating defeat in court when he was accused of fabricating evidence.

While Apollo Justice isn't as likable as Phoenix right away, the game has a terrific first case introduction, and Apollo becomes a more accessible character by the conclusion. With the exception of case three, the cases and plot remain essentially on the same level. Apollo also has a different gimmick than Phoenix's Magatama, with a wristband that allows him to see people's nervous twitches while they're testifying. There's also an intriguing twist with the MASON system, a game system. The jury in a case, as well as the player, traversed two separate time periods while playing the character of Phoenix Wright in a video game. All of these new innovations, for better or worse, let Apollo Justice stand out and feel distinct from the rest of the series.

Series: Ace Attorney
Platforms: Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Android

Link to buy: amzn.to/3PF0Tw0

Dual Destinies moved Ace Attorney from the realm of 2D sprites to the world of 3D character models, reintroducing Phoenix Wright to the courtroom. It also included a new character for the Wright Anything Agency, Athena Cykes, a rookie lawyer who introduces a fresh gameplay aspect. Athena employs her computer, dubbed Widget, to execute a software known as the Mood Matrix. This enables her to evaluate a witness's emotions during their evidence and identify when there is a peculiar emotion that contradicts what they're saying.

Dual Destinies, like prior games, employ the five-case framework while delivering a broader overarching plot. However, there is widespread criticism that the game is too simple, and it is true that most of the challenge of previous games has been removed, with players not paying any form of penalty for incorrect answers. Dual Destinies, on the other hand, helped revive the Ace Attorney series by providing new friends for Phoenix, and new prosecutors, and laying the groundwork for Spirit of Justice.

Series: Ace Attorney
Platforms: Nintendo 3DS

Link to buy: amzn.to/39OyOBU

Some of the gameplay features introduced in Justice for All would become hallmarks of the Ace Attorney series for years to come. Phoenix used the Magatama, which Maya had given him, to remove "psych-locks" that individuals would have when they were hiding information.

Justice for All, like its predecessor, features a dramatic underlying tale that spans each of the five cases. The last case in this sequel gets very near to matching the incredible notes of the final case in the previous game. However, the first and third situations fall short of that standard. The third case, for example, concerns a murder at "Berry Big Circus", and it has some really irritating and unimpressive individuals, as well as some big jumps in logic throughout the trial that don't always make sense.

Series: Ace Attorney
Platforms: PC game, Nintendo DS, Wii

Link to buy: amzn.to/3MDaIIV

Ace Attorney Investigations is the most unique game in the series, with players taking on the role of ace prosecutor Miles Edgeworth rather than a defense lawyer. As a result, the gameplay deviates slightly from the standard, and while the game does have a continuous storyline, each case is essentially self-contained. The game is about examining crime scenes and is primarily shown in the third person. Players guide Edgeworth around each crime scene, seeking evidence and interviewing witnesses to figure out what happened.

An ability known as "deduction" helps you to identify discrepancies between what is observed at a crime scene and the evidence. Following that, you begin the rebuttal phase, in which a witness or opposing character describes what happened, and you must point out any contradictions or flaws with their evidence. It was undoubtedly unique for an Ace Attorney game, but it just didn't stand up to the rest of the series. The focus on investigations this time around was lacking the courtroom drama that made the Ace Attorney games so memorable. While Miles Edgeworth still had some interesting characters and plot twists, it seemed like it was missing a key component of an Ace Attorney game.

Series: Ace Attorney
Platforms: Nintendo DS

Link to buy: amzn.to/3lGyR5E