And now the game is done. Took me just over twenty-nine hours, so despite the more linear nature of the investigation segments this is the longest game in the series for me.
Case 5
! Where do I even begin here? I wouldn't say that this is the best Case 5 in the series (the Holy Grail is still 1-5), but I'd certainly say it's one of the most memorable with twist after twist, never letting up until almost the very end. It's too bad I was spoiled on the black Psyche-Locks beforehand, that would've been a moment that would've made me jump if I had no idea it was coming. I'll have to go back and play Apollo Justice to see if their presentation there jives with Pearl's explanation, though.
! By now the series has been around long enough that you can see recurring tropes and ideas. The final case felt like a mash-up of 1-4 and 1-5, only with some genders flipped and a sci-fi icing (how ironic that Edgeworth was prosecuting this case). But despite the fact that it got kind of predictable in that regard the twists were still effective, from the black Psyche-Locks to the morbid end to Blackquill's Mood Matrix to the Big Bad's reveal.
! So, Fulbright. I had figured from the very beginning that he would have some sort of role in the plot given that he replaced a series regular, but I definitely didn't figure that he'd be the Phantom. It was only when they started talking about the killer's escape route that it started to dawn on me, and then Phoenix figured it out not too long afterwards. That's certainly going to add an interesting element to future playthroughs, and I did find it interesting when it was pointed out how each of Fulbright's over-the-top animations corresponded to the four Mood Matrix emoticons.
! The reveal was definitely shocking, though as an actual antagonist the Phantom was a bit lacking. His lack of emotions and general non-entity nature is perfect for the themes of the game, but because of that he doesn't have as much personality in his "true" persona that there's not as much satisfaction to be had when he finally has his breakdown at the stand. But what a breakdown it was. Definitely not something that could've been pulled off with sprites.
Some more general thoughts:
! What this game did the best, I thought, was the balance with which it handled the three attorneys. Phoenix, Apollo, and Athena all got their individual chances to shine and Apollo certainly got the character development he needed in his own game. I really like that it finally feels like Phoenix is running a law firm, and the dynamic between the three worked well.
! I don't think there were any characters that I actively disliked other than Gaspen Payne and L'Belle, who we were supposed to hate anyway, so that's good. I would not mind Blackquill returning in a future game as a guest prosecutor like Edgeworth does.
! As far as some of the returning characters go, that's a bit of a mixed bag. It's good that the game wasn't saturated which cameos like the Investigations games are, but they went a little too far in the opposite direction for the few that did appear here. Edgeworth was generally handled well, and Klavier was okay, but Trucy and Pearl were barely in the game and it felt like they were there just because the team felt obligated to include them (though I've heard that Pearl has a larger role in the DLC case, so there's that).
! The anime cutscenes were okay I guess, but for the most part didn't really add anything.
! I'll give them the benefit of the doubt regarding some of the gameplay weaknesses since this was the first time the team has done a mainline Ace Attorney game, but I hope in the future the investigating segments aren't quite as linear and the penalties are a little tougher (though for what it's worth I did get a few game overs here and there). The Mood Matrix was decent, but I didn't like how it took the place of cross-examining the testimonies that it was used for, and I'm not sure what else can be done with it going forward (but then again, Psyche-Locks and Perceiving didn't change any in between games either).
The game's definitely in my top three for the series. The franchise feels like it's in good hands and I'm looking forward to the DLC case, which I've heard nothing but good things about.