Zork. Planetfall. What unites these two venerable titles? Why, they're both text adventures created by the now-defunct Infocom, that's what! Capcom has channeled the original spirit of both into a "lawyering sim" for the Nintendo DS, but does that still make for good entertainment?
I'd answer with an enthusiastic "yes." If you doubt the claim, consider this: Capcom has included the ability to shout out your objections into the DS microphone. C'mon, you can't deny that has appeal.
Phoenix Wright is a spiky haired and overly-enthusiastic underdog you can't really help but root for. The drama in this game comes not from identifying the murderer in each of the five trials (since the true sequence of events is revealed beforehand), but by bringing the wily evildoer to justice.
Before you can win any legal battles, however, you've got to hit the crime scene and look for any damning evidence. (Which should probably be left to law enforcement, but hey!) This is handled quite well on the DS; just touch the screen where something looks out of the ordinary and you'll investigate. Eventually you'll find what you're looking for, and at that point you head off to court to earn your right to wear such a sharp-looking suit.
When I said "legal battles," by the way, I meant just that; you'll find that being in court is not entirely without some traditional Capcom fighting game flourishes. When cross-examining a witness, Phoenix and the opposition attorney are shown going head-to-head, complete with the sound of an unsheathing sword. Little touches like these give the game a unique charm that I personally enjoyed.
Basically, what winning a case comes down to is going through the witness testimony line by line, detecting a contradiction, and presenting evidence to that effect. You'll find this to be satisfying simply because the judge is so easily-swayed by the prosecution that you're just happy to set the record straight. (And because you want Phoenix to use his trademark "accusatory pointing finger" as often as possible.)
Article comments