So, so good. The plots in these cases are just so well thought out. The way Apollo/Athena/Phoenix suddenly turn an inescapable “guilty” verdict into the exact opposite by reversing the way the murder could have been committed is always masterful.

The drama in the courtroom is tense, and the buildups to the end of each case are as adrenalin fuelled as much as any FPS boss battle. Not bad for an interactive story about lawyers…

This evening I finished up Case 4, which ended on a pretty massive bombshell. Well, not literally a bombshell (for once – one of the other cases ended with an actual bomb). I was expecting a twist, but the character who has now been fingered as the murderer is not who I was expecting.

Some fingerprints show the murderer to be

but I was expecting 

Hmm!

It was touch and go for a while as to whether this game would even see light of day in the West. After all, the series is not as popular as it once was, and the two “interim spin-offs” starring Edgeworth were not well received. In fact, the second of these remained Japan-only.

Thankfully, a Capcom saw sense, and even though it’s an eShop exclusive, here it is.

Capcom have done a fantastic job of updating the visuals for the 3DS. Characters are now polygonal, but drawn as if they’re flat like before. Unlike in many 2D to 3D transfers, the sprites remain true up the originals, and all the redone animation manages to feel the same as before but smooth and slick too. The same goes for backgrounds – they’re the same, only better.

The game itself plays just like the older games. Point and click “investigation” (made easier now by making it more obvious where to go, which is a good decision) followed by a courtroom showdown. I’m on case 3 at the moment, and so far have played “as” Phoenix, Apollo, and new girl Athena. Some old characters have returned, but the cast so far is mostly new. They’re all great and well written too, with ridiculous quirks and dress sense.

In all, it’s another Phoenix Wright game. And is awesome.