I’m back with another Ace Attorney review! This time we’ll be tackling the second game in this franchise; Ace Attorney: Justice for All. It was released back in 2002 after being ported over to the Nintendo DS from the GBA alongside the first and third games, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations respectively. Like in my Trials and Tribulations review I’ll be keeping this in mind when it comes to scoring this game as the developers obviously had less room to work with. I also highly recommend you to play the original game before this one as Justice for All acts as a continuation to that game. With that said, let’s get started!

Depth - 5/10

I’ll start with the most painful flaw this game has. There are 4 cases in this game, one of which is an introductory case that lasts maybe an hour at most. Cases are split into two different game modes; investigating and trials, with the exception being the first case having only trial segments. The majority of players prefer the trial segments as those are more action packed, but if you want character interaction and witty dialogue then investigating might be more up your alley. The last case is quite a long one but it still can’t make up the lost ground for having one case less than most other Ace Attorney game. As such you’ll reach the end of the game more quickly and find that there is nothing else to do. In this game especially there exists almost no replayability as the final antagonist relies on an identity trick, which you’ll obviously know about when you replay the game.

Addictiveness - 9/10

This rating has to do with the third case of this game. It takes places in a circus and as you can expect, the characters you meet there have very big personalities. This makes for some fun moments but I personally find there to be a lot more frustrating moments. It’s my least favorite case in the whole franchise and it’s the only one I sometimes struggle with to complete in one setting. All the other cases are fantastic like usual and will make you want to keep playing to find out the truth. Especially the last case, that one will have you on the edge of your seat up to the grand finale.

Graphics - 10/10

The main series of Ace Attorney games are all Visual Novels. In each case except for the first one you get a select amount of areas to explore (though it’s a point and click system with 2D backgrounds). These backgrounds have neat details in them and you can sometimes see recurring jokes that will last throughout the whole franchise. The character sprites only have a few frames of animation for every pose they take but they still feel like real people. The sweat drops or the blinking of the eyes, for example, make them feel realistic and cartoony at the same time.

Sound - 10/10

Like with all games in the franchise, this one has a fantastic OST. These themes are almost two decades old and you can still feel the emotion and passion in them that always blend in well with what’s happening in the story. When a character is having a mental breakdown the music will send chills down your spine. Fantastic job.

Story - 10/10

The story is a continuation of the first game so you’ll need to play that one first to understand everything that’s thrown at you. A lot of old faces make a new appearance and you’ll meet some characters for the first time that will play a big role in games to come. Every case revolves around a murder and as a defense attorney it’s your job to prevent your clients from receiving the ultimate guilty verdict. Phoenix will have many ups and many downs and will have to deal with people ranging from an elementary school student to a dangerous serial killer, with many surprises along the way.

Difficulty - 8/10

This game is significantly easier than the other ones in the franchise. The last case can get a bit tricky near the end but I noticed that most of the game is really linear and if you read what’s happening you’ll easily find the solution to the problems the game throws at you. A new staple of the series - psyche locks - are also introduced, but they are basically interrogations where you have to present the right sequence of evidence, kind of like in a trial. It’s still a game that will make you think a lot as there are some red herrings you’ll need to discover.

Overall - 8.6/10

That brings the total to an 8.6. It hurts me to see the game drop below a 9 but I do believe that it’s the weakest one in the franchise. It’s just the bridge between the first and third games, which are both fantastic. It’s still a blast to play though and if you liked the first game you’ll like this one as well.

Thanks for reading! Feedback is always appreciated! <3