I’m going to start out this review by saying the following: While a game in which you play a lawyer may not sound very fun, Phoenix Wright: AA is a very good game, and in my opinion, the best DS game I have played so far. Now that you know how I feel, on to the review.

I really, really love the music and sound effects in this game. The songs are all great and they really play on your emotions. From surprise to sadness, etc, each song really improves the mood of the game, which is great due to the lack of voice acting. The graphics are likewise nice and are presented in the classic exaggerated anime style, and, although 2d, it really makes you feel like you’re playing an old point and click adventure game (which is good).

The gameplay is split into two main parts: the investigation and the trial. In the investigation, you need to speak with witnesses, police, etc and use the touch screen to search the crime scene and surrounding areas for clues and evidence. Once you’ve found enough, you will be fast-forwarded to the next part which is the trial. In the trial section of the game you listen to witness testimonies, press them on details and present evidence to show the contradictions in their testimony. If you leave enough doubt in the mind of the judge, the trial will be postponed another day and the whole process is repeated.

The game is rather simple, but some decisions take a certain amount of thought to complete. I’m not really sure how long the game was, but I’ve been playing it on and off for a couple months, only really playing it seriously for the past few weeks. It’s actually a pretty long game, and like I heard someone say, “just like a good book, you’ll want to read PW over and over”. I should note, however, for those action junkies out there that this game is basically a book. There’s no shooting sequences, no quick thinking, etc. So, if you don’t like to read, or you normally skip over cutscenes, you might want to skip this game, as it’s basically a long cutscene.

I loved PW, and it will stay in my collection for the long run alongside PW 2 and 3 in the future. I have to say once more: PW is great, don’t overlook it simply because of it being about lawyers.