Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice (逆転裁判６, Gyakuten Saiban 6; lit. "Turnabout Trial 6") is the sixth installment of the Gyakuten Saiban series, and the tenth installment overall in the Ace Attorney series of text adventure video games. It was announced in Famitsu on September 1, 2015 as a title for the Nintendo 3DS, with Motohide Eshiro as producer and Takeshi Yamazaki and Takuro Fuse as co-directors.^[2]^[3]^[4] It was confirmed shortly after the Japanese announcement that the game was in development for a Western release.^[5]

Story

Setting

Unlike previous games in the series, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice takes place in two different settings. In the Far Eastern kingdom of Khura'in, Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey come into conflict with a court system that has done away with attorneys and instead views the victim's final moments via the Divination Séance to determine guilt. However, the country is on the tipping point of revolution instigated by the rebel Dhurke Sahdmadhi and his Defiant Dragons group.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes remain to look after the Wright Anything Agency, only to face a crisis that not only affects one of its members, but the fate of the entire Agency. To make matters worse, Justice must also face a figure from his past at the prosecutor's bench.

Episodes

Six full-length episodes are available in all versions of the game. The base 3DS version comes with the first five episodes, with the last episode and two short non-canonical "what-if" scenarios available as DLC. This is the first game in the main Ace Attorney series since Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney to have all non-DLC episodes unlock in chronological order. Additionally, all are accessed from the "Episode Select" menu rather than in a separate DLC menu, as was the case in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies. The base iOS version comes with the first episode with the rest as DLC, while the Android version comes with all six episodes at once.

AA6 Promotional Art — Promotional art featuring Phoenix Wright and Rayfa Padma Khura'in.

The Foreign Turnabout - After his arrival in Khura'in, Phoenix Wright decides to go sightseeing with Ahlbi Ur'gaid, a monk-in training who works as a tour guide. During that time, the Founder's Orb is stolen from Khura'in's Tehm'pul Temple and a temple guard is found dead. Ur'gaid is arrested for these crimes, so Wright goes to watch the trial. Upon learning that the country's courtroom has no defense attorneys and instead relies on the Divination Séance to render its verdicts, he raises an objection and springs into action as Ur'gaid's defense attorney.
The Magical Turnabout - During a rehearsal of Trucy Wright's upcoming Trucy in Gramarye-Land magic show at Penrose Theater, one of the performers apparently dies during the performance, followed by part of the stage collapsing moments later. Trucy is held responsible, but Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes take her case to court, facing off against the international prosecutor from the Kingdom of Khura'in, Nahyuta Sahdmadhi. However, it is soon revealed that the fate of the Wright Anything Agency is also in the balance...
The Rite of Turnabout - As Maya Fey is completing one of her final training rites, the priest conducting the session is found dead. Since Fey was the only one with the priest at the time and was wearing a ceremonial outfit that matched the killer's description, she is charged with the murder. Nahyuta Sahdmadhi returns to Khura'in along with forensic detective Ema Skye to try the case in the Khura'inese courts, while Phoenix Wright steps up to defend his friend yet again.
Turnabout Storyteller - Athena Cykes takes on the case of Bucky Whet, a soba shop worker accused of murdering rakugo master Taifu Toneido, at Simon Blackquill's request. However, with Justice and Trucy occupied and Phoenix out of the country, she must face off against Prosecutor Sahdmadhi alone. Although Blackquill is initially called as a witness, he soon moves to the defense's bench as Cykes's co-counsel (despite being a prosecutor) after finding the witness stand boring and disliking Sahdmadhi's attitude.
Turnabout Revolution - A dispute over a piece of evidence leads to Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes facing Phoenix Wright on opposite sides of a courtroom in a civil trial (something that was first teased in the launch trailer for the game^[6]). Following this, the members of the Wright Anything Agency and Miles Edgeworth travel to Khura'in, where rebellious citizens are having an uprising and Inga Karkhuul Khura'in, the country's Minister of Justice, is found dead. With Dhurke Sahdmadhi accused of the murder, Justice takes on his defense against Queen Ga'ran Sigatar Khura'in.
Turnabout Time Traveler - A Special Episode that chronologically takes place after the other episodes in the game. The case revolves around Ellen Wyatt, a maid who claims that she was attacked just after her wedding, only to then travel back in time to before the reception. When the man who attacked her is found dead, she finds herself accused of the crime. Larry Butz returns in this episode, claiming to be Wyatt's husband-to-be, despite the fact that she is married to a mechanic named Sorin Sprocket. Miles Edgeworth takes the prosecutor's bench while Maya Fey acts as Wright's co-counsel, an arrangement that has not canonically occurred since Turnabout Samurai.

Ace Attorney Theater

The following are two 3DS-exclusive downloadable short scenarios that serve as non-canonical "what-ifs":

Phoenix Wright: Asinine Attorney - A terrorist disguised as a guard barges into the High Court of Khura'in and demands Princess Rayfa Padma Khura'in as a hostage. To stall for time, Pearl Fey claims that she is the princess. Ur'gaid, who is acting as Pearl's guide in Khura'in, cannot afford to have one of his customers getting taken away by terrorists, as it would be bad for business, so he insists she is not Rayfa. Wright plays along with Pearl and tries to prove she is indeed Rayfa.
Apollo Justice: Asinine Attorney - Apollo Justice is asked to look after Rayfa during a visit by her to the United States. Rayfa wants to look around the country since it's her first time there, with Klavier Gavin escorting her. But when Gavin calls the Khura'in Minister of Justice to ask about her staying an extra day, he refuses, preventing her from further sightseeing. In retaliation, Rayfa heads into the courtroom and explains what she would like to see in the country. During the trial, Justice video-calls Athena Cykes and Jinxie Tenma at Nine-Tails Vale, and later calls Trucy Wright at Penrose Theater, in an attempt to figure out what her "dream destination" is.

Characters

Main characters

Ace Attorney 6 - Key Visual — Clockwise from top: Nahyuta Sahdmadhi, Ema Skye, Apollo Justice, Athena Cykes, Simon Blackquill, Rayfa Padma Khura'in, Ahlbi Ur'gaid (with Shah'do), Maya Fey, Phoenix Wright, and Miles Edgeworth.

Phoenix Wright - Noteworthy veteran Los Angeles defense attorney and senior practicing attorney of the Wright Anything Agency, well-known for his ability to pull off impossible comebacks in court. He is drawn into the Khura'inese court system during a visit to check on Maya Fey, his friend and former assistant.
Apollo Justice - A defense attorney who has been practicing at the Wright Anything Agency under Phoenix Wright for two years. With his boss abroad, it is up to him to take care of incoming cases at home. He possesses a genetic ability, augmented with a special bracelet, to sense nervous tics in others, which he uses to perceive if someone is lying.
Maya Fey - A spirit medium of the Kurain Channeling Technique and upcoming leader of Kurain Village, who is completing her spiritual training in Khura'in. She was previously Phoenix Wright's assistant and co-counsel, as well as his client in two previous cases. Since she is close to finishing her training, Wright heads to Khura'in to see her.
Nahyuta Sahdmadhi - An international prosecutor and respected monk from Khura'in who has a soft demeanor that hides a sharp tongue. He believes that convicting criminals in court will provide salvation for their victims.
Rayfa Padma Khura'in - The crown princess and royal priestess of Khura'in. She performs the Divination Séance, a ritual that uses a "Pool of Souls" to reveal what a murder victim saw and felt with the five traditional senses before their demise. Distrusting of attorneys, she accompanies Wright during his Khura'in investigations in order to make sure he does nothing illegal.
Athena Cykes - An energetic rookie attorney who joined the Wright Anything Agency the previous year. Like Apollo Justice, she helps by taking incoming cases while Wright is away, as well as assisting Justice in his investigations. She has a specialization in both law and analytical psychology, which she combines in order to better understand witness testimony and identify abnormalities in emotional states, relying on her advanced hearing and a special program called the Mood Matrix that is built into her personal AI companion, Widget.
Ema Skye - A snackoo-obsessed police detective and forensic scientist who previously appeared in several games in the series, using her strong interest in forensic science to assist various Ace Attorney protagonists in solving crimes. In Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, she was hired by the Criminal Affairs Department as a homicide detective, much to her irritation, but since then she has managed to also become a full forensic scientist, as she had originally envisioned. First reintroduced in The Magical Turnabout, she plays a similar role to that played in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney.

Other main story characters

Recurring:

Ahlbi Ur'gaid - A monk-in-training who works as a tour guide. Once he starts one of his tour monologues, there is no stopping him. In The Foreign Turnabout, Wright defends him in court on charges of murder.
Khura'inese judge - A man similar in appearance to the judge who normally presides over Wright's cases, albeit with different attire, a beard that ends in two braids, and a harsher demeanor.
Amara Sigatar Khura'in - The former queen of Khura'in. Although believed to have died during an assassination attempt, she has since disguised herself and taken on the new role of Rayfa Padma Khura'in's personal aide, "Nayna".
Shah'do - Ur'gaid's pet dog, who normally sits on top of his master's head.
Inga Karkhuul Khura'in - The Minister of Justice for the Kingdom of Khura'in, as well as husband to Queen Ga'ran.
Dhurke Sahdmadhi - The leader of the defense attorney resistance group known as the "Defiant Dragons".
Datz Are'bal - Dhurke's right-hand man. Though he makes a brief appearance at the end of The Foreign Turnabout, when Phoenix Wright first encounters him in The Rite of Turnabout, he is suffering from amnesia and using the temporary name of A'nohn Ihmus TBD.
Trucy Wright - Phoenix Wright's adopted daughter and heir to the performance rights of Troupe Gramarye. A stage magician and high school student working out of the Wright Anything Agency, she has sometimes accompanied the Agency's attorneys on investigations and acted as co-counsel to Justice in the past, in addition to her stage career. In The Magical Turnabout, a death occurs during a rehearsal of one of her magic tricks, placing her under suspicion.
Judge - The recurring unnamed judge who presides over the cases that take place in the United States.
Ga'ran Sigatar Khura'in - The current queen of the Kingdom of Khura'in and a former prosecutor.
Miles Edgeworth - Renowned prosecutor prodigy, current Chief Prosecutor, and childhood friend and long-time rival of Phoenix Wright. Appears in Turnabout Revolution and prosecutes in Turnabout Time Traveler and Phoenix Wright: Asinine Attorney.

The Foreign Turnabout:

Gaspen Payne - A prosecutor and self-proclaimed "Rookie Humiliator" who appears in a Khura'inese courtroom wearing a yellow suit, a gold crown, and a sash. Having been chased out of the Los Angeles prosecutor's office at the end of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies, he has made a reputation in the attorney-less Khura'in as an "undefeated prosecutor", and has ultimately risen to the rank of Chief Prosecutor there. He is determined to defeat Wright as revenge for being bested in court.
Pees'lubn Andistan'dhin - The head monk of Tehm'pul Temple, he performs the Song of Ceremony on a Khura'inese instrument called a "dahmalan". A witness in Ahlbi Ur'gaid's trial.
Paht Rohl - A guard whom Ur'gaid is accused of murdering.

The Magical Turnabout:

Bonny de Famme - A rookie magician at the Penrose Theater working under Trucy. She is a witness to the case.
Betty de Famme - Bonny's much more aggressive twin sister and another witness to the case.
Roger Retinz - A producer for Take-2 TV who is looking to do a special broadcast of Trucy's latest show, Trucy in Gramarye-Land. Also known as the "Ratings Rajah".
Manov Mistree - A co-performer of Trucy's, under the name Mr. Reus. His dead body was found during a performance of her show.

The Rite of Turnabout:

Tahrust Inmee - A Khura'in priest who is found dead during Maya Fey's final training rite.
Puhray Zeh'lot - An apprentice of Tahrust Inmee's who is found dead on the first day of trial.
Beh'leeb Inmee - The widow of Tahrust Inmee.

Turnabout Storyteller:

Simon Blackquill - The rival prosecutor from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies, who testifies and then serves as Athena Cykes's co-counsel. He is known for his dark and somewhat mischievous sense of humor, as well as his use of psychological manipulation in court via flattery, suggestive persuasion, and implicit death threats. Having been on death row for seven years after being wrongfully accused and imprisoned for the UR-1 Incident, he was cleared of all charges in the previous game due to the efforts of Phoenix Wright, Apollo Justice, and Athena Cykes.
Taifu Toneido - The victim and a rakugo master. He and Bucky Whet had known each other for a long time. Geiru and Uendo were his students.
Bucky Whet - The defendant and the head chef of Whet Soba noodle. Carries boxes of soba noodles with him and rides on a skateboard. Drunk through most of the episode as a coping mechanism.
Geiru Toneido - A balloon artist and rakugo performer who is a witness to the murder along with Uendo and Blackquill.
Uendo Toneido - A skilled rakugo performer under Taifu's tutelage and witness to the murder.

Turnabout Revolution:

Pearl Fey - A spirit medium who is Maya Fey's younger cousin and a close friend to Phoenix Wright. Apollo Justice meets her while visiting Kurain Village. She also appears in Phoenix Wright: Asinine Attorney, where she pretends to be Rayfa Padma Khura'in and testifies alongside Ahlbi Ur'gaid.
Paul Atishon - A politician running for local assemblyman in Kurain Village.
Archie Buff - A professor of archaeology studying Kurain and Khura'inese artifacts who was found dead in his home.
Armie Buff - Professor Buff's military-obsessed shut-in daughter. Communicates via a radio-controled robotic helicopter called Sergeant Buff.
Jove Justice - Apollo Justice's biological father. Died in the Kingdom of Khura'in while Apollo was very young during the assassination attempt made against Amara Sigatar Khura'in.

Turnabout Time Traveler:

Larry Butz - A childhood friend of both Wright and Edgeworth with a knack for getting into trouble. He has had at least five jobs and nine girlfriends in the space of three years, although the latter is always due to him being unceremoniously dumped. Has somewhat made a name for himself as "Laurice Deauxnim", the picture book author.
Ellen Wyatt - A Sprocket family maid who was attacked shortly after her wedding reception and then placed under suspicion as her attacker's killer.
Sorin Sprocket - Wyatt's newly-wedded husband and the current heir to Sprocket Aviation.
Pierce Nichody - A witness to the case who works as Sprocket's butler, as well as Wyatt's and Gloomsbury's superior.
Dumas Gloomsbury - The victim of the case. He worked with Wyatt and Nichody as a servant in the Sprocket household.
Selena Sprocket - Sorin's older sister and former heir to Sprocket Aviation who passed away in a car accident a year prior to the case.

Cameo characters

The following characters only appear in person in the non-canonical Ace Attorney Theater short Apollo Justice: Asinine Attorney, although they are referenced in the main game as well.

Klavier Gavin - An easygoing but steadfast and principled prosecutor who was formerly the lead vocalist and guitarist in the Gavinners, as well as Apollo Justice's rival prosecutor in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. One of the people who sent congratulatory flowers to Trucy Wright in The Magical Turnabout, as well as being mentioned by Ema Skye in The Rite of Turnabout whilst she is complaining about how Nahyuta Sahdmadhi treats her. Seen in a flashback by Apollo Justice in Turnabout Revolution. He acts as the prosecutor in Apollo Justice: Asinine Attorney.
Jinxie Tenma - A young maid living in Nine-Tails Vale who is friends with Trucy Wright and was a witness in The Monstrous Turnabout. She is mentioned in The Magical Turnabout as one of the people who sent congratulatory flowers to Trucy, along with her father. Appears in-person in Apollo Justice: Asinine Attorney.

Gameplay

For the most part, the normal trial and investigation procedures are retained from previous main series Ace Attorney games, particularly Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies. However, in Khura'in, a major new gameplay element, the Divination Séance, is introduced. In these rituals, Rayfa Padma Khura'in uses a "Pool of Souls" on the floor of the High Court of Khura'in to show what a victim saw and felt during their final moments. Rayfa interprets these visions as "Insights", a series of claims about the incident. Phoenix Wright's job is to find contradictions between the Insights and what is actually shown in the visions, which can lead to corrections to the Insights or visions, with the latter being explained as Rayfa focusing more carefully on specific aspects in order to reveal more accurate information.

The 3D evidence viewer also makes a return from previous games, and used to examine specific objects from all angles during the course of the game. In some instances, this functionality is combined with the fingerprinting mini-game from the Nintendo DS era of games. When using fingerprinting powder, the player can rotate, zoom in, and zoom out on an object to pick out a specific area to dust. There is also a limit to how much fingerprinting powder can be applied at a time, though the powder can be blown off to be reused. Luminol testing also makes a reappearance from previous games, being used to spray some locations for traces of blood in a similar manner to its use in Rise from the Ashes.

Spirit of Justice uses a five-strike "Confidence Icon" penalty system; this is the first main series Ace Attorney game since Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney to use this system, rather than the variable health bar-like "Confidence Gauge" system that has been in place since Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice For All. Due to feedback that Dual Destinies gave too many hints to the player, the developers aimed to have fewer direct clues in Spirit of Justice.^[7]^[8] Additionally, while Dual Destinies only allowed the usage of the "Examine" feature in specific locations, investigation segments in Spirit of Justice allow the player to "Examine" any environment, more akin to the other games in the series.^[9] Spirit of Justice nonetheless inherits several elements from Dual Destinies, such as investigation notes, the Mood Matrix, anime cutscenes, and revisualization. The anime cutscenes are produced by A-1 Pictures (the animation studio that produced the anime adaptation), rather than Bones.

Spirit of Justice also contains new features not seen in any previous initial release of a main series game. In contrast to the bare-bones title screens from previous games, Spirit of Justice follows the lead of Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy by featuring background music, as well as having a background design that does not simply depict a courtroom. Additionally, an options menu is accessible from the title screen that allows the player to toggle or adjust various settings, such as volume controls, skipping of unread text, and toggling the "Consult" feature, which is a first for the main series titles. The "Consult" feature itself triggers upon losing two Confidence Icons during a cross-examination, rather than after three mistakes as was the case in Dual Destinies. Within the game, cutscenes can now be skipped by pressing the START button or tapping the touchscreen. Like Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, there are instances of in-dialogue voice-acted lines, most notably when Nahyuta Sahdmadhi is reciting a sutra, when Rayfa Padma Khura'in begins her Dance of Devotion, and when Dhurke Sahdmadhi says "A dragon never yields."

Development

The game's Japanese logo.

After finishing Dual Destinies, Yamazaki felt exhausted and wanted to quit from development of more Ace Attorney games. In an effort to convince him to continue, Eshiro brought Yamazaki to events like San Diego Comic-Con and a press conference in Taiwan. After seeing the enthusiasm shown toward him and the series by Western and Asian fans alike, Yamazaki decided to go on directing the next game. To ease the workload on him, Fuse was named as co-director; he would be in charge of graphics and gameplay while Yamazaki could focus on the story.^[4]

The developers have explained that they felt that no one could prove a match for Phoenix Wright anymore in his usual setting, so they moved him to a foreign country with a different court system, which would provide a sense of urgency not seen in his usual games.^[3]^[7] Nonetheless, Wright does return to his hometown for the Special Episode Turnabout Time Traveler. Communion with otherworldly spirits is a concept previously only used with the Fey clan,^[2]^[3] which is an offshoot of Khura'in's culture. The 3D character models from Dual Destinies were also remade.^[10]

Promotions

A playable demo of the game was available at the 2015 Tokyo Game Show (September 17-19), as were stickers for players, stage events, and a "Special Court" video.^[2]^[3]

At the beginning of March, Capcom Japan ran a Twitter campaign to have "#逆転裁判６" posted as many times as possible, offering rewards as they passed certain thresholds (6,000, 12,000, and 18,000): headshot icons of Wright, Justice, and Cykes; wallpapers; and a special video at the highest tier. Ultimately the campaign reached over 55,500 re-Tweets, meaning all rewards were posted to the official website, with the promised video being an anime prologue for the game.^[11]

Anime prologue synopsis

In March 2016, as part of a Twitter campaign, an 8-minute anime video was released appearing to depict events shortly prior to those in the game.^[11] An English dubbed version of the video was shown at Anime Expo in early July 2016^[12] before being uploaded to official YouTube channels on August 25. Since the events in the game conflict with those shown in this animated prologue (i.e., the reason for Wright's trip to Khura'in), its canonicity is unclear.

Located at the western edge of the Far East, Khura'in is a kingdom of spirit mediums, with a religion centered around its founder, the Holy Mother. Its court system has undergone a drastic shift due to a mass persecution of lawyers under the Defense Culpability Act. To pass judgment, the High Court of Khura'in relies on "Divination Séances", which consists of a mystic ceremony involving a "Dance of Devotion" and a "Song of Ceremony", which conjures images in a "Pool of Souls", revealing what murder victims saw and felt shortly before being killed. Prosecutor Nahyuta Sahdmadhi leads a police force that works to capture and silence the remnants of the attorneys who have eluded punishment. These remnants object to a court that only produces guilty verdicts and allows no room for rebuttal.

Meanwhile, in a land whose lawyers do not fear persecution, Phoenix Wright and Athena Cykes argue their client's case in court against Prosecutor Simon Blackquill. After the trial is adjourned, they join Apollo Justice and discuss Maya Fey, who is visiting Khura'in for spirit medium training. In her training sessions, Fey is assisted by a local boy named Ahlbi Ur'gaid. Commenting on her role as the upcoming Master of Kurain Village, he compares her to Rayfa Padma Khura'in, the royal priestess, who conducts the Divination Séances and interprets the resulting visions.

Later, Fey calls Wright on her cellphone, but their conversation is interrupted when a Khura'inese rebel with a knife grabs and holds her hostage to ward off his pursuers. In the process, she screams and drops her phone, breaking it. Nahyuta Sahdmadhi incapacitates the attacker, however, and leaves with his target. Unaware of this rescue, Wright immediately decides to hurry to Khura'in to make sure that she is all right. Meanwhile, a man overlooking a graveyard of Khura'inese attorneys heralds the arrival of a phoenix, and with him, "the flames of purification and change."

Releases

The game was released on 9th June 2016 in Japan for Nintendo 3DS, and worldwide on September 8th. iOS and Android versions were released on September 21st worldwide. A breakdown of what is included in each edition is as follows:

Nintendo 3DS:
- The main five episodes of the game, with the Special Episode and costume set released as paid DLC
iOS:
- The Foreign Turnabout, with the remaining five episodes and the costume set all released as paid DLC
Android:
- All of the aforementioned content is included in the initial cost

Pre-orders and Limited Edition

The Japanese version of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice shipped in two versions: a standard version that contained just the game, and a Limited Edition bundle that included the game, a bag in the style of Ur'gaid's tote bag, a plush toy of Shah'do, a drama CD, and a set of Spirit of Justice-themed postcards. The Limited Edition was contained in a two-drawer box designed in the style of the Khura'in treasure box. All pre-order copies also included the Ace Attorney Theater episodes for free and pixel-art keychain charms of the main characters of Spirit of Justice. Purchasing the game in the first few weeks of release also granted alternate costumes for free, after which they became paid DLC:^[13]

"The Tiger" costume for Phoenix Wright - based on the outfit worn by Furio Tigre in Recipe for Turnabout.
"School Days" costume for Apollo Justice - a male Japanese high school student uniform, based on Justice's middle school outfit in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies and similar in style to that worn by Ryūnosuke Naruhodō in Dai Gyakuten Saiban: Naruhodō Ryūnosuke no Bōken.
"Trés Bien" costume for Athena Cykes - based on the Trés Bien waitress uniform from Recipe for Turnabout.

International release

The game's English logo.

As with Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy, Spirit of Justice was only released digitally on the Nintendo eShop outside Japan. The game was released in North America and Europe on September 8th, 2016.^[14]

Other DLC

In Japan, a 3DS theme based on Spirit of Justice was made available alongside the game's release. Three Japan-exclusive downloadable costumes were also made available from June 23, 2016; these costumes are based on characters from Sengoku BASARA, another Capcom franchise, with Phoenix Wright's costume being based on Masamune Date/Azure Dragon, Apollo Justice's on Yukimura Sanada/Scorpio, and Athena Cykes's on Ieyasu Tokugawa/Irdene.^[15] Moreover, the Special Episode "Turnabout Time Traveller" was released on June 30, 2016; the case was offered free of charge between June 30 and July 20, and then become paid DLC afterwards.^[16]

For the English release, the first set of costumes for Wright, Justice, and Cykes were offered as free downloadable content in the first week of release (from September 8th until September 15th, 2016). Additionally, the two Ace Attorney Theater episodes and the full episode Turnabout Time Traveler were offered as paid content, and were released each Thursday following the release of the game. The Ace Attorney Theater episodes each cost $3.99 and came with a 3DS theme, while Turnabout Time Traveler was released for $5.99.^[17]

Reception

Sales

Spirit of Justice sold 196,831 copies in its first week in Japan,^[18] which was more than Dai Gyakuten Saiban, but less than Dual Destinies and Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. Sales figures are yet to be released for the digital-only English localization.

Critical reception

Spirit of Justice received a 34/40 from Famitsu, being awarded two eights and two nines.^[19] It holds an 81 on Metacritic, placing it into the 'Generally Positive' category.^[20] The game also received a mediocre review from IGN (who awarded it a 65/100), citing that the game has a "bloated middle act" and a flawed new mechanic,^[21] among other criticisms.

Gallery

Images

Character art

Phoenix Wright
Apollo Justice
Maya Fey
Nahyuta Sahdmadhi
Athena Cykes
Rayfa Padma Khura'in
Ema Skye
Trucy Wright
Dhurke Sahdmadhi
Miles Edgeworth
Ahlbi Ur'gaid
Amara Sigatar Khura'in
Shah'do
Inga Karukul Khura'in
Datz Are'bal
Ga'ran Sigatar Khura'in
Gaspen Payne
Pees'lubn Andistan'dhin
Paht Rohl
Bonny de Famme
Betty de Famme
Roger Retinz
Manov Mistree
"Queen" Ga'ran
A'nohn Ihmus (TBD)
Tahrust Inmee
Rheel Neh'mu (Puhray Zeh'lot)
Beh'leeb Inmee
Simon Blackquill
Taifu Toneido
Bucky Whet
Geiru Toneido
Uendo Toneido
Paul Atishon
Archie Buff
Armie Buff
Jove Justice
Larry Butz
Ellen Wyatt
Sorin Sprocket
Pierce Nichody
Dumas Gloomsbury
Selena Sprocket

Promotional art

Promotional banner
Character sketch wallpaper of Phoenix Wright
Character sketch wallpaper of Apollo Justice
Character sketch wallpaper of Athena Cykes
Character sketch wallpaper of Maya Fey
Phoenix Wright's "Furio Tigre" alternate outfit
Apollo Justice's "Japanese high school student" alternate outfit
Athena Cykes's "Trés Bien waitress" alternate outfit
Tatpromoposter.png
Promotional image for Turnabout Time Traveler.
Phoenix Wright's art for "Mystery Rally" event with Japanese railway companies
Maya Fey's art for "Mystery Rally" event with Japanese railway companies
Apollo Justice's art for "Mystery Rally" event with Japanese railway companies
Gyakuten Saiban 6 Official Visual Book cover art
Famitsu cover art, June 23, 2016 issue
Cover artwork from Nintendo Dream magazine, July 2016 issue
Dengeki Nintendo cover artwork, July 2016 issue
EU Nintendo eShop artwork.

Trailer and gameplay images

The High Court of Khura'in
Apollo Justice - AA6 Special Stage TGS 2015.png
Apollo Justice in the extended TGS 2015 trailer
A mysterious figure (Nahyuta Sahdmadhi) facing Justice at the end of the extended TGS trailer
Cross-Examination - AA6 Special Stage TGS 2015.png
A cross-examination from the TGS gameplay demo
Leifa Padma Kurain - AA6 Trailer.png
In-game model of Rayfa Padma Khura'in
Athena AA6 Screenshot.png
First screenshot of Athena Cykes (with Trucy Wright visible on a poster behind her)
EdgeworthProsecutorGS6.jpg
Miles Edgeworth prosecuting in the promotional court skit video for Turnabout Across Time
LarryCourtGS6.jpg
Larry Butz testifying in the promotional court skit video for Turnabout Across Time
BasaraDLCPhoenix.jpg
Phoenix Wright DLC costume, "Masamune Date" from Sengoku Basara
BasaraDLCApollo.jpg
Apollo Justice DLC costume, "Yukimura Sanada" from Sengoku Basara
BasaraDLCAthena.jpg
Athena Cykes DLC costume, "Ieyasu Tokugawa" from Sengoku Basara