All rise again, ladies and gentlemen. Capcom's hit courtroom game has hit its 15th anniversary this year and to commemorate this occasion, the brand new chapter of the Gyakuten Saiban (Ace Attorney) series has arrived. Take that!
 |
| Gyakuten Saiban 6 |
Gyakuten Saiban 6 (Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice) may be more than just a present for the franchise's 15th anniversary but this is by no means one of the most dramatic installments of Capcom's hit franchise. When I say dramatic, yes because some returning faces are appearing as well as new ones in this dramatic new storyline, which has been the hallmark of the franchise.
Returning faces, you say? Yes, apart from main characters such as Ryuichi Naruhodo (Phoenix Wright), Housuke Odoroki (Apollo Justice), and Kokone Kitsuki (Athena Cykes), and villains such as Reiji Mitsurugi (Miles Edgeworth) and Jun Yugami (Simon Blackquill), we can expect long-awaited return of supporting favorites such as Akane Houzuki (Ema Skye) and hers truly, Mayoi Ayasato (Maya Fey). Aside from returning favorites, there are new cast that will spice this new story up, including a priestess named Rayfa Padma Khura'in.
The story begins with Naruhodo venturing on the Khura'in Kingdom, the origin of the Kurain Channeling Technique that Mayoi tried to master. Naruhodo discovers that trials in Khura'in are different than his home country and instead of evidence or arguments, trials and verdicts are judged by visions conjured by seance trials by Rayfa, the Royal Priestess. Thanks to those bizarre trials, lawyers are no longer necessary and defendants are useless. As Ryuichi Naruhodo is known for turning things around during countless trials and tribulations, can he turn the seance trials around in the same way he did back home? Meanwhile, way back home, Housuke Odoroki tries to defend the honor of the law agency he and his mentor, Naruhodo, they've worked hard for, no matter the odds.
True to the franchise, storyline is the main topic of this game and how your decisions as a defense attorney will affect the outcome based on the evidences you've gathered and the testimonies you've heard. Taking advantage of the new 3D fingerprint identification that Akane (Ema) provided to you, seeing through lies in Odoroki's eyes, Psyche-lock that requires crucial evidence to unlock the truth, and the new multi-angle camera, gathering evidences shouldn't be a slouch for gamers but it's important not to rush in the investigation process. You need to search through the whole corners of the place to collect more evidence needed to uncover the killings.
And then the trial part is what makes this game as interesting as the previous installments. Again, you should never rush in this one because you have to review everything what the characters said before presenting the evidences and go "objection" over and over until the tension builds up. Remember, one small mistake will be devastating, leaving the trial to a complete disaster, so be careful.
When tension builds up in the trial, you will be engaged to more ways to deal with the witnesses. As Ryuichi Naruhodo, you will be able to cooperate with Rayfa with her Divination Seance, which reveals the final moments of the victims before their brutal murder, allowing you to find the contradictions and discrepancies on this case. As Housuke Odoroki, you can cooperate with Kokone's Mood Matrix, as seen in the previous installment, to detect unexpected feelings the witnesses faced. There's so much stuff you can do to uncover the truth to put the masterminds behind bars and save the innocent who are accused for the cases.
Gyakuten Saiban 6, like the others, features new and thrilling episodes in this game. From Naruhodo's Khura'in arrival gone wrong, the magic show where Minuki (Trucy) was on it ended in disaster, to the unfateful reunion between Naruhodo and Mayoi, and it all leads up to the biggest plot twist in this game; the one where the master and his nugget will face each other in the courtroom and that faceoff was none other than...well, can't tell who are those two but keep playing this game to find out.
HOLD IT! There are DLC contents coming in this game such as three extra costumes for Naruhodo, Odoroki, and Kokone and a new episode. In this special costume pack; Ryuichi Naruhodo wears a funky oriental-style shirt while Odoroki wears a school uniform and Kokone's in a maid outfit. It will be free to download until the 29th of June. On the 30th of June, a special episode will be available for free until the 20th of July. In this special episode; a character who appears in both Gyakuten Saiban (Ace Attorney) and Gyakuten Kenji (Ace Attorney Investigations) games is about to get married...and its initials start with the letter M. Could it be Naruhodo's arch-nemesis Reiji Mitsurugi (Miles Edgeworth)? Still, could be worse. With Masashi Yahari (Larry Butz) making his comeback, Naruhodo's wisecracking pal warned him about...time travel and the runaway bride who leapt through time. How would our favorite Ace Attorney crack this bizarre mystery?
So, there you have it. With new and returning faces, a fresh new batch of stories to uncover the truth, and new ways to collect crucial evidences, Gyakuten Saiban 6 takes a lot of patience for players to play this much-anticipated installment and delve deeper into the game's unique storyline that sets them apart from other murder mystery games, perhaps this is just one of the main reason why everybody loves the Gyakuten Saiban franchise not just the whole courtroom drama but the emotions it delivered.
Court is adjourned!
