Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice
A defense attorney challenges a kingdom where verdicts are decided by mystical visions.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice is a visual novel adventure game developed and published by Capcom, and the sixth main entry in the Ace Attorney series. It was released for Nintendo 3DS in Japan in June 2016 and in North America and Europe in September 2016, with later versions for iOS, Android, and as part of a compilation for other platforms. The game follows Phoenix Wright as he travels to the fictional Kingdom of Khura'in, where defense attorneys are deemed unnecessary and verdicts rely on a mystical vision called the Divination Séance.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Capcom
- Director
- Takeshi Yamazaki; Takuro Fuse
- Producer
- Motohide Eshiro
- Designer
- Yoriki Daigo
- Artist
- Takuro Fuse
- Writer
- Takeshi Yamazaki
- Hironao Fukuda
- Kōki Fuse
- Masakazu Eguchi
- Composer
- Noriyuki Iwadare
- Toshihiko Horiyama
- Masami Onodera
- Series
- Ace Attorney
Facts from the source article.
Plot
A year after the events of Dual Destinies, Phoenix Wright heads to the kingdom of Khura'in to see Maya Fey, who is completing spiritual training to master her channeling abilities. Shortly after arriving, his guide Ahlbi Ur'gaid is charged with stealing the Founder's Orb and killing a security guard. In court, Phoenix learns that Khura'in has a deep hostility toward defense lawyers due to the Defense Culpability Act, passed 23 years earlier, which imposes the same penalty on anyone who represents a guilty client. The Divination Séance, which reveals a victim's final moments, has ensured only guilty verdicts, and most defense attorneys have been executed. Phoenix wins a not guilty verdict for Ahlbi by exposing the head monk Pees'lubn Andistan'dhin as the true killer, marking the first such verdict since the Act began. He also discovers the Defiant Dragons, a rebel group opposing the legal system. Back home, Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes handle cases at the Wright Anything Agency. Familiar faces include Trucy Wright, Ema Skye, Simon Blackquill, Pearl Fey, and Miles Edgeworth. Newcomers are Rayfa Padma Khura'in, the princess and royal priestess, and Nahyuta Sahdmadhi, an international prosecutor and devout monk.
Development
Spirit of Justice was produced by Motohide Eshiro and co-directed by Takeshi Yamazaki and Takuro Fuse. Yamazaki was in charge of the game's scenario, while Fuse directed graphics and gameplay and served as art director. The music was composed principally by Noriyuki Iwadare, with additional tracks by Toshihiko Horiyama and series newcomer Masami Onodera. Capcom first mentioned the game in December 2013, at which point they had just begun working full force on a new game and were thinking up ideas. When announced in September 2015, development was 30% finished. By the end of 2015, development was mostly finished, with the team working on polishing and adding finishing touches. After finishing Dual Destinies, Yamazaki had become exhausted and wanted to quit working on Ace Attorney. Eshiro encouraged him by taking him to a press conference in Taiwan and to San Diego Comic-Con, which renewed Yamazaki's enthusiasm. Eshiro decided to split directing responsibilities between Yamazaki and Fuse, fearing that two equal directors working on the same aspects would cause difficulty for the development team.
Release
Spirit of Justice first hit shelves in Japan on June 9, 2016, with a digital release for North America and Europe following on September 8, 2016 via the Nintendo eShop. Early Japanese copies came with two bonus episodes and three costumes, none of which fit into the main story. That content eventually made its way to English-speaking players: the costume set was free for the first week, while the episodes, rebranded as Asinine Attorney, dropped on September 15 and September 22, 2016, each bundled with a 3DS menu theme. Japan also got a limited edition featuring a drama CD, a plush toy, a tote bag, and a visual poster card book. A second costume pack, inspired by Capcom’s Sengoku Basara series, arrived in Japan on June 23. An extra case called Turnabout Time Traveler was released as DLC on June 30, 2016 in Japan, free until July 20, and later in English on September 29, 2016. The game was ported to iOS and Android on September 21, 2017, letting players buy cases individually or as a full bundle; the first costume set and Turnabout Time Traveler were also offered as DLC for those mobile versions. On January 25, 2024, it joined the Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One, which also includes the first DLC costume set and Turnabout Time Traveler.
Reception
Spirit of Justice earned generally favorable scores on Metacritic. In Japan, it launched as the top-selling game, moving 196,831 copies in its first week. It then fell to second place with 25,288 copies, sixth with 11,803, and tenth with 7,543. Capcom confirmed these sales met their expectations. Four Famitsu critics gave a joint review. Ashida and Honma liked how the ending tied everything together, and Honma also enjoyed seeing characters like Maya mature, even investigating just to read extra dialogue. Uchisawa felt some plot points went too far, while Ashida thought the occult theme might split opinions. Ashida called the divination séance a fresh mechanic but admitted it was a stretch; Uchisawa disagreed, saying the game didn't feel new but was still fun. IGN's Tristan Ogilvie agreed it offered nothing novel, criticizing the séances as wishy-washy and less intuitive than standard cross-examinations. He also dismissed investigation segments as mere point-and-click pixel hunts, wishing for more forensic analysis. However, he praised the over-the-top characters, engaging courtroom scenes, and the game's visual quality.
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