Episode 1

[(In the lobby) Who did the local government pay to do that painting of his Honor? However much it was, I can guarantee it was too much.]

"Hey, guys. Do you know what would be a great idea? This case is over-saturated with problems as is, so I will pad the sin count even more by nitpicking irrelevant details nobody cares about. Genius!" one sin added.

(Professional attorney Kristoph Gavin forgot to put his collar down this morning. Considering how obsessed we later learn he is with his personal appearance, this should be our first sign something is seriously wrong with him.)

"At this point, 10 minutes into the game, the players know nothing about Kristoph, much less that he is obsessed with his appearance. So this does not seem weird to them on the first time. And if they decide to replay the game, they can see this as a clever bit of animation that implies his villainous nature from the first moment he appears on screen. So…if it's done intentionally…why are you sinning this?" one sin added.

[(Your first trial and it's a homicide. I guess Justice doesn't start small.) No, it's because justice is a main character in this series, and that's the only kind of trial they're allowed to take. Get it, right, Gavin.]

"Did…did you just talk to Kristoph and treat it like a sin? Did you just talk to a character on screen? Like he can hear you?! What?!" one sin added.

(Phoenix makes fun of Apollo for having an odd name, but…um, his mother names him Phoenix. Does he really have room to talk?)

"So you think Phoenix and Apollo are equally odd? The one has recently entered the top 200 most popular names….the other was given to 1 out of every 2,392 baby boys and 1 out of every 296,581 baby girls born in 2021. Are we good here?" one sin added.

[Also…(in my best impression) I'm sorry, the old Phoenix Wright can't come to the phone right now. Why not? Oh! Cause his dead!]

"Pierce makes a pop culture refence that isn't a sin of the case cliché." One sin added.

(The Phoenix Wright reveal. I cannot be the only one who screamed when I first played this game.)

"No, you are not. Almost everyone did. And considering that was the very point of this plot twist…that's a job well done." One sin added.

(Also, Apollo gives a voice to every player ever during the "Phoenix is a gambling hobo" scene. He should already know this happened, but we need the audience to get used to this, so…)

"Yes, he does know. He idolizes Phoenix and is familiar with the details of his disbarment. In other words, he does know why he is this way now. The reason I am saying all this is because if you are as dumb as I think you are, you probably think when he asks "How could this have happened?" he means how he ended up like a drunk hobo and not how he ended up as a murder suspect." One sin added.

[(Grape juice bottle was the murder weapon) Obvious substitution of alcohol is obvious.]

"This is not alcohol. Its legitimately grape juice. Shu Takumi made this because he really likes grape juice. It's clear this series has no issue talking about alcohol as seen in 1-5 and 6-4, so the fact it's not referred to as alcohol here means it is not. It's meant as a joke, how Phoenix has been using grape juice to drown his sorrows, showing even though he has become bitter, his childish personality is still there. Besides, if he had been drinking his pain away for seven whole years, he would be without a liver by the time this game started." One sin added.

(Shadi Smith. There is no way that's an alias or something.)

"This is the universe where people are named Frank Sahwit, Redd White, Luke Atmey, Furio Tigre and Shelly De killer. Nothing is considered an alias unless it's stated to be so." One sin added.

(I click that I don't want a cross-examination tutorial, but the game gives me one anyway. Why?)

"It does not. If you choose "No, thanks" Gavin just reminds you to look for inconsistencies without any hint as to how to do so. If you click "Refresher course, please" he goes into way more detail." One sin added.

(Game goes from the optimistic, we-are-all family-and-help-each-other fight-our-demons mood at the end of T&T to…gambling in a smoky room once made for gangsters all night with a bottle of grape juice at your side. Some might call this maturation of the series. I call it the edgy teenage years.)

"Yes, this is the point where the series leaves the Childhood phase of the original trilogy and goes into the darker adulthood of the sequel trilogy. The latter three games are admittedly much darker than the first three and this works to the series' benefit. Even though these games cannot always live up to the perfection of the original trilogy, they still have the guts to breech the seedy underside of the issues they handle. The original trilogy also has pretty dark moments, but nothing like this. After three amazing games, the developers got more confident in the series' abilities, and decided to take some creative liberties. Maybe too confident, but that is not the issue here. The issue is, the happy family mood from T&T is great, but the series is trying to show us life is not just that and we have to deal with scenarios as depressive as this sometimes." One sin added.

(Does Phoenix still own the same cellphone he did in the first game? I think he still owns the same cellphone he did in the first game. It's been ten years, man!)

"I could say this could be a newer phone of the same model, but…even if it's the same one, why should he throw it away if it's still working? Throwing away a perfectly working cellphone just because there are new ones around is not only a needless waste of money, it's also hazardous to the environment. Do you have any idea of the speed at which natural resources are exhausted for making these rectangular pieces of magic? We are in the middle of an energy crisis here! Use your phone until it drops!" one sin added.

(Apollo jumps to the same conclusion as the rest of us about Orly being the killer. I guess he, like us, played the trilogy before coming here. Too bad this game was made to be a big fuck you to its predecessors or I could almost count this as genre savviness.)

"Are you being serious right now?! Look, I didn't like this game. It's my least favorite in the series, in fact. I would give it a C on a tier list. But this opening case is the best opening case of them all. It tricks you into thinking Orly will be the obvious killer, a la all previous intro cases, but it completely subverts your expectations and make Kristoph the twist villain. This case starts with a bang. It's too bad the later cases don't take this awesomeness and expand on it, but this case is still incredible." One sin added.

"Also, you are saying if the game did not subvert expectations and made Orly the killer…you would count it as genre savviness. But…I have read all your fics in this series and…you always sin it. So…you sin the game for doing one thing…and then admit you would still sin it if it did the exact opposite?" one sin added.

[(That's ridiculous because…Mr. Wright can't lose.) frivolous objection cliché. I see we are starting early this game?]

"I could say the same about your and your annoying habit of making up clichés to pad your sin count." One sin added.

[(The poker chip contradiction.) Game thinks I am willing to do math to solve this case. Game could not be more wrong.]

"What's that I for? You don't need to do anything. You just present the photo and the game does the math for you. And it doesn't take much thinking or math skills to figure out the photo is what you need to present." One sin added.

(Just think: if Gavin hadn't felt the need to wax poetic about card color, he would never have been suspected of this murder by anyone other than Phoenix. Culprits foils his own plot for one of the most minor and stupid of reasons.)

"And if Apollo had died in the fire of Khur'ain, the sequel trilogy wouldn't exist. And if the plane Edgeworth takes in turnabout airlines had crushed, he would never become chief prosecutor. And if Kay had been shot in turnabout ablaze, she wouldn't have had a role in AAI2. Do you…see my point yet? Just because something seems really coincidental or lucky, it doesn't mean it couldn't have happened. Especially since the events of the game happen the way they do because of these events. If these events didn't happen, the whole game would go a different way. And then you would misunderstand that too. Are you thoroughly embarrassed or do I need to give more examples? Because (insert captain America) I can do this all day." One sin added.

[(Phoenix and Kristoph passive-aggressively fight during the recess) Phoenix and Kristoph are locked in an intense foreshadowing contest to see who can tell you the most about how this case ends. Right now, I'd say they are about neck-and-neck.]

"Pierce points out things on the screen cliché. I know you probably take pride in being able to read the room, but I have to break it to you…We can read the room too. We can tell what is happening here. And we love it, actually. It seems innocent enough the first time, but upon replaying…you can feel the oozing hatred in every word they utter. And it is enough to send chills down your spine. So…sinning this!" five sins added.

(Phoenix tells Apollo about Apollo's own superpower. Because clearly Apollo has never been a tense person before, felt his bracelet tighten, looked around to figure out why and possibly figured the trick out for himself. No way was that a situation that ever could have occurred in real life.)

"Notice her wording here "In real life." Yes, thank you for telling us about reality, but…I have some shocking news for you. This ain't reality! Are you really trying to apply real-word logic to a supernatural bracelet from a fictional universe? And how can you do that? You think that this bracelet is real? And somehow your internal logic determines how it works or not? You are saying there is no way Apollo couldn't have figured the trick out on his own, but…you mean aside from the case showing you right now he hasn't? And what evidence is there to suggest he has ever been around a tense person before and focus enough on them to notice the effect of his bracelet?" one sin added.

(Shadi Enigmar came out of hiding not to see his daughter, ensure her adoptive father is taking care of her, explain why he abandoned her or clear his name? No, it's to keep the Gramarye rights out of his ex-partners hands and destroy Phoenix's second career. When the latter fails, he throws a hissy fit and assaults his accomplice. If he hadn't been killed off before the first case started, I can almost guarantee he'd be the most hated character in the series. In some circles, he still is. This guy has no redeeming character traits. None.)

"No, I agree. Fuck this guy! He is a colossal turd! I would remove a sin, but…I also want to add one for you claiming he has no redeeming traits. He does have one at least. He wrote a confession, falsely claiming he killed Magnify, just to get Valant out of trouble, because he felt guilty for what he has gone through as a result of his disappearance. I know, this doesn't change the fact he is a huge jackass, but it's still something." So I do nothing.

(Also, heavy-handed parallels with the finale case. It makes for a great intro, but a lackluster finale. Everyone expects the best twists to come at the end of the story. If you play your best hands in the first round, you aren't going to walk away with the big bucks when the night is over. For a game with a case so focused on gambling, you'd think it'd adhere to the principals better.)

"Good point. No, really. This case is great, but…it takes the spotlight from all other cases, including the finale. Sure, there are a lot of twists, but the finale still has very low stakes." One sin removed.

[(The perceive minigame) Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, that background. I know I took drugs before this case started, but I don't have anything close to what Apollo is on. Who does he get this shit from?]

"This design was made to make this new game mechanic unique. Phoenix's magatama has locks and chains, Athena's mood matrix has colorful faces…they gave Apollo's bracelet a cool background and some really great music. This is one of the few things almost everyone wants to remember from this game. So…sinning this." One sin added.

[(Apollo: Why can't I have a normal trial) Because you are a main character in this series. I know it might not feel this way, but you are the protagonist of this game, believe it or not.]

"I was going to remove a sin for you acknowledging how Apollo is merely a pawn in Phoenix's plan in his own game and how he was barely given any characterization despite being the protagonist…but then I realized you are still talking to the characters on screen…and you are for some reason treating this "conversation" as a sin of the game. Yes, I know she has done it in every other fix so far, but…I still can't comprehend this!" one sin added.

[(Phoenix recorded the conversation between himself and Kristoph Gavin.) That's not legal. In order to record a conversation in California and have it be legally accepted, both parties must consent to he recording. Sure, this isn't the only time Phoenix uses illegal evidence to prove his point, but I'm surprised no one, say Kristoph, objects to it.]

"And since when has this specific law been stated to apply in this universe? No, really! This isn't normal USA. This is Japanifornia. In the original version, it takes places in Japan. If there is no law there against recording phone conversations, there is none here either." One sin added.

[(You mean someone cracked that flawless bone china plate?) I swear, the only flaw Kristoph has as an ace attorney villain is to wax poetic about details he shouldn't know about. If this man knew how to watch his mouth, he would have gotten away with everything.]

"And if the earthquake hadn't struck the courthouse when Edgeworth and his dad where in the elevator, the events of the whole series wouldn't have happened. And if Phoenix and Edgeworth were in separate classes, Phoenix would never have become a lawyer. And if Phoenix drowned in eagle river, the series would end on a tragic note. And if a car run you down three years ago, you wouldn't be here writing this fic. And if a car had ran me down, I wouldn't be here writing this fic. You want another serving? I warned you, gal: I can do this all day." One sin added.

(Where was Kristoph when Phoenix made this call? If he was still in the passageway near the hideout, there is no way he had cell phone signal. This call should not have happened.)

"I assume a cupboard meant to cover a secret passage for gangsters to escape the law would be soundproof. Kristoph could have walked towards he cupboard in the restaurant to get reception and spoke with Phoenix without being heard." One sin added.

[(Trucy's appearance) Phoenix couldn't have forged evidence in detention, which means Trucy was instructed by her father to forge the ace card, deliver it to a defense attorney during trial and have the attorney present it at the exact moment necessary to corner-who he believes is-the true murderer. Save the first part…does this not sound familiar to anyone? Does Phoenix not think it's at all risky to put innocent, newbie, third-party Apollo's badge on the line on his very first case using the same trick his enemy did to get him disbarred? Does he not see the hypocrisy in using Trucy to hurt Gavin the same way Gavin did him? Part of me wants to hate him for this, but the other…can't see another way for him to have taken Gavin down. I've both loved and hated this case for years on end, all because of this one action. On one hand, this move in a complete contradiction to everything the original trilogy and grater series stands for in terms of ideals, optimism and morality. On the other…it's coldly cynical in a way no other game in the series is and done for purely practical purposes. If Phoenix hates criminals and wants to take them down alone…he'll do what's needed. In one game, this would make him the villain of the story. But in this one, he is seen as a hero. And how you personally view his actions ultimately says a lot about you as a person. It took justice for al four cases to set up a conundrum this thought-provoking and this game does it right out of the gate. That takes skill.]

"Okay, you got me. No, really. You pile on a bunch of arguments…and for the first time, they all check out and make sense. This is indeed something that also has me troubled about this case and the game in general and something that requires more thought. Well done." One sin removed.

(I know Kristoph claims the only way Apollo could have the ace is if it were forged-and that's ultimately what does him in-but…it being the killer the only way to come to that conclusion?)

"Yes. That's the literal point of this trap. If Kristoph was indeed innocent, he wouldn't have had knowledge of that card, just like the rest of the court didn't. The fact he rushes to claim it was forged-and slips up asking where Apollo got it-means he knew a detail about the crime scene nobody was supposed to know, meaning he must have been there after the crime took place. Sure, this whole thing is a bit of a grey area, but it still works. Kristoph could have kept silent, but he incriminated himself by talking too much. And this is not the first time a culprit has fallen for such a trick in this series." One sin added.

(If the victim's head dripped blood on the table, why did his hat fall on the floor? That is never explained.)

"Maybe it fell sideways. I don't think it had to fall towards the table just because that's the direction the victim's head leaned towards. That's not how gravity works." One sin added.

(I get the logic behind moving the victim and the killer around, but…is there anything disproving the idea of the killer standing off to the side and hitting the vicitm's forehead by swining sideways?)

"Yes. The fact that he would have noticed a guy wielding a bottle standing next to him and would have had time to act. Even if he couldn't avoid it, he would try to and his body would definitely not be still in the chair, much less the way it is now. This shows he didn't realize what was happening before it was too late, meaning the killer came from behind." One sin added.

(A secret passageway ex machina is bad enough, but how exactly does this passage work? We know the room was created for black marketers and can safely assume this was meant as an escape route out of the room. Slide the cupboard aside and make your escape. With that in mind, how would Gavin have been able to move the cupboard aside from inside the passageway? How did he move it back as he was leaving? This is never explained.)

"It's clear a hidden switch exists that allows the cupboard to be moved. With that in mind…it stands to reason there is another one inside the passageway, exactly so the people escaping would be able to close it behind them. Don't you think it would kill the point of escaping in this fashion if you left your passage open for everyone to see? So this is how Kristoph opened and closed it from the inside. Done. Those menial details you have so much trouble understanding…seriously, it's telling that you sin a game filled with plot holes and errors and still manage to make so many null-and-void sins." One sin added.

"Also, you misused Deus ex Machina yet again. Yes, I am aware you have no idea what that phrase actually means, but…you just used it to describe a method of escape. So I will add five sins. It seems harsh, but this is quite possibly your worst ever usage of this phase, since you have made it explicitly clear you think a Deus ex Machina is someone being saved. Like…who is even being saved here?" five sins added

(Also, if the passageway connects to the restaurant above, how did Phoenix and Gavin never see each other up there? When exactly did Gavin enter the passageway? How was he able to time his entrance exactly so neither Phoenix nor Orly actually saw him at the crime scene? I wouldn't think he could hear very well form behind the cabinet.)

"I damn near removed a sin for Pierce making a good point about the inexplicable sequence of events here…but I am going to add one instead. Why? Because she shows she is aware the cupboard provides soundproofing…and still wondered earlier how Kristoph made the call with Phoenix without being heard. She even repeats it now. So she shows her hypocrisy again. If you feel the need to make shit up for this game too…you don't need to. Really, sis. It's doing a good enough job on its own." One sin added.

(Gavin's telekinesis powers.)

"Sinning Gavin's breakdown. This is my favorite in the whole game, after the final one. Kristoph is a despicable, petty man who you will grow to hate more and more by the end of the case, but…damn if this breakdown doesn't feel satisfying, even if it is premature." One sin added.

Total sin tally: 37

Sentence: slammed on the head with a grape juice bottle.