When you think about the Ace Attorney games you might usually think of the more serious cases- a murder on the mountaintop, the death in the poker room, et cetera. It’s the kind of dramatic setting that might make you think the Ace Attorney series might be better suited to a live action drama, with Mariska Hargitay in a starring role.
However, some of the best cases can be their most absurd. In Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies, part of the Apollo Justice Ace Attorney Trilogy, you get arguably the apex of this silliness. Here, you’re tasked with a whale of a task- proving a killer whale isn’t a killer whale.
The setup should be familiar to anyone else familiar with Ace Attorney- a “straightforward” murder happens, and your job is proving that things are more than they seem. Yet somehow, there’s more to it than that this time. Your client is an Orca named Orla, and animals killing humans aren’t murder per se. Here starts your uphill battle- proving to the authorities that there was a murder at all, rather than an unfortunate accident of an Orca killing its handler.
Logic In Madness
One of the Ace Attorney series’ greatest strengths has always been building logical ladders out of absurdist holes, and the Orca trial is no different. The entire trial you’re fighting some damning opposition- an expert witness, an antagonistic prosecutor and literal video footage.
Despite this, as you always do, you pull through. It starts with looking at the supposedly watertight timeline, then the events itself. By taking a few logical leaps of faith, you pretty much fight your way through even the meanest of Blackquill’s protests.
It’s not just the prosecution working against you either- need I remind you that, unlike the Parrot from previous games, Orla can’t talk. Your client saw everything, but has no means to actually say any of it, or even defend themselves. I love how Orla’s trial comes back to the core of what an Orca is- and this discussion is the heart of saving Orla.
Part of what makes this case so fun though is that the Orca isn’t even the strangest part of the case. As is typical Ace Attorney fashion you’re surrounded by cartoon character witnesses, from wannabe pirates to wannabe rappers to way-too-egotistical writers. While at first glance they’re all working against you, there’s a very special magic for when they shed their facade.
You really get to see this thanks to the return of the Psych Lock system, too. Just having information presented as something a character wanted to hide from you does a lot for their depth, while the game’s own expressive sprites and quirky writing make sure to keep the characters lighthearted in other situations.
A Whale Of A Time
Considering it has no bearing on the rest of the plot of Dual Destinies, The Turnabout Reclaimed is an incredibly fun one-off adventure. It’s silly yet heartwarming, and has plenty to love for both old-school and new fans of the series.
Dealing with the stacked odds and unhelpful weirdos all becomes worth it when you present that key evidence and Pursuit: Keep Pressing on comes on, letting you know that you’re onto something.
This Orca case is one of the many cases included in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy, which is available now on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
