EVERY Ace Attorney Case Ranked

I’ve already re-ranked the Ace Attorney games, but now that I’ve finally finished The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles I can make an updated ranking of all the Ace Attorney cases – all 50 of them when you include Chronicles and Investigations!

This is quite a colossal list to do, but I reckon I’m up to the challenge. I would highly recommend being wary of any spoilers in this list, as even the case name (or video thumbnail I link under it) might give away some crucial plot points – you have been warned!

Just to make things extra clear, I’ll be cataloguing each case with a neat little code (e.g. “Justice For All” Case 2 will have (JFA-2) next to it so you know what case I’m on about). Here’s a list of all the games and the codenames I’ve assigned to them:

• Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (PW)
• Justice For All (JFA)
• Trials & Tribulations (TT)
• Apollo Justice (AJ)
• Ace Attorney: Investigations (AAI)
• AA Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Path (AAI2)
• Dual Destinies (DD)
• The Great Ace Attorney (DGS)
• Spirit Of Justice (SOJ)
• The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve (DGS2)

Now that we’ve cleared all the admin things up, how would I rank every Ace Attorney case ever?

You can check out some of my related blog posts below:

Bad

All of these cases (or just the one, in this instance) were so stupidly executed that I think my life would have been better off if I hadn’t played them.

50 – Turnabout Big Top (JFA-3)

The only case in the series where I’d be so bold as to say there are no redeeming factors at all, everything about “Turnabout Big Top” is either infuriating or just straight up bad.

Every single character is annoying, the circus setting and songs will haunt your nightmares, and the actual case itself with all of its “twists” and “logical deductions” are just laughable. I didn’t enjoy myself at all in this one – neither the investigations nor trials had any moments that I remember fondly. If you were ever going to skip a case, it would be this one (it adds nothing to the overall plot of JFA either, so a new player could actually ignore it without missing anything!)

Meh

These cases are either ones that are extremely forgettable or their plot developments just fall flat – or both.

49 – The Monstrous Turnabout (DD-2)

“The Monstrous Turnabout” has all of the problems that I mentioned with “Turnabout Big Top”, except it’s slightly more important to the overall narrative.

The plot itself is up there as one of the most ridiculous in the series, and Apollo and Athena aren’t quite at their best yet. At least we get to meet Fulbright for the first time, and finally investigating in 3D was pretty neat.

48 – The Lost Turnabout (JFA-1)

Justice For All has two of the bottom 3 cases ever, which is quite an accomplishment in itself. I’m not here to give out participation medals though – just to brutally criticise all of its shortcomings.

“The Lost Turnabout” is the worst opening case of the series for both how ridiculously tutorial-y it is and the stupid plot. I’m sure the developers thought they were giving new players a chance to learn the ropes, but 99% of people playing this have already experienced the tutorial of the first game so the whole case just feels so mind-numbing and pointless.

47 – Turnabout Visitor (AAI-1)

An opening case that I disliked as much as “The Lost Turnabout”, but at least we have a new system of deduction and investigation to explore.

Edgeworth’s office is such a dreary location for a first case, and nothing that the case throws at you will grip your attention. There’s a mild attempt at setting up an overarching sub-plot, but this falls flat too.

46 – The First Turnabout (PW-1)

Objectively speaking, this is probably the worst case in the series, or at least the most underwhelming and forgettable one.

The contradictions are extremely basic, the characters (excluding the main ones) hardly make an impression, and the murder itself is far too simple by Ace Attorney standards. They even show you who the murderer is within the first 10 seconds – what kind of mystery game does that?!?

It is the first case ever, though, so I guess I have to respect how it set up all of the gameplay elements that we know and love nowadays (and everything about this case has become iconic over time).

45 – Turnabout Corner (AJ-2)

Apollo Justice starts with a banger of a first case … before stumbling at the second hurdle.

Some people think this case is extremely underrated, but some people are wrong. It’s such a dull case from start to finish, and none of the characters are remotely as charming as they were in the original trilogy.

44 – Turnabout Airlines (AAI-2)

The second case from Investigations isn’t much better than the first, but at least the mystery is slightly more interesting – and we’re not stuck in some tiny office for the whole thing.

I respect the premise on the airplane, as that means it’s a case that can only ever be in an Investigations game, but it hardly holds your attention.

43 – Turnabout Storyteller (SOJ-4)

They don’t even try to hide the fact that this is just a filler case, and the fact it comes so late in the game (Case 4 instead of, say, Case 2 or 3) meant it left a sour taste in my mouth on first playthrough.

In fairness, they do have a lot of fun with the little material they give you. The Athena / Blackquill combo was great to see, and some of the witnesses were fairly memorable, but overall you can just skip this and miss nothing.

OK

All of these cases were fine, but I wanted a little more from them … and replaying them would be a hell of a chore.

42 – The Adventure of the Unbreakable Speckled Band (DGS-2)

Every once in a blue moon you’ll get a case that’s purely a trial, but I can’t recall a single time other than in this one when it was just investigations (other than the spinoff series of the same name … obviously).

If it wasn’t for Sholmes being the absolute delight that he is, and both “deduction” segments being so infectiously fun as a result, this would have been way down the list just for how boring it is to play through.

Also, later on in the Great Ace Attorney storyline you start to realise just how pointless this whole case really was, so points deducted for borderline wastage of my time.

41 – Turnabout Ablaze (AAI-5)

The worst final case in the series by a country mile, any chance the original Investigations game had of winning me over was instantly squashed by this drawn-out bafoonery.

The final confrontation with Alba is an appropriately imposing final boss, but oh my word does it go on for about four times as long as you’d want. “Diplomatic Immunity” this and “You’re on my soil!” that … I was sick to death of the man after a while, and I couldn’t care less for the mystery by that point.

40 – The Adventure of the Great Departure (DGS-1)

I’d heard lots of great things about The Great Ace Attorney when I first booted it up, but I wasn’t entirely impressed by its first case. It’s completely serviceable, and the characters are great, but it’s so by-the-book and sooooo loooooong.

It’s about three times longer than any tutorial case should ever be, and some of the logical leaps and contradictions are infuriating – the switching beefsteaks especially. You don’t even get the jury system just yet, so it’s probably the most mundane Great Ace Attorney case as a result.

39 – Turnabout Serenade (AJ-3)

This is one of the stupidest cases in Ace Attorney history for a plethora of reasons: the suspect they choose to arrest is ridiculous, the culprit is underwhelming (especially from Klavier’s point of view, I thought he would react way more from the shocking revelation) and you have to watch a really long video far too many times.

So, after that laundry list of reasons why it sucks, why on earth have I rated it above 10 other cases? Well, it heavily relies on music, and Klavier’s awesome. So … yeah, not a great excuse, but it’s pretty much my guilty pleasure case.

38 – The Kidnapped Turnabout (AAI-3)

In all honesty, I’m not entirely sure why the Ace Attorney fandom has such a distain for this case. It’s better than at least half of the rest of Investigations, and I found the characters and mystery to be somewhat engaging.

I guess people find the whole kidnapping plot and use of Blue Badger suits to be annoying, but I don’t have any real problems with it other than it didn’t do anything to really grip me.

37 – Turnabout Sisters (PW-2)

It’s a bit of a shame that the first two cases of the original game (well, maybe the first three if I’m pushing it) aren’t anywhere near the lofty heights of what to expect in the series, and it makes replaying them almost impossible.

The power of hindsight aside, I remember being really engaged by the murder of Phoenix’s mentor figure, and Edgeworth makes a great first impression. Again, like “The First Turnabout”, I just wish they didn’t show you who the killer was in the very first minute.

Good

Now we get to all of the cases that I had a good time with, and while they didn’t quite blow my socks off they still had a lot of aspects that I love to see from this series.

36 – The Adventure of the Clouded Kokoro (DGS-4)

Being only one of two “proper” cases in the first Great Ace Attorney game, it was always going to stand out in a slightly more positive light – but overall it isn’t the best case by any means.

I’ve always found Soseki to be a really annoying character, and he’s at his worst here. Most of the other characters aren’t great either, and the fact that (spoilers) there doesn’t end up being an actual culprit and it was all an accident meant the whole experience felt cheapened.

35 – Turnabout Time Traveler (SOJ-DLC)

While it was great to see the original cast return for one of their classic adventures, I didn’t feel that invested in it at all.

Nothing too crazy happens, and since it’s a DLC there are no larger stakes or over-arching plot, so on the whole it feels a lot tamer than a lot of the cases from, say, the original trilogy.

34 – Recipe for Turnabout (TT-3)

The worst case from Trials & Tribulations, but even so I’ve always had a soft spot for it. The characters are definitely at their weakest here, and it’s very filler on the whole, so I can see why people might not be that into it.

I really dig it though, and for how OTT the main villain ends up being I don’t think it feels out of place in this series at all. Also, having Godot as the prosecutor automatically makes the trials twice as good.

33 – The Foreign Turnabout (SOJ-1)

Already this first case from Spirit Of Justice felt like it was taking way more risks than Dual Destinies, but as first cases go this is fairly standard.

They nail the style from the get-go, so at least that’s something. All of the characters ooze charm, and the new “Divination” gimmick was pretty fun, albeit sometimes slightly frustrating.

32 – Turnabout Succession (AJ-4)

Even though “Turnabout Succession” is decent as a case, there’s no doubt that it’s the worst of the main series’ finales. It doesn’t have nearly the same satisfying payoff that the series is known for, and while it is fairly impactful in places I feel it doesn’t stick the landing.

It’s especially frustrating since “Turnabout Trump” set up the mystery so well, and this just feels like the biggest disappointment of the franchise as a result. Also, where did the jury system go in the rest of the main series?!? It seemed like they made such a huge deal of it in this finale, and then they dropped it in every subsequent release – another disappointment to add to the list.

31 – Turnabout Countdown (DD-1)

“Turnabout Countdown” is just a simple tutorial case at the end of the day, so while I appreciate how they tried to make it super dramatic with the explosion I don’t think the case itself is worthy of all the drama.

I really like some of the mysteries they set up, though, especially with Athena and Apollo. It’s also kinda neat that it ends up being a sort of flash-forward case, so that’s something.

30 – The Adventure of the Blossoming Attorney (DGS2-1)

The first case of The Great Ace Attorney 2 was so much better than the first game’s opener, but even then it’s quite tame relatively speaking.

The Susato / Professor Mikotoba dynamic is great, and the characters and plot are lots of fun, but some of the individual pieces of logic let it down. Why did the killer take a picture, the only piece of evidence that could be traced back to him? Why remove the poison knife at all, surely it was too late and a medic would know that? Not the strongest opener, but I liked how Resolve was heading in a more consistent direction.

29 – Turnabout Reminiscence (AAI-4)

The only good case from the first Investigations game, it was fascinating to see Edgeworth’s life before he met Wright.

This case single-handedly made me interested in the plot of the Yatagarasu and the various characters involved, and it was interesting to see how a case from all those years ago could be so relevant to the modern storyline.

28 – Turnabout Samurai (PW-3)

Considering how most fans despise this case and think it birthed the “Case 3 Syndrome”, I think it’s safe to say that I have quite an unreasonable nostalgic love of “Turnabout Samurai”.

Ridiculous plot or not, I just find this case and its characters (yes, even Oldbag to a certain extent) to be so charming, and it made for a welcome change of pace from the first two cases in the original game. I’d argue this is the first “proper” Ace Attorney case with its wacky plot twists and revelations, and it’s much more aligned to what we’ve come to expect from this bonkers series.

27 – The Stolen Turnabout (TT-2)

I have a bit of a love / hate relationship with this one, as while it’s one of the best filler cases we’ve had in Ace Attorney it also feels like the most convoluted and ridiculous.

There are what feels like ten different plays and counter-plays going on in the minds of the culprit and suspects, and it gets hard to keep track after a while. The final few moments are a satisfying conclusion, but the first three quarters of the story could have been handled slightly better I think.

Great

These cases were all special in one way or another, and were some really memorable experiences one the whole. They may have flaws, but damn were they fun.

26 – The Magical Turnabout (SOJ-2)

“The Magical Turnabout” had no right to be this good, and when I went into it I was sure it was just going to end up being yet another forgettable filler case that would inevitably be lost to Ace Attorney history.

The murder itself and the plot around it are surprisingly solid, and the culprit is one of the most memorable from Spirit of Justice (which isn’t hard, admittedly). I’ve also always liked Trucy’s random displays of magical ability throughout these games, so it was great to have a case that displayed that front and centre.

25 – Turnabout Academy (DD-3)

I’m 99% sure the developers made this case so good just to silence the “Case 3 Syndrome” naysayers, and they definitely succeeded in breaking that unfortunate losing streak with “Turnabout Academy”.

A captivating murder, zany characters, one of the best culprits … and on top of all that Athena gets the chance to prove her worth. There are definitely some overly cheesy moments where you’ll roll your eyes, but I can look past that when the case itself is so good.

24 – The Memoirs of the Clouded Kokoro (DGS2-2)

It was a bold move to have a case within another case, and this story could only ever have been possible as part of a tightly constructed overarching narrative – even more proof that The Great Ace Attorney is some of the highest quality writing we’ll ever get in this series.

The characters here (apart from Soseki, I’ll have an agenda against him for the rest of my days) are all delightful – especially Shamspeare, who is up there as one of my favourite one-time characters in the series. The plot can get a little too convoluted at times, but it’s well-written enough where it doesn’t get too outlandish.

23 – Turnabout Reclaimed (DD-DLC)

From one case where I appreciate how it didn’t get too outlandish to another that wears its wackiness on its sleeve, “Turnabout Reclaimed” could have easily been the stupidest case ever but it ends up being super endearing by the time the true nature of the events are revealed.

It’s only a DLC case, so it can’t rank too highly, but for a stand-alone story is exceeded my expectations and then some.

Points both added and deducted for cross-examining a whale, as while that’s exactly the kind of ridiculous storytelling I love from these games, it’s also exactly the kind of ridiculous storytelling that becomes the butt of the joke in pop culture, and Ace Attorney’s reputation was already on thin ice to begin with.

22 – The Adventure of the Runaway Room (DGS-3)

After two very basic (arguably quite underwhelming) cases, The Great Ace Attorney throws you right into the deep end with its Case 3.

We get fantastic introductions to both the new jury system and the new prosecutor, van Zieks, who makes a great impression straight away. Ryunosuke also gets the chance to wrestle with what it really means to be a lawyer for a first time (this is quite a demanding first case for any lawyer!), and this early character development is key in making us like his personality throughout the rest of the games.

It’s not the almighty case that some fans make it out to be, though – it’s very simple with its murder and location, and some of the contradictions didn’t quite sit right with me. I also don’t entirely like how unresolved it ends up being, which is quite an impatient gripe but it detracted from my enjoyment nonetheless.

21 – The Cosmic Turnabout (DD-4)

As far as I can remember, this was the first time in the series that the finale case was split up into two for extra space to breathe and dramatic effect – and “The Cosmic Turnabout” was certainly dramatic, I’ll give it that.

All of the threads from Dual Destinies starts to come together in some really satisfying ways, and all of the characters you meet are some of the game’s best. We don’t get the real juicy stuff until Case 5, but it’s a solid start.

20 – The Rite of Turnabout (SOJ-3)

By far the biggest surprise of Spirit Of Justice, I wasn’t expecting a filler case (especially a Case 3 of all things!) to be such an impactful story with lots of great emotional beats.

Maya gets accused again, which already gives this case bonus points, but the mystery unfolds in ways I wasn’t expecting at all. The twist about the true nature of the crime completely caught me off-guard and put the whole case in a new perspective, and that revelation alone was legendary enough for me to put the case top 20.

19 – The Imprisoned Turnabout (AAI2-2)

This was the “worst” case of Investigations 2, and it’s quite comfortable in the top half of my list – that just goes to show how remarkably consistent Investigations 2 truly is.

It’s a great plot that picks up straight where Case 1 left off, and the logical deductions you make along the way are fab. There are also some key characters introduced like Courtney and Ray, and they’re written extremely well straight off the bat.

18 – Turnabout Memories (TT-1)

After the bog-standard opening case of the original and the borderline bad opener of Justice For All, it was extremely refreshing to get a Case 1 that was actually engaging, with a murder that rivalled even the ones of the later cases.

Seeing the case from the eyes of a young Mia was a great way to make the tutorial less infuriating, and Dahlia is set up really well as the villain for the rest of the game.

17 – Turnabout Target (AAI2-1)

Instantly twice as good as any trite that came from the original game, Investigations 2 opens with a proverbial and literal bang.

The writing is immensely grand and the story never misses a beat – key plot points set up in this case all get resolved brilliantly by the end of the game, and that makes this first case even better in retrospect.

16 – Turnabout Beginnings (TT-4)

All of the intrigue set up in “Turnabout Memories” gets its pay-off in “Turnabout Beginnings”, and we can finally see the events that kickstarted the whole ordeal within Trials & Tribulations.

We get to see a young Edgeworth in his prime, a Mia who had never taken a case before this, and the ending is one of the most shocking moments in the entire series that’ll burn itself into your mind forever.

15 – Turnabout Trump (AJ-1)

There have been some great opening cases in Ace Attorney history (and a fair few bad ones, but let’s ignore those), but none quite hooked me as much as “Turnabout Trump”.

It’s arguably the most complex of all the Case 1’s, and every character makes an excellent impression. Having Phoenix as a disbarred lawyer was a plot development that I was intrigued to see play out, and the overall plot thread this case sets up was one I was extremely excited for, so it’s a shame neither of those really payed off. I can’t give this case slack for another case’s shortcomings, though, so as a pure opening case it’s undeniably sensational.

14 – The Forgotten Turnabout (AAI2-4)

Two words – Blaise Debeste. What a sick an twisted individual, and I can’t begin to describe just how much I despised the man – so it was fantastic to see him get his comeuppance.

Also, it’s an amnesia plotline done well! For once! I was astounded at what the writers were brave enough to do with Kay’s character, and I felt so bad for what happened – even more reason to hate the culprit.

13 – Reunion, and Turnabout (JFA-2)

One of the biggest surprise cases in Ace Attorney history, and one of the most underrated as well (maybe not so underrated nowadays, but I still think it deserves all the love).

Justice For All needed a fantastic case after the stinker of a Case 1, and “Reunion, and Turnabout” gets it right back on track. The underlying plot, characters and location are all great, and once again Maya is back in the hot-seat. It’s classic Ace Attorney, and there aren’t many better non-finale cases.

Amazing

These cases all blew me away with their twists and turns, and have made a lasting impression on me.

12 – Twisted Karma and His Last Bow (DGS2-4)

There are a lot of finales in this “Amazing” category (a phenomenal finale is arguably one of the things Ace Attorney is most famous for), and while “Twisted Karma and His Last Bow” wasn’t exactly the true final case it certainly felt like one.

It has one of the craziest hooks of any Ace Attorney case I’ve ever seen, as both the victim and culprit revelations blew my mind – and the actual meat of the case hadn’t even begun yet.

I was a little miffed when the case suddenly ended, but I knew that Case 5 was going to be epic. I can’t rank this too highly since it is just the setup, but boy does it set up the finale case brilliantly.

11 – Turnabout for Tomorrow (DD-5)

After being wonderfully set up by “The Cosmic Turnabout”, it was going to take something special to disappoint me – but luckily “Turnabout for Tomorrow” does nearly everything right.

The only complaint I may have is that it played out pretty much exactly as I expected, from the twist villain to the ending, but even then it was still entertaining to watch it all unfold.

Spoilers: When you do the Mood Matrix on Detective Fulbright and find he has no emotions, it was one of the most spine-chilling moments in Ace Attorney history and I absolutely loved it. While Fulbright being The Phantom seemed pretty obvious to me early on, I still really like how that plot played out.

10 – Turnabout Revolution (SOJ-5)

In terms of pure drama and the way the plot all comes together, “Turnabout Revolution” could have easily made my top 5. The villain was excellent, the emotional beats were all there, and it contained one of my all-time favourite Ace Attorney twists when you find out just when exactly the victim died.

Why is it only in the 10th place then? Well, it’s far too long. Like laughably so. If they’d just split both sections in two, like they did in Dual Destinies, it could have been an excellent Case 5 (even if Case 4 would’ve felt pretty mediocre by comparison). That also would’ve meant “Turnabout Storyteller” would have to be dropped, which could have only been a good thing.

9 – The Adventure of the Unspeakable Story (DGS-5)

I have to admit, I wasn’t entirely hooked by The Great Ace Attorney. Case 3 was certainly a step in the right direction, but then Case 4 was a bit of a damp squib in comparison – but that all changed when this finale case rolled around.

The setup is excellent, as when they introduced “The Hound of the Baskervilles” my inner Sherlock fanboy peaked and I was totally invested. Even if the rest of the case had nothing to do with it really, I was all in.

As for the real meat of the case; it’s by far the most interesting and complex murder in the game, and for the first time I genuinely felt like I was solving a tricky mystery. The ending with the cat-flapomat was a bit Deus Ex Machina, but otherwise I loved every moment.

Also – the two moments where you have to catch out a witness even though it doesn’t prompt you to made the whole thing way more intense, as it felt like there were so many factors in play and you were a second away from missing a crucial detail.

8 – The Inherited Turnabout (AAI2-3)

One of only two non-finale cases to make my top 10, “The Inherited Turnabout” was a complete surprise when it came up in Investigations 2.

We finally get to see Edgeworth’s dad in his prime, and to top it all off he comes against his greatest foe – von Karma. My jaw literally dropped when he appeared, and he was just as magnificently evil as I remembered.

I also really love how the whole thing comes full circle, as during your investigations flashing back and forth from the past you can eventually find the truth and find the suspect innocent – and never has an innocent verdict felt so satisfying.

7 – Rise from the Ashes (PW-5)

The one and only complaint I’ve ever heard about “Rise from the Ashes” is that it’s too long, and yes it is a little bum-numbing … but my word does it do everything right.

Having a murder in two separate places simultaneously was a great hook, and yet somehow the case gets even more complex than that. By the end of this emotional rollercoaster, you reach the truth and take down one of my favourite Ace Attorney villains in history in one of the best trials the series has ever seen.

I guess my only real gripe is that it tarnishes Edgeworth’s arc a little bit, as he’d just retired only to come back for this one case – I can look past that though when the case itself is so fantastic.

6 – The Grand Turnabout (AAI2-5)

Possibly more so than any other Ace Attorney finale, “The Grand Turnabout” wraps up every single plot point so effortlessly and efficiently until there aren’t any more questions left by the time the credits roll.

It also boasts one of the best twist villains in the series, as well as concluding both the arcs of Edgeworth and even Sebastian Debeste. It’s mind-boggling how Investigations 2 managed to squeeze so much good story into one game and resolve it in just five cases, but somehow they nailed it.

All-Time Great

These top 5 cases are all so good that I may even go as far as saying they created some of my favourite gaming experiences of all time, and they’ll stay with me for the rest of my life.

5 – The Resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo (DGS2-5)

The final case of Resolve acts as the final chapter in the entire Great Ace Attorney story, so expectations were already set high out of the gate. Luckily, they managed to conclude the story in an immensely satisfying way, and I’ve never felt giddier during an Ace Attorney case.

We finally get to resolve both of the Reaper and Professor plotlines, and both of them wrap up in subversive yet engrossing ways. A personal highlight for me was the dance of deduction with Sholmes and Mikotoba, and now I’m desperate for some sort of prequel game with that duo at the helm.

The only thing holding this case back from being the best of the best is the Sholmes Ex Machina ending, as he really just comes out of nowhere to save the day. It ever so slightly undermines your court victory by having Sholmes bail us out, but I’ll forgive it just because the whole thing is so darn fun.

4 – Turnabout Goodbyes (PW-4)

After three cases ranging from mediocre to alright, “Turnabout Goodbyes” hits like a ton of bricks when you first play the original Ace Attorney. Edgeworth as the suspect is a bonkers twist, and the case doesn’t take its foot off the throttle at all from then on.

The murder on Gourd Lake is the best setup to a mystery up to this point, von Karma is an incredibly terrifying prosecutor that acts as a sort of final boss, and the final twist at the end (accompanied by “Cornered”, of course) may just be the single greatest moment in Ace Attorney history. This was the case that hooked an entire generation of fans, and it’s a finale that all closing cases since have been compared to.

3 – Farewell, My Turnabout (JFA-4)

“Farewell, My Turnabout” was usually my least favourite of the three original trilogy finales, but after replaying it I can appreciate how wonderful the writing and pacing are.

The murder is complex and morally muddy, and Phoenix has to get put through his paces if he wants to catch the culprit, save Maya and fulfil his role as an honest Defence Lawyer. Some of the twists and turns that the case takes are really quite masterful, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.

When replaying it, I really loved how fast-paced the whole thing seemed to be – having Maya be kidnapped was a risky move that they capitalised on completely, and it adds a sense of urgency to the entire thing. Once you bring the culprit down, you feel like you’re the best Defence Lawyer in the world.

2 – The Return of the Great Departed Soul (DGS2-3)

My top two cases may swap over time, as if I ignore the nostalgia I have for my number 1 pick then this case would probably take the cake – it’s as flawless a case as we’re ever likely to get, and the mysteries it sets up while telling a compelling murder case of its own make for some of the most masterful writing I’ve ever seen.

The Professor case is my favourite of the background cases in the series by far, and you get the sense that every character you meet in Chronicles is inexplicably involved with the tragic events of ten years ago. This mystery comes to a head in this case, and while it doesn’t answer much of the Professor case just yet the story it does tell is still amazing.

The “instant telekinesis” device is an awesome plot point, and I genuinely had my jaw drop when van Zieks claimed it really was a working contraption and that would be the prosecution’s argument for the proceedings. I was second guessing myself the whole time, and even if the killer was slightly obvious there was still that little sliver of doubt in my mind.

Bonus points must also be given to the gameplay outside of court, as I don’t think we’ve had a better set of investigations in the entire series. Getting to explore the fair was great, but both of Sholmes’ deduction segments in Madame Tusspells and Drebber’s workshop were two of my favourite moments in the whole game.

What’s even more remarkable is that this case is somehow this good without being a final case, so that deserves all the praise I can give.

1 – Bridge to the Turnabout (TT-5)

The single greatest finale in Ace Attorney history, and one of my most cherished gaming moments of all time. The writers had a lot of work to do to wrap up 3 games and 15 cases worth of story, but somehow they pulled it off perfectly.

The murder itself in the temple is probably my favourite murder plot in the entire series, and you genuinely have no idea who the real culprit could be throughout the whole thing. There are a few moments where it gets a bit far-fetched (the bridge swinging comes to mind), but it’s nothing that we’re not used to by this point.

Whilst the first trial with Edgeworth and Franziska was pretty amazing, what I’ll remember most is the climactic showdown between Wright and Godot in the final trial. It hits all the right beats, both dramatically and emotionally, and that ending had me on the verge of tears. Ace Attorney will never impact me more than this, and I’ll love this series forever because of this one case.

Aaaand that’s my list – quite a long one in the end! You can check out some of my latest blog posts below: