Ace Attorney Deep Dive: “The First Turnabout” (Phoenix Wright – Case 1)

Since Ace Attorney 7 is taking longer than I thought, I’ve ended up going back to the classics for a sort of nostalgic retrospective. I love this series so much, but the original trilogy still holds a special place in my heart – so that seems the best place to start an (un)official Deep Dive!

I’ve come up with ten specific categories to review each case, starting with “The First Turnabout”, and I’ll give a score out of ten for each. Mathematicians among you will notice that’ll create a definitive score out of a hundred for each case.

Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:

Micro Story

For the sake of this first Deep Dive, I’ll explain what each category means.

“Micro Story” refers to the plot of the case itself, i.e. the story that unfolds within the runtime of “The First Turnabout”. If there’s anything that extends to other cases, like character arcs, I’ve saved them for a different category.

Larry Butz gets accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend Cindy Stone in cold blood, who herself just came back from a holiday in Paris. In terms of the plot, that pretty much sums it up.

Needless to say, the Micro Story is very slim compared to what we get in later cases. I know the writers were just trying to ease the player into the mechanics and the main characters, but the plot feels tame in the grand scheme of things.

Score: 4/10

Macro Story

“Macro Story” refers to the story at large over the course of the whole game. For example, if we meet a main character or explore their arc further I’ll include it here, or if some plot developments / evidence will be saved for a later case I’ll try to mention it too.

“The First Turnabout” has next to no contributions to the overall story, instead serving as a stand-alone tutorial for new players, so I’ll use this slot to talk about the main characters.

Let’s start with the main man himself – Phoenix Wright. We don’t get too much in terms of personality just yet, other than the fact he’s very new to this lawyering business, but we do get an immediate sense of his moral compass. He’s willing to go through hell to save his client, and to find the truth. This theme will only become more prominent as the game – and the trilogy – continues, but it gets off to a good start.

We then have the client, Larry Butz. It’s clear pretty quickly that Phoenix knows him from school, and that Larry is part of the reason why Phoenix became a defence attorney in the first place. As for Larry’s personality, he’s probably at his best here. Not too quirky, not too irksome. That’ll only worsen as the trilogy goes on.

Finally, we have Phoenix’s mentor Mia Fey. She immediately comes across as the most competent person in the courtroom, and while most of her dialogue is pretty tutorial-y you can still discern the heart of gold beneath the surface. But before we can get to know her properly, the final moments of “The First Turnabout” hint of an impending tragedy.

All in all, “The First Turnabout” gets off to a decent start in terms of its characters. I don’t have a crystal-clear view of their personalities just yet, but they’re charming enough for me to keep playing.

Score: 6/10

Mystery

This category is pretty straight-forward – how complex was the mystery at hand, and did I work everything out within the first hours of gameplay?

We know that Frank Sahwit is the culprit. We know what weapon he used to kill the victim. We don’t necessarily know why he did it, so perhaps that’s an aspect of the mystery to latch onto, but the motive is hardly brought up by the time the case concludes.

If you’re like me and you really love getting involved in a good whodunnit mystery story, “The First Turnabout” will disappoint you. Granted, the developers were more focused on the journey rather than the destination, but I still wanted a few surprises to keep me invested.

Score: 2/10

Side Characters

Ace Attorney is renowned for its cast of zany core characters … but what about the one-offs we meet along the way?

“The First Turnabout” doesn’t actually have much in the “side character” department. Larry and Mia might count here, but I’ve already talked about them. So instead I’ll use this time to talk about the other characters in the courtroom.

Let’s start with the Judge. He’s fine. He’s neither imposing nor funny here, instead acting as set decoration more than anything.

The other minor character I haven’t mentioned yet is the prosecutor, Winston Payne. He returns as the tutorial prosecutor multiple times in the series, but he stays effectively the same across all appearances. He’s far from a memorable antagonist, and he’s borderline spineless at points, but he’s got enough of a wacky personality and a humorous, unwarranted confidence for me to let it slide.

Score: 6/10

Soundtrack

Now for one of my favourite categories. If a new track or character theme is introduced in this case, this is where I’ll bring it up. In other words, Case 1’s might have an unfair advantage …

While “The First Turnabout” doesn’t have the variety of other cases since it’s set purely in the courthouse, we’re introduced to some absolutely classic tracks.

“Trial”, “Court Begins” and “Cross-Examination” are great scene-setters, and “Objection!” and especially “Pursuit – Cornered” are more iconic than words could possibly convey. The case is short and confined, however, so we don’t get the full breadth of the soundtrack … but I’m not complaining with the tracks we did get.

Score: 8/10

Investigations

I’ve lumped the settings / locations in this category too. Since Investigations (usually) take up half the gameplay, I’m looking for an engaging experience to keep me hooked until the Trials.

Like with “Side Characters”, there isn’t really much to talk about in the Investigations category since this case is Trial only. Since this category also looks at the setting and locations, I might as well talk about the courthouse and Japanifornia at large.

The courtroom and lobbies are nothing special. In fact, they’re quite bland in retrospect. I’m not expecting anything extravagant for a government building, but compared to some of the colourful backgrounds we see later in the series the courthouse fels so lifeless in comparison.

Also, and this may seem harsh for an opening case, I don’t get a good sense of where in the world we are. Later cases will flesh out Japanifornia, but “The First Turnabout” being set purely in the courthouse means it feels small and shallow in scope.

Score: 3/10

Trials

The Trials are what most Ace Attorney fans remember, so a lot of the case’s good will hinges on this category. Twists and jaw-dropping moments are the name of the game here.

Despite “The First Turnabout” being 90% Trial, the part of Ace Attorney I usually love most, it’s a really simple court proceeding with hardly any twists or stand-out moments.

A couple of highlights would be Payne exposing Larry’s potential motive by revealing Cindy Stone’s questionable hobby and how Larry is generally an impulsive / emotional man, as well as Sahwit spiralling quite quickly. I would’ve liked more of a battle with the culprit, but a quick downfall is admittedly funny in hindsight when compared to the gauntlets we’re put through later in the series.

Score: 5/10

Case Logic

This might be the most niche category of the lot. Some Ace Attorney cases have good Trials but suffer from bizarre contradictions or logic, so this is where I’ll call it out.

This case being so simple is actually a blessing in disguise – the limited scope and tame contradictions work in its favour to create an effective, logical crime.

The Thinker Clock, apartment blackout and Cindy’s passport all work in tandem to construct a perfectly feasible narrative (even if Larry making the intricate clock in the first place is a bit of a stretch for his character). The case logic is nothing special, but that’s a good thing for the tutorial.

Score: 7/10

Culprit

I’ve separated the culprit from the side characters as usually they’re more in-depth than the rest of the cast. Usually.

One of the things I look for in an Ace Attorney case is a unique culprit who has depth and a solid motive. Frank Sahwit has neither of these things.

Him throwing his toupee at Phoenix is easily the best moment, as otherwise he’s a generic bad guy with generic mannerisms and a generic attitude. Have I mentioned he’s generic enough yet?

In terms of motive, he’s a burglar who lashed out when Cindy Stone caught him in the act. In other words, he barely has a motive and it’s unimportant to the case at large. His status as the very first witness and culprit has made him a sort of legendary Ace Attorney figure, but if we’re being honest he’s definitely one of the worst culprits in the series.

Score: 3/10

Charm

This category is a bit vague, so bear with me. A case might be lacking in all technical departments, but if it charmed my socks off that’s got to be worth some bonus points, right?

“The First Turnabout” has a hell of a lot of flaws, especially when compared to the rest of the series, but it’s nothing if not a great introduction to the Ace Attorney style.

Characters have funny and unique names, the humour in the dialogue is already present, the soundtrack is superb, the case logic is solid, and every player remembers their first contradiction and subsequent “Objection!”. It’s not ground-breaking, but I was charmed enough to keep playing – and that’s got to count for something!

Score: 6/10

FINAL SCORE: 50/100

I promise it wasn’t on purpose, but “The First Turnabout” ended up getting a bang-average score of fifty out of a hundred. Half marks. That just about sums up how forgettable this first case was in the grand scheme of things.

Aaaand that’s my list! This won’t be nearly as regular as some of the series I’ve done on this blog, but I’ll try to visit a case every once in a while. Until then, you can check out some of my latest blog posts below: