Tyrion Cuthbert: Attorney of the Arcane – Every Case Ranked

I went into “Tyrion Cuthbert: Attorney of the Arcane” expecting an Ace Attorney rip-off with a sprinkling of magic, but it’s so much more than that – it’s a fantastic homage to one of my favourite series with some new twists to make the story unique.

I’ll rank all five cases, but I may delve into some SPOILERS along the way. If you’re an Ace Attorney fan I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend checking the game out for yourself first, as some of these twists are best experienced un-spoiled!

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

OK

5 – The Coldhearted Aristocrat (Case 1)

Like any Ace Attorney-esque game, Tyrion Cuthbert’s first (tutorial) case is nothing special.

It did a good job of introducing the world and characters – and I was especially excited to explore all of the new magical mechanics – but the simple murder, obvious culprit and tedious court segments made “The Coldhearted Aristocrat” the weakest case by a good margin.

Good

4 – The Origins of Horus (Case 3)

I hoped the game was picking up steam after a solid second case, but the third case “The Origins of Horus” was a slight disappointment in some departments.

I didn’t like how the Eyetaker’s picture was revealed early, the culprit was obvious and boring, and I was a little peeved when an Arcane Construct was at the root of the mystery for a second case in a row.

That being said, I really enjoyed the new location of Aurinax and the colourful characters we met along the way – especially the funny twists of Aster being the Crown Prince AND Prosecutor Steelwind’s fiancé.

3 – The Walking Dead (Case 2)

After a middling first case that showed promise if nothing else, “The Walking Dead” was the case that finally proved this game wasn’t messing around.

The magic had a more in-depth focus, the Arcane Constructs and Magical Academy setting built out the world, the culprit had a logical / satisfying takedown, and the screen glitches whenever Eris was around were really cool (even if that meant she became an obvious Big Bad).

My only two complaints were that Wallace’s ties to Necromancy get revealed way too early (both in the narrative and on the GUI), and that the Headmaster was a pretty obvious culprit and my prime suspect for the majority of the case.

Great

2 – Severed Ties (Case 4)

As soon as “Severed Ties” dropped you straight into a Trial, I knew it was going to be a step up from the cases we’d seen thus far.

I loved the new perspective of Tyrion knowing who the culprit is and therefore deciding to prosecute instead, and the cross examinations with the monkey and the demon were highlights of the game.

What puts this and the final case above the rest, I think, is that its Trials were actually meaningful. The first three cases’ Trials felt short and underdeveloped, but this was the first time that it genuinely felt like Tyrion was going to war in the courtroom.

Amazing

1 – Attorney of the Arcane (Case 5)

The final case also had the biggest scope by far – a triple murder, Aria Steelwind as the defendant, her dad as the prosecutor, a dragon as judge, evil demons running amok … oh my!

This is where your mastery of the mechanics is tested to the max, as you’ll have to sift through about thirty spells to piece together the horrid events of the crime. Celeste’s true parents are revealed, the Blood Contract dispute was metal as hell, Prince Aster showed his true colours, and the drama had me on the edge of my seat.

“Attorney of the Arcane” isn’t perfect – the Little Prince’s transformation mid-crime and claim to the throne were swept under the rug, but the melodrama and intense logical deductions could rival even the greatest Ace Attorney cases.

OVERALL REVIEW:

“Tyrion Cuthbert: Attorney of the Arcane” may have had its flaws, like a slow first half and some underdeveloped Trial sections, but I was thoroughly entertained by the time the credits rolled and look forward to the eventual sequel.

To give context for any die-hard Phoenix Wright fans – it’s not near the heights of peak Ace Attorney, but it wouldn’t be at the bottom of an Ace Attorney ranking either!

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