Great Ace Attorney Deep Dive: “The Return of the Great Departed Soul” (Case 2-3)

Out of all the cases in the “Great Ace Attorney” duology, “The Return of the Great Departed Soul” was the one I was most looking forward to reviewing. I remembered it being one of the best cases in the series … but does it still hold up?

I’ll be deconstructing the case in ten distinct categories and giving a score out of ten for each. This will give a definitive score out of a hundred, if the maths checks out!

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

Great Ace Attorney Deep Dive: “The Adventure of the Great Departure” (Case 1-1)

Every Ace Attorney Culprit Ranked

EVERY Ace Attorney Case Ranked

Danganronpa – Every Chapter Ranked

Micro Story

You’re going to read a lot of praise for “The Return of the Great Departed Soul” across the course of this Deep Dive, so let’s start with an easy one – this case has one of the greatest, smartest Ace Attorney plots ever told.

What works about this Micro Story is that it’s two plots in tandem. Ryunosuke investigates a science experiment gone wrong at the Great Exhibition which resulted in a man’s death. Sholmes, meanwhile, is investigating a stolen waxwork in a seemingly unrelated crime. Emphasis on the seemingly. Both of these are instantly engrossing, and the way they both tie together come the case’s finale is ingenious.

The other important plot going on is the conspiracy surrounding the Professor Killings of ten years prior. I’ll talk about it more in my Macro Story section, but I will say that I forgot how intrinsic that sub-plot was to this particular case. Every character involved has ties to that past tragedy, which gave me all the more motivation to solve the case.

I also want to praise how clever the title is. “The Return of the Great Departed Soul” could refer to the Professor Killings becoming relevant again / the waxwork being unmasked, or the resurrection in the graveyard, or Drebber resurfacing after so long, or Kazuma returning from his supposed death, or even van Zieks reverting to his slightly less racist ways / sympathising with Ryunosuke. It’s layered and deliberate, and it’s all the more reason why I love this case’s writing so much.

Score: 10/10

Macro Story

The main hook of the Macro Story, the single greatest link to the overarching narrative that will come to define the last two cases of the duology, is the Professor Killings.

Over the course of “The Return of the Great Departed Soul”, it’s slowly revealed that a heinous serial killer nicknamed “The Professor” terrorized the streets of London ten years prior. The perpetrator turned out to be a Japanese exchange student, Genshin Asogi – none other than Kazuma’s father. In order to prevent war between England and Japan, Genshin was tried and executed behind closed doors. But, as we start to uncover in this case, there’s a larger conspiracy at play …

The other major development in the Macro Story front is Kazuma’s return. He has been presumed dead for the majority of the duology, but when van Zieks introduces us to his “new assistant” it becomes immediately obvious that something is off. Lo and behold, Kazuma regains his memories once his father’s past misdeeds are revealed. It’s only a short tidbit at the end of the case, but it’s a powerful moment – and it’ll have vast ramifications on the remaining two cases.

Let’s talk about the main characters and their development. One of the biggest changes between cases is that Gina Lestrade is now Inspector Lestrade (just like the Sherlock books!). Gregson is due to transfer abroad, so he’s training a sort of protégé … but could this also be a precautionary measure to prevent Gina from suffering the “Reaper Curse”? It’s peculiar that the curse in question hasn’t come for Gina or Soseki, two defendants who got a “Not Guilty” verdict against van Zieks. Something to chew on in the cases to come.

I think this is the case where we see the biggest change in van Zieks. He’s clearly fond of the defendant, his good friend Harebrayne, and yet he sticks to his prosecutorial principles nonetheless. When Ryunosuke decides to ruin Harebrayne’s scientific reputation to save him – in other words, he prioritizes the truth over his client’s wishes – van Zieks gives Ryunosuke a whole new level of respect. It’s a wonderful, positive step for both characters … which makes you wonder how van Zieks’ arc as a prosecutor will be furthered in the two cases to come. I’m sure nothing could possibly go wrong.

Score: 10/10

Mystery

Again, it’s the Professor Killings which serve as the main hook for this case’s Mystery (aside from the murder at the Great Exhibition). Everything about the killings ten years prior seems to be perverted or incorrect, as if a conspiracy has spread to the highest rungs of the British legal system. The Mystery doesn’t get many answers here, but the questions will linger until the dying moments of the finale case.

As for the murder at the Great Exhibition, it all comes down to one important question – is Harebrayne’s experiment a ground-breaking feat of science, or was it all just an elaborate magic trick? Van Zieks seems to think it’s the real deal. I was second-guessing myself across the first Trial, and I loved eventually picking apart the method behind the illusion.

The final Mystery is the identity of van Zieks’ new assistant, and I do have to dock a point for how it was presented. It’s simply not a Mystery. It’s pretty obvious that this is Kazuma as soon as you meet him, and it doesn’t take long for Susato to straight-up call him out. I would’ve liked it to be more of a surprise.

Score: 9/10

Side Characters

By my count, there are seven new Side Characters to talk about – and if you count the members of the Jury separately, that number skyrockets to twelve! That must be a record in this category.

I was shocked to see that the Jury was comprised of six new character models. There are two gentlemen, a girl who loves corn, a magician, an oddly-familiar policeman, and a lady who will become more important in the next case. Nobody stands out in particular, but I loved how varied this particular Jury was compared to previous.

Albert Harebrayne is one of the greatest defendants in the series. He’s friends with van Zieks, which is already a twist in itself, and so it was fascinating to see both the defense and the prosecution have stakes in this man’s life. He’s adamant that his machine is the real deal, and Ryunosuke has to therefore undermine Harebrayne’s scientific capabilities in order to get him off the hook. This was one of the best conundrums that an Ace Attorney protagonist has faced – is it worth saving your client if it means ruining their life’s work?

Other than Harebrayne, my favourite Side Character in this case is Esmerelda Tusspells. She’s the eccentric owner of the wax museum, and her stern yet helpful demeanor is a delight. I love how she’s forcing Sholmes to work as a wax figure, and the fact she’s one of the few people who knows the Professor’s real face comes as quite the shock.

We don’t see much of Courtney Sithe’s daughter, Maria Gorey, but we can instantly tell that she’s a sadistic weirdo. The kind of nightmare fuel who probably just needs a good pat on the head. I hesitantly look forward to spending more time with her during the finale cases.

If I had to pick a “least favourite” of this cast, it would either be Balthazar Lune – the hot air balloon man – or Gotts – the young prince who rode in one. They bring a fun dynamic to the witness stand, but they’re not linked to the Professor case like everyone else and so they soon fall by the wayside.

Oh, I lied. Neither Harebrayne nor Tusspells are the best Side Character in this case. It’s clearly Toby the dog! Stand aside, Ryunosuke and Susato – Gina and Toby are the real dynamic duo of this game.

Score: 9/10

Soundtrack

I complained for the last two cases that “Resolve” wasn’t adding enough new tracks and relying too heavily on the first game’s OST, but that criticism ends here. “The Return of the Great Departed Soul” is where we start to see how the Soundtrack budget for this game was spent.

Enoch Drebber has one of my favourite character themes in the duology, and elsewhere we get great themes for Harebrayne, Tusspells and Sithe.

The Waxwork Museum gets a creepy backing track, “The Professor – A Spectre Revived” is ominous as hell, and both of Kazuma’s new tracks – “His Glorious Return” and “A Prosecutor Reborn” – add to the hype.

Score: 10/10

Investigations

I’m not going to mince my words here – I think “The Return of the Great Departed Soul” has the best pair of Investigations in the series. Not just in the Great Ace Attorney duology – the whole series.

To begin with, this case has some of the best, most vibrant locations we’ve explored. The first Investigation sees us parsing through van Zieks’ sinister office, the joyous Great Exhibition and the unsettling Waxwork Museum for evidence. The second sees us in Sithe’s grotty lab and Drebber’s quirky workshop. All five of these places are bursting with personality and colour.

What makes these my favourite Investigations in the series are the Dances of Deduction – we’re spoiled with two of the best from this duology. The first one in the Waxwork Museum is a lot of fun, and then the time bomb / “gravity machine” tirade in Drebber’s Workshop is outrageously entertaining.

The Investigations are also where we get most of the Kazuma drama. When van Zieks unveiled his new assistant in the first Investigation, I was on edge. When it’s soon revealed that Kazuma’s body was never recovered from the ship, and when Susato called out his name, the theory is all but confirmed. It’s a rollercoaster of emotion, both for us the player as well as Ryunosuke and Susato. Our beloved, badass friend is back!

Over the course of these Deep Dives, across the eight games and thirty-eight cases I’ve reviewed thus far, I’ve held off on giving a perfect 10/10 score in this category … because I was waiting for this one. “The Return of the Great Departed Soul” has a perfect pair of Investigations, and I highly doubt the series will ever top it.

Score: 10/10

Trials

Oh boy. If you thought the Investigations were a rollercoaster, then the Trials are about to launch this case into the stratosphere.

The first Trial is already a doozy. My jaw was on the floor when van Zieks insisted of the machine’s credibility – i.e., Harebrayne’s experiment wasn’t a magic trick. That, and Harebrayne continually insisting it’s the real deal, made me really second-guess myself. Was Ace Attorney really going to do this? Is instantaneous teleportation now feasible in this universe? In a series with spirit channeling, it didn’t seem like a huge stretch …

That ends up not being the case, of course, but I was hooked right up until it was definitively proven to be an illusion. There’s also some fun testimony regarding Asman’s death and the hot air balloons, and the Trial ends on a huge high when Susato makes a triumphant return.

And the second Trial … oh boy. Shit hits the fan once Ryunosuke implicates Sithe (and the government at large) – especially when the Professor’s real autopsy reveals him to have died in the graveyard, not via execution. What stunned me even more was that van Zieks actually goes along with it. He defies Stronghart’s instructions and uses his power as prosecutor to force Sithe on the stand. I didn’t think the racist Reaper had it in him.

What follows is one of the most intense cat-and-mouse chases in Ace Attorney history. Both Drebber and Sithe almost wriggle out of their verdicts, and there are twists galore relating to the waxwork figure and the Professor. Every ten minutes I was blindsided by some new development, and I loved every moment.

As if this case and Trial couldn’t get any better, “The Return of the Great Departed Soul” ends with the Professor face reveal. It turns out to be Genshin Asogi, Kazuma’s father … And once Kazuma – who got amnesia and was posing as van Zieks’ assistant – sees the face, his memories come flooding back. It’s an emotional and thrilling scene, one that sets up a grand finale for the ages.

Score: 10/10

Case Logic

For as bonkers as this case’s plot gets, I was surprised by how tightly-written it is for the most part. The contradictions are all really smart and the story makes sense (at least, with an Ace Attorney suspension of disbelief). It’s really just one scene in particular that I take issue with.

Let’s begin with some lesser problems. Firstly, Kazuma’s amnesia is very selective and convenient. Secondly, Sholmes posing as a wax figure for days is a hilarious concept … but not feasible. I can let both of these slide, however, and chalk them down to Ace Attorney-isms.

The problematic scene(s) in particular is when we first meet Enoch Drebber in his workshop. Via the Dance of Deduction, Ryunosuke works out that Drebber is hiding inside a safe … with the intention of withstanding the time bomb’s blast. I don’t think that safe is gonna save your life, Mr. Drebber. I’m no expert, but you’ll either be blasted to soup or be thrown into the wall so hard your neck breaks.

And immediately after this scene, Drebber destroys Harebrayne’s machine and kills two policemen with a remote bomb. A shocking twist … but that means Drebber is immediately guilty. Lock him up. No need for a Trial. You have all the evidence you need that he’s a destructive bomber, and he even killed two officers of the law.

In a realistic story, all of these would be serious plot holes. In Ace Attorney, however, I’ve been conditioned to expect this level of nonsense.

Score: 8/10

Culprits

This case has my favourite Investigations in the series. Some of my favourite Trials. Some of the best locations, writing, music and deductions in all of Ace Attorney. You can be damn sure it has a couple of my favourite Culprits, too.

The star of the show here is Enoch Drebber, a jaded scientist out for revenge. Everything from his robotic movements to his sinister dialogue is quirky perfection. His backstory involves witnessing the Professor rising from his grave, but as a result he was shunned by the science community and humiliated by a newspaper story which the victim wrote. He’s devious, his plan is intelligent and layered, and he’s intensely memorable.

But Ryunosuke surmises that Drebber couldn’t have worked alone. Once it’s revealed that the Professor’s autopsy was tampered with ten years ago, there can only be one suspect – Courtney Sithe, the chief coroner of both the Great Exhibition and the Professor cases. She’s austere and just as devious as Drebber. In fact, she almost admits to a lesser crime to get away with murder – Luke Atmey style.

Technically Sithe is the real Culprit, i.e. the one to kill the victim, and Drebber is merely the mastermind … but I think Drebber is definitely the “main” Culprit (and the reason this score will be so high). His and Sithe’s stories are both tragic for different reasons, as both of them were caught up in a conspiracy far greater than they could have imagined.

Score: 10/10

Charm

This case has everything I love about Ace Attorney, and is a prime example as to why I adore this series so much. The Culprit is memorable, the plot is engrossing, and the main cast all have a moment to shine. Who didn’t have a stupid grin on their face when Sholmes, posing as a wax figure, broke out into dance behind Susato?

Everything about it is perfect. The way it sets up and pays off mysteries is astounding, and I had a blast in every second of my playthrough. My hype level was sky-high throughout, and I was so thrilled to continue on into the final two cases.

Score: 10/10

FINAL SCORE: 96/100

I didn’t think the day would come, but “The Return of the Great Departed Soul” has beaten “Bridge to the Turnabout” for highest Deep Dive score! That’s a testament to just how perfect this case is … and it’s not even a finale, like the rest of the GOAT cases. Remarkable.

Aaaaand that’s my list! You can check out some of my latest blog posts below: