Great Ace Attorney Deep Dive: “The Resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo” (Case 2-5)

After nine cases of intrigue and mystery, all of the various conspiracies within the Great Ace Attorney duology are laid bare in “The Resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo” … but does the finale live up to the hype?

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: “Twisted Karma and His Last Bow” (Case 2-4)

Great Ace Attorney Deep Dive: “The Adventure of the Runaway Room” (Case 1-3)

Ace Attorney Deep Dive: “Bridge to the Turnabout” (Trials & Tribulations – Case 5)

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Micro Story

“The Resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo” is the culmination of nine cases of storytelling, so it has a lot to wrap up. Luckily, the snappy writing makes this a conclusion for the ages.

One of the biggest early reveals is the assassin exchange. It turns out that Britain and Japan had reached an agreement to send each other assassins to take out specific targets. The list of names we found earlier wasn’t a simple hitlist – it was commanding Asa Shinn to kill Dr. Wilson and Kazuma to kill Gregson. Talk about opening the story with a crazy twist!

The twists don’t stop there, however. Over the course of a tumultuous final Trial we find out that Judge Jigoku killed Gregson on a steamship, Klint van Zieks (Barok’s brother) was the true Professor, and Stronghart has been pulling the judiciary strings as the Reaper. The revelations come thick and fast, and I was consistently stunned by the turns the story took.

I’ll nitpick some of the issues this case has in later categories, but for now I can confidently say this – “The Resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo” has one of the most bombastic and satisfying stories of any Ace Attorney case, and it was one of the greatest, most euphoric finales in the series.

Score: 10/10

Macro Story

Like all the best Ace Attorney finales, “The Resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo” pushes the Macro Story to the forefront. All of the overarching mysteries get their answers – not only that, but the answers are both satisfying and thought-provoking.

We finally found out who the true Reaper is, and it’s – drum roll please – Mael Stronghart. No prizes for guessing that one. That being said, I love how deeply-rooted and sinister the Reaper network is portrayed as. Stronghart used van Zieks’ courtroom persona against his will in order to terrify criminals and mould Britain to his whims. In terms of villainous schemes, Ace Attorney has never operated at such a large scale.

The huge truths about the Professor also come out – it was Klint van Zieks all along! And the bloody collar we found in “Memoirs of the Clouded Kokoro” belonged to Klint’s dog! And Klint is also Iris’s father! The reveals come thick and fast, and it left no loose ends come the game’s closing credits.

The main characters also get some major development. Ryunosuke and Susato are pushed to their limits, and Sholmes is revealed to be a mad genius all along (not just an erratic, sometimes correct goofball) – he was just messing around during the Dances of Deduction and he’s actually one of the smartest, most cunning characters in the Ace Attorney series.

The two biggest changes in main characters have to do with Kazuma and van Zieks. Both of them learn to put aside their differences and work together by the case’s end – I especially loved the scene where Kazuma lambasts Stronghart for how he used van Zieks’ “Reaper” identity against him: “He worked tirelessly in court while you were being the truly evil one!“. You tell him, Kazuma!

Score: 10/10

Mystery

Like I said, the way this case wraps up the various mysteries – the Reaper and Professor most of all – is immensely satisfying.

There are lots of shocking twists, like the Professor’s identity and the assassin exchange, which kept me on my toes. It was great to still experience surprises and fresh mysteries so late into the game’s runtime.

One thing that will hurt this Mystery score a little is how obvious the Culprits are. Judge Jigoku is the less obvious of the two, but he’s clearly the most suspicious one after a point. And Stronghart has been an antagonistic force ever since we first met him eight cases ago, so it’s not surprising in the slightest when his ties to the Reaper are revealed.

Score: 8/10

Side Characters

I might be wrong, but I think this is the second time there are no new Side Characters in an Ace Attorney case (the other being “Turnabout For Tomorrow”, another two-part finale). Zero. The cast are all pre-established characters, and as a result their actions have a lot more weight.

We hear crucial testimony from Gina Lestrade, Yujin Mikotoba and Daley Vigil, and there are a couple of other Side Character moments that stood out to me – Maria Gorey takes a stance against her mother’s secrecy, and it turns out that Barry Caiden was a key proponent of the Professor break-out. And I thought he was a stand-up guy …

This case is a whirlwind of information and reveals, so I’m glad it was conveyed by a cast we’d already grown to love.

Score: 10/10

Soundtrack

Not only does “The Resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo” use pre-existing tracks in impactful ways, but the new Soundtrack additions are sensational as well.

A couple of songs that really hit the spot are “Great Pursuit ~ The Resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo”, which is a nice variation of the Pursuit theme, and “Curtain Call Suite ~ Treasured Memories”, which is an extremely heart-felt send-off during the credits.

There were three soundtrack moments that stuck out to me most. The first was the Klint Professor reveal, which is backed by some really intense music. Although we’d already heard “The Truth Revealed” before, it packs a gut-wrenching punch here.

The second was the scene where Sholmes and Mikotoba search for Jigoku on the steamship. “Partners ~ The Game is Afoot” is one of the most unabashedly fun songs in the series, let alone this game. It’s so bouncy and playful, and it radiates confidence in the famous duo.

And the last track that stood out – my favourite of the bunch – is “The Great Closed Trial ~ Court Begins 2017”. I have never been made to feel so nervous by an opening song – I could feel the weight of the entire British judiciary on my shoulders, and my hype was at an all-time high.

I’ll happily give this category a perfect ten. This case had some of my favourite tracks in all of Ace Attorney … no, all of gaming.

Score: 10/10

Investigation

Technically, there’s no Investigation segment in “The Resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo”. Whenever we’re with Ryunosuke he’s either in court or having a quick debrief at Baker Street. Luckily, two other characters partake in a memorable Investigation of their own.

Sholmes and his legendary partner Mikotoba investigate the S.S. Grouse in order to find Jigoku’s whereabouts, and what ensues is a highlight of the whole series.

Sholmes and Mikotoba demonstrate the ultimate Dance of Deduction – seeing Mikotoba tap-dance along made me giddier than I’d care to admit. It’s so fun seeing the famed duo at the peak of their powers.

Speaking of which, this “full-powered” Sholmes leads to a funny implication – he was clearly holding back / messing with Ryunosuke in every Dance of Deduction up until now. Was it to train Ryunosuke in the art of logic, or was Sholmes just having some fun? Who can say.

This Investigation is the epitome of short but sweet. We get a memorable Dance of Deduction, a banging new song and the case is furthered in an exciting way.

Score: 9/10

Trials

“The Resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo” sets up to be, as the case title suggests, the biggest case of Ryunosuke’s career. The two Trials do not disappoint.

The first Trial is definitely the weaker of the two, but that’s because it’s more setup for the bonkers finale. It’s mostly about the assassin exchange with Kazuma and Gregson, and there’s a tense moment near the end where Judge Jigoku is almost declared missing (and therefore unable to give testimony). The biggest shock is definitely at the start when the presiding judge is revealed to be Lord Stronghart himself. Talk about upping the ante!

It all comes down to the second Trial, and it’s one of the most glorious Trials in the Ace Attorney series. The first half quickly wraps up the Gregson murder – Jigoku is revealed to be the killer (no surprises there), but he refuses to give up his superior. Gee, I wonder who that could be …

Once we reach the Professor / Reaper part of the Trial, “The Resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo” enters a flow state. Crazy details are revealed about the Professor Trial many years prior – such as Stronghart being the lead prosecutor or Genshin’s ring being forged evidence – and whenever we think we’ve hit rock-bottom Sholmes comes in to save the day with his summoned witnesses. It’s a sight to behold when the courtroom slowly turns against its judge, Stronghart.

The most harrowing, soul-crushing moment of the whole thing is when Klint van Zieks is revealed to have been the Professor. Barok’s reaction is heart-breaking, and – as Stronghart puts it – “Pandora’s Box has opened”. What follows is a brilliant ending to the Trial where Ryunosuke and Kazuma point the finger of blame towards Mael Stronghart, the true spearhead of the Reaper operation.

For as breath-taking as this Trial was, I can’t give it a perfect score. Gregson’s murder is wrapped up far too quickly, for a start, but I don’t like how a hologram saves the day. More on that in my imminent Case Logic section …

Score: 9/10

Case Logic

Oh boy. “The Resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo” is a perfect Ace Attorney finale … apart from one glaring, immersion-shattering leap of logic.

At the climax of the Trial, Ryunosuke and Susato lean on Sholmes to bail them out of a tight pinch yet again. This is already an issue, as these kinds of deus ex machinas as never satisfying and always take away player agency, but it’s how Sholmes saves the day that I can’t look past.

Sholmes bursts into the courtroom as a hologram – a piece of technology which couldn’t have been invented at the time, and had no set-up whatsoever. At least with 1-5’s “catflapomat” we got a tease of it before it became plot relevant!

Sholmes and Iris have been transmitting the Trial to Queen Victoria, and Her Majesty uses her royal powers to strip Stronghart of his position. I get that the only way to usurp Stronghart was to bring in someone more powerful than him … but I honestly would have preferred a direct Queen Vic cameo in the courtroom, as ridiculous as that would have been.

The other, much smaller issue which bugs me is when Stronghart refers to the “three-paged” will. It’s one helluva blunder, and it’s the lucky break Ryunosuke needs to win the Trial. I just thought it was an overly specific, unnaturally phrased, ham-fisted way to keep the Trial moving.

Score: 5/10

Culprits

I guess, if I was to stretch the definition, there would be three Culprits to talk about in “The Resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo”? There are lots of evil dudes to take down, basically.

First on the chopping block is Seishiro Jigoku, the murderer of both Gregson on the steamship and Genshin Asogi in the graveyard many years prior. He’s a man we’d almost grown to trust – he was the judge in the Japanese Trials, and Mikotoba’s close personal friend. This betrayal is expected but disappointing (in a good way). He teases that he was working for a higher power, but he doesn’t give any names at first.

The higher power pulling the strings, and the head of the Reaper network, turns out to be none other than Mael Stronghart. Like Damon Gant in “Rise from the Ashes”, he’s an intimidating figure who uses his legal powers for evil means. He’s quite a one-note and textbook villain in that regard, but I liked how untouchable he felt. His argument was “I didn’t kill anybody, I just ordered other people to do the dirty work for me!” which would’ve worked if it wasn’t for the Sholmes Ex Machina. This is definitely a case of what a Culprit represents being far more interesting than what they actually are.

The final “Culprit” I want to talk about is Klint van Zieks – the Professor himself. That reveal is one of my favourite twists in the series, and it’s amazing seeing the court – Barok especially – react to this information, as well as how well all the previous evidence fits. The most impressive thing, I think, is how affecting this storyline and reveal is considering we never meet the guy. A Culprit we never meet – that’s an Ace Attorney rarity.

Score: 9/10

Charm

If you thought that Gregson’s murder, the Reaper’s unmasking and the Professor conspiracy were all this case had going for it, think again. “The Resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo” has some of the most endearing, Charming side moments in Ace Attorney history.

One of the most memorable moments in this game, and the whole series, is the Sholmes and Mikotoba Investigation. I was so thrilled to see the famous duo unite for one last case, and their Dance of Deduction is a highlight of the series.

The other non-Trial moment which I loved was the truth surrounding Iris’s parentage. It turns out that Klint van Zieks left a child behind after his death, and Mikotoba asked his great friend to take care of it … and Sholmes didn’t hesitate to say yes. What a guy. And this solves the long-standing mystery of Iris’s father!

Iris never finds out, however, but she doesn’t need to. She calls Sholmes the “greatest daddy in the world”, which already tugged on my heart-strings, but when Sholmes called that the “most pleasing expression of gratitude of them all” I was a blubbering wreck. How is a silly lawyer game making me cry?!?

Score: 10/10

FINAL SCORE: 90/100

The second game of the duology, “Resolve”, averaged a whopping 79.8/100 across its five cases. It’s taken the crown from “Trials and Tribulations” as the most consistent Ace Attorney game!

Here are the ten Great Ace Attorney scores from best to worst:

1 – The Return of the Great Departed Soul [96]

2 – The Resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo [90]

3 – The Adventure of the Runaway Room [83]

4 – The Adventure of the Unspeakable Story [82]

5 – The Memoirs of the Clouded Kokoro [77]

6 – Twisted Karma and His Last Bow [74]

7 – The Adventure of the Blossoming Attorney [62]

8 – The Adventure of the Great Departure [61]

9 – The Adventure of the Clouded Kokoro [52]

10 – The Adventure of the Unbreakable Speckled Band [50]

Aaaaand that’s my list! What a ride it’s been. I love this series to bits, so it’s been a joy and a privilege to talk about it in such depth. If you enjoyed this Deep Dive series, you can check out some of my latest blog posts below: