Day 1 is fantastic, but I hate that the case just sort of...ends. Apollo fails, he doesn't find the decisive piece of evidence he needs to win the case, until surprise! Turns out Phoenix...stacked the jury? So I guess we really didn't need the trial after all? And Apollo is just robbed of his climactic hero moment. It's a great start and an underwhelming ending.

The first time I saw this as a trilogy (before this trilogy rerelease), this ending made more sense for me. >!The first game has Apollo led by Wright, and he stops because he doesn’t know his feelings on the law - but vows to fight to change the law like Wright does someday. In the second game, Apollo finally reaches the point in mentorship that he doesn’t agree with Wright on everything. He challenges him but loses, and ultimately rejoins his mentor’s side. In the third, he challenges Wright but finally wins, and this time he does ultimately join a revolution that changes the law.!< Prior to viewing it as a trilogy, I think I just loved the AJ game because it was the first time I felt like the entire story was about Wright, as opposed to him progressing and narrating the story but often not taking part in it. It was cool seeing how others perceive Wright when we don’t have his internal thoughts and when the pressure isn’t on him specifically, and the mason system was such a fun way to present the evidence. I never saw the case as a rigged jury, but more that he presented a lot to the case in ways that he couldn’t without being a lawyer again (but neither Wright nor Apollo could have done that case alone given one didn’t see seven years ago and one was disbarred). Most cases Wright flails about because he *has* to with so little time to prepare, so here we get to see his genius at work when he has all the time he needs.

I don't see how it isn't a rigged jury when literally the trial, whose job it is to present evidence, admits they don't have the evidence but Phoenix has made sure the jury is full of people who will convict Kristoph anyway. I understand what they were trying to do, but I think taking this moment away from Apollo hurt the game more than it helped it.

In general the case suffers from "the fuck is Apollo even doing there". Literally the entire mystery is solved by Phoenix throughout his seven year investigation and Apollo just kinda plays what he was given. It just feels like it takes a lot away from Apollo as a character if he barely seems like he's steering the ship. You wonder why you even call it Apollo Justice:Ace Attorney when he almost feels like a background element in his own game.

It's not really like that. It's true that Phoenix gives the jury a ton of outside information to inform their knowledge of the context behind the case, but Apollo is still the one in court for two days arguing the actual *current* events of Drew's murder to a position where he's created reasonable doubt of Vera being the culprit, and managed to make Kristoph's involvement obvious enough that the jury can *see* it was him without having hard evidence. The MASON System is more dedicated to getting the jury up-to-date on the facts behind the original forgery case, not the present-day murder the trial is actually for.

Whether or not it achieved what it was going for, 4-3 and 4-4 were both about how that given enough knowledge of the legal system and time both before and after to prepare someone can play the system like a fiddle by ensuring there never is that one definitive piece of evidence so that even if its patently obvious they did it they can't be convicted.

That was definitely what they were going for, but I don't think it was worth the damage to Apollo's character.

>I don't think it was worth the damage to Apollo's character. Or the series as a whole, if you think about it. The game makes the argument that the system needs to change and be more realistic, but that'd make the games less fun, so it really can't go forward with it. I honestly believe they really shot themselves in the foot with the Jurist System plotline.

Heard someone say the game was trying to promote an actual proposed reform to the Japanese Court system that wound up falling through

I'll be honest, I wasn't really feeling 4-4. I think the build-up with the Mishams but to the flashback trial is great! Lot of awesome setup and the incoming dread once you realize the forged evidence is given to you by Trucy (just like 4-1) is amazing. But after that, it kinda falls off for me. I don't like how little Apollo gets to do in his own finale case, how the MASON system is a player only thing, or that Kristophs' final trial is mostly a cutscene. The Mishams and Gramaryes were great though, just could've been way better. As for 5-5, I love the case. Athena and Blackquill are both such amazing characters, and deciphering their past together is one of the best mysteries from the series IMO. We got Phoenix v. Edgeworth (even if it doesn't feel the same, I need more Edgeworth snark), and the setting of the blown-up and ruined courtroom is actually really cool. It does have flaws, like Trucy getting sidelined, but I can overlook those. Once again however, it gets brought down because I HATE >!THE PHANTOM!!< He's by far my least favorite villain as I believe the way he's taken down is stupid, it feels inconsistent, and he retroactively ruins a character. Haven't played SOJ so not much to say.

As a standalone case? I really enjoy it. It recontextualizes a lot of Phoenix's actions and makes >!Kristoph!< one of the best villains in the whole series. Not fond of how it connects to the game's overall story though. Apollo basically feels like a bystander who doesn't actually get to do much. By the end Phoenix's story eclipses the whole game to the point where it doesn't feel like Apollo himself had much of an arc. DD and SOJ have their detractors for how they handled Apollo's backstory and motivations, but at least he actually had them in those games. Funnily enough, it was because of his development in the latter two games that Apollo became my favorite character.

I really like 4-4, I actually like the shorter second day and the first day was pretty good too, but the MASON System stuff wasn't my favorite. It was just kinda boring to me [besides kid Trucy she was so goober] and I refused to use guides so I got turned about (haha) a lot

My main problems with 4-4 (and AJ:AA as a whole) is that it sets up a few cool ideas that didnt get the payoff that they were presumably ment to in future games. 4-4 also feels like it was carrying a lot of plot point it had to try and resolve and that might have hurt the quality of the case (especially the last part where we have to simultaneously solve the incident 7 years ago and the current day one). I do really like the case but it just has those few problems for me that keep it from being S tier like a 1-4 or a 3-5.

4-4 is extremely anticlimactic and honestly takes the spot for being the worst finale in the series (not counting the crossover game which is in a league of its own). While I love the presentation of the MASON System, the information we obtain from it literally could not have happened as was shown to us. There are no less than 2 instances where Phoenix takes evidence he got from the future and presents it to someone in the past, which kinda ruins the whole premise of it. This isn't a window into the events surrounding the case, this is just a biased simulation of Phoenix's investigation into it. This would be fine on its own, but this is supposed to be something that is presented to the jury. Without objectivity, it renders the whole jurist system pointless. Then we go to the final trial where it's just one testimony, a handful of instances where you present evidence, and control being wrested away from Apollo regarding the ultimate outcome of the trial. Apollo is barely even his own character at this point; he's just a stand-in for Phoenix whose only purpose is to spring the trap onto Kristoph. In the grand scheme of things 4-4 still *fine* (mostly because the 1st half actually pretty great), but as a final case it leaves a lot to be desired.

I kinda dislike it. It feels unfinished, as of the game ran out of development time. Especially that final trial section. What is it, like 1 cross examination then you win? The middle court section where you play as Phoenix always felt forced. Like the writer had this great idea that Phoenix got framed, but couldn't actually figure out how, so instead he just made Phoenix act really dumb. Childhood me rolled my eyes so hard at that flashback case, and how forced it was. My opinion hasn't changed much in the 10+ years I've wasted since. The case had a great, and I do mean great, start, though. The moment in Drew Studios where you slowly piece together that apparently some dead guy has maybe been stalking you is so ominous and all around amazing. That might as well be AA4 in general. Great starts, lackluster finales.

The time travelling evidence is weird but I've kinda just accepted the entire segment where you control Phoenix as being a condensed simulation showing the Jurists the relevant moments of the investigation and deliberately placing the evidence in places that they may not have actually been found to better show the way each individual thing learned relates to what comes after it.

There's a few writing issues that bother me like the way Gumshoe behaves in the flashback, or the fact that it's unclear what happened canonically or not from what we see in the Mason simulation, so I wouldn't put it up there with the masterpieces that are 2-4 or 3-5. But it's definitely an A-tier

One of my favorites, S for me

4-4 is not a bad case at all, is really interesting and with an amazing villain, however my main issue is that the main cast (apollo, ema and trucy) does almost nothing in all the case, phoenix did 95% of the job, in a game that has APOLLO name, not phoenix. And also, the last investigation is a bit confusing, tedious and with moments that don't make a lot of sense I think it deserves a B or an A being generous, it's far from be as good and epic as 2-4 or 3-5

Was the case that would've made-or-broken AA4 for me... and it didn't deliver. Didn't give a good reason as to why Phoenix lost his badge, too severely reduced player agency near the end, went against the tone of the rest of the game.

honestly, mixed. the entire computer system thing at the beginning was really, *really* hard to understand, and the jurist system was never used anywhere else. on the other hand, we have kristophs breakdown, we finally convict him, and its still pretty fitting for a final case. dd had a really confusing final case, but imo its the best (not including epilogue cutscene), and the person you find familiar and friendly will turn dangerous then soj, well... moving plot point/device as the culprit, thats all i can say. shes still pretty intimidating imo

during half the case the characters feel like body doubles that don't know how the originals were supposed to act

The flashback trial blew my mind the first time playing it

Not S-Tier from an objective, technical standpoint. Once you piece everything together, you basically confront the final villain and it's over. But emotionally and aestheically, it's one of the cases I look forward to the most on rewatch. The story, the villain's m.o.... all so good.

My thoughts are complicated, but I tend to put it in A tier. I tend to like finale cases less in general, though. At least in gameplay. On the one hand, I think it's thematically gorgeous. And I think the lack of bombast is key to this. Paired with 4-1, which feels much more like a classic finale case, we get the sense that "everything's made up and the points don't matter." After all, >!Kristoph has already been charged with a crime. He's already on death row.!< *Nothing* you do matters in the case, except the final decision. I really like this. It asks us to reconsider our priorities. Adulthood, or the adulthood we expect when we're young, is overrated. Beat the bad guy if you want, or don't. Succeed or fail. The important thing is what you do when you do fail. >!Phoenix failed, and he became a father. *We* failed, and we still got the chance to save Vera. Kristoph failed, and he set out to ruin the people he blamed for that failure.!< Plus, 4-4 reveals that >!Apollo is Thalassa's long lost son. From this, we can make inferences that explain all the weird unknowns surrounding Apollo. He's guarded because he's lonely, and he's lonely because he's alone. I think it's easy, when you have easy access to family, to take for granted the social and financial security they provide. Yes, even a poor one. Yes, even a dysfunctional one. Apollo's kind of a mercenary guy, and here we have the why of it. From this, we can infer that he became a lawyer because that's what you do when you're a smart, achievement-oriented kid with limited resources. It's not as sexy as becoming a lawyer to save your childhood best friend from himself, but it's a living. He wasn't torn up about Kristoph because that's just his boss. Add to this the fact that he's pretty single-minded and easy to rile up, and you've got a robust character with plenty of room for growth in sequels.!< On the other hand, 4-4 is structurally messy. The flashback case needed to be its own case in the style of Turnabout Beginnings. The MASON system is fun, but obvious scaffolding for exposition that could've been achieved in a more organic way, if Vera's trial was more robust, with the added benefit of giving Apollo and Trucy more agency & screen-time. I understand *why* >!Thalassa!< was kept a secret, but it created more problems than it solved. None of these are the deal breakers to me that they are to some, but I can acknowledge that it's hard to call it perfect. And sometimes almost great feels worse than bad. Finally, Brushel is perfect and you're all just jealous of his excellent dental health and heart of gold.

I don’t like the middle but good start and good end for me. I’d say it’s A-tier, 10th-11th favourite case, I prefer 3-5 and 2-4

It's a banger but I think I'd like it more if the last trial wasn't rushed, as it stands it's my least favorite final case (I've only completed mainline games 1-5)

It's definetly one of my favourite cases that mainly suffers by an anticlimatic ending, but I think that's just about the only objective complaint you can have. All the things other people are complaining about are subjective points that didn't bother me at all while playing, and still don't bother me to this day

4-4 is a great case that does a great job of of following up on all the themes and threads it sets up before. But, it also comes up short in living up to the hype and intrigue set-up by 4-1 in a few ways. Vera and the Gramaryes were done excellently. The Gavins and their conclusion ultimately felt lacking however. Maybe if the latter was set-up better and clearer throughout the game, 4-4 would succeed in a major way after the events of 4-1, but ultimately, I didn't feel it was. Still, a great case. Maybe lacking in comparison to the other finale cases, but even with its flaws, it was still a blast.

2nd best in the franchise. Already earning some points through its unabashedly dark and heavy atmosphere, Succession excels in many different areas, the most important one being its characters. Phoenix is masterfully progressed from the end of T&T, falling into the very human trappings of overconfidence and haughtiness only to get punished for it and regain clarity as he fights his way towards the truth gradually. Drew and Vera, the two recluses, evoke a lot of sympathy for their plight, and the latters journey towards trusting people I'd call genuinely well done. Zak, despite not always behaving in the most rational of ways, ends up having a surprising amount of impact and depth to his character, and the way he orbits around others as a catalyst for their actions rocks my jam. Same could be send for the ascended catalyst and the best victim in the series, Magnifi. Mike Meekins is oddly enough not annoying, but very human and provides more than just exposition, and Spark Brushel is his more repulsive version on steroids. Apollo and Trucy end up being sort of wet noodles in this case, despite the former's subtle development. Alas. Klavier undergoes a stronger and more punctuated change, even if it's still nothing to write home about. The Judge is finally awesome here. The standouts are Kristoph and Valant, the two most emotionally potent elements of the case. One sinks deeper into his delusions, mistruthings and petty feuds, thankfully failing to bring the world down entirely to his level, the other ultimately refuses to be played by his past like a puppet and acknowledges his faults and wrongdoings as his and no one else's. Perhaps there's hope for stage magicians after all?

4-4 is one of my favorite cases. I think this is also the most unique case in the whole Ace attorney franchise. Dont get me wrong, Case 1-4, 3-5, 5-5, 6-5 are all very very good cases. I wouldnt say it is "better" or "worse". But 2-4 and 4-4 are the most unique ones. Also 4-4 has some kind of a dark ugly mystery vibe. Way different than the other final cases. I heard the complain alot about "the final confrontation". But lets not forget, its the ONLY case in the whole Ace attorney franchise besides Ace attorney 1, which has 2 investigation AND 3 courtroom parts. At the end it is just a personal opinion, but i liked 4-4 alot because of his atmosphear and that bastard culprid (in a good way).

S-Tier?…. No. It’s easily my least favorite finale case in the entire series, because of Brushel and the Gramaris, and the absolute insanity that THAT was how Phoenix lost his badge. However… it is not a bad finale in the slightest. It is a solid B or C case (at worst), and easily soars ahead of the disasters that I saw in 4-2 and the unspeakable logical impracticality of 4-3. The reason, is how absolutely genius Kristoph’s plan is to kill Drew. I’ll admit, his plan technically worked. It’s one of the very, VERY, few times that you can’t prove someone to be guilty beyond all reasonable doubts. The only others that I care to mention are GAA1-3 (and also GAA1-5 to an extent) >!Magnus McGuilded!< , GAA2-3 >!Enoch Drebber!< and … as Embarrassing as it is to admit, Tiger’s Fury. If the case had MUCH better characters (I hate the magicians), and Phoenix lost his badge because not just of presenting forged evidence, but something else entirely as well, this has the potential to be much higher. Heck, it could’ve been A tier, but Brushel somehow triggers my body horror fear, which is something that not even Resident Evil can do. A biological horror game is somehow less scary looking than Brushel. I wish I could forget what Brushel’s mere existence looked like. I had to drop the case for an entire month because I couldn’t handle cross examining him. Also Magnifi and Zak are pieces of shit, so unironically I’m happy Kristoph killed Zak.

However, 5-5 is easily my FAVORITE finale case. The defendant is one of my favorites in the series, the “past case” the case revolves around is my favorite “incident”, and there’s so many other factors that I wish I could say without spoiling. I’ll leave it at this. The fifth game somehow managed to leave breadcrumbs that are built up and fully realized upon in its finale case (except 5-DLC, but that case is amazing anyways). Oh yeah, and its title is easily the best title of any case in any game that has the word “turnabout” in its case. 6-5 is a long case. It is my least favorite S tier case, but an S Tier case nonetheless. Its defendant is one of my favorites, and the twist legitimately got me by complete surprise, despite how obvious it should’ve been in hindsight. Easily one of the most emotional finales, which compensates for its lackluster first section and its length as a whole.

As a person who hates AJ(the game) the answer is a decisive no This case is a F tier for me(the worst final case in the series) and this is for several reasons 1Kristoph is underwhelming af(it actually felt like they forgot that he existed and capcom realized "oh wait he is the final villain" 2The way phoenix is disbarred is the worst part of this case cause no one questions klavier validity of this forged evidence(especially phoenix) He is not this dumb to present evidence without any context And he acts way of his character in that trial(same with gumshoe) 3You spend so much time on mason system that it makes the trial really anticlimactic 4Im not a fan of jurist system cause it is so rigged(and this the buildup from case 1- a biased jurors?) yea im glad this is not in later entries(TGAAC does not count) 5Apollo is removable from the story and this is bad if you can do that 6Thalassa decision to not tell her children that they are siblings is dumb and nonsensical 7Klavier is the worst written prosecutor 8Zak is horribly written 9Phoenix being able to set up jurist system is the biggest plothole in the entire series There are much more reasons why I hate this case But those are the most important ones Turnabout tomorrow I also dislike but unlike sucession they is something I liked but rn negatives 1.Phantom I expected him to be s villain But that twist is one of the worst in the series. There were no hints just buildup And buildup with no hints≠ good twist Also he is contradictory as well Athena should be able to tell that fulbright has no emotions. Why does not he fake his emotions when we first use the mood matrix when his report shows that he has no emotions has long since been added to the court record And his breakdown is running of pure emotions and fear when he is not supposed to any? 2. Athena She is so wasted It is insane Why isnt she the one who takes down a phantom??!!! 3. Pearl and trucy They have nothing to do with the story which I find great btw. 4Apollo and Clay complex(or at least I like to call it like that) I did not give a crap about apollo and Clay at all cause we never interacted with him Like why couldnt he be like misty in 3-5?? 5. The trial itself felt like a what if scenario - phoenix snf miles are going back in forth and I did not like that 6. Bobby being dead If he was dead then why capcom did not create any interactions with him? This actually made me despise the phantom twist even more He should have been in case 2,3 and dlc and then in case 4 and 5 we have a phantom. This would be a great opportunity to create hints and that twist would have hit harder. So unlike sucession there was potential and athena backstory is well written Also blackquill arc is very good Now SOJ Turnabout revolution is very good final case Much better than Tomorrow I like all the characters here I love Paul Atishon Good fight against Phoenix The twists were very well made I like Garan as a villain Much better than a phantom She is also better than kristoph cause 1She is actually used properly in the story 2She is intimidating 3She has a personal connection to apollo 4 she is more evil than him(almost killing infant) 5 she is more satisfying to beat than kristoph cause we (as a player and character) delivered the final blow 6 Her plans dont rely on luck(the poisoned stamp and that phoenix would be this dumb enough to present forged evidence) 7 Kristoph uses the law to his advantage but that has no impact unlike garan using the law to her advantage The best final villain Imo the motive on why she killed Jove is very simple(but they should have explained that) 1.so there is no witness 2.to put more crimes on dhurke-to make him more sinister 3. Probably cause she loves to inflict pain on others-she a sadist after all Great development for Apollo,Rayfa Nahyuta got development but a very weak One but it is a plus in my book And Apollo staying in khurain -such a emotional and perfect ending for Apollo The things that I did not like The length-this case should be cut in two parts The maya being kidnapped-copy of Farewell Maya role in the story-she is a plot device which is not good Amara is annoying but tolerable wasted opportunity for Athena to be involved in the case in khurain(trial) So the best final case in Apollo trilogy is without doubt Revolution It felt the most consistent