Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice Reviews

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice is ranked in the 86th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
No Recommendation / Blank
Sep 14, 2016

Another exciting visual novel - but only if you can get over the series' longstanding irritations.

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IGN
Top Critic
6.5 / 10.0
Sep 8, 2016

There’s enough snappy dialogue and silliness in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice to satisfy long-term series fans, and the conventional courtroom sequences still feel rewarding when you get on a roll and a witness starts to unravel. But the heavy-handed mysticism of its bloated middle act and the general lack of innovation makes for a less than essential entry in the Phoenix Wright saga on the whole.

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Metro GameCentral
Top Critic
8 / 10
Sep 12, 2016

The latest episode in gaming’s most endearing soap opera has some minor script problems, but it’s still a joy to catch up with old friends and new enemies.

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Sep 8, 2016

Spirit of Justice strikes right to the core of what makes Ace Attorney games great: bold, dramatic narrative, a ridiculous sense of humour, and outstanding writing. The first truly superb AA game in years.

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8.5 / 10.0
Sep 8, 2016

With a captivating overarching storyline that has both new and familiar characters, Spirit of Justice keeps you on the edge of your seat

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7.5 / 10.0
Sep 9, 2016

Spirit of Justice's confident story outweighs its clumsy moments

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8 / 10
Sep 8, 2016

The latest courtroom adventure for the Wright Anything Agency may be its best yet, with a wide range of crime-solving tools and characters that create room for elaborate drama and meaningful moments.

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Unscored
Sep 9, 2016

Spirit of Justice also excels at everything Phoenix Wright has done so well over the years. The music is great, the character animations are superb, and the localization is very good, handled deftly as always by longtime Phoenix Wright editor Janet Hsu and her team of pun lovers.

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USgamer
Top Critic
Sep 8, 2016

While Ace Attorney has had its ups and downs since the original trilogy came to a close, Spirit of Justice amounts to the fresh start Phoenix Wright needed to break away from his past. A great setting, fantastic mysteries, memorable characters, and a consistent, thoughtful theme make this a must-play for anyone interested in Ace Attorney's anime-infused take on Law & Order.

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Sep 8, 2016

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice is the first game in a long time that I just could not put down. No matter how tired I was, I was determined to get through just the next witness testimony before bed. And then that turned into the next one. And then I refused to sleep before this particular trial was over. Suffice to say, SoJ does the Phoenix Wright series justice (see what I did there?), and it's sure to be one of the most popular puzzle games this year. Just please don't think this is how a day in court goes. SoJ does many things well, but accurately depicting the legal system is by far not one of them, not that it means to.

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9 / 10.0
Sep 8, 2016

Capcom could just keep making these with different time periods in new regions and I'd keep playing them. As long as it employs a good writing crew and delivers satisfying scenarios, I'm in. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice, you made this aspiring lawyer's day.

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8 / 10
Sep 8, 2016

In many ways Spirit of Justice can be likened to one of Capcom’s other recent flagships, Monster Hunter: Generations. Both hail from fantastic game series though neither are particularly ground-breaking. Instead, they’ve simply uprooted their tried and tested formulas, plonking them in a slightly different setting with new bells and whistles attached. Where other franchises are demonised for failing to constantly evolve, Ace Attorney is one that benefits from remaining untouched, propped up by lovable characters and some superb writing.

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9 / 10.0
Sep 8, 2016

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice expands further the Ace Attorney world, with new mechanics, a better investigation system and a lot of old acquaintances that most of the fans missed in the last games.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Unscored
Sep 10, 2016

Mechanically the game is more than sound, it's awesome. Character-wise, however, you might want to make sure this isn't the Ace Attorney game you pick up first if you're looking to build relationships.

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8.8 / 10.0
Sep 26, 2016

Spirit of Justice has every quality and every flaw of the Ace Attorney series. On the western edge of far East you'll find a great story, amazing characters and that sense of humor we all learned to love. But you'll also find a linear game with very few changes. A solid visual novel overall.

Review in Italian | Read full review

7 / 10.0
Sep 8, 2016

While I would never object to more Ace Attorney, there’s evidence enough to suggest that changes to the mechanics are in order.

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Sep 8, 2016

Like with the rest of this continually growing franchise, this game likely isn’t going to change anybody’s mind that didn’t like past entries, but there is no question that fans of the series will absolutely adore Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice.

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Sep 9, 2016

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice is sure to please fans with its engaging story and sharp humor, but the gameplay formula is starting to show its age.

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90 / 100
Sep 8, 2016

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice is yet another fantastic game in the Ace Attorney series. The gameplay is better than ever, and the stakes have never been higher, all of which only helps to make one of the best stories in gaming even better. Play this game — you won’t regret it.

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Sep 8, 2016

Hardcore fans of the series will still enjoy it despite its flaws. Newcomers may want to check out the original Phoenix Wright trilogy on DS, where the series is at its strongest.

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