Top Ten Turnabouts - Part 8 (#98)

#3 - 5-2: The Monstrous Turnabout

This game is also pretty similar to Apollo Justice, in the way that some people love it and some people hate it. I think most people like it though. It's the first game in the Ace Attorney series to be released on the 3DS (well, Professor Layton VS Phoenix Wright came out in 2012 in Japan whereas this came out in 2013, but I don't count that, not because it's not a main game but because LVW didn't release until 2014 here I think) and the most recent in the series, at least outside of Japan. Cough Dai Gyakuten Saiban cough. But, yeah, the only case from that game on the list. It's a great game, I just didn't want to include any other cases from it because I didn't want to have too many from one game.

Contrary to its name, this case isn't actually a monstrous turnabout. It's more like The Pretty Great Turnabout. The second case in Dual Destinies, the case introduces us with one of those nice new-fangled (except not for Professor Layton) cutscenes which tells us about the legend of the Nine Tailed Fox (which isn't just from Naruto, you know, it originates in Japanese mythology) and how it sealed the evil demon, Tenma Taro, away into the forbidden chamber of Kyubi Manor in Nine-Tails Vale.

Years later, Apollo meets new recruit to the Wright and Co. Law Offices, (or, as it is now know, the Wright Anything Agency) Athena Cykes, who has the ability to examine witnesses emotions during cross examination to uncover their true feelings or repressed memories, in Nine-Tails Vale, where he has travelled to with Trucy, as she has a friend there, Jinxie Tenma, who always thinks Apollo is a demon because his hair looks like horns to her and she is very superstitious. See, Nine-Tails Vale is a place that has a Yokai craze, Yokai being a group of mythical Japanese monsters, kind of like Pokemon. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if that's what Pokemon is at least partly based on.

A cool event features the Amazing Nine-Tails, a popular wrestler
who is actually Damien Tenma of Tenma Town and not Rex Kyubi
as most people suspected, as he confronts the evildoer Tenma Taro.

Rex Kyubi, the alderman of Nine-Tails Vale is killed, and Jinxie's father, Damien Tenma, is accused, so, obviously, he becomes the defendant. Now, the killer is Florent L'Belle (he's an awesome character by the way, he has his own brand of hair products specifically for himself and his hair changes colour on each day of the case) and it's great when you finally expose him and see his breakdown, but the only slightly disappointing part is that you see him kill Rex Kyubi in the case's opening cutscene so you already know the whole time who the killer is which detracts a bit from the suspense and fun of finding out. However, it doesn't really ruin the case at all, since that cutscene's a pretty nice one, and it's kind of reminiscent of the first two cases in the series, The First Turnabout and Turnabout Sisters, where you see the actual murder and the murderer before the case starts. I know you see the murderer in Turnabout Visitor and Turnabout Countdown too, but in those cases you don't really see them at the exact time of the murder, so yeah.

The opening cutscene in which we see L'Belle
commit the murder...

...and the moment where we see Redd White kill Mia Fey. See
the similarities? 

This case also introduces another main prosecutor, just like Turnabout Corner and The Stolen Turnabout -- well, pretty much every second case in the main series, really. This prosecutor is Simon Blackquill, a prison inmate who is a convicted murderer! Granted, you do later find out in case 5 that Simon's innocent, and that Miles Edgeworth (did I mention that he's now the chief prosecutor, by the way? Yeah, he is! The game is set in 2027 after all which is around 10 years after the first trilogy and Investigations 1 and 2, but if they make an Investigations 3 I'd like to see Edgeworth's becoming of the chief prosecutor explored) knew this deep down and that's the only reason he let a convict prosecute. But still. Blackquill is a bit of a samurai wannabe and is an opponent who is not to be underestimated in the courtroom. Especially with his evidence-carrying hawk Taka, who loves nesting on the Judge's head.

The case also introduces the Dick Gumshoe to Blackquill's Edgeworth (his detective, basically): Bobby Fulbright, the 'here of justice' who later turns out to be basically the biggest villain of the game in disguise. How ironic. Yes, turns out the real Fulbright has been dead for over a year, which I'm sure I won't be able to stop thinking about when I replay this and the third case in Ace Attorney 5. Oops.

'IN JUSTICE WE TRUST!'
Ironic, isn't it, considering his true nature?

The Monstrous Turnabout is a great case and conveyed to me that Dual Destinies was going to be a great game. I was hooked and played it nonstop, especially the trial sections.

I think this one was a bit shorter than the others, and if so, I apologize. I seem to have a series case of writer's block. Anyway, just two parts left. On part 10, after the stuff about the actual case, I will be doing a long cheesy talk about the blog.

Update: Again, no post tomorrow. I have that homework I need to start and I want to actually get in some video game enjoyment between school sessions. When part 9 goes up on Thursday I'm just gonna try and push on through and get part 10 over with. Okay, see you soon.

Thomas

Intro | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10