Contradictions in the Law

[TimeAxis]

If you're interested (and this goes for all entrants!), I can send a full review via PM that's more along the lines of a playtest/QA that goes in-depth with spoilers/suggestions/improvements. Totally optional, but the offer is there.

I would like this for mine, thanks. Looking forward to the review.

[ZekromFan57]

Turnabout on a Roulette by TheDeadMan

As always, Payne, as always.

Spoiler : Synopsis :

When Francis Ness's defence attorney leaves him high and dry, he has to take matters into his own hands.

Spoiler : Contradiction :

Witnesses are always trusted over the defendants, even when the defendant is telling the truth, unless there is evidence.

Spoiler : Review :

Story: Three people sit at a table. One is shot, one is accused, one is a witness. Who do we believe?

The crime itself is a creative concept that I haven't seen done before. Honestly, although I figured out who killed the victim, I didn't even realise what had happened until the part where you have to show what happened (now that I read the title again, I feel incredibly dumb for missing it). And we actually have a case that seems like it could plausably take place in real life, unlike pretty much every case in the main series.

Characters: I quite enjoyed the protagonist, Francis Ness. As for the others, Ema is as sarcastic as ever, and Payne as usual, pretends to know what he's doing but fails miserably. Gavin doesn't get much screen time (which kinda annoys me cause he's one of my favourite characters) and when he does show up, aside from giving you a single piece of evidence, he doesn't do much in the trial.

As for the witnesses, I feel they aren't given much time to develop. One of them seems unnecessary, as their testimony doesn't even really help you out (or the Prosecution for that matter). The other is a bit more interesting, as they get more testimonies and more time to develop, but they honestly didn't leave a very strong impression on me.

Presentation: Relatively good, with a couple of issues. The opening music loops after a while, so it starts again and stops partway through, which kinda ruins the ominous effect it's supposed to provide. There's also the fact that the speech bubbles (for Hold it, Objection and Take That) aren't on the screen for that long, so the transitions can be a bit jarring at times. But I do have to say that the custom sprite and music choices were great.

Gameplay: Pretty basic, standard pressing and presenting. I was able to solve most contradictions quite easily, which is fine for a case like this where difficulty isn't the focus. There were a couple of details that were brought up that ultimately didn't help in the end (which I was confused by, since I remember Francis saying something like "I should keep that in mind"), which kind of goes against how most cases work, with everything coming together in the end.

One thing that confused me was, when talking about the moment the victim was killed, the characters all say "right temple", but the autopsy says "left temple". Then later on, it's reiterated that it was the left temple. I'm guessing this is just a simple oversight, but it did confuse me a bit when I was playing.

The other thing that confused me was the ??? evidence. This was the only time I had to use the walkthrough. If it was a bit more obvious where to present it, it could've worked, but you had to present it on one particular statement or you would get an unlimited penalty. I really don't see why Francis couldn't have checked it beforehand.

Theme Relevance: In my opinion, this was one of the weaker parts of the case. I could tell what you were going for, but I feel it could've been more effective if the stakes were made higher. The message is that the defendant's account isn't believed without evidence, which does fit the theme quite well. However, it's actually quite easy to prove your innocence in the end, which kind of makes the theme less impactful. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the fact that there's a happy ending, but I think if it had taken more effort to get there, the theme would've been more impactful.

Overall: For your (correct me if I'm wrong) first case, it's quite enjoyable, with only a couple of minor issues. For the most part, it kept my interest throughout and the mystery is relatively well-crafted, although as I mentioned there are a few details brought up in the trial which seem to have no relevance to solving the actual crime. To make a long story short, this is a solid case, but I feel that if it had been expanded on a bit it could've been even better. Don't beat yourself up over the criticism though, because despite the issues I mentioned, I did enjoy this case. You definitely show potential and if you do decide to make it into a series, good luck and I will definitely be looking forward to your future cases.

My original draft for this review was a bit longer, and I had to cut it down a lot to get rid of spoilery stuff, so if you want I can PM it to you. It probably isn't as detailed as the kind of full review drvonkitty was talking about, but it goes into a bit more detail about the characters and story.

[TheDeadMan]

Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm open to the PM. Just do it whenever is open to you. And don't worry, next time in the Nest series, he's planned to have more screentime.

[ZekromFan57]

The Poisonous Turnabout by TimeAxis and Awsome2464

There's always a Karen, isn't there?

Spoiler : Synopsis :

Phoenix defends a plucky young detective accused of poisoning a cookie at a bakery.

Spoiler : Contradiction :

What happens when a prosecutor exploits legal loopholes to get an innocent person convicted?

Spoiler : Review :

Story: Being the only case with a trial and an investigation, this is the case that feels the most complete out of all the entries, and that alone gives it extra points from me. I'm not usually a huge fan of crossover cases, since a lot of the time I'm not familiar with the other properties, but you managed to integrate most of the characters into the Ace Attorneyverse well, so this was no issue for me.

The crime itself is relatively straightforward, and I managed to figure out what had happened quite quickly once the trial begun (though that could be because I've played Turnabout Succession).

Characters: I really liked the majority of the characters in this case. The canon characters were all as you would expect, with Gumshoe having some funny moments. Sheryl worked well as a defendant/assistant who you end up caring about a lot and wanting to get them off the hook. I quite liked Baker as well. The culprit was quite an interesting character, though we don't get to hear their side of the story at the end like we do for most culprits. You did say the ending got rushed, so I'm guessing that's the bit that got cut.

I didn't really like the prosecutor though, since she seemed a bit bland, with no real personality to speak of. Since she's (I'm assuming) one of the crossover characters, then maybe this is how she usually acts, but unfortunately she's not very interesting in my opinion. I also feel she should've faced consequences for her actions at the end.

Presentation: The standout of this case for me, the custom sprites for Sheryl, Opera and Citra translated well over to the Ace Attorney world. Hyde Baker and Sae don't seem to fit in as well, being completely different art styles, but this wasn't a huge issue. There was also a lot of custom artwork in this case, including evidence icons, floor plans and even some examining of evidence in detail, which overall gave the case a high-quality feel.

Gameplay: Another high point of the case. Starting with the investigations, we have psyche-lock segments which make the investigation more interesting, and a fair amount of present dialogue which I always appreciate. The investigation itself was fairly straightforward, the only time I needed the walkthrough was to examine the painting, but since there's only a couple of locations, I would've probably figured it out eventually later.

The cross-examinations in the trial are nothing particularly special, however there are a couple of interesting contradictions that involve examining evidence in more detail that I really enjoyed. I didn't encounter any bugs or major errors in case logic either, so all in all, the gameplay was solid.

Theme Relevance: After so many high points, this one is the part that let me down slightly. Don't get me wrong, the idea itself (of using loopholes in the law) is great, however I feel with a few changes it could've been more impactful. We hear right at the start that the prosecutor uses legal loopholes to win cases, which I'm guessing was done to build tension. However, I feel this could've been more impactful if it had been more of a surprise (for example, the player only finds out when she does it). I already mentioned this, but I really didn't care for the prosecutor's character at all, as she has no personality, we don't know her motivations, and she's just a bit boring. The reason I'm talking about this here is because she's the most important character when it comes to the theme of this case. If she was given more of a personality, and she faced actual consequences for her actions, it would've been more satisfying to take her down. If I were to have written her, I probably would've either made her arrogant and caring only about winning, or someone who believes all defendants are guilty.

Overall: The vast majority of this case was really well-done, and it was enjoyable to play. The issues I mentioned were the only ones I had, if they weren't there it would be pretty much all positives here. So yeah, this case is definitely a strong contender for this comp.

Next up: Turnabout of the Fallen by Super legenda.

[ZekromFan57]

Turnabout of the Fallen by Super legenda

New to these games, are you?

Spoiler : Synopsis :

A prosecutor tasks himself with uncovering the dark secrets behind a series of crimes in order to combat the country of Ordo's corruption.

Spoiler : Contradiction :

What should a prosecutor do when everyone in a position of power seems to be greedy and corrupt?

Spoiler : Review :

Story: One of the most unique cases submitted for this comp, this case takes place in the fictional country of Ordo, where violent crime happens so often, even our protagonist, a prosecutor, has become desensitised to it. Or at least, that's how it seems on the surface. In reality, he's secretly investigating crimes with links to corrupt officials.

Being an investigation only, the case would have to strongly rely on having a good story, and I have to say, it succeeds. You play as Hop Ephemer, a prosecutor disillusioned with the justice system in his country, and determined to take on crime and corruption himself. So he decides, as part of his "Proof of Justice" he will attempt to solve four unsolved cases: the murder and robbery of an artist, the attack of an insane woman by a masked man, who's potentially another prosecutor, the murder of the Chief Prosecutor himself, and the death of his own wife. The fact that there are four different cases, each with an intriguing premise, makes the case truly unique from the get-go.

Only part of this case is playable however, but since it is split into four separate cases, it makes sense to end off after solving the first, the death of artist Robert Tim. The twist itself is something I wasn't expecting, but it also totally makes sense. After solving the case, but still ultimately having lost, the protagonist becomes even more determined to bring the guilty to justice.

Despite the fact that the case is incomplete, it does succeed in getting me invested in the story and making me want to find out what happens next, so this is one case I definitely want to see completed some time in the future.

Characters: There are only three to speak of (with allusions being made to a fourth), so I'll keep this brief. The protagonist, Hop Ephemer is a very interesting character, as even though most people have given up on justice, Hop refuses, even after having witnessed first-hand how far those in power are willing to go to silence those who challenge them. Theodore Grant Picasse, a museum owner and former boss of the victim, seems helpful at first, but hides a dark secret. He's not a very complicated character, but he also doesn't need to be, as his main purpose is to serve as a powerful threat. He has some good dialogue though. The third character (who's name I won't mention for spoiler-related reasons) is quite well-written, being almost the opposite of Hop, he's given up trying to fight for what's right, with Hop trying to convince him that there's still hope. He can be a bit annoying, (which fits the usual Ace Attorney MO of having annoying characters), but not to a point where you don't care about what happens to him.

Presentation: The custom sprite choices were good, and the custom locations were also good, especially the studio crime scene (I also like the explanation for why the body outline was on the floor instead of the canvas).

Gameplay: Incredibly straightforward, with you mainly talking to characters, with a little bit of examining. This isn't a negative, however, as the story clearly takes precedent in this case. Although I do hope the rest of the case is a little more interactive when it's completed.

Theme Relevance: Out of the cases I've reviewed so far, this is the one that is most relevant to the theme in my opinion. Ordo is a country where crime is so common, and all because those in power are corrupt, especially President Ordo, who seems to be the one behind everything. Despite all this, Hop wants to bring about justice by solving four unsolved cases. And the first, he does solve, but the outcome leaves him with no proof of anything, and pretty much where he was at the start, and yet he is still determined. Throughout this case, it is clear what the theme is, and so this case succeeds in being relevant to the theme.

Overall: This case is unique, the premise drew me in, it has a well-written protagonist, and it succeeds in being relevant to the theme. I've nothing more to say, other than this was a great case, and I hope we can see it finished some day.

Next is Semiramis Turnabout: Sleeping Dogs by Khepri.

[Super legenda]

Turnabout of the Fallen by Super legenda

New to these games, are you?

Spoiler : Synopsis :

A prosecutor tasks himself with uncovering the dark secrets behind a series of crimes in order to combat the country of Ordo's corruption.

Spoiler : Contradiction :

What should a prosecutor do when everyone in a position of power seems to be greedy and corrupt?

Spoiler : Review :

Story: One of the most unique cases submitted for this comp, this case takes place in the fictional country of Ordo, where violent crime happens so often, even our protagonist, a prosecutor, has become desensitised to it. Or at least, that's how it seems on the surface. In reality, he's secretly investigating crimes with links to corrupt officials.

Being an investigation only, the case would have to strongly rely on having a good story, and I have to say, it succeeds. You play as Hop Ephemer, a prosecutor disillusioned with the justice system in his country, and determined to take on crime and corruption himself. So he decides, as part of his "Proof of Justice" he will attempt to solve four unsolved cases: the murder and robbery of an artist, the attack of an insane woman by a masked man, who's potentially another prosecutor, the murder of the Chief Prosecutor himself, and the death of his own wife. The fact that there are four different cases, each with an intriguing premise, makes the case truly unique from the get-go.

Only part of this case is playable however, but since it is split into four separate cases, it makes sense to end off after solving the first, the death of artist Robert Tim. The twist itself is something I wasn't expecting, but it also totally makes sense. After solving the case, but still ultimately having lost, the protagonist becomes even more determined to bring the guilty to justice.

Despite the fact that the case is incomplete, it does succeed in getting me invested in the story and making me want to find out what happens next, so this is one case I definitely want to see completed some time in the future.

Characters: There are only three to speak of (with allusions being made to a fourth), so I'll keep this brief. The protagonist, Hop Ephemer is a very interesting character, as even though most people have given up on justice, Hop refuses, even after having witnessed first-hand how far those in power are willing to go to silence those who challenge them. Theodore Grant Picasse, a museum owner and former boss of the victim, seems helpful at first, but hides a dark secret. He's not a very complicated character, but he also doesn't need to be, as his main purpose is to serve as a powerful threat. He has some good dialogue though. The third character (who's name I won't mention for spoiler-related reasons) is quite well-written, being almost the opposite of Hop, he's given up trying to fight for what's right, with Hop trying to convince him that there's still hope. He can be a bit annoying, (which fits the usual Ace Attorney MO of having annoying characters), but not to a point where you don't care about what happens to him.

Presentation: The custom sprite choices were good, and the custom locations were also good, especially the studio crime scene (I also like the explanation for why the body outline was on the floor instead of the canvas).

Gameplay: Incredibly straightforward, with you mainly talking to characters, with a little bit of examining. This isn't a negative, however, as the story clearly takes precedent in this case. Although I do hope the rest of the case is a little more interactive when it's completed.

Theme Relevance: Out of the cases I've reviewed so far, this is the one that is most relevant to the theme in my opinion. Ordo is a country where crime is so common, and all because those in power are corrupt, especially President Ordo, who seems to be the one behind everything. Despite all this, Hop wants to bring about justice by solving four unsolved cases. And the first, he does solve, but the outcome leaves him with no proof of anything, and pretty much where he was at the start, and yet he is still determined. Throughout this case, it is clear what the theme is, and so this case succeeds in being relevant to the theme.

Overall: This case is unique, the premise drew me in, it has a well-written protagonist, and it succeeds in being relevant to the theme. I've nothing more to say, other than this was a great case, and I hope we can see it finished some day.

Next is Semiramis Turnabout: Sleeping Dogs by Khepri.

Oh, wow! I'm, really glad that you seem to have quite enjoyed it! Well, the more reason to after the competition, stop being unmotivated, and keep going.

[ZekromFan57]

Semiramis Turnabout: Sleeping Dogs by Khepri

If only it were Payne, I'd actually believe that.

Spoiler : Synopsis :

In 19th Century Italy, the rich heir to the Capulet estate brings to light the case of an attack on his father 16 years ago. The accused is incredibly uncooperative, unfortunately for her public defender.

Spoiler : Contradiction :

Not clear, at least in the part of the case that's playable.

Spoiler : Review :

Story: I'm relatively intrigued by the premise of this case, being that it's a 16 year old cold case, with an uncooperative defendant. The mystery at the start is well-crafted. However, since the case is barely even close to complete by my estimation, it can only go so far, and I can really only judge a case based on what's been done, rather than what's being set up. Hope you can finish it one day though.

Characters: The defence and prosecution seem to be carbon copies of Apollo and Edgeworth respectively, which is fine, but not very original. Perhaps if the case was longer, they'd eventually stand out to me. The Doge is basically the Judge, but that's fine, since most Judge's have the same basic personality in the Ace Attorney universe. Maria Montague is intriguing, probably the only character I'm interested in so far. Capulet seems to be a good guy who just wants justice for his father, but doesn't have much personality yet. Basically most of the characters here are bland and don't stand out to me.

Presentation: There were a lot of presentation bugs here that bothered me, including the fact that when a character thinks to themselves, they also say it out loud (you're supposed to select "Do not talk" in the screen editor). There are a couple of others too, but I won't go into detail. The custom evidence icon for the Badge of Veracity is good though.

Gameplay: I encountered quite a lot of bugs which affected by enjoyment of the case, with the vast majority of them being ones that you could've found through playtesting (seriously, it's important), so I'll go through a few of the major ones. In the testimony, there's a statement where you randomly can't press, and when one of the statements is pressed, for a while, all the characters stand in the prosecution bench. Also two pieces of evidence (one being the one you have to present) don't have a check option, despite the description saying otherwise. Something also puzzled me about the bridge plan, at first I thought it would be a map, but when shown it was young Phoenix and Doug Swallow standing outside Ivy University. I'm assuming it's supposed to be a sketch of the scene, in that case I would've called it "Bridge Sketch". I'll assume it's a placeholder, because it's supposed to take place on a bridge not behind a university.

Theme Relevance: Since I couldn't work out what the contradiction in the law was, you get no points here. Sorry bout that.

Overall: The case began as intriguing, but ultimately evolved into a bit of an incomplete mess. Still, I hope that you can spend some time on this case, completing and polishing it, as I do want to see where it goes.

Last, but certainly not least, The Phantom's Turnabout by Bannedfrom7 and clcman.

[ZekromFan57]

The Phantom's Turnabout by Bannedfrom7 and clcman

Nice job keeping his identity on the down low there.
If you read this review and you haven't played Dual Destinies yet, I take no responsibility for spoilers.

Spoiler : Synopsis :

The Phantom, AKA Mr In Justice We Trust himself, is tasked with defending a fellow member of the ICU (International Crime Union) for killing the Chief of Police.

Spoiler : Contradiction :

Anyone in the police force, even those who are seemingly enthusiastic about bringing about justice, could be corrupt or a criminal. Furthermore, if a criminal wants to help bring about justice for their own reasons, are they justified in doing so?

Spoiler : Review :

Story: Honestly, out of all the entries this is one of my personal favourites. Something about this case just "worked" for me, so when it did end, I was disappointed it wasn't longer! (Although quality over quantity is probably for the best)

The premise is that the Chief of Police has been murdered. The one who is accused is a member of the ICU, so The Phantom and Watts Opp, who are members themselves, want to get him off the hook quickly so the police don't discover anything compromising. The thing is, the Police Chief is also involved with the ICU himself, which means the culprit could be a danger to them. This means that, strangely, the interests of the Police and the ICU is the same: catching the person responsible.

The set-up for the mystery is really well-crafted, that's all I can really say. It's really good at drawing you in and making you actually really want to find out what happened.

Characters: This case undoubtedly has the best pun names, with Watts Opp, Abe Ismal and who could forget Iam Lurker. The characters themselves are also really well-written. Watts Opp is essentially the comic relief character, but this isn't overdone too much, so I could still see him as being an actual criminal. It's really interesting seeing things from The Phantom's perspective, as he uses his Bobby Fulbright persona to manipulate people. Iam Lurker's also quite a fun character, and we also get the unexpected return of Shi-Long Lang, one of my favourite characters of Investigations, who's written pretty much exactly like you would expect: instantly (and rightly) suspicious of Fulbright and Watts. Other than Isaac Hails (who we don't get to see much in the part of the case that's been made so far), every character made a lasting impression on me, so props to you for that.

Presentation: Good custom character and music choices were used. One thing I'd like to note: the Bobby Fulbright theme file is lower quality than usual, making it slightly distorted. To me, this symbolises how he's not fully into the Fulbright persona, and he's still getting used to it. I'm 80% sure this was unintentional, but if it wasn't, then props to you (although I guess you could just pretend it was now).

The only issue I had here (and it wasn't that big a deal to me) was that 2 of the evidence/profile icon images were larger than the 70x70 box, making them blurred. However this is an easy fix. For the silencer, you can just shrink the image down and you get:
For Lang, you can use the one off of Court Records here:
It's a small critique really, it didn't bother me too much.

Gameplay: Pretty simple, as it's an investigation segment with mainly talking, although you do have to present evidence at one point. This fits the formula for the start of investigation sections, when you're focused on getting information before you get access to the crime scene. No issues here.

Theme Relevance: This case is the embodiment of contradictions in the law. You play as an international spy posing as a detective, trying to get another spy off the hook for the murder of the Police Chief, who's also the boss of both you and the spy accused of killing him, in order to find the true culprit, who presumably is some sort of vigilante who wants to eradicate corrupt officials. Because no one in this case is truly innocent (aside from Lang I guess), you really question who's side your supposed to be on. On one hand, the defendant is a criminal, however he's innocent of this particular crime, however the protagonist wants to get him off the hook to protect a criminal group, however again, even if the murderer killed a bad person they're still a murderer, and the argument goes on. So yeah, the case fits this competition's theme to a tee.

Overall: I can't say how much I enjoyed this case, despite the fact that it is incomplete. It really is a standout entry. I really hope we can see the completion of this case and release in the near future.

Well, I spent all afternoon on these reviews, so I hope you're all happy with them. Now all that's left are my co-host's reviews and then we can get on to the ceremony.

[TimeAxis]

The Poisonous Turnabout by TimeAxis and Awsome2464

There's always a Karen, isn't there?

Spoiler : Synopsis :

Phoenix defends a plucky young detective accused of poisoning a cookie at a bakery.

Spoiler : Contradiction :

What happens when a prosecutor exploits legal loopholes to get an innocent person convicted?

Spoiler : Review :

Story: Being the only case with a trial and an investigation, this is the case that feels the most complete out of all the entries, and that alone gives it extra points from me. I'm not usually a huge fan of crossover cases, since a lot of the time I'm not familiar with the other properties, but you managed to integrate most of the characters into the Ace Attorneyverse well, so this was no issue for me.

The crime itself is relatively straightforward, and I managed to figure out what had happened quite quickly once the trial begun (though that could be because I've played Turnabout Succession).

Characters: I really liked the majority of the characters in this case. The canon characters were all as you would expect, with Gumshoe having some funny moments. Sheryl worked well as a defendant/assistant who you end up caring about a lot and wanting to get them off the hook. I quite liked Baker as well. The culprit was quite an interesting character, though we don't get to hear their side of the story at the end like we do for most culprits. You did say the ending got rushed, so I'm guessing that's the bit that got cut.

I didn't really like the prosecutor though, since she seemed a bit bland, with no real personality to speak of. Since she's (I'm assuming) one of the crossover characters, then maybe this is how she usually acts, but unfortunately she's not very interesting in my opinion. I also feel she should've faced consequences for her actions at the end.

Presentation: The standout of this case for me, the custom sprites for Sheryl, Opera and Citra translated well over to the Ace Attorney world. Hyde Baker and Sae don't seem to fit in as well, being completely different art styles, but this wasn't a huge issue. There was also a lot of custom artwork in this case, including evidence icons, floor plans and even some examining of evidence in detail, which overall gave the case a high-quality feel.

Gameplay: Another high point of the case. Starting with the investigations, we have psyche-lock segments which make the investigation more interesting, and a fair amount of present dialogue which I always appreciate. The investigation itself was fairly straightforward, the only time I needed the walkthrough was to examine the painting, but since there's only a couple of locations, I would've probably figured it out eventually later.

The cross-examinations in the trial are nothing particularly special, however there are a couple of interesting contradictions that involve examining evidence in more detail that I really enjoyed. I didn't encounter any bugs or major errors in case logic either, so all in all, the gameplay was solid.

Theme Relevance: After so many high points, this one is the part that let me down slightly. Don't get me wrong, the idea itself (of using loopholes in the law) is great, however I feel with a few changes it could've been more impactful. We hear right at the start that the prosecutor uses legal loopholes to win cases, which I'm guessing was done to build tension. However, I feel this could've been more impactful if it had been more of a surprise (for example, the player only finds out when she does it). I already mentioned this, but I really didn't care for the prosecutor's character at all, as she has no personality, we don't know her motivations, and she's just a bit boring. The reason I'm talking about this here is because she's the most important character when it comes to the theme of this case. If she was given more of a personality, and she faced actual consequences for her actions, it would've been more satisfying to take her down. If I were to have written her, I probably would've either made her arrogant and caring only about winning, or someone who believes all defendants are guilty.

Overall: The vast majority of this case was really well-done, and it was enjoyable to play. The issues I mentioned were the only ones I had, if they weren't there it would be pretty much all positives here. So yeah, this case is definitely a strong contender for this comp.

Next up: Turnabout of the Fallen by Super legenda.

Thanks for the review.

Spoiler : Response :

I agree with a lot of what you said. I think I could have executed Sae better. She is somewhat in-character from Persona 5, but there are aspects of her personality I never got to show off. Part of the reason for her feeling so boring was probably the lack of sprites for her. I wanted to make more, like one of a selfish grin, but I made the original renders long enough ago that I couldn’t manage to get any new sprites to match the others in style exactly, so I would have had to remake them all, which I didn’t have time for. I plan to revamp her sprites in the final version. More poses will let me get more creative with her.

As far as what was cut from the ending, it was a lot. The real trial will end completely differently, even in terms of the solution. There are a few twists and turns I never got to implement. And of course, there should have been a typical after-case epilogue as well. This version ends a bit anti-climactically imo, so I’m pleasantly surprised you still liked it, all things considered.

The idea of not foreshadowing the loophole so hard is one I’ll consider. I just couldn't think of another reason for Phoenix to have the Evidence Law book ready. I was also worried for this contest in particular that the judges might play through the majority of the case thinking “uh, did they forget the theme?” since it doesn’t really become relevant until near the end. So I might have overcompensated a bit.

To get more specific about the contradiction, the actual contradiction in the law I was trying to illustrate was how the Fruit of the Poisonous Tree doctrine can mean the court has to ignore the truth even when it’s known for a fact. I wanted to go further with it, and literally show the court record shrinking as more and more things become tainted, but I wasn’t really able to pull it off. Hopefully I can expand on that in the full version, and maybe have it play into a testimony.

[Bannedfrom7]

The Phantom's Turnabout by Bannedfrom7 and clcman

Nice job keeping his identity on the down low there.
If you read this review and you haven't played Dual Destinies yet, I take no responsibility for spoilers.

Spoiler : Synopsis :

The Phantom, AKA Mr In Justice We Trust himself, is tasked with defending a fellow member of the ICU (International Crime Union) for killing the Chief of Police.

Spoiler : Contradiction :

Anyone in the police force, even those who are seemingly enthusiastic about bringing about justice, could be corrupt or a criminal. Furthermore, if a criminal wants to help bring about justice for their own reasons, are they justified in doing so?

Spoiler : Review :

Story: Honestly, out of all the entries this is one of my personal favourites. Something about this case just "worked" for me, so when it did end, I was disappointed it wasn't longer! (Although quality over quantity is probably for the best)

The premise is that the Chief of Police has been murdered. The one who is accused is a member of the ICU, so The Phantom and Watts Opp, who are members themselves, want to get him off the hook quickly so the police don't discover anything compromising. The thing is, the Police Chief is also involved with the ICU himself, which means the culprit could be a danger to them. This means that, strangely, the interests of the Police and the ICU is the same: catching the person responsible.

The set-up for the mystery is really well-crafted, that's all I can really say. It's really good at drawing you in and making you actually really want to find out what happened.

Characters: This case undoubtedly has the best pun names, with Watts Opp, Abe Ismal and who could forget Iam Lurker. The characters themselves are also really well-written. Watts Opp is essentially the comic relief character, but this isn't overdone too much, so I could still see him as being an actual criminal. It's really interesting seeing things from The Phantom's perspective, as he uses his Bobby Fulbright persona to manipulate people. Iam Lurker's also quite a fun character, and we also get the unexpected return of Shi-Long Lang, one of my favourite characters of Investigations, who's written pretty much exactly like you would expect: instantly (and rightly) suspicious of Fulbright and Watts. Other than Isaac Hails (who we don't get to see much in the part of the case that's been made so far), every character made a lasting impression on me, so props to you for that.

Presentation: Good custom character and music choices were used. One thing I'd like to note: the Bobby Fulbright theme file is lower quality than usual, making it slightly distorted. To me, this symbolises how he's not fully into the Fulbright persona, and he's still getting used to it. I'm 80% sure this was unintentional, but if it wasn't, then props to you (although I guess you could just pretend it was now).

The only issue I had here (and it wasn't that big a deal to me) was that 2 of the evidence/profile icon images were larger than the 70x70 box, making them blurred. However this is an easy fix. For the silencer, you can just shrink the image down and you get:
For Lang, you can use the one off of Court Records here:
It's a small critique really, it didn't bother me too much.

Gameplay: Pretty simple, as it's an investigation segment with mainly talking, although you do have to present evidence at one point. This fits the formula for the start of investigation sections, when you're focused on getting information before you get access to the crime scene. No issues here.

Theme Relevance: This case is the embodiment of contradictions in the law. You play as an international spy posing as a detective, trying to get another spy off the hook for the murder of the Police Chief, who's also the boss of both you and the spy accused of killing him, in order to find the true culprit, who presumably is some sort of vigilante who wants to eradicate corrupt officials. Because no one in this case is truly innocent (aside from Lang I guess), you really question who's side your supposed to be on. On one hand, the defendant is a criminal, however he's innocent of this particular crime, however the protagonist wants to get him off the hook to protect a criminal group, however again, even if the murderer killed a bad person they're still a murderer, and the argument goes on. So yeah, the case fits this competition's theme to a tee.

Overall: I can't say how much I enjoyed this case, despite the fact that it is incomplete. It really is a standout entry. I really hope we can see the completion of this case and release in the near future.

Well, I spent all afternoon on these reviews, so I hope you're all happy with them. Now all that's left are my co-host's reviews and then we can get on to the ceremony.

Spoiler : :

Thank you so much for the review! I'm really overjoyed that you enjoyed the case! The case took A LOT of time on the planning phase which is why it's incomplete but I'm glad it really paid off! Also thanks for pointing out the issues. I'll definitely fix them once I'm able to work on the case again.

[drvonkitty]

The Poisoned Turnabout by TimeAxis and Awsome2464


Oh god.

Spoiler : Synopsis :

Phoenix Wright stumbles into a criminal case (big surprise) when a young foreign detective is accused of poisoning her mentor. Facing a new prosecutor whose specialty is exploiting legal loopholes, we have a classic Ace Attorney trial.

Spoiler : The Contradiction :

The rules of evidence (and other legal procedures) can obfuscate the truth & protect criminals.

Spoiler : Review :

Story: Like the synopsis says, this is your classic Ace Attorney case: Phoenix Wright defends an innocent young person when no one else will. It's a simple formula, but there's a reason why that simple formula has spawned so many games and spin-offs: it's fun, it's exciting, and it's engaging. That's true of this case, and it's a reminder to many case authors (myself included) that a case doesn't have to be grandiose and epic to be enjoyable. That being said, while enjoyable, the case is far from perfect. The mystery is a bit clumsy in its execution (we essentially figure out exactly how it happened in one present), and TimeAxis admits that the ending was rushed, but I still found it to be an enjoyable case. It's classic Ace Attorney, and that's why we're all here.

Generally, I think dialogue was one of the weaker parts of the case that held me back from enjoying it as much as I could: there was a high level of inconsistency. Sometimes, the dialogue was colorful and varied, while other times it felt stale and expository. Given the fact that AA stories occur entirely through written text, I would like to see some work done to ensure consistent quality within the dialogue. I know the potential is there, because sometimes the dialogue works great (there were some genuine laugh out loud moments!)—but the execution needs work.

Characters: I believe most of the non-canon characters here are from other games which I haven't played, so I can't review them based on their accuracy to the source material. Having noted that, the non-canon characters were a mixed bag: I liked the defendant (though innocent female teenage defendant is about as cliche AA as you can get) & the character witness, but I found the prosecutor and the culprit to be boring and forgettable. The canon characters were also similar. Gumshoe was great, the judge was the judge, but I thought Phoenix felt oddly stiff and unlikeable. He lacked some of his dorky charm that makes him such a compelling protagonist.

Presentation: This was really impressive! Other than a few minor errors, the case looked good and played smoothly. Most of the custom characters were ripped from other games, but I could tell there were several custom art assets made for this case (that phone graphic was fantastic). We also had fades, line breaks, text pauses, courtroom zooms... many small things that add up to create a good-looking case. Great work here.

Gameplay: We had two parts here, an investigation and a trial. The investigation was fairly simple and linear, but there was a psyche-locks section, which was refreshing to see... and impressive, given the frustrating nature of implementing psyche-locks on AAO. The trial was fairly standard, though I thought the gameplay was rather unsatisfying. The flow of the trial was rather janky and awkward—rather than dynamically advancing through the mystery through testimony/contradictions, it felt more like going through a checklist. Even so, despite a couple spotty moments, there were some genuinely clever contradictions and premises that left me impressed.

Theme Relevance: On the one hand, I thought this case had a great idea: in what way do the procedures of court, especially the rules of evidence, work against the goals of truth & justice? That's a perfect example of a contradiction in the law. Those procedures are meant to protect the citizens from judicial overreach and abuse, but they can lead to unjust and unfair outcomes that obfuscate the truth and shield the guilty from facing consequences. Unfortunately, and TimeAxis admits to this at the end, the ending was rushed, and we didn't get much time to really explore the intricacies of the contradiction so much as we got a "hey, this is a thing" before moving on. The introduction of a new prosecutor whose gimmick is "loopholes" is also a fantastic idea for the theme here, but sadly she's pretty forgettable and doesn't do much of anything in terms of clever loopholes to advance her case. With some development though, I think this has serious potential.

Overall: I really enjoyed this! It was far from perfect—the inconsistent dialogue was unfortunate, and the rushed nature meant the theme relevance was lacking despite a fascinating premise—but it captured that fundamental, classic AA premise, and I was entertained and hooked throughout. It needs polish and work, but a rough gemstone is a gemstone all the same.

I will PM my full reviews to those who requested it at the end of the competition. Unfortunately, I'm not nearly as speedy as Zekrom (& I'm quite busy!), so I'll be releasing my reviews throughout the week.

Next up is Turnabout of the Fallen by Super legenda!

[TimeAxis]

The Poisoned Turnabout by TimeAxis and Awsome2464


Oh god.

Spoiler : Synopsis :

Phoenix Wright stumbles into a criminal case (big surprise) when a young foreign detective is accused of poisoning her mentor. Facing a new prosecutor whose specialty is exploiting legal loopholes, we have a classic Ace Attorney trial.

Spoiler : The Contradiction :

The rules of evidence (and other legal procedures) can obfuscate the truth & protect criminals.

Spoiler : Review :

Story: Like the synopsis says, this is your classic Ace Attorney case: Phoenix Wright defends an innocent young person when no one else will. It's a simple formula, but there's a reason why that simple formula has spawned so many games and spin-offs: it's fun, it's exciting, and it's engaging. That's true of this case, and it's a reminder to many case authors (myself included) that a case doesn't have to be grandiose and epic to be enjoyable. That being said, while enjoyable, the case is far from perfect. The mystery is a bit clumsy in its execution (we essentially figure out exactly how it happened in one present), and TimeAxis admits that the ending was rushed, but I still found it to be an enjoyable case. It's classic Ace Attorney, and that's why we're all here.

Generally, I think dialogue was one of the weaker parts of the case that held me back from enjoying it as much as I could: there was a high level of inconsistency. Sometimes, the dialogue was colorful and varied, while other times it felt stale and expository. Given the fact that AA stories occur entirely through written text, I would like to see some work done to ensure consistent quality within the dialogue. I know the potential is there, because sometimes the dialogue works great (there were some genuine laugh out loud moments!)—but the execution needs work.

Characters: I believe most of the non-canon characters here are from other games which I haven't played, so I can't review them based on their accuracy to the source material. Having noted that, the non-canon characters were a mixed bag: I liked the defendant (though innocent female teenage defendant is about as cliche AA as you can get) & the character witness, but I found the prosecutor and the culprit to be boring and forgettable. The canon characters were also similar. Gumshoe was great, the judge was the judge, but I thought Phoenix felt oddly stiff and unlikeable. He lacked some of his dorky charm that makes him such a compelling protagonist.

Presentation: This was really impressive! Other than a few minor errors, the case looked good and played smoothly. Most of the custom characters were ripped from other games, but I could tell there were several custom art assets made for this case (that phone graphic was fantastic). We also had fades, line breaks, text pauses, courtroom zooms... many small things that add up to create a good-looking case. Great work here.

Gameplay: We had two parts here, an investigation and a trial. The investigation was fairly simple and linear, but there was a psyche-locks section, which was refreshing to see... and impressive, given the frustrating nature of implementing psyche-locks on AAO. The trial was fairly standard, though I thought the gameplay was rather unsatisfying. The flow of the trial was rather janky and awkward—rather than dynamically advancing through the mystery through testimony/contradictions, it felt more like going through a checklist. Even so, despite a couple spotty moments, there were some genuinely clever contradictions and premises that left me impressed.

Theme Relevance: On the one hand, I thought this case had a great idea: in what way do the procedures of court, especially the rules of evidence, work against the goals of truth & justice? That's a perfect example of a contradiction in the law. Those procedures are meant to protect the citizens from judicial overreach and abuse, but they can lead to unjust and unfair outcomes that obfuscate the truth and shield the guilty from facing consequences. Unfortunately, and TimeAxis admits to this at the end, the ending was rushed, and we didn't get much time to really explore the intricacies of the contradiction so much as we got a "hey, this is a thing" before moving on. The introduction of a new prosecutor whose gimmick is "loopholes" is also a fantastic idea for the theme here, but sadly she's pretty forgettable and doesn't do much of anything in terms of clever loopholes to advance her case. With some development though, I think this has serious potential.

Overall: I really enjoyed this! It was far from perfect—the inconsistent dialogue was unfortunate, and the rushed nature meant the theme relevance was lacking despite a fascinating premise—but it captured that fundamental, classic AA premise, and I was entertained and hooked throughout. It needs polish and work, but a rough gemstone is a gemstone all the same.

I will PM my full reviews to those who requested it at the end of the competition. Unfortunately, I'm not nearly as speedy as Zekrom (& I'm quite busy!), so I'll be releasing my reviews throughout the week.

Next up is Turnabout of the Fallen by Super legenda!

Thanks for the review. I’ll look forward to the full one whenever. By the way, am I free to edit the case again now that both judges have reviewed, or should I hold off?

Spoiler : Response :

Much like Zekrom’s review, there isn’t much here I disagree with. You’ve accurately identified many of the weaknesses with the case that I felt myself.

Dialogue was a real difficulty for me. Sometimes it would flow naturally and I’d have a lot of good ideas for little gags here and there, and other times I’d just draw a blank and struggle to get anything out. This is something I might have done better with had I had more time, but it was definitely a weakness I recognized.

I also have to give credit to my partner for helping spice up the dialogue a little here and there. Particularly with some of the beginning dialogue with Phoenix, and some examine dialogue here and there. It likely would have felt much stiffer had I not had them to consult with.

I also would have preferred to have more testimony and cross examination, but a combination of dialogue for some characters not coming naturally to me (Citra was really hard), time constraints, and being worried about frame limits and the idea of potentially having to split the trial held me back in that regard, so I really just got the bare bones of the case in.

Still, this feedback will be helpful when I go back and finish this case properly. I’d be interested to hear in the full review which parts had Phoenix seeming stiff and unlikeable, as I’d like to fix that if possible.

[Khepri]

Semiramis Turnabout: Sleeping Dogs by Khepri

If only it were Payne, I'd actually believe that.

Spoiler : Synopsis :

In 19th Century Italy, the rich heir to the Capulet estate brings to light the case of an attack on his father 16 years ago. The accused is incredibly uncooperative, unfortunately for her public defender.

Spoiler : Contradiction :

Not clear, at least in the part of the case that's playable.

Spoiler : Review :

Story: I'm relatively intrigued by the premise of this case, being that it's a 16 year old cold case, with an uncooperative defendant. The mystery at the start is well-crafted. However, since the case is barely even close to complete by my estimation, it can only go so far, and I can really only judge a case based on what's been done, rather than what's being set up. Hope you can finish it one day though.

Characters: The defence and prosecution seem to be carbon copies of Apollo and Edgeworth respectively, which is fine, but not very original. Perhaps if the case was longer, they'd eventually stand out to me. The Doge is basically the Judge, but that's fine, since most Judge's have the same basic personality in the Ace Attorney universe. Maria Montague is intriguing, probably the only character I'm interested in so far. Capulet seems to be a good guy who just wants justice for his father, but doesn't have much personality yet. Basically most of the characters here are bland and don't stand out to me.

Presentation: There were a lot of presentation bugs here that bothered me, including the fact that when a character thinks to themselves, they also say it out loud (you're supposed to select "Do not talk" in the screen editor). There are a couple of others too, but I won't go into detail. The custom evidence icon for the Badge of Veracity is good though.

Gameplay: I encountered quite a lot of bugs which affected by enjoyment of the case, with the vast majority of them being ones that you could've found through playtesting (seriously, it's important), so I'll go through a few of the major ones. In the testimony, there's a statement where you randomly can't press, and when one of the statements is pressed, for a while, all the characters stand in the prosecution bench. Also two pieces of evidence (one being the one you have to present) don't have a check option, despite the description saying otherwise. Something also puzzled me about the bridge plan, at first I thought it would be a map, but when shown it was young Phoenix and Doug Swallow standing outside Ivy University. I'm assuming it's supposed to be a sketch of the scene, in that case I would've called it "Bridge Sketch". I'll assume it's a placeholder, because it's supposed to take place on a bridge not behind a university.

Theme Relevance: Since I couldn't work out what the contradiction in the law was, you get no points here. Sorry bout that.

Overall: The case began as intriguing, but ultimately evolved into a bit of an incomplete mess. Still, I hope that you can spend some time on this case, completing and polishing it, as I do want to see where it goes.

Last, but certainly not least, The Phantom's Turnabout by Bannedfrom7 and clcman.

Spoiler : Response :

Yeah, pretty much what I expected. This was my first case, I entered the competition late, and then just lost motivation to work once I realised how grindy putting it all together is. I'll try my hardest to finish it now that the pressure of a competition isn't on me, since I think the planned ending of the case is the interesting part. Thanks for the review!

[drvonkitty]

Turnabout of the Fallen by Super legenda


A hidden room? In my Ace Attorney? It's more likely than you think.

Spoiler : Synopsis :

In the poor, corrupt country of Ordo, depressed prosecutor Hop Ephemer seeks to solve four old cases and restore justice to an unjust land.

Spoiler : The Contradiction :

The legal system is corrupt.

Spoiler : Review :

Story: Nine times out of ten (don't quote me on that number), in writing, subtlety is king, and unfortunately, Turnabout of the Fallen misses the mark on this one. Right from the start, the case is musing about darkness and squalor in the legal system that's particularly, well... unsubtle. This type of writing may be right up many readers' alleys for that very reason—it's nothing if not candid—but for me, I find it a little trite.

In some ways, this reminds me of old school AAO cases: a grimdark story where all the characters are sad & depressed, in a sad & depressing setting, with a sad & depressing backstory. It's possible to do a story of that nature right, but it takes an incredibly deft touch to avoid the whole story having no purpose other than "Everything sux!" Unfortunately, this story didn't do it for me.

That being said, I think there's some promise here. You have some fascinating worldbuilding and some neat ideas with the four cases you present for the story to explore, but the execution needs work.

Characters: I generally found the characters one-dimensional and uninspired. Our protagonist falls into a fairly typical cliche (the underdog who won't give up on justice when everyone else has), and the other characters don't fare much better. The villain (of the complete part of the story) has a unique quirk, but lacks a compelling motivation, and the other character is hardly present.

Presentation: Decent, with the use of fades and some custom art assets, but rough around the edges. A few rough transitions with music, as well as awkward tone shifts from "sad" to "upbeat" that lacked narrative consistency. Some grammatical errors throughout.

Gameplay: Not really applicable as it's just a linear investigation.

Theme Relevance: In similar fashion to my comments on the story, subtlety is king. To explore a "contradiction" in the law, we need two opposing ideas or points of view that clash with one another. In Turnabout of the Fallen, the contradiction is just that the legal system is corrupt which... well, sure, but there's not exactly much of a dilemma to explore there, at least not as you present it. "Justice isn't always just" is certainly a legal contradiction (and the tension between the law & justice), but to explore that, you're going to need more moral complexity than a legal system filled with bad people doing bad things and an underdog protagonist trying to stop them.

Overall: Again, I'll reiterate what I've said before: because of the nature of this review, I'm sure it'll come across as negative for the sake of it, and I promise that isn't my intention! I would love to give you more specific feedback & constructive critiques in a detailed review, but this review is reflective of my overall thoughts, and my honest opinion is that I didn't like it. That doesn't mean that you're a bad author, or that you don't have something promising here—I think you have plenty of talent, and this has plenty of promise—but as it stands, I think this case needs some serious work.

Worth noting is that I wrote this review entirely independent of Zekrom (and I've only read his review having finished mine), and I see that we're fairly divided on this one. But I guess that's how it goes with criticism sometimes!

Next up is Semiramis Turnabout: Sleeping Dogs by Khepri!

[Super legenda]

Turnabout of the Fallen by Super legenda


A hidden room? In my Ace Attorney? It's more likely than you think.

Spoiler : Synopsis :

In the poor, corrupt country of Ordo, depressed prosecutor Hop Ephemer seeks to solve four old cases and restore justice to an unjust land.

Spoiler : The Contradiction :

The legal system is corrupt.

Spoiler : Review :

Story: Nine times out of ten (don't quote me on that number), in writing, subtlety is king, and unfortunately, Turnabout of the Fallen misses the mark on this one. Right from the start, the case is musing about darkness and squalor in the legal system that's particularly, well... unsubtle. This type of writing may be right up many readers' alleys for that very reason—it's nothing if not candid—but for me, I find it a little trite.

In some ways, this reminds me of old school AAO cases: a grimdark story where all the characters are sad & depressed, in a sad & depressing setting, with a sad & depressing backstory. It's possible to do a story of that nature right, but it takes an incredibly deft touch to avoid the whole story having no purpose other than "Everything sux!" Unfortunately, this story didn't do it for me.

That being said, I think there's some promise here. You have some fascinating worldbuilding and some neat ideas with the four cases you present for the story to explore, but the execution needs work.

Characters: I generally found the characters one-dimensional and uninspired. Our protagonist falls into a fairly typical cliche (the underdog who won't give up on justice when everyone else has), and the other characters don't fare much better. The villain (of the complete part of the story) has a unique quirk, but lacks a compelling motivation, and the other character is hardly present.

Presentation: Decent, with the use of fades and some custom art assets, but rough around the edges. A few rough transitions with music, as well as awkward tone shifts from "sad" to "upbeat" that lacked narrative consistency. Some grammatical errors throughout.

Gameplay: Not really applicable as it's just a linear investigation.

Theme Relevance: In similar fashion to my comments on the story, subtlety is king. To explore a "contradiction" in the law, we need two opposing ideas or points of view that clash with one another. In Turnabout of the Fallen, the contradiction is just that the legal system is corrupt which... well, sure, but there's not exactly much of a dilemma to explore there, at least not as you present it. "Justice isn't always just" is certainly a legal contradiction (and the tension between the law & justice), but to explore that, you're going to need more moral complexity than a legal system filled with bad people doing bad things and an underdog protagonist trying to stop them.

Overall: Again, I'll reiterate what I've said before: because of the nature of this review, I'm sure it'll come across as negative for the sake of it, and I promise that isn't my intention! I would love to give you more specific feedback & constructive critiques in a detailed review, but this review is reflective of my overall thoughts, and my honest opinion is that I didn't like it. That doesn't mean that you're a bad author, or that you don't have something promising here—I think you have plenty of talent, and this has plenty of promise—but as it stands, I think this case needs some serious work.

Worth noting is that I wrote this review entirely independent of Zekrom (and I've only read his review having finished mine), and I see that we're fairly divided on this one. But I guess that's how it goes with criticism sometimes!

Next up is Semiramis Turnabout: Sleeping Dogs by Khepri!

Oh... I understand. Thanks.