[maya-fey]

I think one thing that really sets ace attorney (and GT, but i wanna talk about AA right now) apart is how low the stakes are- and how much that show’s Phoenix’s inherent kindness. Now, let me clarify. I know the stakes in ace attorney are high. ESPECIALLY in cases where Maya or Edgeworth or Athena’s lives are on the line. But even in smaller cases where you defend random people, the stakes feel really high. And this is so different from other games of the genre. In other logic puzzle based games, the protagonist is usually either saving a whole town (professor Layton and the unwound future) or them self/their love interest (999). But in most of ace attorney, you are fighting to save random people. The stakes feel through the roof- and I think one of the clearest points of this is in Farewell my turnabout. Yes, Farewell my turnabout has Maya’s life on the line. but so is Adrian’s. the final choice you make, guilty or not guilty, is a choice between Maya and Adrian. in a lot of puzzle games, or regular games (looking at u 999) the choice would b obvious. But in farewell my turnabout the choice is painful to the point of feeling impossible.of all the people I’ve asked, I got about a 50/50 ratio of people who chose guilty ot people who chose not guilty. Even though one is an NPC making their first appreance, and one of your beloved companion for 2 games. But this choice is framed in the game as if neither choice is right. You have to decide wether you want to place the life of a completel stranger of Maya- but not only that, a lot of people do. becuase Ace Attorney is about helping the underdog. Ace Attorney is about being kind- about, despite his snark, Phoenix is an inherently kind character (and this makes his fall from glory so much more defeating) Ace attorney is about kindness- not just about Justice, or about thwarting evil, but about helping those who need it. I think Phoenix himself says is best in Bridge to the turnabout

“It’s only natural for living creatures to fight to protect their own lives. But what makes us human is that we fight for others. “