The Ace Attorney series is one of the most beloved and famous mystery game franchises. The court setting allows it to succeed where other detective games have come up short at times. The series has been praised for its wonderful cast of characters, witty writing, and fantastic sense of mystery and discovery.
And nowhere is this seen better than in the original trilogy of Phoenix Wright, a story of one plucky and pathetic lawyer told across three games each with many cases to them. Most fans agree that these three games are where the writing is at its best, the cast is the strongest, and the cases are easily the best. So, out of these legendary court cases, here are the ten best!
WARNING: This list will contain major spoilers for Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
10 Recipe for Turnabout
With the trilogy not having too many cases, it’s inevitable that a list like this will have some less shining picks for the lower ranks, but even these can have their strengths such as Recipe for Turnabout. Recipe for Turnabout is the third case of Trials and Tribulations where a man is poisoned in a café and Phoenix is drawn into a strange criminal conspiracy in the process.
This is somewhat of a controversial case for fans as there are some aspects and characters that don’t make any sense or are just annoying at points. But if taken less seriously, the case overall is a wild and silly ride, especially when it comes to the villain of Furio Tigre whose mobster personality makes for plenty of fun scenes with the cowardly Phoenix.
9 Turnabout Memories
The first cases in these games often have a problem of being far too simplistic to be memorable in order to work as tutorials, but with the third game they managed to still do something interesting with Turnabout Memories. Turnabout Memories lets the player control Mia as you have to defend a younger Phoenix framed for electrocuting a classmate.
While the murder itself is still quite easy to figure out and the killer themselves is obvious as can be, but the case manages to shine in other ways. The most obvious of which is the characters as getting to see Mia in her rookie years is nice, and the case introduces us to the entertaining devil that is Dahlia Hawthorne and while she isn’t at her best here, she’s still great.
8 Reunion and Turnabout
The starting cases of the games usually have a disadvantage compared to the later cases as they end up simpler with less complex stories and fewer characters, but they can still work with what they have to tell a nice story, such as with Reunion and Turnabout. Reunion and Turnabout is the second case of Justice for All and sees Phoenix finally meet with Maya again only for a murder to be pinned on her.
While the case seems unassuming at first, it has a lot going on with it as it starts the complicated story of the Kurain family that underpins the entire rest of the trilogy. And the case itself has quite the complex story and interesting twist with its culprit, easily making up for the fact that the mystery itself is a little bit standard.
7 Turnabout Beginnings
Most people would agree that in terms of Ace Attorney, a more simple mystery usually leads to a less interesting and less memorable case, but this isn’t always true such as with Turnabout Beginnings. Turnabout Beginnings is the fourth case of Trials and Tribulations, following Mia’s first case in court and the tragedy that occurred there.
Turnabout Beginnings doesn’t have a complex mystery and is instead mostly there to set up the final case, and it does an excellent job at that. The case as a whole is horrifying to watch in all the right ways as you as the player know things Mia doesn’t, and you know this case doesn’t end well, but even still how it turns out is one of the most shocking moments in the series.
6 Turnabout Samurai
The first game of the series is rather slow compared to the rest of the series. The first two cases give you the answers right away, removing the mystery. But it finally takes off with the third case, Turnabout Samurai. Turnabout Samurai sees you having to defend a TV star after the actor playing the villain was murdered, unraveling the past of the studio along the way.
This is the first case of the game that will really have the player guessing the twists and turns it will all take and even if the villain is still quite obvious once you meet them. The details of the murder are still satisfying to piece together. And the story underlying the whole studio is gripping and tragic, pulling the whole case together for a wonderful experience.
5 The Stolen Turnabout
The later cases in the series found themselves with an interesting problem, with so many mysteries done before, they had to find new ways to spice it up so it didn’t feel like “just another murder”. That’s exactly what The Stolen Turnabout did. The Stolen Turnabout is the second case in Trials and Tribulations, seeing Phoenix dealing with a theft rather than a murder… for a bit anyway.
The first half of this case serves as a real breath of fresh air for the trilogy as the player must think differently, and it manages to help the murder half stay interesting. The case is mostly carried by the incredible cast it has for itself between the incredibly charming defendant and the captivating character that is Luke Atmey.
4 Rise from the Ashes
The final cases of Ace Attorney games are almost always considered the best of that game and for good reasons, these cases are where all the plot lines come together for one massive mystery that is so satisfying to crack, though Rise from the Ashes only does one of those. Rise from the Ashes sees Phoenix taking on an impossible case for someone already pleading guilty, the murder opening a rabbit hole to years of incidents and conspiracy.
Rise from the Ashes wasn’t part of the original game, instead being made for the DS port and as such it’s rather disconnected from the rest of the trilogy. But despite all of this, it manages to still be a good finale by virtue of setting up an incredibly complex mystery to untangle with fascinating characters, especially the villain of Damon Gant.
3 Turnabout Goodbyes
While Rise from the Ashes may be the final case in the DS release, in the original trilogy, Turnabout Goodbyes is the true ending and a much more satisfying, if simpler, ending to the first game. Turnabout Goodbyes sees you having to defend Miles Edgeworth, the prosecutor of the first game, in an impossible case against a legendary prosecutor who has never lost, all while uncovering Miles’ past.
Turnabout Goodbyes offers the first truly difficult case in the series, one that finds you on the defensive against impossible odds, helped by Manfred Von Karma as one of the series best villains. The case also acts as a perfect emotional finale as Miles’ trauma around DL-6 is finally put to rest and he and Phoenix finally reconnect, serving as the perfect bittersweet ending.
2 Bridge to the Turnabout
The final case of the trilogy had a lot of expectations for it, having to tie up all the plotlines of the trilogy along with saying goodbye to all the characters along with being an interesting mystery in its own regard, yet Bridge to the Turnabout managed to do all this and more. The final case of the trilogy sees Phoenix and Edgeworth working together to save Maya and solve a crime at a spiritual retreat, dealing with specters of the past.
The case manages to pull together all the plot lines from the series such as the DL-6, Mia, Dahlia, and the Kurain family, and tie it together in a satisfying ending of taking down the ultimate evil of the series. And beyond that, the case itself is an incredible ride with so many twists and turns to figure out just how it could have been pulled off that you feel like a genius by the end.
1 Farewell, My Turnabout
Justice for All is a strange entry for the series, the black sheep of the bunch as it has some of what are considered to be the worst cases in the series, but it also manages to have perhaps the most beloved case as well: Farewell, My Turnabout. Farewell, My Turnabout is the final case of Justice for All and sees Phoenix forced to defend someone when Maya is kidnapped, only to realize they may not be innocent.
This is one of the most heartbreaking and stressful cases in the series as you are left with an impossible situation of needing to let a killer go free to save Maya and the realization of this is one of the best reveals in the series. The entire case is a harsh arc for Phoenix needing to decide where his morals lie and in the end by working with every character, he manages to find a happy ending that feels so satisfying by screwing over the evilest character in the series. It’s an unforgettable case.