The Phoenix Wright series is a true underdog story. Early on in the lifespan of the Nintendo DS, Capcom released Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney with little fanfare. The lawyer-themed adventure game previously only released in Japan on the GBA was situated firmly below the radar of most gamers, but little by little word spread and the title sold out everywhere. Overwhelmed by the success of the game, Capcom ramped up manufacturing and greenlighted the translation of the other two games in the series. Most recently, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations was released in the US, the last of the original three Game Boy Advance games.

The Phoenix Wright games are a throwback to the old adventure games of yore, centered around solving puzzles to progress the story. You play as one of two defense attorneys - Phoenix Wright, the game’s namesake, and his mentor, Mia Fey - attempting to prove your clients innocent in a series of increasingly dire situations and a legal system that is lovably unrealistic . Trials and Tribulations, like its two predecessors, has two modes of gameplay. Half of your time is spent in court, pressing witnesses and presenting evidence that contradicts what they say. The other 50% of the game is investigation, checking out crime scenes looking for evidence and talking to key individuals. The gameplay is still as fun as ever, and the puzzles aren’t too illogical - I got stumped more than a few times, but it’s still nowhere near as bad as some of the real brain-busters in the adventure games of the early ‘90s.

The Phoenix Wright games are about as text-heavy as it gets. I personally don’t see that as a bad thing, but it is important to note that Trials and Tribulations, along with the rest of the Ace Attorney series, is just about as wordy a game as there ever was.

Fortunately, the writing is brilliant. The cast of characters are just as quirky and lovable as they ever were, and the game’s five cases are some of the most engaging in the series (as well as some of the longest - the later cases can be quite a test of endurance!). The translation team has yet again done another stellar job, managing to sneak in all sorts of literary jokes ranging from horribly punny names to off-the-cuff citations of popular internet memes. Trials and Tribulations is one of those games that will have you laughing from start to finish.