Court Files: The Characters of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, Vol. 1
Court will soon be back in session when Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney comes to the Nintendo 3DS on November 21 st in North America and November 23 rd in Europe! Many of you may be new to the series thanks to Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies or Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice, or simply missed out on Apollo’s early adventures when AJ:AA first came out on the Nintendo DS in the west in 2008. If it pleases the court, I’m here to get you up to speed on some of the beloved characters in Apollo’s debut game.
We’ve previously featured Trucy and Apollo’s Excellent Adventure courtesy of the game’s equally excellent localization director, Janet Hsu, so let’s start with these two characters you’ll be spending the most time with. Watch out – here comes Justice!
The horn-haired hero himself.
If you’ve played the more recent titles in the series, you’ll know that Apollo is a capable – if not easily flustered – attorney in his own right. It took a lot of training and plenty of courtroom battles to build up that (mostly) confident nature, though! In this game, we meet a fresh-faced Apollo, eager to begin his first day in court as a lead defense attorney and put his “Chords of Steel” vocal exercises to the test. Ensuring that young Justice doesn’t croak is his mentor and boss, Kristoph Gavin, known as the “coolest defense in the West” thanks to his calm and collected nature no matter the odds. Despite Apollo’s inexperience, it’s up to the greenhorn horn-head to defend a particularly unusual client who asked for Apollo specifically.
The client, a player at the Borscht Bowl Club accused of murder, was involved in a back room card game gone wrong. With Apollo’s first case pitting him against “The Rookie Killer,” Winston Payne, he soon finds that there’s a lot more to his first case than meets the eye. Soon enough, Apollo finds that there’s far more dangerous opposition in the courtroom besides the prosecutor’s bench.
Apollo’s strong sense of justice is befitting of his name, and he’s a man willing to put everything on the line in order to find the truth. Helping him along the way is his unique bracelet, a family heirloom that reacts when someone is telling a lie. Alongside Apollo himself, AJ:AA marked the debut of Apollo’s ability to focus, allowing him to narrow in on people’s nervous tics and perceive the exact moment that they’re telling a lie. Using this unique skill, Apollo can extract the truth from a person’s testimony to get to the truth.
Even with his unique talents, Apollo can’t do it all alone, and that’s where a magical girl comes in to save the day!
Making her first appearance during Apollo’s first big day in court, Trucy’s destiny seems to be tangled up with Apollo’s in the days following that first, fateful case. Fans will know that Trucy has quite a magic career ahead of her in later games, but in AJ:AA , Trucy is a promising magician who puts on smaller shows at the Borscht Bowl Club. When Apollo comes to the Wright Talent Agency in search of employment, Trucy not only takes him in as the agency’s defense attorney, but also decides to join Apollo on his next investigation after a certain incident leaves her without a crucial item for her magic show.
Trucy is on the case, acting as both an assistant and council to Apollo in court, and providing helpful observations along the way.
… usually.
Fond of magic and illusions, you can never be sure what Trucy has hidden away in her cloak or tucked underneath her hat. No matter the occasion, her bright and determined attitude shines through, providing useful insights throughout Apollo’s adventures. Affectionately referring to the fledgling attorney as “Polly,” she joins Apollo at crime scenes and in his investigations in their search for the truth.
Of course, those of you who have played AJ:AA before might have noticed some crucial details missing above. Just like a classic film you’ve heard about but not seen for yourself, it’s best to enjoy the story and twists without being spoiled ahead of time! That said, you may be wondering where Phoenix Wright, our other heroic Ace Attorney is. Don’t worry, we’ll catch up with some old friends next week.
See you next time!