It's been exactly a month since the Trilogy released on the Japanese eShop, and I have successfully finished the games late last night. Even though this is my fourth time playing through the original trilogy, it never gets old to me. The characters are very likable, the cases are great as always, and I love the satisfaction of memorizing the facts and pointing out the witness's contradictions. There are very few games that make me feel emotionally connected throughout the entire experience, and the Ace Attorney games shine in that regard. Phoenix Wright himself is also an excellent embodiment of the player, as if anyone has not played these games before, you may have similar reactions to his thoughts and learn about the plot alongside him as the game progresses. Both the player and Phoenix may not know what happens next, but they share one thing in common; they believe in their actions and will do whatever they can to succeed. It's rare to see that sort of immersion in non-silent protagonists, and it makes Phoenix Wright as a Smash character an appealing idea. To turn around dire situations and make them your own; that's the Phoenix Wright way, and it would make him satisfying to play as in Smash.
With other highly acclaimed games like Bayonetta and Persona being featured in Smash, the Ace Attorney games are too great to not include alongside the other third party franchises. I still stand by Phoenix Wright being my most wanted character overall after King K. Rool's inclusion, and after playing the original trilogy again, I only want him even more. I know we already have three other Capcom characters in Mega Man, Ryu, and Ken, but I feel like Phoenix Wright offers something different. For one, there are not many adventure game reps, let alone any visual novel characters, and he would be a great candidate to represent that genre of gaming. Plus, I see it less as another Capcom rep and more of another great series represented in Smash. Smash's third party choices are becoming something more akin to celebrating some of the greatest franchises in the video game inudstry, and even though Ace Attorney isn't as well known as many other games, I feel like it would be way more poular if more people knew about it. Including Phoenix Wright in Smash would be a great way to raise awareness and sales of the series, plus it would cement it as the all-time great it was always meant to be. Ace Attorney being loyal to Nintendo platforms throughout the years needs some sort of reward as well, it's only fair that Phoenix should be able to thank Mario himself in the battlefield of Smash.
Overall, I'm very happy I took the time to replay the original trilogy. This playthrough took me about 60 hours total, and I highly recommend trying out these games if one is curious and hasn't played them before. Personally, my favorite case is 1-4, but there are so many other great cases throughout the series as well. I just love going up against veteran Manfred von Karma as rookie Phoenix Wright so much.
Here is an article I wrote for Source Gaming a few years ago as well, in case anyone wants to hear my opinion on Phoenix's chances. Hopefully Phoenix Wright is one of the remaining DLC characters, I will never give up the good fight. The miracle can happen!
