The trial of Maya Fey begins, and we can’t allow her to go to jail, especially not for a crime she didn’t commit.
Good thing we have this autopsy report in evidence.
For once, I will just rest on my laurels and present to you an incredible meme that spawned from this scene at the start of the episode. Ace Attorney is responsible for much meme culture, but in particular, this one stands out.
As you all know, if someone writes another person’s name down as they’re killed, that other person has to be the murderer. This is the only rational explanation.
But we can’t just abandon our boss’s sister, so we need to find some evidence and defend her in court.
It’s always fun to go back and replay games like this after finishing them. Now that I have, I can more closely observe just how much foreshadowing there is for the big final case. Much of the detail regarding the DL-6 incident and Maya’s family drama, introduced in the middle of this case, will be important later.
Writing a game like this is far from easy. The entire scenario needs to be almost completely planned out before even a single line of dialog is written. A mystery story lives and dies based on how well constructed the central mystery is, and if details feel incongruous, or worse, unintentionally contradictory, that can destroy any sense of suspense or intrigue being set up. All stories rely on some internal consistency, but some genres can get away with bending or breaking certain rules in service to either the story at large or a visual set piece. Not so here. Here, even the tiniest detail can tie back into the main thread, so they need to be placed carefully and deliberately.
Thankfully, here they are. And that will continue with each subsequent Ace Attorney game. Cheers to both the original Japanese writing team and the English localization teams for their efforts.
We did it. We successfully defended our first client and caught the true culprit while we were at it. That’s a huge win in my book. So let’s go with our boss and celebr-
O… Oh. Oh crap, here we go again!
One of the strongest aspects of the Ace Attorney games is how it immediately draws the player in with a stunning presentation. Few visual novels have as complete a package as this series does.
The character designs all have distinct silhouettes that allow us to tell each character apart at a mere glance. And even inside their designs, each one has a visual flair that sets them apart from the rest of the cast, like Phoenix’s spiky hair, Gumshoe’s green coat, Maya’s robes and necklace, or even Edgeworth’s legendary cravat. No matter who we’re talking to, we don’t need the script to know who it is.
But if we did, we’d still be fine, because this game is perhaps most famous for the skill of its localization team. There is an art to capturing the essence of a line or phrase and switching it out for an equivalent statement that would convey a similar meaning and tone in an entirely different language and culture. And yet, they do that here. Better yet, each character has a distinct mode of talking that separates them from each other as much as the visual design. When I’m slipping into accents while reading the script, I’m not always doing it with intent. A lot of the time I’m doing it without realizing it because the character on screen feels like they’re “speaking” in a tone more suited for whatever accent I’m imitating. You’ll see what I mean later with Ms. April May.
I could go on, but I best stop myself for now. We might be able to discuss this more another time.
I’m not convinced Mr. Sahwit is being honest with us. Thankfully, we have the evidence to break him in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.
You know a tutorial section for a video game is good when it’s fun to replay it even if you’ve already done so multiple times, and that’s how I feel here in “The First Turnabout”.
It just makes me all the more eager to start the first real case next week.
This one will be a unique experience for me because it’s probably the first game I’ve played on stream where there is no voice acting whatsoever, so I need to provide the audio stimulation entirely on my own.
I do tend to want to comment on the game, how it plays, and my thoughts on its writing. Hopefully having to perform double duty by reading the script on top won’t hinder that part of my “house style”, as it were. Thankfully, if it does we have other avenues to work with.
I’m excited. These are very watchable games, as I can speak to from personal experience. So if you happen to be one of the people following my content, but haven’t played these games before, you’re in for a treat.
We’ve solved the case, so let’s take a few minutes to discuss it.
Normally, this is the part where I tell you what game I’m playing next, and to look forward to it next week. However, for once I knew both what I wanted to play and that I would have enough time to start it. So instead, look forward to the start of Pheonix Wright: Ace Attorney tomorrow!
At last, we have finally reached the end of this mystery. Using the facts at our disposal, we should be able to nail down who killed Kate Vine. This is the finale of Contradiction: Spot the Liar.
My understanding is that in the universe in which Contradiction had a sequel, the first order of business was to resolve the lingering plot thread regarding Atlas and its true goals. I would have loved to see that materialize, but the odds of that happening are nearly non-existent.
Given that we don’t live in that world, I quite like the ambiguity that’s left behind in its wake. We know that Atlus caused some serious damage, and we know that there’s something more sinister at play. However, for all we know there’s no brainwashing or satanic cults at all. It’s equally plausible that this is just the logical endpoint of capitalism made manifest via two extraordinarily corrupt businessmen. It could be any number of things, and the fact that we don’t know allows our imagination to try to fill in the gaps.
I’m a firm believer that not everything needs to be explained, and leaving room for interpretation can create a more interesting work. This is one of the games that best exemplifies that while still resolving the important plot threads.
Should we even be surprised that there turned out to be way more to this mystery than meets the eye? Satanic Cults? Demons? Capitalism? Mind Control? Brainwashing? How deep does this well go?
And will we stop asking questions in Contradiction: Spot the Liar?
I don’t think it would surprise anyone to hear the Contradiction was developed on a small budget, but looking into the dev process I was shocked to discover just how little the creator Tim Follin was working with: £4010, or about $6615 at the time. It’s not until about this point in the game, where certain plot points appear to be rushed or dropped, that the limited resources start to make their impact known. Honestly, even knowing things had to be cut due to practical constraints, the game still manages to resolve the central plot thread to a satisfying conclusion and set up for a potential sequel that seems especially unlikely now that Paul Darrow is no longer with us.
If you’re curious to learn more, I recommend reading the interview from GamesIndustry.biz. From the way it sounds, Tim Follin crunched himself hard to make the closest thing he could to his dream game, and I can only express both my sympathy and my respect.
You heard it here, folks. We have a new clue, so it’s time to ask every single person we’ve met so far about it in Contradiction: Spot the Liar!
We’re getting close. And the closer we come to the truth of Kate Vine’s death, the more bizarre this village appears.
Next week, we’ll conclude this mystery. The final contradictions will reveal the missing pieces.
The investigation appears primed to take a turn, and why does everything seem to revolve around Atlas and the Rands?
Perhaps we’ll find the answer if we can just spot the Contradiction!
And now we can to one of my favorite parts of the story: How open it is to interpretation.
Over the investigation, we’ve been presented with several “explanations” behind what Altas’s true motivations are. They could be legitimate businessmen indoctrinating students into embracing the capitalist mindset and becoming the worst business-brained scumbags. They could be using brainwashing techniques to create slaves to sell on the black market. Or, they could be devil worshippers implanting demons into innocent college kids.
Either way, the Rands appear to be inexorably linked to the death of our murder victim. And as we unravel the puzzle, things start to grow even more bizarre. As we continue, we had best be prepared for any eventuality.
