Paper Perjury

Paper Perjury is a strong recommend with an asterisk that this is an Ace Attorney-like, foibles that make you roll your eyes and frustrations that make you want to flip a table included. First, the artwork and characters are standouts in a crowd of uninspired AA-likes. It's incredibly well-done art, and I can't think of any AA-like where basically every character isn't white or white-skinned. I was genuinely impressed that all the POC characters weren't named Ms. Iam Blackman too. The developer didn't stop with just having POC characters that aren't caricatures, a brown, not-heterosexual woman is the main character! There is trans and Deaf representation, but the representation is of a whole person with relationships and history and dreams and goals and a future! Second, every AA-like operates in a fictional legal world that you kind of have to just move past to enjoy the game: no juries, witnesses lying on the stand and not being immediately impeached, cases actually going to trial, meeting the prosecutor for the first time in court, sworn law enforcement, the list goes on. Perjury also stands out here. It's not a law enforcement simulator and doesn't claim to be, but it's the…

It's Great Value Ace Attorney Investigations, which is perfectly fine because AAI was very enjoyable. The first couple cases went by shockingly quick (not inherently a bad thing) but it felt like the story was meandering for a bit before it found its legs in cases 5 and 6. I don't think it ever reaches the same heights as as the AA series but for what it is, it's going to be enjoyable for anyone who's a fan of the series. Writing this after the bonus 7th case was released (which is actually [spoiler]the first case of the sequel[/spoiler]), leaves me optimistic for the sequel that's currently in development as I think the hints at the storyline in it are significantly more exciting than what was shown in the first game.

A great independent "ace attorney-like" that achieves what it sets out to do, and then some. If you already like the genre, then you'll enjoy this entry, but it also serves as an excellent introduction as well.

This is one of the better Ace Attorney clones out there, taking inspiration equally from the mainline and Investigations games. I like the soft hint system this game uses when you present the wrong evidence: it'll cross it off the list, and it'll stay crossed off no matter which statement you look at, unless another statement happens to be the actual correct one. It's a nice way to deal with the "right evidence, wrong statement to dispute" problem these games often have.

I went into this game knowing that this was not a million dollar Capcom project but a passion project by an Ace Attorney fan like me, and with that expectation, I think it's a solid hommage. If you're really here to scratch the AA itch and broaden your horizon on how these kinda games can play out, I think it'll be worth your while. And if you've never played Ace Attorney but you're here for a bit of mystery and stuff, I think you'll prolly have a good time here. As a huge fan of the AA franchise, there's a lotta feedback I'd like to give to the dev that I think they've also received from many of the other reviews, because while I did have a generally positive experience, I think there's a bit more that coulda been done here and there. The list below is mostly for the dev, but if you're interested in the game and you wanna get a bit more of a nuanced feeling on its positive and negatives, feel free to stick around: What I enjoyed: - Fun and well-written characters (even though for some reason detective Hunt really creeps me out and I can't pinpoint why) - Cool plot across the cases! - Some pretty good mysteries, especially in case 6, where I think the dev really found their feet…

From the presentation standpoint, the game is charming and I enjoyed the visuals as well the audio. The writing issues, however, prevent me from recommending it. To start with, the game still has very basic typos that I would expect to be caught on the very first proofreading pass. [strike]Over eighteen months after release, I still saw characters say things like "consumed [b]to [/b] the flames" and "I'm going to say my [b] peace[/b]", so that is really all I am going to say as far as the general polish goes.[/strike] ETA: the developer pointed out that the two typos I specifically mentioned are from a case that was released two months ago, not eighteen. Tonally and thematically, it feels like the game does not have a clear identity. Is it trying to be a lighthearted mystery solving romp where just about every character is a prop comic and uses said prop to convey their personality/emotional state? Is it a police procedural concerned with adhering to the rules and procedures in a realistic manner? Is it a meditation on the effects of wealth and pursuit of power and how they impact those of the upper class versus those of the lower class? This thread was particularly pronounced…