Board 8 > Rate the Ace Attorney case: Twisted Karma and His Last Bow (G2-4)

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Rules:

1. Rate each case on a scale from 1 to 10 with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest. Anything above 10 gets rounded down to a 10, and anything below a 1 gets rounded up to a 1.
2. Anything beyond one decimal point will be rounded accordingly: .04 and below will be rounded down, .05 and up will be rounded up.
3. You may grade on any criteria you like.
4. You can rate cases from previous topics if you miss a topic.

Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PiEuURt1qf19VoYzcFCU1EFa8uqs2teJiVcip7JmjDw/edit?usp=sharing

Previous Results:

Bridge to the Turnabout (3-5) - 9.8 (37 votes)
Farewell, My Turnabout (2-4) - 9.7 (30 votes)
Turnabout Revolution (6-5) - 9.6 (25 votes)
Turnabout Goodbyes (1-4) - 9.2 (32 votes)
The Return of the Great Departed Soul (G2-3) - 9.0 (19 votes)
Turnabout Reclaimed (5-6) - 8.8 (23 votes)
The Golden Court (L-3) - 8.6 (14 votes)
The Inherited Turnabout (E2-3) - 8.5 (16 votes)
Turnabout Beginnings (3-4) - 8.4 (26 votes)
The Rite of Turnabout (6-3) - 8.4 (22 votes)
Rise from the Ashes (1-5) - 8.2 (28 votes)
The Stolen Turnabout (3-2) - 8.2 (24 votes)
The Adventure of the Runaway Room (G1-3) - 8.2 (20 votes)
Turnabout For Tomorrow (5-5) - 7.9 (27 votes)
The Memoirs of the Clouded Kokoro (G2-2) - 7.6 (18 votes)
Turnabout Memories (3-1) - 7.4 (30 votes)
Turnabout Samurai (1-3) - 7.4 (29 votes)
Turnabout Academy (5-3) - 7.4 (27 votes)
The Grand Turnabout (E2-5) - 7.3 (16 votes)
The Adventure of the Unspeakable Story (G1-5) - 7.2 (21 votes)
Turnabout Target (E2-1) - 7.1 (17 votes)
Turnabout Trump (4-1) - 6.9 (25 votes)
The Magical Turnabout (6-2) - 6.7 (22 votes)
Recipe for Turnabout (3-3) - 6.6 (27 votes)
The Fire Witch (L-2) - 6.6 (14 votes)
Reunion, and Turnabout (2-2) - 6.5 (25 votes)
The Monstrous Turnabout (5-2) - 6.5 (23 votes)
The Adventure of the Great Departure (G1-1) - 6.0 (20 votes)
Turnabout Ablaze (E1-5) - 6.0 (19 votes)
The Cosmic Turnabout (5-4) - 5.9 (24 votes)
The Adventure of the Blossoming Attorney (G2-1) - 5.8 (20 votes)
Turnabout Sisters (1-2) - 5.7 (25 votes)
Turnabout Reminiscence (E1-4) - 5.6 (22 votes)
Turnabout Storyteller (6-4) - 5.3 (21 votes)
The Imprisoned Turnabout (E2-2) - 5.3 (16 votes)
The Forgotten Turnabout (E2-4) - 5.2 (16 votes)
The Foreign Turnabout (6-1) - 5.0 (23 votes)
Turnabout Visitor (E1-1) - 5.0 (20 votes)
The Final Witch Trial (L-4) - 5.0 (13 votes)
The First Turnabout (1-1) - 4.9 (25 votes)
The Kidnapped Turnabout (E1-3) - 4.6 (22 votes)
English Turnabout (L-1) - 4.3 (14 votes)
Turnabout Airlines (E1-2) - 4.2 (22 votes)
Turnabout Countdown (5-1) - 4.1 (24 votes)
Turnabout Corner (4-2) - 4.0 (25 votes)
The Adventure of the Clouded Kokoro (G1-4) - 3.9 (21 votes)
Turnabout Time Traveler (6-6) - 3.9 (19 votes)
Turnabout Big Top (2-3) - 3.7 (25 votes)
Turnabout Succession (4-4) - 3.5 (24 votes)
The Lost Turnabout (2-1) - 3.3 (27 votes)
The Adventure of the Unbreakable Speckled Band (G1-2) - 3.2 (18 votes)
Turnabout Serenade (4-3) - 2.7 (24 votes)

Several claimed this is the best case of the GAA series. It earns a spot in the top 5. Many praised the characters, especially Drebber and Tusspells. Even the smaller things like the anti-gravity Dance of Deduction and the Professor backstory were praised. Most people felt the ending was a little lacking. Some felt this was a small footnote, while others felt that it kept the case from being truly great.

Summary:

Still reeling from his last case, Ryunosuke is set on the trail of a missing guard at the local prison - and stumbles into a red-headed league, a murder at the edge of town, and a trial against a truly unbelievable opponent.

Main Characters: Ryunosuke Naruhodo, Susato Mikotoba, Yujin Mikotoba, Seishiro Jigoku, Mael Stronghart, Herlock Sholmes, Iris Wilson, Barok van Zieks, Gina Lestrade, Tobias Gregson, The Judge of the Old Bailey, Kazuma Asogi
Other Characters: Evie Vigil, Daley Vigil, Fabien de Rousseau, Peppino de Rossi, Barry Caidin, Gossip, Venus, Sandwich, Beppo, Hugh Boone, Klint van Zieks, Genshin Asogi

My rating: 8.5/10. This is a very difficult case to rank, since it's actually an incomplete case. The beginning of this case is really strong. Everything seems pretty simple until you get hit with a double whammy of van Zieks being the defendant for killing Gregson. I enjoyed all 3 alley witnesses and I did not catch that Gossip was Daley, which led to a nice twist. The Red-Headed League is really enjoyable. I laughed when I got to the testimony where they're like "yeah, we basically kidnapped him and lost him, we fucked up" and everyone is just appalled. Kazuma is.....well, we'll get to G2-5 for my full opinions, but he works here.

6/10

I dunno where to put this. It's incomplete. Even compared to stuff like 5-4 this really feels like the only case in the series that's an incomplete fragment.

That said, ranking it on its own merits - the Gregson twist is a really amazing moment, and the Dance of Deduction here might be my ACTUAL favorite, even over G2-3's (as well as the aftermath of that dance of deduction). So this case does earn some major points for that. That said, it kinda loses some points for me here because.... uhhh I really don't like this case's witnesses that much. I just don't really get any of them. Gossip does turn out to be actually cool when we learn his deal, but I feel like he's more interesting in the following case. And I felt super disappointed when I learned that this case was actually the finale case - I was expecting a case after this one but it wasn't to be. Not knowing I was in the finale until the chapter card flipped was disappointing. So, mixed feelings here.

7.8/10

Lot of good stuff here, but yeah, it's just not complete.

7/10

Kazuma's best moment as a prosecutor is when his new theme drops for the first time

One thing I'll say for this case: the title goes unreasonably hard

7

7.5/10

Gregson is perhaps the second most shocking victim in the series (after Mia, of course). I like the Redheaded League stuff. Not a big fan of the Gossip/Venus/Sandwich trio, although Gossip turning out to be Daley was a good twist.

Van Zieks becoming a defendant is perhaps the single most predictable thing these games did, but at least we start getting some background on him and his brother. Kazuma as the prosecutor is cool (with a banger new theme). The twist that Mikotoba was the real sidekick all along is good, too.

So yeah, this case pulls off a few really good plot twists, so I'll give it credit for that, but it's dumb that this isn't a full case.

10

I get around the "incomplete" nature of both of these cases by giving them both 10's.

"This feels like a final case, how insane is case 5 going to be?"
"Oh, it's just the same case"

Kinda unfortunate.

8

8.5/10

The fourth and fifth cases blend together in my mind, so it's hard to remember...

5

9/10

It's very difficult to rate these last two. But I really like most of the things they do here! They do a good job of setting things up like a normal case only to pull the rug out and have Gregson be the victim. I like the Gossip-Sandwich-Venus trio and did not see the Gossip-Daley thing coming at all, but I'm not as keen on the Red-Headed League. They're fine but feel like a weaker version of the Skulkins.

The investigations are great, with the fake-out setup at the start, Reaper Greggsy, Yujin and Jigoku being cool, Dr Gorey being surprisingly well written, the absurdist Dance of Deduction, and Toby mauling Ryunosuke's face off. It might just be me but I found the evidence more difficult to piece together in court than normal. And Kazuma demolishing our own witness's testimony the way we usually do with his banging new theme is a terrific way to introduce him as prosecutor. I know people have issues with Kazuma in this game but I think they strike the balance between old friend and vengeful son very well here, him pushing Daley to the breaking point is a great way to close out the trial day.

The worst part of the case (along with no jury :( ) is the 'End' tag popping out of nowhere, but I'm blaming the game as a whole for that. If anything this case having no conclusion kind of helps it, as the issues I have with the finale don't apply here.

Of course, I have to include the game's greatest theme in this post :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHYzUNIwZXA

9/10.

Yeah this is really firing on all cylinders. Its half a case so its difficult to rate but thats how much enjoyment I got out of it. I would go farther than Leon and say that Gregson is the most shocking death in the series, Mia dies very shortly after being introduced while Gregson is a multi-game major character. And what they do with the character here is pretty brave. The mystery here is great also. The music as well deserves special mention, in particular Kazumas prosecutor theme but also the track we get at the end. Which wasnt a case ending, but it was an excellent moment and reveal in its own right.

6

3/10

Kazuma sucks here, it's over long, and ends inconclusively. The 'twists' are pretty predictable too.

8

This feels more like set up, but still a pretty solid case all things considered.

Gregson my beloved :((((((

The Red-Headed League stuff almost lost me until I remembered that it is a holdover from the Sherlock Holmes stories, which means it wrapped back around to great.

My ass still depressed though.

8

There's no reason for this to be separated from G2-5

https://youtu.be/4WHdJAJEg6s?si=sosAm08V4_IktC2v

I always enjoy a foil to the main character that dresses in all white.

Leonhart4 posted...

https://youtu.be/4WHdJAJEg6s?si=sosAm08V4_IktC2v

this might just be my favorite character theme in the entire series

I really did not like this case, or G2-5. Maybe some more time in the oven to provide foreshadowing would've helped. Or maybe it was just that I didn't like how everything was tied together and never would have, with Gregson in particular feeling like this new side of him came out of literally nowhere. Maybe it was better foreshadowed in EN? It would be a reasonable thing to change, I think. But most of all, Stronghart is just... boring. He should probably wait, though.

Also there's the fact that, despite the jury system being one of the main hooks for DGS, it's used literally... four times? Out of 10 cases? I might be miscounting but it's still absurd.

Yeah, five cases, because you have two Japan cases, one case with no trial, and this last case has no jury.

7

hombad46 posted...

this might just be my favorite character theme in the entire series

Agreed, I think it might be my fav piece of music across all of Ace Attorney. And that's saying a lot, with how strong GAA's score is! I'd have nominated this one for VGMC but the music itself is a spoiler to anyone who would go on to play these games.

dowolf posted...

Gregson in particular feeling like this new side of him came out of literally nowhere.

I have issues with 2-5 that we'll get to in the next topic, but Shady Gregson was well established in 1-5 so I believed this character turn from him. I only wish we'd seen him alive as the Reaper, but that's part of what makes his premature death hit harder.

I agree they underused the juries in this second game though, I'm guessing it wasn't a well-received mechanic so they held back on it this time but I really liked them.

Yeah they also set it up in the third case of this game. That part did not feel incongruous to me.

Which reminds me, another thing these two cases do really well is Ginas development, shes great here.