Fans of spiky-haired lawyer Phoenix Wright have a new reason to celebrate, as publisher Capcom has announced plans to bring the third title in his courtroom-drama series – titled Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations – to the DS in September. And although we can expect the same object-tapping, “Objection!”-yelling gameplay from the previous two games, Trials and Tribulations features an important new twist: this time, you won’t just play as Wright.

While the blue-suited lawyer still takes center stage, some chapters of the game will veer off years into the past, where you’ll take control of his mentor, Mia Fey. While she’s Wright’s ghostly teacher in the present, in the past she’s just a rookie lawyer defending her first client – Wright – from a murder charge. This younger version is a far cry from the confident courtroom hero we know and love, and seems to be a nervous-laughter type with some of the worst dress sense we’ve yet seen in the series. Whatever his flaws, though, we’re keen to see what inspires him to become an attorney.

Trials and Tribulations will likely be Wright’s final starring role, as the as-yet-unnamed Ace Attorney 4 (already released in Japan) features a new, younger lawyer at the helm. But it looks like Wright will go out on a high note, as the new game will feature five cases for him to tackle (possibly more, if any new DS-centric trials are added), and introduce yet another smartly dressed adversary, a hard-case prosecutor named Godot. Expect this legal battle to hit in September; in the meantime, pound your gavel on the Images tab above and check out the new screens.

April 13, 2007