Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice

Unreleased

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice (逆転裁判 ６, Gyakuten Saiban 6; lit. "Turnabout Trial 6") is the upcoming sixth installment of the Gyakuten Saiban series, and the tenth installment overall in the Ace Attorney series of text adventure video games. It was announced in Famitsu on September 1, 2015 as a title for the Nintendo 3DS, with Motohide Eshiro as producer and Takeshi Yamazaki and Takuro Fuse as co-directors. It was confirmed shortly after the Japanese announcement that the game was in development for a Western release. The 3D models of returning characters have all been remade. Like the other 3DS Ace Attorney titles, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice will contain anime cutscenes, although this time they are instead created by A-1 Pictures (the animation studio who produced the anime adaptation), rather than Bones.

Setting
Unlike previous games in the series, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice takes place in two different settings. In the Far Eastern Asian kingdom of Khura'in, Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey come into conflict with a court system that has done away with attorneys and instead uses oracles from a water mirror to determine guilt. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes remain at the Wright Anything Agency to take on cases, only for a crisis to loom over them.

Extra mini-episodes featuring characters from past titles will be available to those who pre-order the game in Japan.

Anime prologue synopsis
In March 2016, as part of a Twitter campaign, an 8-minute anime video was released appearing to depict events shortly prior to those in the game. This video does not appear in the demos.

Located at the western edge of the Far East, Khura'in is a kingdom of spirit mediums, with a religion centered around its founder. Its court system has undergone a drastic shift, relying on "Divination Séances" to pass judgment. These rituals consist of a mystic ceremony that conjures images in a water mirror, revealing what murder victims saw and felt shortly before being killed. Prosecutor Nayuta Sadmadhi leads a police force that works to capture and silence those who defy the judgments produced through the Divination Séances. The remnants of those who wear the attorney's badge object to a court that only produces guilty verdicts and allows no room for rebuttal.

Meanwhile, in a land whose lawyers do not fear persecution, Phoenix Wright and Athena Cykes argue their client's case in court against Prosecutor Simon Blackquill. After the trial is adjourned, they join Apollo Justice and talk about Maya Fey, who is visiting Khura'in for spirit medium training. In her training sessions, Fey is assisted by a local boy named Ahlbi Ur'gaid. Commenting on her role as the upcoming Master of Kurain Village, he compares her to Rayfa Padma Khura'in, the royal priestess, who conducts the Divination Séances and interprets the resulting visions.

Later, Fey calls Wright on her cellphone, but their conversation is interrupted when a Khura'inese attorney with a knife grabs and holds her hostage to ward off his pursuers. In the process, she screams and drops her phone, breaking it. Nayuta Sadmadhi incapacitates the attacker, however, and leaves with his target. Unaware of this rescue, Wright immediately decides to hurry to Khura'in to make sure that she is all right. A man overlooking a graveyard of Khura'inese attorneys heralds the arrival of a "dragon" and the blowing of a new wind.

Episodes

 * Turnabout Foreigner (逆転の異邦人) - After his arrival in Khura'in, Phoenix Wright decides to go sightseeing with Ahlbi Ur'gaid, a monk-in training who works as a tour guide. During that time, the "Jewel of the Founder" is stolen from Khura'in's Jiin Temple, resulting in the murder of a temple guard. Ur'gaid is arrested for these crimes, so Wright goes to watch the trial. Upon learning that the country's courtroom has no defense attorneys, and instead relies on séances to render its verdicts, he raises an objection and springs into action.
 * Turnabout Magic Show (逆転マジックショー) - During a rehearsal of Trucy Wright's upcoming magic show,  in Land, one of the performers turns up dead, followed by part of the stage collapsing moments later. Trucy is held responsible, but Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes take her case to court, facing off against the international prosecutor from the Kingdom of Khura'in, Nayuta Sadmadhi.
 * Turnabout Ritual (逆転の儀式) - As Maya Fey is completing one of her final training rites, the priest conducting the session is found dead. Since Fey is the only one who was with the priest at the time and wearing a ceremonial outfit that matched the killer's description, she is charged with the murder. Nayuta Sadmadhi returns to Khura'in along with forensic detective Ema Skye to try the case in the Khura'inese courts, while Phoenix Wright steps up to defend his friend yet again.
 * Turnabout Across Time (時を越える逆転) - Downloadable case that chronologically takes place after the other episodes in the game. The case revolves around Shizuku Ootsubu, a maid who claims that she was attacked just after her wedding, then traveled back in time to the moment of the attack. Ironically, she now finds herself accused of the attack. Larry Butz returns in this episode, claiming to be Ootsubu's husband-to-be, even though she is married to a mechanic named Raito. Miles Edgeworth also returns, taking the prosecutor's bench.

Other plot threads

 * A dispute over a piece of evidence leads to Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes facing Phoenix Wright on opposite sides of a courtroom. This was first hinted at in the last preview trailer for Spirit of Justice in Japan.
 * Simon Blackquill is called as a witness in a trial, but soon moves to the defense's bench after finding the witness stand boring.

Main characters

 * Phoenix Wright - Noteworthy veteran Los Angeles defense attorney and the senior practicing attorney of the Wright Anything Agency, well-known for his ability to pull off impossible comebacks in court. He is drawn into the Khura'inese court system during a visit to check on Maya Fey, his friend and former assistant. The end of the final Japanese trailer for the game shows him standing at the prosecutor's bench in a Los Angeles courtroom while telling Apollo Justice (who is standing at the defense's bench) that he will not go easy on him.
 * Apollo Justice - A defense attorney who has been practicing at the Wright Anything Agency under Phoenix Wright for two years. With his boss abroad, it is up to him to take care of incoming cases at home. He possesses a genetic ability, augmented with a special bracelet, to sense nervous tics in others, which he uses to perceive if someone is lying. At some point, he finds himself standing at the defense's bench in a Khura'inese courtroom.
 * Rayfa Padma Khura'in (レイファ・パドマ・クライン) - The royal priestess of Khura'in. She performs the Divination Séance, a ritual that uses a water mirror to reveal what a murder victim saw and felt before their demise.
 * Maya Fey - A spirit medium of the Kurain Channeling Technique and upcoming leader of Kurain Village, who is training in Khura'in. She was previously Phoenix Wright's assistant and co-counsel, as well as his client in two previous cases. Wright rushes to Khura'in after hearing Fey scream when she drops her phone during a conversation between the pair.
 * Athena Cykes - An energetic rookie attorney who joined the Wright Anything Agency the previous year. She has a specialization in both law and analytical psychology, which she combines in order to better understand witness testimony and identify abnormalities in emotional states, relying on her advanced hearing and a special program called the Mood Matrix on her personal AI companion, Widget.
 * Nayuta Sadmadhi (ナユタ・サードマディ) - An international prosecutor and respected monk from Khura'in who has a soft demeanor that hides a sharp tongue. He believes that convicting criminals in court will provide salvation for their victims. He is also in charge of the persecution of the remaining attorneys in Khura'in, who are fighting against what they see as a corrupt judicial system. He was first shown briefly at the end of the extended 2015 Tokyo Game Show trailer as a silhouetted individual holding a purple butterfly. Said trailer showed Apollo Justice facing (and seeming to recognize) the mysterious character in a Khura'inese courtroom.
 * Ema Skye - A snackoo-obsessed forensic scientist who has previously appeared in several games in the series, using her strong interest in forensic science to assist various Ace Attorney protagonists in solving crimes. In Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, she was hired by the Criminal Affairs Department as a homicide detective, much to her irritation, but since then she has managed to obtain a position as in forensics, as she had originally envisioned. She appears in Turnabout Magic Show. Prior to the Famitsu article revealing details of this episode, Skye's appearance in the game was hinted at when a tiny sprite of her was shown to appear on the postcards that come with the "limited goods set" of Ace Attorney 6.

Other main story characters
Recurring:
 * Ahlbi Ur'gaid - A monk-in-training who works as a tour guide. Once he starts one of his tour monologues, there is no stopping him. In the first episode, Wright defends him in court on charges of murder.
 * Khura'inese judge - A man similar in appearance to the judge who normally presides over Wright's cases, albeit with different attire and a beard that ends in two braids.

Turnabout Foreigner:
 * Gaspen Payne - A prosecutor and self-proclaimed "Rookie Humiliator" who appears in a Khura'inese courtroom wearing a yellow suit, a gold crown, and a sash. Having been chased out of the prosecutor's office of Los Angeles at the end of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies, he has made a reputation in the attorney-less Khura'in as an "undefeated prosecutor", and has ultimately risen to the rank of head prosecutor there.
 * Potdino Nikawas (ポットディーノ・ニカワス) - The chief priest of Jiin Temple, he performs the musical accompaniment to Rayfa Padma Khura'in's dances on a Khura'inese instrument called a "damaran". A witness in Ahlbi Ur'gaid's trial.
 * Mitamaru (ミタマル) - Ur'gaid's pet dog.
 * Mima Waruhito (ミーマ・ワルヒト) - A treasure guard whom Ur'gaid is accused of murdering.
 * A bailiff in Khura'in who wears a khaki uniform with a purple headband and carries a rifle.

Turnabout Magic Show:
 * Mimi Nanano (菜々野　美々) - A rookie magician at the Theater Trompe working under Trucy. She is a witness in Turnabout Magic Show, with both Justice's bracelet and Cykes's Mood Matrix being used on her during the course of the case.
 * Trucy Wright - Phoenix Wright's adopted daughter and heir to the performance rights of Troupe Gramarye. A stage magician and high school student working out of the Wright Anything Agency, she has sometimes accompanied the Agency's attorneys on investigations and acted as co-counsel to Justice in addition to her stage career. In Turnabout Magic Show, a death occurs during a rehearsal for an upcoming show, placing her under suspicion. Prior to the Famitsu article revealing details of said episode, posters of her could be seen in in-game screenshots from that case.
 * Kanenari Shinoyama (志乃山 金成) - A producer from Nidomi TV who's looking to do a special broadcast of Trucy's latest show,  in Land. Also known as "Jack Yamashino".
 * Mr. Menyo (Mr. メンヨ) - A co-performer of Trucy's whose dead body appears during the rehearsal in Turnabout Magic Show.

Turnabout Ritual:
 * Inga Karukul Khura'in (インガ・カルクール・クライン) - Rayfa Padma Khura'in's father and the current Minister of Justice for the Kingdom of Khura'in. Married to the queen of Khura'in.
 * Malmel Aatam (マルメル・アータム) - A Khura'in priest who is killed during Maya Fey's final training rite.
 * Nanashiino Gonbe (provisional) (ナナシーノ・ゴンビェ (仮)) - A man with amnesia.
 * Saara Aatam (サーラ・アータム) - Widow of Malmel Aatam.
 * Duruk - The leader of the defense attorney resistance group known as the "Dragons of Rebellion".

Turnabout Across Time:
 * Miles Edgeworth - Renowned prosecutor prodigy, current Chief Prosecutor, and childhood friend and long-time rival of Phoenix Wright. Also appears in Wright's pre-order episode.
 * Larry Butz - An overemotional and lazy childhood friend of both Wright and Edgeworth. Has had at least five jobs and nine girlfriends in the space of three years, although the latter is always due to him being unceremoniously dumped. Sometimes uses the pseudonym "Laurice Deauxnim" when working as an artist. He now works as a children's book author.
 * Shizuku Ootsubu (大津部 雫) - a maid and acquaintance of Butz who is attacked shortly after her wedding.

Other:
 * Simon Blackquill - A prosecutor with a dark and somewhat mischievous sense of humor who is known for his use of psychological manipulation in court via flattery, suggestive persuasion, and implicit death threats. Blackquill was the rival prosecutor in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies, where he had been on death row for seven years after being wrongfully accused and imprisoned for the UR-1 Incident, but was cleared of all charges due to the efforts of Phoenix Wright, Apollo Justice, and Athena Cykes. His first appearance in media related to Spirit of Justice was during the anime prologue video, where he faces Wright and Cykes in court. He also appears in [[Media:Ace Attorney 6 - Key Visual.png|key visual art for the game]]. In the main story, Blackquill serves as co-counsel for the defense in at least one case.

Characters confirmed for pre-order episodes

 * Klavier Gavin - An easygoing but steadfast and principled prosecutor who was formerly the lead vocalist and guitarist in the Gavinners, as well as Apollo Justice's rival prosecutor in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. Appears in Justice's pre-order episode.
 * Pearl Fey - A spirit medium who is Maya Fey's younger cousin. Appears in Wright's pre-order episode, where she testifies alongside Ahlbi Ur'gaid.
 * Jinxie Tenma - A young maid living in Nine-Tails Vale who is friends with Trucy Wright and was a witness in The Monstrous Turnabout. Appears in Justice's pre-order episode.

Gameplay
In Khura'in, Phoenix Wright tests his prowess as a lawyer in an unfamiliar court system. One of the new gameplay elements that he must deal with is the Divination Séance, which involves a "water mirror" on the floor of the courtroom. Mediums are able to use the mirror to show what a victim saw and felt during their final moments. Apollo Justice's cases, meanwhile, greatly resemble the investigations and trials of past games in the series, particularly Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies, though the forensic investigation mechanics from the Nintendo DS era of games also make a return. Cutscenes can now be skipped by pressing the START button or tapping the touchscreen. Additionally, a menu accessible from the title screen contains options such as volume controls, allowing the player to adjust various settings.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice uses a "five strike" penalty system. This will be the first main series Ace Attorney game since Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney to use this system, rather than the variable health bar-like "Confidence Gauge" system that has been in place since Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice For All. Due to feedback that Dual Destinies gave too many hints to the player, the developers are aiming to have fewer direct clues in Spirit of Justice, as well as giving the player the option of disabling the appearance of hints in the dialogue. Additionally, while Dual Destinies only allowed the usage of the "Examine" feature in specific locations, investigation segments in Spirit of Justice will allow them to "Examine" any environment, more akin to the other games in the series. Nonetheless, the game has inherited several elements from Dual Destinies, such as investigation notes, the Mood Matrix, anime cutscenes, revisualization, and the "Consult" feature, which merely gives more hints this time around, rather than explicitly indicating part of the solution.

Development
Communion with otherworldly spirits is a concept previously only used with the Fey clan. The developers have explained that they felt that no one could prove a match for Phoenix Wright anymore in his usual setting, so they moved him to a foreign country with a different court system, which would provide a sense of urgency not seen in his usual games.

Promotions
A playable demo of the game was available at the 2015 Tokyo Game Show (September 17-19), as were stickers for players, stage events, and a "Special Court" video.

At the beginning of March, Capcom Japan ran a Twitter campaign to have "#逆転裁判 ６" posted as many times as possible, offering rewards as they passed certain thresholds (6,000, 12,000, and 18,000): headshot icons of Wright, Justice, and Cykes; wallpapers; and a special video at the highest tier. Ultimately the campaign reached over 55,500 re-Tweets, meaning all rewards were posted to the official Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice site, with the promised video being an anime prologue for the game.

Releases
The Japanese version of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice will ship in two versions: a standard version that contains just the game, and a Limited Edition bundle that includes the game, a bag in the style of Ur'gaid's tote bag, a plush toy of Mitamaru, a drama CD, and a set of Spirit of Justice-themed postcards. All pre-order copies also have exclusive episodes (featuring such returning characters as Pearl Fey, Klavier Gavin, and Jinxie Tenma) and pixel-art keychain charms of the main characters of Spirit of Justice. Purchasing the game in the first few weeks of release also grants free alternate costumes for Wright (Furio Tigre's outfit), Cykes (Trés Bien waitress uniform), and Justice (male Japanese high school student uniform, similar in style to that worn by Ryūnosuke Naruhodō in Dai Gyakuten Saiban: Naruhodō Ryūnosuke no Bōken).

As with Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy, Spirit of Justice will only be released digitally on the Nintendo eShop outside Japan. The game will be released in North America and Europe in September 2016.

A downloadable case entitled "Turnabout Across Time" will be released on June 30, 2016; the case will be offered free of charge between June 30 and July 20, and then become paid DLC afterwards.

Trailers

 * Tokyo Game Show 2015 trailer (w/ English subtitles) (w/ extra scene)
 * In English
 * Spring 2016 trailer (w/ English subtitles)
 * Sizzle trailer at end of demo
 * Special anime prologue segment
 * Final trailer (w/ English subtitles)
 * Special court skit for Turnabout Across Time DLC