Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice

Unreleased

Ace Attorney 6 (working title) (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, Ace Attorney 6 will contain anime cutscenes.

Story
Phoenix Wright travels to the Kingdom of Kurain in order to meet up with Maya Fey, who is in the middle of her training. While waiting for her to finish, he decides to go sightseeing with Bokuto Tsuani, a monk-in training who works as a tour guide. During that time, the "Jewel of the Founder" is stolen from Kurain's Jiin Temple. Bokuto ends up getting arrested, so Wright offers to go watch the trial. Upon learning that the country's courtroom has no defense attorneys, and instead relies on oracles to render its verdicts, he raises an objection and springs into action. 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.

Meanwhile, Apollo Justice remains in a city that serves as the main setting for most of the previous games in the Ace Attorney series, the location of which depends on the language version (in the North American release, it is an alternate-history version of Los Angeles). He handles cases for the Wright Anything Agency along with Athena Cykes. Meanwhile, a "crisis" threatens Athena and Apollo.

Episodes

 * Turnabout Foreigner (逆転の異邦人) - Bokuto Tsuani is arrested for the theft of the "Jewel of the Founder" and the murder of a treasure guard. Wright stands in a Kurain courtroom to clear Bokuto of all charges.

Protagonists

 * 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 traveling abroad in search of something.
 * 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 also finds himself standing at the defense bench in a Kurain courtroom appearing to face someone from his past. He possesses a genetic ability (augmented with a special bracelet) to sense nervous tics in others, which he uses to tell if someone is lying.

Kurain characters

 * Bokuto Tsuani (ボクト・ツアーニ): A monk-in-training who works as a tour guide. Once he starts one of his tour monologues, there is no stopping him. Wright defends him in court on charges of murder.
 * Leifa Padma Kurain (レイファ・パドマ・クライン): The mystic princess of Kurain. She is a spirit medium who can use a water mirror to reveal what a murder victim saw and felt before their demise.
 * Nayuta Sadmadhi (ナユタ・サードマディ): An international prosecutor and respected monk from Kurain who has a soft demeanor that hides a sharp tongue. He believes that convicting criminals in court will provide salvation for their victims. 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 Kurain courtroom.
 * Gaspen Payne: A prosecutor and self-proclaimed "Rookie Humiliator" who appears in a Kurain 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 as an "undefeated prosecutor" in Kurain, rising to the rank of head prosecutor there.
 * Kurain judge: A man similar in appearance to the judge who normally presides over Wright's cases, albeit with more East Asian attire and a beard that ends in two braids.
 * Mima Waruhito (ミーマ・ワルヒト): A treasure guard whom Tsuani is accused of murdering.
 * The bailiff in Kurain wears a khaki uniform with a purple headband, and carries a rifle.
 * Maya Fey - Phoenix Wright's assistant and client in past games. Wright meets Maya during his visit to the Kingdom of Kurain. She is an energetic spirit medium who can summon souls of the dead using her magatama.
 * Potdino Niwakas (ポットディーノ・ニワカス): One of the witnesses in one of the Kurain cases, including Bokuto Tsuani's trial. He's the chief priest of the Jinn temple and performs the musical accompaniment to Leifa’s dances. Holds a "Damaran", a Kurain instrument,and wears red face paint.

Other characters

 * 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.
 * Trucy Wright - Phoenix Wright's adopted daughter and current heir to the performance rights of Troupe Gramarye. A stage magician and high school student working out of the Wright Anything Agency, she sometimes accompanies the Agency's attorneys on investigations in addition to her stage career. Thus far, she has only been depicted in promotional posters within some in-game screenshots.
 * Mimi (ミミ) - A magician at the Theater Trompe. She is a witness for one of Apollo Justice's cases, and the Mood Matrix is used on her.
 * Miles Edgeworth - Phoenix Wright's old rival and close friend, now serving as Chief Prosecutor. In Ace Attorney 6, he will appear in Phoenix's pre-order episode; whether or not he will appear in the main game is to be determined.
 * Klavier Gavin - Main rival prosecutor in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. An easygoing but steadfast and principled prosecutor who maintains a side career as a musician. He will appear in Apollo's pre-order episode.
 * Pearl Fey - Maya Fey's younger cousin, also a spirit medium.  She will appear in Phoenix's pre-order episode.
 * Jinxie Tenma - A young maid living in Nine-Tails Vale and friend of Trucy Wright, who previously encountered Justice and Cykes. She will appear in Apollo's pre-order episode.

Gameplay
Ace Attorney 6 takes place in two different settings. In Kurain, Phoenix Wright tests his prowess as a lawyer in an unfamiliar court system. One of the new gameplay elements that he must deal with 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 the past games, particularly Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies.

Ace Attorney 6 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 Ace Attorney 6, 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 Ace Attorney 6 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, and the "Consult" feature. There is a new option to skip the cutscenes by pressing the START button.

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.

The final game will ship in two configurations: a standard version that contains the standalone game and a Limited Edition bundle that includes the game, a bag designed after Bokuto's tote bag, a plush toy of Bokuto's dog, a drama CD, and a set of Ace Attorney 6-themed postcards. All preorders are also guaranteed additional preorder-exclusive episodes (featuring characters such as Pearl Fey, Klavier Gavin, and Jinxie Tenma) and pixel-art keychain charms of several Ace Attorney 6 cast members (Phoenix, Maya, Leifa, Apollo, Athena, and Nayuta). Purchasing the game in the first weeks of release also grants free alternate costumes for Phoenix, Athena, and Apollo (dressed as Furio Tigre, a Trés Bien waitress, and a Japanese high school student respectively). No confirmation has been given yet of whether the English markets will also receive any of these bonuses or if the preorder episodes will be translated along with the main game.