Ace Attorney: Case of Shadows

Ace Attorney: Case of Shadows is an upcoming visual novel game developed by Capcom for the Nintendo 3DS. The game features. It is the seventh installment of the Ace Attorney (Gyakuten Saiban) series, and is due for both eastern and western releases.

Story
Lawyers Phoenix Wright and Athena Cykes take on various cases in the United States, in which they defend their clients from being found guilty in court. Their experiences have strengthened them, but the loss of Apollo Justice truly dealt a blow to the Wright Anything Agency. Troubles arise when Chief Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth aids his newest prosecutor in a case that utterly demolishes Phoenix in the opening of the second episode. Down, but not out, Phoenix decides to put his skills to the test: training on how to anticipate contradictions presented in the crime scenes. And with Athena's training in analytical psychology, they will work together to take this new turnabout and turn it about.

Episodes
There are five episodes (and one DLC episode) in which the player controls the lawyer in charge of the case, investigating crime scenes to gather new evidence, and participating in court sessions to advance the story to ultimately find the defendant not guilty.

Episode 1: The Falling Turnabout
Business mogul Ritchie Morales is accused of killing the company's former president and a security guard via crushing them in an elevator. Phoenix Wright and Athena Cykes must defend Morales in court against Rookie Rejector Howlin Payne.

Episode 2: Turnabout Revival
On a case of a diamond theft and murder, Phoenix is swiftly defeated in court by Edgeworth and his newest recruit to the Prosecutor's Office. Two days later, the victim's twin brother is also found dead, so Athena encourages Phoenix to try again to overturn the last trial's verdict. The two work to figure out how to discover inconsistencies with evidence and the crime scene, rather than just collect it. But things get complicated when they have to have a rematch with Prosecutor Kay Faraday and her crime scene-creating device, Little Thief.

Episode 3: Turnabout on Ice
During a hockey game, a goalie suddenly slumps over, dead in the rink. Newly hired referree Larry Butz is accused of the goalie's murder because of his connection to Larry's current girlfriend. Athena takes Larry's defense with Phoenix's aid, defending Butz in court against Faraday and Edgeworth, whose conclusions almost perfectly finger Butz as the killer. Despite the pressure she and Edgeworth place on the defense, Kay secretly confides in Athena her doubts about accusing Larry, as well as another big secret...

Episode 4: The Twisted Turnabout
Phoenix is kidnapped, and Athena, Kay and Forensic Detective Ema Skye track him to a military compound. The compound's connection to a local mob is exposed, but the three girls are arrested on suspicion of being the Great Thief Yatagarasu who killed three guards. With Phoenix restricted to witness status, Prosecutor Simon Blackquill takes the defense and works with Phoenix and Edgeworth to bring about the truth in court.

Episode 5: Turnabout Ultimatum
Being called into Ritchie Morales' office, Athena learns that it was Morales' son Logan who kidnapped Phoenix and is trying to blackmail him. Offering a humongous reward, Morales hires Athena to find Logan and stop him, with or without his arrest. After Athena aids long-missing detective Dick Gumshoe in apprehending Logan, Logan ends up dead in prison with Phoenix accused of the murder of both Logan and crime boss Moe Fialis. Joined by young spirit medium Pearl Fey, Athena must uncover the truth behind this case and bring it to light, while considering Kay's offer of joining the Yatagarasu...

DLC Episode: Turnabout Revelations
A month after the fifth episode, famed singer and painter Lamiroir invites Phoenix, Athena and Trucy to visit Apollo in the Kingdom of Kh'urain. After arriving, they split up to find Apollo, who Athena finds milking cows as per a client request. As they return to the others, Apollo and Athena are surprised to find a Kh'urainese royal guard dead and Lamiroir accused of his murder. The two instantly agree to take the case, but they find they have to face Prosecutor Nahyuta Sadmadhi without royal priestess Rayfa Padma Kh'urain's Divination Seance. Luckily, Athena downloaded Little Thief's crime scene recreation software into Widget, so they have that advantage. Waiting for Apollo and Trucy after the trial is a shocking truth from Lamiroir...

Main Characters
-Phoenix Wright: Veteran lawyer and senior defense attorney of the Wright Anything Agency, Phoenix Wright has been the main character of the majority of the Ace Attorney games. Phoenix is infamous for his bluffs and guessing his way through cases, but always strives to defend his clients by clearing the path to the truth. Phoenix uses a Magatama, a spiritual charm, to see the Psyche-Locks over people's hearts, and his 10+ years of experience to bring about turnabouts in even the most impossible of cases.

-Athena Cykes: Newbie lawyer and junior partner to Phoenix Wright, Athena has been employed by the Wright Anything Agency for two years. Athena studied both law and analytical psychology while living in Europe, and became a lawyer at the young age of eighteen. She utilizes her electronic partner, Widget, to listen to the voices in people's hearts and find out how their feelings contradict their testimony.

-Kay Faraday: Returning from the Ace Attorney: Investigations series, Kay Faraday was the successor to the Great Thief Yatagarasu, who stole the truths hiding within dirty business corporations. Ten years after her full succession, she has returned to LA as a prosecutor to further assist her friend and chief prosecutor Miles Edgeworth. She uses her father's device, Little Thief, to create simulations of crime scenes in court, which Phoenix and Athena must examine in order to dismantle and prove their clients' innocence. Despite her being a brilliant prosecutor and tough to defeat, Kay is very interested in working with Athena.

-Miles Edgeworth: Chief Prosecutor of the district in LA, Miles Edgeworth is a genius who is a childhood friend and rival of Phoenix Wright. Despite their mutual goal to find the truth, sometimes Edgeworth's truth strays based on the evidence, but when Phoenix exposes it, Edgeworth switches sides to expose true criminals. Edgeworth aids Kay in many of the cases in this game, though he easily gets annoyed when she abandons her professionalism (which is quite often).

-Ema Skye: Detective-turned-forensic investigator, Ema Skye is a friend of the Wright Anything Agency as well as Edgeworth and Faraday. Ema is an avid fan of science, and will use her forensic equipment to help her friends and coworkers reach the truth. Ema does have a tendency to get grumpy, in which case she'll alleviate her stress by eating Snackoos by the second.

Recurring Characters
-Trucy Wright: Phoenix's adopted daughter and heir to the magical Troupe Gramarye, Trucy is a genius magician who debuted in the fourth Ace Attorney game. Trucy occasionally acts as an investigative partner to Phoenix and Athena, and was a defendant in the sixth Ace Attorney game. Trucy occasionally employs her wooden companion Mr. Hat to lighten the mood, and her Magic Panties to conjure up whatever she needs (even if it's a gigantic tire).

-The judge: A fair but sometimes absent-minded judge of the district. This judge knows well how much Phoenix bluffs, but trusts that he can come up with the answer before too long. The judge is known to be fickle, but in the end, he always makes the right ruling.

-Ritchie Morales: A business tycoon who rose to the top of a conglomerate after the death of his former boss, Ritchie is concerned with the safety of the companies when he is arrested on suspicion of murdering his boss. However, he has quite a nasty penchant for flaunting his money; he's even made golden bills that have a plastic hand with which to high-five him.

Case 1
-Howlin Payne: Winston and Gaspen Payne's younger cousin, Howlin is the kind of man who is able to mingle with socialites. He wears bifocals with red and blue lenses to distinguish himself from other Paynes. Despite this, however, he is much like his cousins: like Winston, he completely lacks presence, and like Gaspen, he is not above underhanded tricks in court.

-Yur Fard: Morales' former Chinese boss and president of the conglomeration, Fard is a victim in the first case, having been crushed inside a falling elevator.

-Missy Killian: former secretary to Morales who was in the falling elevator with Fard and crushed to death.

-Maylene Hyde: a mail room woman who Morales supposedly tricked into making an error big enough to get her demoted by Fard; Maylene is a bitter woman who hands out fake bills to everybody in the courtroom as a prank.

Case 2
-Gem Ezie: a diamond shop owner, Gem truly loves and adores diamonds. To hear that her most valuable diamond, The Eye of the Beholder, had been taken was so shocking, she pressed charges against the criminals responsible: the Planes brothers.

-Esther Grace: mother to the Planes quadruplets, Esther is a single mother who is mired in debt. She's been wronged by tax agencies many times, but tried to keep her sons happy regardless. Esther is called as a witness in the trials for her son Casey.

-Andrew Planes: eldest of the Planes quadruplets, Andrew came up with plans on how to steal The Eye of the Beholder and acted as a surveyor on the job. After his brother Casey's trial, he is found dead behind the diamond shop, and Casey is accused again.

-Brock Planes: second oldest of the Planes quadruplets, Brock is deceptively strong and pulls the heavy work on the diamond theft, until he was found dead right after the job. Brock had a habit of changing his hair color, making it difficult to distinguish him from his brothers.

-Casey Planes: second youngest of the Planes quadruplets, Casey is a security expert who was able to disable all security around and in the diamond shop. Casey is tried for Dudley's murder and found guilty, but then evidence points to him killing Andrew, so Athena and Phoenix take his case again.

-Dudley Planes: youngest of the Planes quadruplets, Dudley was meant to be watchman in the diamond heist, but was found dead later, promting the police to catch the three brothers and accuse Casey of murder.

Case 3
-Larry Butz: childhood friend of Phoenix and Edgeworth, Larry is a lazy but well-meaning womanizer who goes from job to job and girl to girl at the tip of a hat. Larry is accused of murdering Grant Pierce, ex-boyfriend of his current girlfriend Valensiya, so Phoenix and Athena take his case.

-Valensiya Mann: Larry's current girlfriend and witness in Larry's trial. It becomes more and more clear that she still had feelings for Pierce and second thoughts about Larry as the trial goes on.

-Grant Pierce: pro hockey player and victim in this case, Grant was a goalie who was poisoned in a locker room.

-Moe Fialis: local mob boss and hockey lover, Moe works to keep business moving in the LA underworld. Moe's interest seems to stem from the relation between Pierce and his daughter...

-Winfred Puck: a star hockey player on Pierce's team, Puck acts aggressive and manly, but seems to harbor an intense anger at the team's coach. Winfred seems to dislike talking about the other guys on the team, as well as not taking showers with them.

-Roland Coachen: coach of Pierce's hockey team, Coachen is a very proud man, confident that this year his team will win the World Cup. He was a star athlete in his day, but his chance at the World Cup was denied when he missed a free shot.

Case 4
-Simon Blackquill: known as "The Twisted Samurai", Simon made his debut in the fifth Ace Attorney game as an inmate prosecutor on death row. Simon is well known for psychological manipulation, and he was a disciple of Athena's late mother Metis Cykes. Simon has a penchant for cutting down his opponents with hawk feathers (from his pet hawk, Taka), and addressing opponents with Japanese suffixes. He also loves soba noodles. This time, he's taking defense for Athena, Ema and Kay.

-General Philip Stryker: a military general in charge of the base where Phoenix is hostage, Stryker was killed by an unknown assailant during Athena's rescue mission.

-Sergeant Mite Scram: a skittish military sergeant who is quite intimidated by Blackquill's appearance (among other things), Mite was supposedly a witness to Stryker's murder, but he's easily coerced into confessing he only witnessed Phoenix's confinement.

-Josephine Fialis: daughter of Moe Fialis, Josephine learned of her father's true profession and came to the base to convince Stryker to let her take the fall instead. She was caught up in the chaos that took Stryker's life, and eventually had to confess in court about her conversation.

-Alder Adolph: German immigrant and government liaison with the U.S. military, Alder was good friends with Stryker. However, he was distraught to hear about Stryker's connection to the black market and death after the Yatagarasu supposedly left the evidence to find. Alder is summoned to the stand to testify about Stryker's dirty dealings, despite claiming to not know anything.

Case 5
-Detective Dick Gumshoe: a detective who worked with Phoenix and Edgeworth way back when, Gumshoe is still on the force, just in a different district. Due to his simple-mindedness and his clumsiness, he's been subject to many salary cuts, but still manages to get those instant noodles on the table. Gumshoe helps Athena find Logan Morales, hoping she'll cut him in on the reward from Logan's father.

-Pearl Fey: a spirit medium from Kurain Village, Pearl made her debut in the second Ace Attorney game. Pearl is a very polite and gentle girl, though her teenage years are making her long for the outside world a little more. Pearl decides to act as Athena's aide for this trial.

-Logan Morales: the estranged son of Ritchie Morales, Logan was the one who had Phoenix kidnapped and taken to the military base. Logan found a ton of files that had been snuck onto Phoenix's person by Moe Fialis, pointing to his conneciton to the mob. Logan tried to blackmail him by broadcasting to the police force that he would let Phoenix go if Ritchie was brought to him. Athena and Gumshoe track him down after Athena's trial, but then he is killed in prison.

-Ami Fard: wife to Yur Fard, Ami is called as a witness to Logan's murder, but she ends up confessing that she never witnessed anything and telling about her brief affair with Morales.

-Metis Cykes: Athena's deceased mother, who left Athena with a moon rock earring and Widget. Is there still a way she could help...?

Extra Case
-Lamiroir: a former songstress and painter, Lamiroir was a witness in a case in the fourth Ace Attorney game. Lamiroir decides to take the Wright Anything Agency to visit the Kingdom of Kh'urain. While there, she becomes the suspect of a murder. Lamiroir has a secret that only she and Phoenix know...

-Apollo Justice: defense attorney and former employee of the Wright Anything Agency, Apollo is known for his Chords of Steel and the two spikes on his head. Apollo has a special bracelet that tightens when he senses a person's nervous habit, then he focuses on that habit to point out what they're trying to hide. Apollo takes Lamiroir's case while she's visiting Kh'urain.

-Nahyuta Sadmadhi: prosecutor, monk, regent ruler of Kh'urain, and adoptive brother of Apollo, Nahyuta is a calm and collected individual whose main goal is to restore Kh'urain's legal system to its former glory after the DC Act rid it of lawyers. Nahyuta is a devout follower of the Holy Mother, and he uses his convictions to deliver last rites to victims. He is also quite exasperated at his sister Rayfa's behavior.

-Rayfa Padma Kh'urain: royal priestess and heir to the throne of Kh'urain, Rayfa has the power to perform Divination Seances, in which she reveals a victim's final moments. Rayfa is quite childish for a girl of 15, and she comes up with all manner of condescending names to call people who she doesn't exactly know how to talk to or disagree with her.

-The Kh'urainese judge: A judge in Kh'urain who devoutly follows the Holy Mother, this judge is just as wise to Phoenix's bluffs as the one in LA. The judge followed procedures until recently, when Apollo took over as the only lawyer in Kh'urain. The judge has a tendency to laugh a lot.

-Albhi Ur'gaid: a monk-in-training at Kh'urain's Tem'puhl Temple, Albhi is an optimistic young boy who tries to think of all kinds of ways to promote Kh'urain's tourism. Albhi and his dog Shah'do are eager to help Apollo any way they can.

-Datz Are'bal: member of the Defiant Dragons revolution group, Datz has a tendency to tell bad jokes and pull all kinds of pranks around Kh'urain. Datz is also a very fast runner, but he sticks around to help Apollo as best he can.

-Sah'lit Ari: a Kh'urainese royal guard and friend of Th'am Brine, Ari is found dead and Lamiroir accused of his murder.

-Th'am Brine: a Kh'urainese monk with a tambourine-related hobby, Th'am supposedly witnessed the murder of her friend Sah'lit Ari while he was making an arrest. She is a fan of Lamiroir's, and so she hates to testify against her.

-Dev'out Falouer: a Kh'urainese royal guard, Dev'out seems to harbor a grudge against those who support Queen Amara, as well as Apollo Justice. Nonetheless, he testifies and answers Apollo's questions with wide smiles as "holy light" shines down on him.