Do choices matter? (no spoilers, please)

[Boo Seta]

I'm considering to buy this game, but I'd like to know if choices matter. No spoilers, please.

[mimizukari]

absolutely. so much so you 'need' a guide, because anyone able to figure out some of the more complex stuff in this trilogy without some sort of help is sherlock holmes. failing to choose right will net you a game over.

[Boo Seta]

Originally posted by Kurumi Tokisaki:

absolutely. so much so you 'need' a guide, because anyone able to figure out some of the more complex stuff in this trilogy without some sort of help is sherlock holmes. failing to choose right will net you a game over.

Thanks for the reply, but is it just a matter of "right" or "wrong" answer that leads you to game over? Or are there branching stories and different endings depending on your choices?

[mimizukari]

it's like a mystery/detective game, it's full of things to examine, explore, and then go back and examine again, etc. always make sure you check everything out multiple times and revisit them before heading to next trials/etc... and then in court cases it's up to your wits to piece together all the stuff you figured out.

so it's about choices, no branching paths, but you need to check 'everything' out.

[Stycfy]

well outside of the trials, there is one time where you should give the right thing to a character to see a scene. not anything major tho

[MATT SUNSTON]

Ace Attorney is a strictly linear series, so there aren't any branching storylines or anything. Losing a case is just your standard Game Over state, prompting you to continue from your last save.
A small handful of cases in the series do have pseudo-alternate endings that are basically just extended Game Over sequences caused by highly-specific mistakes at certain plot points, but they don't impact anything. You just go back to your last save as normal.
Excellent games all-around, though. I recommend them to absolutely anyone who enjoys mysteries at all.

[Benzocrusher]

STRAT WIKI need I say more?

[Sevaaru]

Ace attorney never have multiple endings, they're pretty much linear yes, but as other here have said the only thing is youll have to investigate and do deductions on your own so id advise a guide if your stuck since sometimes things can be hard to miss, anyways, enjoy it! Its def my favoourite videogame saga ever and you wont have to worry about endings!

[Enceladeans]

In the sense of WRPG-style story branching, no, it's pretty linear.

Being deliberately vague for spoilers' sake, there is one case that has multiple endings, but since one of these endings is much, much worse than the other, it's more of a creative game over sequence than a proper choice.

That said, it's still an amazing, well-written series, and if you like story-heavy games it's a must.

[Maya-Neko]

There's only 1 noteworthy branch (In case you don't want to miss it: It's in Justice for All Episode 4, Part 4-2 ) , which got an alternate ending (still game over though). Everything else is just a simple guilty verdict, which forces you to reload a save game, if you make too many mistakes in the same trial day.

So it pretty much forces you to play the logic the developers layed out to you and you can't really think ahead here and should always concentrate on the actual problem with the things you've collected so far. But the developers definitely know, how to build up tension and make it feel great to corner suspicious people and culprits.

There's also an anime, if you're just interested in the story without thinking about it that much^^

[MizManFryinP🍳]

You can lose the game in multiple ways but that's the only thing that branches in the game. It's a very linear experience (though with trial and error). If you're thinking of the likes of Undertale where the story branches based on the user's choices then no, it's not really a thing in the game. It's more of a predetermined story that you need to piece together. I really recommend the game for the story and characters regardless though! :)

[Uli Minati]

Originally posted by sachiowo:

absolutely. so much so you 'need' a guide, because anyone able to figure out some of the more complex stuff in this trilogy without some sort of help is sherlock holmes. failing to choose right will net you a game over.

What? No, you don't need a guide. You don't immediately get a game over either, you have a health bar. But I do agree that it may take you several tries to progress unless you think exactly like the devs

[Spicedfudge]

Originally posted by sachiowo:

absolutely. so much so you 'need' a guide, because anyone able to figure out some of the more complex stuff in this trilogy without some sort of help is sherlock holmes. failing to choose right will net you a game over.

I dont feel bad anymore thank you

[VolnuttHeroP64]

Since the Ace Attorney Trilogy uses the Health Bar system that was in Ace Attorney 2-5, anyone who pays attention to the events of an Episode from Games 1, 2 & 3 can do a flawless run during the Court Trial Phase, while in the Investigation Phase, its impossible to lose since what you're doing during the Investigation Phase is Detective Work & the gameplay won't proceed until all facts, leads, evidence & profiles are found.

So, the 2 things to not are these:
Investigation Phase = Look around in every corner, leave no stone unturned until you gather all that you can. At Law Office, during Ace Attorney 1-3, you can sometimes talk to Maya (unless otherwise noted) if you need a Hint in case you're stuck or if you're on the wrong track under the topics, "What to do" or "Any Ideas".

Trial Phase = Examine the Profiles & Evidence, then compare them to the questions you're asked. First time players may experience a Trial & Error when playing. It's important to remember what has happened during the Investigation Phases, so that you won't lose health when you make a mistake & don't forget to save often before answering as parts of the Health Bar glow red depending on the factor of the mistake which leads to a Penalty, so chose your answer carefully.
However, in the last Episode of each game, a Single Mistake can mean the difference between Victory & Defeat since the entire Health Bar would glow red, so think carefully before answering!

[Progenitor of Faith]

Late reply but choices don't typically matter, but sometimes making the wrong choice results in a penalty.

For example, sometimes you'll spend a large portion of a trial accusing someone of being the true culprit, but then the game will ask you if you want to formally induct them as the murderer. You can choose no, but a lot of times you'll get a penalty as the judge will state you're wasting the court's time (since you were literally just arguing that they were guilty). But even after the penalty, you'll continue onto the correct choice, assuming it was not your last penalty.

[Hotel Security]

In the end, you can always save before you make a big decision and reload to avoid the penaity. It's pretty easy to not "die" if that's what you're worried about.