Ace Attorney Case Files: Turnabout Goodbyes (Part 3/3)

Previously on Ace Attorney

On the second day of defending his long-time friend Miles Edgeworth in court, Phoenix managed to pull through due to the help of their mutual friend Larry Butz, identifying a possible suspect for the murder of Robert Hammond. However, the specter of the DL-6 incident, in which Edgeworth's father was murdered in the courthouse and Hammond successfully defended the prime suspect- looms large, and the case threatens to awaken traumatic memories for Edgeworth...

Investigation Day 3

Maya is confused as to what Edgeworth meant when he'd alluded to a crime he committed in the past, but Phoenix refuses to believe Edgeworth could commit murder.

There's a reason why Phoenix believes in Edgeworth so much. When the two of them and Larry were in fourth grade, Edgeworth's money disappeared, and Phoenix, who'd missed gym class due to a cold, was accused of the crime, with a "class trial" being held. You'll probably be familiar with that phrase if you've played Danganronpa, where the stakes are much higher, but I have to wonder if this is a real thing.

The entire class believed Phoenix was the thief, but then Edgeworth spoke up and told them they had no evidence, while Larry chimed in to support him, resulting in the three boys becoming friends. Larry remarks that he was also absent the day the money went missing, and he's glad, since otherwise he would have been suspected.

Their friendship lasted a few months until Edgeworth transferred schools after DL-6. The next time Phoenix heard about Edgeworth, it was as a ruthless prosecutor. With Edgeworth refusing his requests to reach out to him, Phoenix chose to become a defense attorney to face him in court.

Phoenix visits Edgeworth in the detention center, and he vaguely remembers the class trial. Phoenix asks Edgeworth about why he became a prosecutor when his father was a defense attorney, and Edgeworth reveals that he grew bitter after the incident, since a defense attorney ensured that Yanni Yogi, who he assumed had shot his father, Gregory Edgeworth, was acquitted due to lack of evidence. Edgeworth respects his mentor Manfred von Karma, even as he's working to secure Edgeworth's conviction.

At Gourdy Lake, Gumshoe promises to apprehend the caretaker by the time of the trial, showing what will be a recurring trend- he becomes surprisingly competent in the most desperate situations. Gumshoe also informs Phoenix and Maya that the woods are off-limits ever since Lotta camped there in violation of the regulations.

Phoenix and Maya find Marvin Grossberg by the boat shack, and Grossberg asks them to come by his office if they have questions. Inside the shack, they use the combination 1228 to open up the caretaker's safe and find a letter inside. The letter tells the caretaker that this is his last chance to get revenge on the men who ruined his life- Miles Edgeworth and Robert Hammond- and instructs him how to kill Hammond and frame Edgeworth. This is neither the first nor the last time Phoenix has procured evidence without a warrant, not to mention far from the only instance of defense attorneys playing fast and loose with real life ethics.

Phoenix goes to the detention center and shows Edgeworth the letter, and Edgeworth realizes that the caretaker is Yogi. Edgeworth recalls the time that he, his father, and Yogi were trapped in the elevator together, and his last memory was throwing a gun in order to stop Yogi from attacking his father, resulting in a horrifying scream. Edgeworth then reveals what he's feared all these years- he is the true culprit in his father's murder.

Phoenix and Maya meet with Grossberg and talk to him about DL-6. Grossberg finds it easy to believe Yogi would want revenge on Edgeworth for ruining his life. The same goes for Hammond, who won Yogi an acquittal but didn't care what the outcome cost Yogi. The question remains of who wrote the letter, and the answer is obvious- Manfred von Karma, since Grossberg recognizes his handwriting. Grossberg suspects von Karma has a grudge against Edgeworth's father for getting him a penalty, a shock so great that von Karma went on vacation for months afterward.

Grossberg has his own connection to DL-6. Maya's mother Misty Fey channeled Gregory Edgeworth's spirit, and he identified Yogi as his killer. Yogi was acquitted and Misty was declared a fraud, but Grossberg believes Gregory lied to protect his son Miles. However, considering the circumstances, it's impossible for Gregory to realize the true killer's identity, so there are two possibilities- either he thought Yogi shot him, or he was protecting Miles. In any case, Grossberg defended Misty in court, but then betrayed her to Redd White for money.

Grossberg notes that accidental murder is still murder, but Phoenix is convinced Edgeworth would never do such a thing.

Phoenix and Maya go to the Criminal Affairs Department and hear that von Karma is in the records room. They arrive to find that the DL-6 file is empty, and see von Karma come in. He claims not to remember Phoenix, although Phoenix has given him more of a fight than most attorneys but is  confident that he'll win.

When confronted with Yogi's identity, von Karma grouses that Yogi should have destroyed the letter, then tases Phoenix and Maya to take it and the other DL-6 evidence. As Maya despairs over her uselessness, Phoenix notices that she took something from von Karma- the bullet that killed Gregory Edgeworth.

Trial Day 3 Part 1

On the final day of the trial, it turns out Gumshoe succeeded and apprehended the caretaker. Unfortunately, he insists that he wasn't running away due to Larry's testimony incriminating him- he wanted to buy food for Polly.  Phoenix presses him for a while, then reveals that he knows his name- Yanni Yogi. Unfortunately, Phoenix has no way of proving it, since Yogi's fingerprints were burned off while he was working at a chemical plant.

As Phoenix is at a loss, von Karma taunts him, and suggests that Phoenix cross-examine Yogi's parrot. In one of the most famous scenes in the series, Phoenix agrees to do so... only to find that von Karma retrained the parrot so as to avoid mentioning DL-6 or anything incriminating. However, Phoenix proves that the parrot is named after Yogi's fiancée Polly and that the combination to the safe- 1228- is the same as the date for DL-6- December 28, or 12/28. The Judge agrees that this is no mere coincidence and summons the caretaker.

When taking the stand, the caretaker drops all pretenses and reveals his name- Yanni Yogi. Hammond secured his acquittal, but did so by saying he was mentally unsound, forcing him to play along. As a result, Yogi lost his job, his fiancée and his social standing. He then received an anonymous package, and carried out its instructions for revenge against Hammond and Edgeworth, although he refuses to say why he wants revenge on the latter.

Yogi is arrested and Edgeworth is acquitted for Hammond's murder... only to confess to killing his own father. As a result, the judge, on von Karma's insistence, holds a trial for Edgeworth and calls for a five-minute recess.

During the recess, Edgeworth apologizes, but Phoenix insists he doesn't believe Edgeworth's "nightmare," and prepares his case. Considering that Phoenix had been struggling for much of the game, it's nice to finally come into his own.

When court resumes, Edgeworth testifies what he recalls about the DL-6 incident. Phoenix then points out that there's a problem- Gregory Edgeworth was shot once but the gun was fired twice- in a way similar to how the gun used to kill Hammond was fired three times but Lotta only witnessed two shots. In response, von Karma tries to claim that the gun was fired on a different day, but Phoenix shows a picture of the broken elevator window and suggests that the second bullet was fired out that window.

Then comes the decisive question- where the second bullet went. After some thought, Phoenix realizes that it went into von Karma himself. Phoenix suggests von Karma never underwent surgery, and took six months off to recover from the injury without letting anyone know he'd been shot. To prove it, he proposes using the metal detector, the second time a piece of evidence serves more than one purpose. Von Karma objects, but the judge sides with Phoenix, and the metal detector finds a bullet in von Karma.

There's one last task- proving that it's the exact same bullet. Phoenix then proposes using rifling methods, putting what he learned on the first day to good use. Luckily, he has a bullet from the same gun to use as a comparison- the bullet from Gregory Edgeworth's heart.

Defeated, von Karma screams in rage and Edgeworth recognizes it as the same scream that he heard in the elevator, proving that von Karma is his father's killer. Von Karma then rants about Edgeworth and his father being his "curse," since Gregory gave him a penalty and Miles accidentally shot him.

A flashback ensues and shows von Karma being scolded by the chief prosecutor, who's covered for him in the past but must give him a penalty. The second Ace Attorney Investigations game reveals that said chief prosecutor, Blaise Debeste, was responsible for forging the evidence, and scapegoated von Karma's detective subordinate(which explains why von Karma kept his job), an interesting development that explains the situation without making von Karma any less vile. Von Karma wandered through the courthouse in a daze, got shot and the rest is history.

Von Karma demands that the judge bring the trial to an end, and he agrees, declaring Edgeworth innocent.

Ending

Phoenix, Maya, Edgeworth, Gumshoe, Lotta and Larry celebrate Edgeworth's Not Guilty verdict, and Edgeworth manages to properly thank Phoenix. Larry gives Phoenix an envelope with $38 in it, and after a moment, Phoenix realizes that it was the same amount that was stolen from Edgeworth, making Larry the thief. Edgeworth reveals that just because Larry took the day off doesn't mean he didn't actually go to school, giving him an opportunity to steal the money. Phoenix is rather annoyed with Larry, and Lotta takes a photo of the group.

The group holds a celebration for Edgeworth, but Edgeworth can't attend, since he's still in detention. At 5 a.m. the next day, Phoenix wakes up and finds a letter from Maya explaining she's gone back to her hometown to complete her training. Phoenix rushes to the station, and is able to see Maya just in time. Maya claims to have been the only one who was of no help at all, but Phoenix disagrees, pointing out that she  was able to take the bullet from von Karma, providing the decisive evidence. Maya feels a bit better, but her mind has already been made up, so she says goodbye to Nick before boarding the train.

Phoenix provides a brief monologue about how he's graduated from being an amateur, only for Edgeworth to cast doubt on that claim in court. At the judge's prompting, Phoenix yells "OBJECTION!" and the credits roll, showing how every single character who isn't currently in prison is doing.

Conclusion

This case is easily the best in the first game for a few reasons, chief among them how it serves as an effective payoff to everything that came before it. Even within the case, three items that are brought up early on- using the number of times a gun is fired as evidence, rifling marks on bullets and a metal detector- become key to solving the murder of Gregory Edgeworth.

Manfred von Karma is a great villain. As sinister as he obviously is, he's able to avoid suspicion, by virtue of managing to have Hammond killed through his proxy Yanni Yogi, while expertly covering his tracks after killing Gregory Edgeworth. He even manages to retrain Yogi's parrot, anticipating that Phoenix would try to cross-examine it, and only fails because he neglects to deal with two subtler clues.

Yanni Yogi is also a good secondary antagonist. He is the first relatively sympathetic killer, since Robert Hammond gained him an acquittal, but ruined his life in the process. Murder is never justified, but it's clear that after 15 lonely years as an outcast who lost the woman he loved, Yogi had nothing left but his desire for revenge.

Learning more about Phoenix and Edgeworth's past provides for good character development for them. This trial helps make the previously cold and ruthless Edgeworth more sympathetic by showing his vulnerabilities and the sense of justice he possessed as a youth; considering that he sincerely believes that the criminals he prosecutes are guilty, the "Demon Prosecutor" hasn't completely lost his sense of justice. All this nicely sets a basis for Edgeworth's redemption arc in Justice For All.

In conclusion, Turnabout Goodbyes" is an excellent conclusion to the first game, one that sets the standard for final Ace Attorney cases to come.