Devil’s Attorney

There are lots of ways to make an amoral protagonist likeable: go completely over-the-top or tongue-in-cheek, make them the lesser of two evils, give them other redeeming qualities, etc. Or you can go the Devil’s Attorney route and just not even bother. This game’s star would be an obnoxious Mary Sue even if he wasn’t also a despicable human being, so it’s bizarre that half of the play time is spent just observing him being obnoxious and despicable. Pile on a fair bit of repetition, a completely bizarre ending, and that ubiquitous functional-yet-bland mobile game art style, and this should be a complete write-off.

…And yet, it’s not without merit. Despite the gameplay being all about the courtroom, this is far from an Ace Attorney clone. It’s more like a turn-based RPG that swaps attacks, magic, and healing for arguments, manipulations, and weaponized narcissism. It’s an extremely clever and satisfying setup at times, usually because it makes you feel clever by solving it. I wish I could excise it (and maybe the voice acting) and transplant it into a more hospitable host.