9 bugs vs. tanks! - collecting the rest of the tanks from 2nd and 3rd level missions

Dear Readers,

I looked up the tank icons on the missions to see what they meant in the instruction manual. It said these missions had abandoned tanks to find! I decided to go over the last few missions with the tank icons and find them!

Replaying the level 2 and 3 missions were pleasant enough. The missions are short and breezy so it was nice to mow down the ants and navigate the mazes to find the tanks. I'm not sure yet if you can just collect and quit without losing what you collected. I'll have to check later.

It was fun and varied to replay the raining one as well.

Now to check out the new tanks I collected!

German Panzer IV Ausf. H - A bigger and more powerful, yet slower tank than my default one in the game. This was made when the Germans had to deal with Soviet firepower.

Japanese Type 95 Ha-Go - A lighter tank that looks nice and speedy from the stats, but weaker in power and defence.

Japanese Type 97 Chi-Ha - looks very much like a main tank. 

Soviet KV-2 - This one got some surprised dialogue because it was an Allied tank, and challenged our theory that the Allies shrunk us. It's got a pretty big turret.

8 bugs vs. tanks! - rescuing other tanks from a big spider's web

Dear Readers,

The next mission was a rescue mission! To be exact it was about rescuing Lieutenant Kremmel. This was mission level 3-4, Operation: Jerk Rescue.

Colonel Diekmann told us we got an SOS from Kremmel, saying they'd been trapped in a spider web in the branches above us. We had limited intel on spiders, so he advised us to avoid direct combat and prioritise rescuing our comrades.

What followed was a cutscene where a bee got stuck in a huge spider web and got gored by the spider lurking there. We were close by! Joachim suggested using the bug carcasses to stay out of sight so we could rescue the others. Ernst then spotted Kremmel's tank all rolled up in the web. We had to burn through it with our firepower.

Straight away we were next to the spider! It was a slow, clumsy, scary journey trying to navigate without getting killed. The spider was just too big and kept catching up with us. We freed the tank at the centre, whose crew were alive and asked us to rescue the other six tanks in their platoon! We got them all while being chased by the spider. I'm not sure if there was any way of doing this without being hit? In any case, we got them all and found Kremmel, who was freaking out and insulting us. We told him we were happy to find him in good spirits and to follow us back. I got an A rank and 475 points for this mission.

Back at the camp, Kremmel continued kissing butt and making bad observations. Diekmann said a spider wouldn't attack unless it was provoked. There was stuff to consider, but for now it was the end of the level 3 missions.

New bug:

Garden Spider. This was the behemoth we had to avoid. Not sure if it was possible to sneak past it undetected. Big scary legs and fangs.

I also got a medal for clearing all LV 3 missions, the Spider Web Houdini award.

7 bugs vs. tanks! - destroying ant hills and fending off giant mosquitoes

Dear Readers,

With lumber secured it was onward to mission 3-2, Operation: Ant Hill.

Colonel Diekmann thanked us for our tireless work. He reported that scouts had found anthills and he ordered us to destroy them. We got on pretty well here, destroying 4 sugar ant hills and 1 big regular ant hill. Once or twice things got a little crowded but we managed it ok. I got 458 points with an A rank.

Ernst boasted about not breaking a sweat when taking out the anthills so Diekmann said he'd assign us tougher duties then. Oops.

New bug entry:

Army Ant. A big white ant with huge jaws. I don't recall seeing these in the last mission. Maybe they were from an earlier mission.

Now for mission 3-3, Operation: Bloody Night.

We got ambushed during the night! We got into our tank and got ready before the others. Diekmann ordered us to hold the attacking mosquitoes off from attacking the base.

It was darker and that buzzing was not pleasant! The mosquitoes came in fast and in big numbers. To make it worse, ants came along as well, including big queen ones! At one point and it was near the end, it got so clustered around the base that I had to call in SOS again and that took care of the big crowd. Thankfully, the mosquitoes were quick enough to shoot down. We finished the mission successfully with an S rank and 503 points.

Ernst said he could shoot mosquitoes until they became extinct. Joachim said that it was going to his head. Diekmann talked about remaining vigilant at night and told us to get some shut-eye before the next mission.

New bug:

Mosquito. They're fast and awful and with our shrunken size they'd suck every drop of blood if they had the chance. Yuck...

6 bugs vs. tanks! - collecting lumber and looking up history of real life tanks i found

Dear Readers,

Now to start the Level 3 missions with the first mission, Operation: Tree Base.

Colonel Diekmann was much more polite and respectful than Lieutenant Kremmel was. He graciously asked us to gather lumber so that we could reinforce our established base against the bugs.

It was a new maze with new bugs and new music with bongo drums! Joachim told me about using weapons to break down bits of logs into small enough parts of lumber to carry back to base. The maze had a nice bit of variety with mushrooms and ferns growing around the place. The echo-y bongo music was cool as well.

I finished the mission and got 385 points, a B rank, a Bug Ace medal for exterminating 100 bugs and a new tank I found.

New bug:

Termite: The white ant-like bugs first seen in this mission and it says they're related to cockroaches. Yuck.

The new tank I found was a Japanese Type 2 Ka-Mi. Not sure why it was here but hey, it's a tank so it qualifies for the overall theme of the game! It's an amphibious tank shaped like a boat, but it could also go on land. Pretty cool to look at from all angles.

I looked at the other tank I found earlier, the Fascist Italian Fiat M13740, which didn't do so well in North African sand. It looks skinny compared to the default tank I was using, the Panzer III Ausf. L. It's fun to look up these tanks online. Good way of learning history I suppose!

5 bugs vs. tanks! - sheltering under leaves against dangerous raindrops

Dear Readers,

On to mission 2-4, Operation: Rain Drop.

It started raining and we had to flee under a leaf for cover! When it stopped, we found out our camp got washed away! Kremmel barked orders at us. Joachim asked him where should we go and he said to use our noggins and escort him somewhere safe. What a jerk he's continuing to be...

Joachim recalled a tree from our previous scouting and suggested heading there to sit out the storm. This one was interesting. We took shelter under leaves and hollowed out obstacles. We were even able to attack bugs this way, even while there were walls between us and the targets! Not gonna complain, especially since we have the burden of weapon cooldown!

The rain effects were visually minimal but the hazard came in frequent waves and we ended up losing half of HP. It wasn't easy going between small shelters of leaves and having to deal with ants and bees at the same time. Some of the shelters didn't really work that well and some bits of rain got through. There were more rock obstacles blocking paths, forcing us to take detours as well. It was a messy mission.

When we reached the tree, Joachim said the rain must've washed away the rock that was blocking the path to it. I guess that explains where the other blockages in the path came from. I got 337 points, a B rank and a Ranger of the Greens medal for clearing all the level 2 missions.

Safe in the shelter of the tree, Lieutenant Kremmel was rattled. Ernst quietly wished the rain washed him away instead of our supplies. We found that Colonel Diekmann's brigade was here and he was happy to see us unharmed. Kremmel brownnosed him and praised his own abilities. Diekmann said they lost many men. He didn't know what caused us all to shrink either and he placed more importance on survival for now. Kremmel did more butt kissing and we groaned quietly. Diekmann told me he was giving me commands directly from here on, taking over from Kremmel.

I took a look at the other medals and the conditions for obtaining them, some of which are dependent on StreetPass and playing Co-Op with another player. Probably not going to win them all... With the all tanks collected award I may need the other Guild games, but I don't know for certain. Oh well...

4 bugs vs. tanks! - finding food and defending the camp against huge disgusting ants

Dear Readers,

Now for more LV 2 missions. This second one is called Operation: Food Forage.

Kremmel told us to find food as we were completely cut off since we got shrunk. He said if we weren't working we weren't eating.

We came across a bunch of ants that were carrying cracker crumbs. Joachim said we needed a total of five so we had to scout around.

It's the same old maze looking for crumbs, but there seemed to be a lot more ants and they were coming out of anthills as well. It's scary when they gang up on you but with ranged fire we were able to catch them in between rocks or around awkward corners. There's also really ugly things like cigarette butts but they're good for cover. The sugar ants seemed bigger this time. I finished the mission and got a B grade.

On to mission 2-3, Operation: Ant Assault.

During Kremmel's briefing, Grenadier interrupted with an emergency: The ants were attacking the camp! Kremmel threatened him with consequences but since this was an emergency, he only criticized him for not telling him sooner. He ordered us to protect the camp at all costs!

I failed this one! It was pretty scary and the bugs came in large numbers. Some of them were absolutely humongous as well! I tried again, but changed to pierce type shell.

It worked out better this time with the piercing ammunition. When the big disgusting winged one attacked I used the SOS button to get rid of it, winning the mission this time, earning 567 points, an S rank, and a safety medal for not getting hit. Yay!

Recorded some more bug information:

Queen Ant: A bigger version of the black ants. Pretty intimidating size and power

Queen Sugar Ant: The massive disgusting winged one. Strange how she's bigger than the other queen, but her subjects are smaller than the other subjects.

3 bugs vs. tanks! - scouting for water resources

Dear Readers,

Now to start the level 2 missions. 

LV 2-01 Sub Mission Operation: Morning Dew. This was about securing water sources. I was able to customise our tank now but I didn't bother for now.

Kremmel ordered us to secure resources, starting with water, since we couldn't rely on being resupplied in our shrunken state.

Joaquim suggested finding water rather than engaging the bugs in combat and Ernst taught me how.

I found this misson pretty clumsy when trying to avoid engagement. The ants and bees were just... there everywhere. I thought of being a bit stealthy but it didn't seem feasible. I eventually just tore through everything I could find and eventually found some dew drops guarded by some gigantic ants. they took several hits and a bit longer to defeat but they were so big they couldn't fit past gaps in rocks, so I was able to beat them handily.

I found two more dew spots and that was the mission! I got a C this time. C for clumsy I guess haha. I got As up until now.

2 bugs vs. tanks! - shooting our first ants and bees

Dear Readers,

Now to start the second tutorial mission titled "LV 1 -02 Tutorial 2 Operation: Counter Attack" where we finally get to shoot at bugs.

Lieutenant Kremmel gathered us and worked under the impression that the Allies had shrunk us with a new weapon and ordered us to focus on the new enemy of the giant bugs that were attacking us. We'd have to find a way to reverse the shrinking effects later. He ordered us to search the area and rout the enemy, one by one if we had to. Ernst was delighted to get straight into action but Joachim was more cautious about gauging the strength of the ants. he suggested gathering intel about them and about the area by picking off about ten ants before pulling back.

Ernst explained the turret controls. I approached the bugs cautiously and fired at them, seeing them on the radar and hearing them before I could see them coming.

We continued along and found an abandoned tank, saying we could use it for spare parts.

Then we got into a situation where we were being attacked from the rear. Joachim taught me about the SOS button, that can be used once per mission to call for cover fire. I pressed it and it was handy to help with covering our rear. It's like a game screen clearing bomb.

Soon after, we killed 10 bugs so we finished up the mission and headed back.

Kremmel praised us in a tough love kind of way, saying he expected more and will expect more next time. We discussed the ants we came across and the concept of switching between bomber and piercing shells, depending on the situation.

Three more missions were now available on the next level. I had a look at the collection now and it had these:

Medals: Bug Tank Squad for clearing the tutorial. It's easy enough to play and get into.

Bugs: Ant, Sugar Ant, and Honey Bee. The sugar ants are slightly slower and less powerful than the ant and the honey bee as very high speed. Can get food from the bees but nothing of value from the ants. Bleh. I hate ants in real life.

1 bugs vs. tanks! - becoming sergeant for first mission fleeing giant ants

Dear Readers,

Bugs vs. Tanks! is one of those 3DS games that had special curation and collaboration between famous Japanese game developers. It was part of a Level 5 production called the Guild series and this one was from the second compilation and was designed by Keiji Inafune. It's been sitting on my 3DS for a long time now and I wanted to finally try it out.

The game opens with a cutscene with voiced German dialogue and English subtitles talking about the disappearance of tanks during World War II. They were regarded as destroyed but they were actually shrunk down to ant size. During this cutscene a tank drives across the newspaper page with one of the crew saying they made the headlines! Then they get chased by ants.

I start the game and am addressed as a sergeant. I'm prompted for a name and a difficulty setting. I choose "Easy". I choose "Automatic" for tank fire, turn on StreetPass settings for all they're worth nowadays and leave the default message on.

There's a collection for documenting tanks, bugs and medals, which is kinda nice.

After looking around the menus for a bit I start a mission, titled "LV 1-01 Tutorial1 Operation: Shrewd Retreat"

In this mission I have to learn controls with the help of two guys named Joachim and Ernst. We're out of ammo so I have to make a retreat while learning controls and also about stuff on the bottom screen like a radar map thingy.

We were pretty surrounded and had a lot of bugs to escape from. With a bit of manoeuvring we got to safety and some tanks led by someone named Kremmel came to our rescue, and that was the mission! There's a kill score, a time score and a Pacifist Bonus. Probably lots of other stuff too in later missions.

The 3D effect is nice enough and is nicest when the dialogue box pops out from the action, like most games.

Lieutenant Kremmel gave out to us for being crybabies. Ernst thanks him for saving us but under his breath, calls him an a-hole. I wasn't expecting that, haha.

We discussed suddenly being shrunk and assumed it was from a new weapon the Allies were using. We had to join up with Kremmel and refuel and reload ammo.

I wonder if "Bugs vs. Nazis" was a working title at any stage. I wasn't expecting to be playing as them and nothing was really said about them. It was just presented as being well... bugs versus tanks!

231 ace attorney 6 - my commentary of the image gallery (46-54)

Dear Readers,

Continuing my commentary on the last set of images, all from the final case.

46. Dhurke in the tomb, standing over Inga's lifeless body while holding a bloody knife and with bloodstains on his clothes. This was such a gruesome image and I knew it was going to be some job trying to prove his innocence!

47. Crime photo of Inga's body. He was pretty insufferable but his prohibition gangster accent was really amusing. This photo was handy for pointing out his mobile phone and Cuffs of Justice.

48. The photo of Amara holding baby Princess Rayfa with Dhurke's law book on the shelf. It rocked the whole case and so many things were proven thanks to this photo. It was worthy of keeping in a safe alright.

49. Two different versions of the photo of the queen that Ahlbi took, where she was channelling. The lightened image from Ema with the burn scar helped prove that it wasn't Ga'ran but Amara. One of the many dramatic moments.

50. Dhurke dying and asking a tied up distressed Maya for one last favour. His death was such a sad and shocking moment, especially when we could see him getting shot! I wish he could've lived on.

51. Amara on the ground of the courtroom after she got shot by the royal guard in the background. Another shocking moment of someone getting shot! She survived though, thankfully. She was a lovely character with cool arm movements but her initial testimony about Dhurke was very hard to take.

52. The photo of Dhurke's body in the Sarcophagus. Oh man... poor Apollo. I can still see him slamming his head on the bench in anguish on seeing this photograph. The pain and sadness in Ema's eyes as well as she had to investigate and bring the bad news. They both had to do this though because it was their job and mission in court to present this. What a moment...

53. The contents of the pink locket thingy that had a photo of Amara and Dhurke inside, their hands touching, both happy. It was kinda funny to see Amara turn into a silly anime girl and get all overcome with emotion when I proved the love between them.

54. Dhurke saving Apollo from drowning in the cave. This was a stressful moment but it was nice to see the father-son story coming full circle when he saved him from drowning once again after all these years. It's also so wild to think that Dhurke was already dead at this point and Maya was channelling him. It's a really nice looking scene with the greenlit glow in the cave.

This game was packed full of surprises and it was amazing to discover them all, though I do often remember being so befuddled. The consult option was nice to have!

230 ace attorney 6 - my commentary of the image gallery (37-45)

Dear Readers,

Continuing my commentary on the image gallery, from Bucky's case to Dr. Buff's case.

37. Bucky suffocating his master with dough. It still feels strange how there are images for things that didn't actually happen. This was when Nahyuta was still a jerk and trying to prosecute Bucky.

38. The same master suffocating scenario in the exact same position but how it actually played out with Geiru instead as the perpetrator. I still feel so sorry for her. Ah it's so tragic!

39. The photograph of Jove Justice that Dhurke found after a long search. It's cool to actually see what he's like and how it came into play with the Séance.

40. Dr. Buff's notes and research. The traditional verses sound like an exotic song, expecially when Princess Rayfa performs it, but it was fun pointing clues out as the case went on in court.

41. Pearl's painting of Dr. Buff in his coat that night he went to put away the artifact in the cave. Very nice memory of meeting Pearl briefly and the colours of the jacket helped out a lot!

42. Dhurke and Apollo reaching the cave. Dhurke, all majestic and ready for anything and Apollo struggling, using a stick to help him. This was an amusing sequence.

43. Two different images of Dhurke and Apollo exploring the cave when they got trapped, the second of which where they looked tired after going on for so long. They had lots to talk about as stepfather and stepson after not seeing each other for years and it was another lovely story moment.

44. A joyful Dhurke with his arms around his two crying boys Nahyuta and Apollo after saving them from being swept away in the river. This one comes up a lot during tender moments where Apollo reflects on his childhood with his stepfather. It's lovely and sentimental.

45. The crime photo of Dr. Buff half buried under his books. The stains were key to solving this case. I just noticed this is the last image from that case. Just thinking again about Armie and her Sarge robot. Gosh I hope she'll be okay. I also hope Apollo stays in contact with her too, though he's in Khura'in now... There's still Maya, Pearl and Phoenix and Athena... I hope she'll be alright with so many good people around her.

229 ace attorney 6 - my commentary of the image gallery (28-36)

Dear Readers,

More commentary on the illustration gallery, from Maya's case to Bucky's case.

28. A happy photo of Tah'rust, Beh'leeb, Puhray and Maya at the meal table in the Inmee household with Maya holding the Plumed Punisher keychain/charm thing. It is sad what happened to Tah'rust and Puhray, but at least Beh'leeb is doing okay with her baby. Lots of stuff was handy to point out in court in this image. Trying to remember now but that food had some kind of specialty or smell or made at a certain time of the year.

29. Traditional image of Lady Kee'ra. I think I remember having to point out her masked face or dagger or something. No scenery, just a green aura thing which is probably the moon. The Holy Mother's image was much more decorative but the same style of art is here and it's good.

30. A photograph of Dhurke along with Nahyuta and Apollo when they were kids! This is where we first learn about their family. Dhurke doesn't even have an eyepatch here. It was pretty amazing to see them all together as a family, especially when they were so distant during the events of the game until now.

31. Poor Puhray and how he really died, the weight of the stone pushing him onto one of the sharp points of the statue. I remember it being really hard to come to explain the exact sequence of events that took place in this case and trying to get Maya off the hook at every turn.

32. Images of the Steel Samurai and the Plumed Punisher! It was really amusing to see the Plumed Punisher at first with the same tune as the Steel Samurai, only with different instruments! The moments involving the two were always fun and very helpful when solving the case! I wonder if Maya ever got to make the crossover!

33. The noodle master crime photos from different angles. I remember how the TV, the cards, the table marks and just about everything else came into play when solving this case. It was sad to see his disciples mourning for him.

34. Simon looking out the window at Geiru feeding her dog in the yard. He had a very small role in this game but he still had those connections to the characters and I enjoyed having him here and pitting him against Nahyuta. Geiru here feeding her dog a ton of food.

35. The cards on the table in two different arrangements, "WHET NO 4" and "OWEN 4TH", the latter matching with the stain before they were arranged. Fixing them up to get to the truth was pretty fun and a good way to bring out the Owen personality.

36. Uendo, Geiru and Simon standing over the dead body of Taifu. Very sad scene. Even though Geiru turned out to be the killer, she was in floods of tears here. She was covering for herself sure, but it must have been emotionally devastating for her. Considering the life she had with her allergy I find her very pitiable. I was even hoping it wasn't her that killed him.

228 ace attorney 6 - my commentary of the illustration gallery (19-27)

Dear Readers,

More commentary on illustrations! From Trucy's case to the second case in Khura'in.

19. An impression of Mr. Reus in the coffin along with two other images with different fingerprint positions. As you can imagine, this makes for some dramatic moments with lots of "Take that!" answers trying to make sense of things and getting at the truth.

20. The plaza in Khura'in with everyone kneeling in front of Tah'rust and Maya performing the rite. Puhray is there too and he was already dead at that stage if I remember right.

21. The crime photo of Tahrust dead in the bloody pool around the bloodstained statue. Gruesome image. Didn't get to know his character until Maya channelled him.

22. Dramatic images of Lady Kee'ra set against the background of mountains, one with a clear sky with sunbeams and another all purple and cloudy and fearsome. All mysterious and fascinating and eerie, but there was no more mention of her after this case.

23. The newspaper article about Lady Kee'ra. Even though it was revealed to be Puhray, the legend itself was never really brought up again.

24. Datz's wanted poster! 3 million reward I think it says on it. He turned out to be such a good natured character, though he does have a tough look about him. They really made him look fearsome and tough here. No grins or thumbs up back then. He just looked like a psychopath on this poster.

25. Different images showing theories on how Tahrust got stabbed, one with Lady Kee'ra from the front and one of Maya from behind. It's strange to see this because I always took it for granted that artwork showed the truth of what happened in the series as a trope, like the one about the music stopping when you get an "Objection!" in the right place. Here with Tahrust in the same position it looks like a Photoshopped meme with the different theories.

26. The two different really tall mountains on one image with their heights and on the other, the zoomed out image showing the prison on the very top of the taller mountain. It was pretty cool to discover this stuff. Imagine Datz escaping that place and parachuting down!

27. The crime photo of Puhray in prayer position with the dagger lodged into the top of his back. Amazing how no one noticed this even though he was propped into that position.

227 ace attorney 6 - my commentary of the illustration gallery (10-18)

Dear Readers,

Continuing my commentary on the illustration gallery.

10. Trucy standing next to the body of the victim in her case. This was a very sad loss for her and it was a tragic moment. The Gramarye troupe have had such a hard time of it. It's great she can keep going with her family's legacy.

11. A dramatic scene of the dragon falling to the stage and the audience getting scared. Effective downward angle with a bit of a blur effect showing the panic going on at that moment.

12. The crime photo of poor Mr. Reus. I remember pointing out stuff like the stab wound and the catch on his belt for his flying act in court. Or maybe not I don't remember right, but they did come into play. Also remembering how awful Nahyuta was for trying to prosecute Trucy.

13. A big poster for Troupe Gramarye Magical Menagerie and another image of the same but with "Canceled" stamped on it. Makes me think of all the dramatic events that took place in Ace Attorney 4.

14. Trucy pushing the stage lift when she found it out of place. She had to fix something when she went down there during the act. I remember it was pitch dark for her. She's a true pro. That Retinz guy was such a jerk for trying to sabotage her.

15. Mr. Reus doing a selfie video thing. Yeah I remember now, this was important because of his arm not having the scar that Retinz had and it turned out to be Retinz on that "canceled" part of the poster. Again, so sad what happened to Mr. Reus.

16. The funny final image of Trucy's case with Apollo freaked out in the chained up coffin. That's a lovely happy memory! Trucy presenting the act and Mr Hat with a huge sword. Poor Apollo!

17. The image showing how Mr. Reus got killed. Not a nice image showing him getting hoisted up and about to be skewered on the positioned sword. The angle and gleam on the sword is especially impactful.

18. The poster for "Trucy in Gramarye Land in clean form and another with a performance date. Trucy centre stage with Mr. Reus the villain in the background. Nice castle scenery as well which kinda looks like video game boxart for one of the Mario Land games! Dunno what you'd call this style where the scenery is displayed in an arch like it's on a tiny planet. The dragon is cool too.

226 ace attorney 6 - my commentary on the image gallery (1-9)

Dear Readers,

The extras menu is nice. The movie one is accompanied by an image of the office computer with movie windows on the screen along with some disk drives. Looks very old school! The illustration one then has lots of scrapbooking and written notes, again at the office!

Now for illustrations! This gallery has the music that plays in the accused lobby when you finish a case. It's all victorious and everybody's happy and joyful. Some of the more gruesome images look out of place with this music!

There are 54 images here! It'll take a while to comment on them but I want to take my time here too.

1. Newspaper article of the treasure box from the first case. Not in 3D because there's no real reason for it to be. Was very useful when looking over evidence though.

2. The dead guard and victim from the first case. He had an unfortunate run of luck that forced him to change careers. It was sad to hear Ahlbi talk about him.

3. Photograph of Princess Rayfa performing the Dance of Devotion accompanied by the culprit from the first case, Andistand'hin. Very funny name and awesome way of speaking in song so it was a pity to see him go so bad. I remember pointing out his guitar.

4. Images of the treasure box in the sun and glowing in the dark. Very interesting details in this case and nice sunbeams.

5. A traditional picture of the Holy Mother of Khura'in in prayer pose and without a face. Lovely old traditional fine art style with butterflies, clouds, flowers and auras. They did a nice job portraying this mysterious eastern religious style figure.

6. Ahlbi held up at gunpoint by the guard with his arms up. We don't see his hands because that's a part of the mystery we had to solve to prove Ahlbi's innocence. Not a happy scene. Effective angle though.

7. A tiny slideshow movie thing that revealed Andistand'hin as the guard's true killer, using his guitar thing as the murder weapon. He kinda looks like Kratos here.

8. The first image we see of Dhurke when we're told about the Defiant Dragons! He looks so shadowy, red-eyed and evil here! The people rallying behind him and the red sky make them all look like something hellish! What a huge deception but it really got our imagination going when we were told how bad he was.

9. The familiar image of Phoenix when he was in school on trial, crying and alone. It was where Edgeworth stood up for him. Edgeworth only has a supporting role in this game but it's nice to have him around! I miss Gumshoe by the way...

That's the first 9 images of the gallery out of 54. Not sure how many I'll do in future posts yet.

225 ace attorney 6 - my commentary on the anime cutscenes gallery

Dear Readers,

With the game finished, let's have a look at the extras menu that just unlocked!

The anime cutscene menu is quiet and it has 12 cutscenes.

1. The first scene was narrated by Phoenix as he arrived in Khura'in to meet Ahlbi and it's in 3D. Lots of dramatic imagery to set the scene about revolution with the people bursting into the courtroom or Hall of Justice. Princess Rayfa looking shadowy and mysterious with reflections of flames in her eyes. All contrasting with Phoenix getting spooked and culture shocked by a friendly cow before Ahlbi recognises him. I bet he can spot a tourist a mile away!

There's also a big prologue scene on YouTube where Maya finishes a training session, changing in front of a blushing Ahlbi without any bother on her. She then breaks her phone in a bad situation. Phoenix panics and rushes to the airport! Nahyuta effortlessly disarms a rebel as well. Then there's Dhurke talking about change and the arrival of a Phoenix. I just found it randomly and I don't recall it at all! Nice little extra that doesn't really feel like a promo and it's not in the game.

2. Phoenix and Ahlbi among others watching Rayfa doing the Dance of Devotion in the temple for the first time, with subtitles for the chanting. The dramatic mysterious scene intertwines with the scenes of the police rushing through the hallways to come in with their guns to arrest Ahlbi. Rayfa has a disdainful judgemental look like she's ready to do her job. Very dramatic scene that keeps you guessing what's gonna happen next! Still very much a wild rollercoaster so far!

3. Wow... this one had Datz and Dhurke discussing the Not Guilty verdict of the first trial at their shadowy hideout. Datz with his knife and Dhurke with his grin are very ominous and threatening! This is what I wanted to revisit most of all; the early impression we get of the Defiant Dragons as being very dangerous and threatening.

4. Trucy's Gramarye Land act where the villanous Mr. Reus turns into a dragon and chases a helpless looking girl and blasts her with fire before she transforms into Trucy and makes her hat huge to fall on him! It looks like a fully realised imaginative movie scene rather than just a stage performance! It's pretty spectacular and imaginative alright and I'm guessing this is what was in the theatre audience's mind as they were entertained! Love Trucy and I'm glad she got to have an episode.

5. The dramatic scene where Trucy is attacked by one of the bunny girl sisters and falls into the coffin. The bunny sister blows a kiss to Mr. Hat who gets enamoured  and tries to stab the coffin, but transforms into Trucy, who then stabs the coffin. Everyone in the audience, including Apollo and Athena are enthralled. This doesn't have the dead body though! In the game I've analysed and examined this scene many times to solve the murder mystery! Nice to have an anime version where the performance goes as intended... for the most part at least!

6. Nahyuta sitting under a tree with some animals and talking about wandering souls before Ema goes up to him and tells him that Apollo is going to be defending Trucy's case. He just utters Apollo's name to himself. I've a different impression of this scene now that I know they're stepbrothers who hadn't seen each other in a long time. Makes me think of the impression it made on Nahyuta to hear his brother's name for the first time in forever.

7. Datz's jailbreak! Again, it's mysterious. All we see is the lump under the covers the guard finds and two guys on the street talking about Datz before they get attacked by the rebel hunter. We still think of Datz as some dangerous criminal at large with this scene, building up the mystery more. Also I forgot who Lady Kee'ra was! It was the victim Puhray Zeh'lot.

8. A short scene in the mountains where Maya is all mysterious and unveils to an amazed Phoenix. It's their first meeting in a long long time! Ahlbi and Shah'do are here too. A fun scene where Maya is all mysterious and calls Phoenix "Mr. Wright" and stuff. She's more developed and grown-up and skilled but she's still fun, mischievous Maya!

9. The victim in the noodle case watching TV before someone comes up from behind and... our imaginations are running wild again as the scene ends abruptly! Pretty effective stuff!

10. An episode of the Plumed Punisher where Rayfa is attacked by a demonic Dhurke before the broadcast is interrupted by the real Dhurke hijacking the broadcast to condemn the DC Act and vowing to revolutionise and dethrone the Ga'ran regime. At this point, we know who Datz is and about their hideout and how the Plumed Punisher was just propaganda. Dhurke seems much more heroic now that we know more about the Defiant Dragons. Following this is when he and Apollo meet for the first time in years and we learn more and more about him and their relationship. It's a great thing to introduce the next scene. The Power Rangers-style show is pretty fun, and we get to see the actress with the more grown up figure that was referenced in a later case.

11. Datz fighting off cops in front of the temple and the people coming in a big revolutionary march to help him! A dramatic, inspiring scene and it was good to see Beh'leeb again!

12. Finally, the scene where Apollo is establishing the Justice Law Office in Khura'in with the help of Ahlbi and Datz and they watch Rayfa's parade. Very Mufasa kind of moment with Dhurke smiling and disappearing! It is very sad to see Apollo and his friends parting ways like that but it is so joyful to see Rayfa smiling and being happy. I've never seen her like that. Also looking forward to seeing Apollo meet up with his friends again someday! I wonder what Datz will do now that he's not being a rebel? He's helping with boxes here and he's sure to be a big help to Apollo. I just wonder how his rebellious characteristics will come into play now. He's one of my favourite personalities because of his good-humored nature and thumbs up! Apollo falling off the ladder adds some nice action to the animation too.

Generally the animation is a nice tasty bonus and I appreciate it. The 3D effect is good and I like it most when it's the dialogue words that seem to jump off the scene. The voices are nicely done, though it can be hard to tell everyone apart from just their voices. However, I can tell who everyone is straight away from their signature cries of "Objection!" "Gotcha!" "Got it!" "Such Insolence!" "That's enough!" "Take that!" etc!

The illustration gallery I'll talk about in the next post.

The DLC has fun sounding non canon "what if" scenarios. I really don't know if I'll bother with them. I didn't bother with the ones from the last game.

224 ace attorney 6 - goodbye, khura'in! the end of the main game!

Dear Readers,

The next morning after Dhurke's acquittal, I saved the game and my perspective shifted from Apollo. I was now Phoenix Wright once again.

We waited for the bus to the airport at the temple. Trucy looked sad and wondered if Apollo decided to stay. I bet he must've been up all night thinking about this life-changing decision. Athena looked sad as well and said it would mean no more courtroom battles alongside him.

Just then we heard a familiar booming voice! It was Apollo! He rushed to us and was out of breath. Athena smiled and asked if he was coming home with us?

Apollo turned to me and told me he had made up his mind... It was the moment of truth...

He said he still had so much to learn from me, but he decided to stay here in Khura'in. Athena and Trucy gasped. He said he felt like he had to pick up where Dhurke left off and couldn't let his sacrifice go to waste. He said he wanted to teach others everything I taught him about being a lawyer. He said with Dhurke's roadmap and my teachings, he believed these two things will save the people of this kingdom from further unrest. He wanted to do it but more importantly, he felt he had to do it! I never felt prouder to have had such an amazing attorney working under me!

Apollo then said someday he'd return to the U.S.! He gave his scout's honour that he'd be back once the new legal system here was firmly in place! Trucy asked him if he really would be coming back and he said he absolutely would, though he didn't know how long he'd be. He said he'd keep learning and growing and come back an even better lawyer, so we better not forget about him!

I told him of course we wouldn't and there would always be a spot waiting for him back at the office! I said we'd be rooting for him and to knock 'em dead! He said "You got it, Mr. Wright!"

Trucy told Apollo she was going to miss him but she was going to support his choice all the way! He thanked her and wished her good luck with her magic act as well, telling her he knows she'll do Troupe Gramarye proud!

Athena told Apollo she'll be cheering for him too, but she'll be growing too and he probably wouldn't recognise her the next time we all meet! They bonded like friendly rivals!

Our bus arrived and we said our heartfelt goodbyes and promises to see each other again.

A brief scene followed where I talked about nurturing the lessons we learn and passing them on to future generations, highlighting Dhurke and his son Nahyuta along with myself and my subordinates Apollo and Athena.

An animated scene followed where Apollo was cleaning up the newly established Justice Law Office in Dhurke's old place along with Ahlbi and Datz. A parade was outside and they all went to have a look. There was Princess Rayfa, who gave her happiest smile and wave to them. Nahyuta was with her too. Apollo also saw Dhurke briefly, who smiled at him before vanishing.

The credits then played out and it was very interesting to see all the different multimedia companies involved. Brief scenes where characters from past cases came back to chat about their futures and hopes and dreams and stuff. Some fabulous characters were here.

At the very end was a scene with Phoenix talking to someone unknown, showing them the picture of Jove Justice. They discussed telling someone the truth. Very interesting. I'm guessing this is about Apollo and Trucy and also Apollo's bracelet. That may be for another time though!

After the credits a letter from Apollo and a photograph of his law office in Khura'in lay on my (Phoenix) desk, a few months after we left him in Khura'in. He apologised for being lax with keeping in touch, but things had been really hectic, what with rebuilding an entire legal system and all!

The next scene took place in Khura'in court, with the judge giving out to me (Apollo) for not even looking at an autopsy report. I said I probably shouldn't have taken on so many cases at once in my backlog. Nahyuta told me there were even more cases to look at, the judge told his friends looking for legal representation that I was still the only lawyer, and Rayfa was here too talking about handing out advertisements for my new office, listing services such as legal advice, investigating extramarital affairs and yak milking! She said these services were free and already got 380 requests! They were all driving me to say something and they really wanted me to say it!

The prompt came up and the microphone turned on all by itself! For the last time in the main game, I said "Objection!"

After this, a dialogue box came up telling me that Illustrations and anime cutscenes galleries had been unlocked in the extras and DLC. I popped in to have a look!

These galleries brought back memories! I looked at some of them briefly to make the "New!" marking disappear, but I would like to make another post to give my own commentary on them. I also looked at the DLC menu and the "Asinine Attorney" stuff looked pretty funny. I'll examine that closer too in the following post(s?).

Anyway hey, this was a fantastic entry in the series! Better than the last one, though I don't remember an awful lot about that. I'll have to review it in a wiki or whatever. If we're counting Ace Attorney 4, 5 and 6 as "the second trilogy" or "Apollo's Trilogy" then it's a pretty amazing conclusion when you consider elements like learning about Apollo's family and going up against Phoenix in court! That was all pretty amazing!

The characters were so good and well made. I got genuinely angry at Nahyuta and felt sympathy towards some of the true culprits. Datz with his big grin and thumbs up is probably my favourite. Ah... I guess I'll talk more about the characters in the next post about gallery commentary! Thanks for reading!

223 ace attorney 6 - nahyuta's proposition

Dear Readers,

After court was adjourned, I gathered with the others in the accused lobby. Athena said way to go! Maya said she was on the edge of her seat when the royal guard stormed the courtroom. They were both fired up and wanted to show them a thing or two!

Phoenix praised me for doing a fine job and I thanked him for all the great advice. He said it was all me and I had perseverance and a never-say-die attitude. He said he learned a thing or two himself from me! He said I overcame the most desperate and hopeless situation he'd ever seen and had nothing but praise for me!

Maya said I finally won Phoenix's seal of approval! She then asked him about her own abilities! He said she also had two major chances for him to become someone for her to channel next! Haha... I couldn't have done any of this without everyone's support; Phoenix, Athena, Nahyuta and Dhurke of course.

We heard a voice behind us, calling me Polly. It was Trucy! Phoenix asked her how she got here and then Edgeworth showed up and said she pulled the old "Let's Stow Away in Mr. Edgeworth's Suitcase" trick!

I asked Trucy if she even had a passport and she changed the subject to her magic panties, saying she could produce one out of them at the drop of a hat! I decided to leave it a mystery.

Princess Rayfa approached us! She still called us Barbed Head and Horn Head, but also said she was forever in our debt for what we had accomplished. She said without our help she may never have changed. I told her she did that all by herself and praised her for it. We just gave her an opportunity. We said her victory was hers and she should be proud of herself. She smiled and seemed to recover quickly.

I asked her about being told about her real parents. She said it was part of her disciplining and Phoenix said it was more like blackmail for her to keep quiet about being the daughter of a criminal. She said her former mother was so insufferable... but she had nothing to fear now that Dhurke was innocent.

I asked what was next for Khura'in? Nahyuta appeared and said Rayfa would ascend to the throne. He said he would act as regent on her behalf until the day she came into her own and could channel spirits. She was pleased and started making an effort to call him "big brother" but couldn't get the words out! She hit me for staring at her and said Queen Amara was going to help her too.

Phoenix asked if Amara was going to be alright and she said the bullet went straight through her without doing any serious damage. Hooray!

Datz then ran up to us with the big grin and two thumbs up! He praised me for beating Dhurke and Nahyuta's charges and getting the revolution going! The legal system was now gonna return to its rightful state like how Dhurke always wanted! He said my name would go down in Khura'inese history!

I turned to Nahuyta and gave him Dhurke's attorney badge. I had to go home to the U.S. and he was going to change Khura'in in Dhurke's place. He then refused my gift and the music stopped. He then said there was something he wanted to show me. It was something he wanted to show all of us.

Nahyuta took us to Dhurke's old law office and told me he wanted me to stay here in Khura'in. He wanted my help in rebuilding Khura'in's law system and reintroducing lawyers back to the court. He wanted me to take over this law office!

I thought about it. Datz even encouraged me, saying Dhurke would've wanted it and let's do it together!

Nahyuta acknowledged I was taken aback by his sudden request and asked me to please give it some thought. I said of course I was honoured but I still had my job at Phoenix's office to think about. Phoenix told me not to worry about it and this was something only I could do. He did admit that the office would be a bit short on firepower without me.

Athena then spoke up and said she was sorry but she couldn't get on board with this. She said there was still so much she wanted to learn from me! Trucy agreed with her and said there was no way she could agree to this because everyone back home would really miss me! They both started looking sad and said it was up to me though.

Nahyuta said he wouldn't question whatever choice I would make. Phoenix said our flight was leaving tomorrow morning and asked if I could make my decision by then. I said I'd try.

I gave it some thought. What was the right thing to do?

222 ace attorney 6 - the revolutionary "not guilty" ruling

Dear Readers,

Nahyuta told the judge that Ga'ran now believed she was the Holy Mother, even though her channelling attempt appeared to fail. He said she was unable to accept the facts and sighed at the idea of having to question her later.

The judge asked what her motive was for attempting to assassinate Amara. I said maybe she wanted to become queen herself for the power and attention. Nahyuta said she likely developed a complex from her inability to channel spirits. She kept Amara alive to have some access to the power and built a cult of personality upon fear and lies.

I said I couldn't understand why Amara even listened to Ga'ran in the first place. Nahyuta said his mother was a gentle soul by nature and believed Ga'ran when she claimed Dhurke was out to kill her. Amara still loved her sister and didn't wish to tarnish her name. This sounded plausible. Phoenix and I discussed how this allowed Amara to be close to Princess Rayfa in the guise of Nayna.

The judge said this was a case for the ages and cleared Nahyuta of all suspicion for Inga's murder. He also cleared Dhurke of all suspicion on Amara's assassination attempt. He declared Nahyuta and Dhurke Not Guilty!

The Pool of Souls released the pink butterflies which swirled around us before leaving through the skylight. They even swirled around the empty prosecutor's bench. I hoped Dhurke was watching as I proved his innocence, Nahyuta was smiling and the revolution he dreamed of was finally happening. The judge adjourned the court.

221 ace attorney 6 - challenging ga'ran to channel

Dear Readers,

It was time for the dramatic logical path to truth and justice!

What could be the key to dethroning Ga'ran? The Founder's Orb! SMASH!

Inga couldn't have channelled the founder, even with Maya because he didn't know the Founder's name! SMASH!

Why is Ga'ran so obsessed with the orb if she and Amara were the only ones who knew the Founder's name? Because she can't channel spirits!!!! Dramatic SMASH!

If Ga'ran can't channel spirits, she'd have no claim to the throne! SMASH!

No claim to the throne would mean the DC Act would become null and void! Along with all the other insane laws!

After coming to this conclusion, I expressed my outrageous assertion by asking Gar'an if she couldn't actually channel spirits. She, the judge and Nahyuta were shocked! The judge demanded an explanation.

I laid it all out. If she couldn't channel spirits, she wouldn't be able to be queen. I even asked the royal guard what if she didn't actually have any spiritual power? What if she was just a pretender and an ordinary person?

She was outraged and objected. I told her to prove it, presenting the Founder's Orb with a "Take that!" I asked her to channel the Founder since she knew her name! The royal guard got excited at the prospect of witnessing this and started clapping.

She stammered before demanding a lawyer. I objected and said there weren't any left in Khura'in because of her DC Act! After much goading from her royal guard and from me, I made one final dramatic finger point and told her her reign of terror ended here! It was so dramatic her royal guard and she were bowled over!

Then she made a desperate attempt to channel the Founder. She was floundering and didn't even use her name. The royal guard was excited initially but got suspicious and finally they pointed their guns at her! She kept going desperately until her eyes turned white and she fell flat on her back in the Pool of Souls.

Some time later the judge asked Nahyuta how Ga'ran was. Nahyuta said she believed that she herself was the Holy Mother. Hm... Is this over or isn't it?

220 ace attorney 6 - ga'ran's last-ditch effort to threaten our lives

Dear Readers,

When I thought I had finally gotten Ga'ran, she snapped her nails and started laughing, telling me that Nahyuta would be found guilty under the DC Act if she was found guilty too! The judge nodded along and confirmed all this.

Phoenix and I sweated at just how absurd this law was.

Ga'ran smirked and said Dhurke had been cleared of all charges, so we should leave thoughts of the real killer and revolution in the past. Nahyuta spoke up and told me we couldn't yield to her here. He said he was willing to face the DC Act if it helped the revolution! He told me to accuse Ga'ran of her crime!

Ga'ran spoke back, saying it would damage the kingdom if we removed the soverign and she called us terrorists. She then started scratching in her book declaring a new law: "All who imperil the crown, no matter the reason shall be subject to immediate execution upon the queen's orders"! She then waved her hand and commanded us to be put to death at once!

A cutscene followed where the royal guard burst into the court and pointed their guns at Phoenix, Nahyuta and me! She said if we continued to oppose her she would execute us! She made a voice acted wicked laugh!

I still objected, saying she couldn't do this! She couldn't just order our execution without due process! Phoenix and Nahyuta both told me to think before I speak again and not make this any worse. Nahyuta said he couldn't lose me to the Twilight Realm too...

Ga'ran told me it was my life or my accusation. I had this choice. I chose to accuse! I recalled Phoenix's biggest smiles saying and Nahyuta's dragon never yields saying.

I smiled and told Ga'ran I wouldn't let fear or even the law to force me to abandon the pursuit of truth. Phoenix and Nahyuta were inspired as well.

Phoenix then said it was a bit late for him to be asking, but what was the plan? I said the only logical thing to do was to dethrone her — right here, right now!

219 ace attorney 6 - nahyuta finally stops being a gosh dang jerk

Dear Readers,

Nahyuta and I had Ga'ran cornered when we determined the hand in the Séance was hers.

Ga'ran smugly said Princess Rayfa's fate was still in her hands and ordered Nahyuta to offer his head. He finally stood up to her and told her he was done heeding her commands. At last!

He finally had his say. He said he believed in Ga'ran even while she had been deceiving him the whole time. He said he could turn his cheek no more and officially retracted his confession in the murder of Inga.

While the gallery chattered I thought to myself, Nahyuta was finally free! 

Nahyuta came to terms with how he had basically been acting like a massive jerk for the entire game until now. He threw off his glove and thanked me for awakening him with my demonstration of our father's creed. He revealed his hand tattoo and posed like Dhurke in the dramatic 3D fashion and said with voiced dialogue "A dragon never yields! Yessssssss!!! At last!

Nahyuta said he would carry on Dhurke's legacy and fulfill his dream, vowing to Ga'ran that he would cast her down from her bloody throne! He said long live the revolution!

Ga'ran was not happy at all. She asked for proof when we accused her of being the culprit of that incident 23 years ago. I struggled but admitted the only thing we had was the photograph Dhurke gave me which in turn gave us the Séance. I then said since Nahyuta retracted his confession, we'd have to redeliberate the current case from scratch. I made our accusation of her official!

The judge asked for proof and Nahyuta said we still had one more avenue. He came up with the question, how did Inga's killer dispose of their disguise? He asked Rayfa about seeing Ga'ran in the courtyard. She said she did, but was told not to mention it because supposedly it had nothing to do with her father's murder. He asked her if Ga'ran had Dhurke's clothes in her possession. She said she didn't. It led to me having to point out where Dhurke's clothes could've been hidden. 

I pointed out the tomb and then the sarcophagus in the tomb. I asserted the killer took his clothes and then returned them when they were finished. Ga'ran objected but I came back with pointing out the bloodstains as proof. I pointed out that the other bloodstain came from Inga when he was murdered.

Ga'ran kept objecting, saying a third party could've been involved other than her. I said this possibility couldn't exist because she said before that she and Inga were the only ones who could open the sarcophagus. She was not happy to find her own words used against her!

I told her to admit being the one who changed the clothes and therefore the one who killed Inga. She snarled about being so disrespected and I told her that was an invalid argument in the sacred hall. I told her no one was above the law, not even monarchs. I told her it was the end of the line for her, that it was time to come down from her lofty throne and face justice!

The music stopped but her seething did not.

218 ace attorney 6 - the final moments of jove justice

Dear Readers,

Princess Rayfa went on to perform the Dance of Devotion once again, this time for my late biological father, Jove Justice. Fortunately, she wasn't shot by the royal guard.

It was a success! The image was of a room with the sensations of burning, heat, crying and pain. There was a baby in my father's arms. I assume that's me. There was something dropped as well that made a metallic sound. There was another person here with their face down on the table.

Rayfa then proceeded to give her Insights on the situation that played out. She wasn't biased against me but she did give statements that seemed to account for what was assumed to be true to this point. Her Insights were incomplete, and it was time for me to find and point stuff out. She also seemed more confident in her position.

On the statement where Dhurke's fingerprints were found on the lighter, I noticed it was a gloved hand that dropped the lighter. I pointed to the reflection of the gloved hand and raised an "Objection!"

I didn't know what it meant but it called into question whether the hand in the vision really was Dhurke's. Rayfa revised her Insight.

I then noticed the wrist of the gloved hand and raised another "Objection!" to this statement saying we didn't know who it was. I said we could prove who it was with the photo of Inga, who was wearing the Cuffs of Justice. 

Rayfa and the gallery were finding it hard to take. Did Inga plot the assassination of both Amara and Ga'ran?

Nahyuta said "Hold it!" and told me what I proposed wasn't possible! He said Inga wasn't the Minister of Justice back then! He said it was Ga'ran! That was news to me but not to Phoenix, who had learned this before.

The judge asked why would she do such a thing? Nahyuta said with clenched teeth and fist that she would ascend to the throne! The judge found it hard to swallow.

Nahyuta and I confronted Ga'ran with our big questions. Was she the one who tore Nahyuta's family apart? Was she the one who killed my father?

She replied with a big "Such insolence!"

217 ace attorney 6 - restoring nahyuta's hope

Dear Readers,

I appealed to Nahyuta's hope that lay deep within his heart, what bonded him, me and Dhurke together as a family. I finally had a chance to present Dhurke's attorney badge. I asked him about why he didn't confiscate it when questioning Dhurke and told him I knew he still had hope for a country where we could live free from fear of tyranny. Dhurke told us about this when we were kids when we asked about his attorney's badge.

Nahyuta had a long pause where he thought long and hard about this. He acknowledged what I was talking about but then told me the dream had died, along with Dhurke. He said no matter the cost, he had to protect her!

I was about to protest again when Ga'ran yelled "Such insolence!" and commanded the judge to lay down his gavel. I objected and with Phoenix's help, thought of something related to the incident 23 years ago, something that would prove Dhurke innocent and no longer be seen as a criminal and thus, clear his children of any of his alleged sins!

The judge was about to continue lowering his gavel when I announced we had new information on the assassination attempt from 23 years ago. The information I had was the photograph of my biological father, which I presented with a "Take that!"

Ga'ran was not pleased to learn he was my biological father and we would be able to consult Princess Rayfa to perform a Séance. She objected to this but I objected back, telling her that Dhurke was being tried for this incident as well today, so it was all part of current and relevant business! 

The judge believed the final memories of my biological father would prove to be very important in solving this case, so he gave the go ahead for another Séance!

The only thing Rayfa needed, along with this photograph of my biological father, was his full name. I told her it was Jove Justice.

Let's hope the royal guard doesn't shoot her as well.

216 ace attorney 6 - the secret of amara's baby

Dear Readers,

When Nahyuta confessed to killing Inga I screamed his name and the gallery was in uproar. Ga'ran smirked. I slammed my bench and yelled at him to retract his confession and admit Ga'ran put him up to this! He told me I was out of line. No one saw this coming, not even Phoenix.

The judge was stunned as well but asked Nahyuta to testify. He said killing Inga was divine judgement and that his mother was covering for him. I asked him did he really want to get the death penalty and he said so be it if that was the law.

It came time for me to cross-examine Nahyuta. Phoenix wondered if there was something we didn't know about that Ga'ran had on him. I pressed him on statements until it got to asking a question. I asked him had he not known Nayna was his own mother? He then revealed that it was fifteen years ago when Dhurke abducted his mother. I didn't know this myself as I had already been sent away at that point to the U.S.

The woman's photo was thought to have been taken 23 years ago. Dhurke told me so. Nahyuta mentioned this happened 15 years ago though. What did this mean? Time to find out! I raised an "Objection!" using the photo. This discrepancy totally changed our knowledge on one detail in the photo that didn't make sense: The baby. Nahyuta couldn't have been a baby at 10 years old. When I told him that he sweated bullets. It became time to point out who the baby was. I pointed out Princess Rayfa with a "Take that!"

I was about to announce her name, but Nahyta said "Hold it!" and he couldn't allow me to name an innocent soul as the child of terrible sinners. I understood, as it would endanger who he'd been trying to protect.

It came time to show why it would be harmful to Rayfa and this one I got wrong a few times. I showed Dhurke's law badge, his book, the woman's photo, but the answer was spelled out in Amara's Assassination File that Dhurke compiled. It was that line "the sins of the father are visited upon his children" and I asserted this was how Ga'ran came to use Nahyuta's sister against him.

Rayfa stepped forward and asked Nahyuta had he been trying to protect her all this time in secret? He calmly said he was doing it for his queen and country and his personal feelings didn't matter. Ga'ran was pleased with his conduct and promised him his sister would be protected and the kingdom would prosper. He said that was all he could ask for with his meagre existence.

I fully understood him now and why he was like this the whole time, but the Nahyuta I knew wouldn't want his life to end like this. I knew there was still hope in his heart. It was for this reason I raised a big "Objection!"

215 ace attorney 6 - ga'ran's new tactic

Dear Readers,

The trial was interrupted at the last moment! Amara was taken away by ambulance just in time but we'd been forced into recess. Phoenix, Athena and I stood in the accused lobby, not able to believe what just happened. I said Ga'ran would regret it if she ordered her guard to do what he did.

Princess Rayfa came to us and updated us on Amara's condition, saying she was going to have a fifty-fifty chance of making it. She was sad about it, just as they were being reunited. I didn't say it but this leads me to believe that Amara could be her mother!

Rayfa asked me how I was, after finding out Dhurke was dead the whole time. I thanked her for her concern, but I was still focused on the trial. She praised me. Athena told me not to overdo it.

Datz then appeared with his face in his hand. Not his usual cheery self at all. He was shocked that Dhurke the dragon was dead. He said when Dhurke disappeared, he turned back into Amara right? I said I suppose so, but I didn't know if it was because Dhurke's spirit willed it or if it was a part of Ga'ran or Amara's plan. Datz was downhearted about our revolution plan and I said not to give up hope yet, as there was a very good chance that Ga'ran was the real culprit in all this. Datz was encouraged by this and said the dream lived on! We just had to prove it in court! He said it was all up to me now!

Rayfa said she would have loved to have spoken with Dhurke while he was still alive. I said really? and assumed she bumped her head or something? Could Dhurke be her father?

The bailiff then told us we were to report to the courtroom at once. Phoenix told me to be on my toes for Ga'ran's response to the last accusation.

Back in court, we noticed Nahyuta was missing. Ga'ran apologised for her guard and never imagined he would do something like that, insisting that he acted alone. I didn't believe it for a second.

Ga'ran then revealed that during the break, Inga's real killer confessed to her. Uh oh.... I had a really bad feeling about this...

The bad feeling was confirmed when this "real killer" presented themselves. Phoenix and I sat there sweating bullets. We and the judge were absolutely speechless. It was Nahyuta.

214 ace attorney 6 - who really channelled who?

Dear Readers,

Princess Rayfa interrupted the judge from declaring Dhurke innocent, saying she couldn't accept this! The judge asked her what the matter was and she said Amara was lying! She said Amara would not have killed her father! She begged Amara to tell the truth.

Amara said there was no mistake about it. She was serious in her confession and the judge said he found that acceptable.

Rayfa called upon us and asked if we were going to let this stand. Hm... I was glad to prove Dhurke's innocence, but this remaining scenario didn't feel right.

Phoenix turned to me and told me to raise any doubts, as the courtroom was a place for finding the whole truth, after all. He said it was all up to me.

This got me thinking, had the whole truth not been brought to light yet? I had the choice whether I wanted to push to continue this trial or not. I chose to push to continue. Rayfa found my decision very affecting.

The judge accepted and put the question to me as to what important fact had yet to come to light. I was genuinely puzzled as to what Amara's motive was. I asked her and she said it was a fair question.

Amara went on to say she did it for the sake of their kingdom. She spoke about Inga's hunger for power being so great he wanted to attain the spiritual power using the orb in order to take over the kingdom. She said she took the opportunity to slay him at that particular time.

When she said that, my bracelet reacted! Phoenix and I looked at each other and I nodded. This trial was far from over. I immediately perceived the middle finger on her left hand was twitching on her statement about the Rite of Channelling at 2PM and I pointed it out with a "Gotcha!"

I was trying to figure out why Amara was self-conscious about her chest when talking about it. Phoenix brought up the picture Ahlbi took and I presented it to her. Ga'ran raised an objection and demanded to know who took it. I wanted to skip that for now as the photo was a more pressing matter!

It was dark in the photograph. Phoenix suggested getting Ema to help and she did, raising the brightness of it. This revealed... a burn scar on the medium's chest...

I said hang on, pointing at Ga'ran's revealing chest and saying she didn't have a burn scar, so the one in the photo wasn't her! I pointed out that it was Amara! I asked her to remove her round mandala so we could see. She didn't say anything. Just then, flames appeared all around the mandala and shattered it, revealing the burn scar on her chest!

This meant they switched places! This changed everything! Amara still staged Inga and Dhurke at 3PM, but someone else was there at 2PM to commit the crime! I pointed to Ga'ran! Her alibi was gone now!

I asked Amara to confirm these facts, one by one. She sat there in a puddle of sweat as I laid them out. When she finally started speaking, she got shot!

A member of the royal guard laughed and said his life was Ga'ran's! The judge called for him to be apprehended and for an ambulance for Amara! Noooooo!

213 ace attorney 6 - amara's love

Dear Readers,

Amara testified in her flowery way that we had nothing but circumstantial evidence. What wasn't so flowery was the way she talked about Dhurke, calling him the wrong man and everything.

While I was pressing, Nahyuta criticized me for using only the process of elimination to pinpoint Amara. He said what if there were other spirit mediums in Khura'in. Phoenix told me I had to either prove that Amara killed Inga or prove Amara was in the tomb.

When she said there was nothing to prove she was at the scene of the crime, I presented the Pink Butterfly Pendant with an "Objection!". This lead to me presenting the Blue Butterfly Pendant that Dhurke was wearing in his corpse photo.

I asserted that the pink and blue pendants went together as a pair. Dhurke kept the blue one and he pretended the pink one was his too but he was covering for someone. While I was making the assertion, Amara was silent and sweating buckets.

I had her cornered. I asked her directly that the pink one was hers wasn't it? She had trouble answering me. I continued, saying that Dhurke figured it out about the pink one and pretended it was his because he wanted to protect Amara... because he loved her. He loved her to the very end and beyond.

At this Amara eventually opened her eyes and made a dramatic anime girl expression. She then finally admitted she killed Inga.

Nahyuta reacted so badly he hit himself in the face again with his beads. She told him to forgive her but it was the only way. Everyone was shocked and saddened. Amara and Dhurke were unable to reconcile while he was still alive.

I asked Amara why she brought the pendant into the tomb with her, knowing it would come back to haunt her. She said she couldn't understand it herself. She said even though she was nearly assassinated by her husband, she couldn't bear any hatred towards him. She couldn't bring herself to discard it for any length of time. She also finally admitted she never stopped loving Dhurke for the past twenty-three years.

Hmm... so she still believed that he tried to assassinate her?

Amara then asked the judge was it not time to declare Dhurke innocent. The prosecution had no objections, not Ga'ran or Nahyuta, though he was struggling with the fact that his mother killed Inga. I was happy Dhurke was going to be declared innocent, but something else troubled me.

The judge, acknowledging that Amara was still alive so there was no assassination, and the fact that Dhurke was killed by Inga rather than the other way round, he was about to bring down his gavel.

Just then, he was interrupted by a "Hold it!" from... Princess Rayfa! Dun dun dunnnn!