The Time Traveler's Husband

I guess my prediction about Capcom embracing an episodic delivery format was overly optimistic. Still, it's nice that they're making more content for me.

Like the "Special Episode" added to Dual Destinies, this new case doesn't have anything to do with the plot or events of Spirit of Justice. In fact, with the return of Maya, Edgeworth, and Larry Butz, the banter and hijinks of this case are occasionally reminiscent of Phoenix Wright's older trials.

That aspect of the special episode is well-balanced: the returning characters feel comfortably familiar, but the case itself doesn't lean on knowledge of the DL-6 incident, or the Steel Samurai, et al. It also doesn't lean on nostalgia for its appeal, as the new characters and setting for this case are sufficiently interesting on their own.

As the franchise is wont to do, some of the biggest twists in this case are forecasted very early on -- but the devil is in the details, and working those details out during the investigation and trial is as satisfying as ever.

The only real failing here is that - like the Special Episode from Dual Destinies - it lacks the gravitas of the main game's sequelized cases, and how they progressively build up to an epic conclusion. As a self-contained case, this is about as good as you can get.

Well, that, and this extra case doesn't do much with the franchise's various evidence puzzle mechanics: Apollo is nowhere to be seen, and Athena doesn't actively participate. But as in Spirit of Justice's own cases, the story does a fair enough job making up for these shortcomings.

Better than: the shorter cases in Spirit of Justice
Not as good as: the longer cases in Spirit of Justice
Probably about the same as: Dual Destinies' "Turnabout Reclaimed" Special Episode