Three and Out – ‘Aviary Attorney’

I initially purchased Aviary Attorney due to my love of the Ace Attorney series. I figured it was a game that was narratively-focused like Ace Attorney, but with bird puns and a distinctly vintage style reminiscent of famous french art, was a recipe for success. What I did not expect was a branching narrative that continued regardless of my actions, pushing what the genre is capable of. At the end of the first case, I had successfully defended my client and pointed my wing at who I thought was the real killer. Instead of her acting innocent after the trial ended, she confessed that she was in fact the killer, and thanked me for saving her. This spiraled my character into a depression and set the tone for the rest of the game. Upon replaying that first case and letting that client be found guilty, my character never found out she was actually responsible for the murder, and went into grief over the fact that he lost an innocent woman’s case as opposed to setting a guilty party free. This is a brilliant way of providing replayability and letting any player, regardless of skill, progress through its narrative. On my first playthrough, I naturally ended up in the ending where I won all of my cases without encountering much difficulty.

The bulk of Aviary Attorney takes place in the period leading up to the French Revolution, an interesting choice that provides for some unique takes on history. Throughout the game, I heard rumors and passings of unrest amongst the lower class. Beggars wandered the street asking for spare change to feed their children. A pompous king wrongly believed he was beloved by all and didn’t have to give any thought to the needy. Black market vendors took advantage of the situation to sell arms to scared peasants. This all came to fruition around the midpoint of the game, where I got caught by some revolutionaries, forced to plead for a man’s life. Thus I entered a strange trial where I was walking on eggshells – if I said something out of line, a revolutionary would execute the man on the spot. In Aviary Attorney, the law is no longer just and the people rise up to be judge, jury, and executioner for themselves. It is a refreshingly fascinating take from the position of an attorney.

Beneath the exterior of a history lesson is some interesting commentary on the system of law. Much of the unrest present in Aviary Attorney is due to how the populace perceives the judicial system, imagining prosecutors as those who try to get a client guilty at any cost. Unlike other visual novels in a court setting, there is an actual jury here and an influence gauge of sorts that determines the outcome of the trial. It didn’t actually matter if I had conclusive evidence if the jury felt the defendant was innocent, or if they simply liked me enough over the prosecutor. Often times, the mind places more value into faith than reason, and the current status quo proves that, even beyond the boundaries of the game: innocent people are thrown in jail and guilty parties go free. Perhaps the system actually is rigged after all and the lower class is right to revolt.

Thank you for reading. Your Patreon support keeps our community entirely Ad free.