My Steam Deck Has Turned Into A Phoenix Wright Machine

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There are certain games I like to play on certain platforms. Indies tend to find a home on the Nintendo Switch thanks to their low power requirements and perks of portability, while more demanding games or multiplatform releases always find a home on PS5 and Xbox Series X.

But now I’ve picked up a Steam Deck for the second time and finally fallen in love with it, all of these usual habits have been thrown by the wayside. The Deck is powerful enough to run a number of modern games at its 1200x800 resolution, while the indie games I’d usually use the Switch for are now far and away superior on Valve’s handheld. I’m not using consoles as much and find myself dipping into titles I would have otherwise ignored.

That includes Phoenix Wright and all three of its collections - the HD Trilogy, Apollo Justice Trilogy, and The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles - all of which are available on new platforms with updated visuals, quality of life features, and a bunch of worthwhile bonuses. Capcom is making these games more accessible and rewarding than they’ve ever been, but part of me misses their portable origins and failure to recapture that same magic on home consoles.

Yes, I know these games are on Switch already, but when they look and feel better on the Deck, it feels like an obvious transition to make. I can dive into any of these classics, a few of which I’m playing for the first time, and tuck into them like I’m reading a good book. The Phoenix Wright games have always felt like long reads. Visual novels brought to life through fascinating narrative mechanics and characters presented in ways that are equally charming and memorable.

Once upon a time, these were confined to the Nintendo DS and brought to life in official illustrations and anime adaptations. But in remastered form, each game reaches its full potential for the very first time.

While the original trilogy is pretty archaic in its graphics alongside how it presents certain parts of the narrative and gameplay, it’s delightful to admire this aesthetic as it matures into the third-dimension and strives to take on more eccentric characters and ideas. There is something beautiful about the simplicity of the original trilogy, but that ingenuity is matched by future games that are never afraid when taking us to exciting new places, even if most of that is confined to a generic courtroom.

Phoenix Wright also turned me onto a replay of Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, a gem of a narrative adventure that shines on original hardware, but truly comes to life on the Deck with its recent remaster. I made a habit of playing a few chapters during lunch or before bed each night, teasing myself with a delicious cliffhanger before putting the handheld aside knowing that tomorrow, I could continue this journey all over again.

Capcom designed both Phoenix Wright and Ghost Trick for portable platforms, offering continuous narratives and bite-sized gameplay sections where you are encouraged to pick up and play. I could do that on Switch, but the Deck offers infinitely more options and more modern titles like Read Only Memories - Neurodiver and a handful of dating sims where I can chat up adorable monster girls. Switch might have exclusives and indies I love, but for some strange reason it always felt like something was missing, and now I’ve finally found it.

None of these things entered my mind until I finally fell in love with the Deck, and it’s exciting that Valve has been able to broaden my gaming horizons in ways I’ve been desperate for.

Next: Hades 2, Dungeon Meshi, And The Joy Of Shipping

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