Yes, Aviary Attorney stars birds. You'll remember that the feather-flaunting ex-dinosaurs have also taken our dating simulators. What's next? Far Cry? Wait... oh nooooooooo.
Despite the rather comical premise, this one looks to play it pretty straight and let the absurdity of bird lawyers paired with some gorgeous period art do the talking. Or squawking. Har har. disclaimer: if you shoot me now, the post ends here. At least wait until I'm finished, you know, on everybody else's behalf. No more bird gags, I promise.
Here's the setup:
"The year is 1848. Paris is on the brink of yet another revolution, and the prisons are overflowing with guilty and innocent alike. In the dusty and neglected Aviary Attorney legal offices, Jayjay Falcon and Sparrowson receive a lucrative offer. Bourgeoisie kitten Caterline Demiaou has been accused of murder, and the Demiaou estate are willing to pay a sizable sum for a defense lawyer who can claim a Not Guilty verdict. Falcon will surely take on the case, but is somebody conspiring to stop him?"
Gameplay-wise, Aviary Attorney very nearly is Phoenix Wright. When you're out and about, you chat with a colorful cast of oddball characters and hunt for evidence—albeit with a slight twist; you have a time limit, so aimlessly wandering will leave you poorly prepared for your case. When court is in session, things proceed more typically. You have to scrutinize testimonies, present evidence at the right times, and so on.
Interestingly, you can flub a case and continue the story. You just might not be quite as pleased with the outcome.
Aviary Attorney is on Kickstarter right now seeking £7,000, aka just under $11,000. Assuming it pulls in enough good and proper legal tinder, it'll be out on PC in June 2015.
So here we are, at the end of the post. Time for a game. I've hidden one more bird gag in this post—one last piece of evidence that I'm guilty of horrendous joke crimes. If you can find it, you win. You may pull the trigger. I will keep my own dueling pistol sheathed and accept my fate. But should you fail... eh I dunno. I guess you owe me a beer or something.