Pro Philosopher 2: Governments & Grievances

如果这个游戏属于九年义务教育必修课的话，我不敢想互联网环境会多么好。 [spoiler]或许这个游戏就是做出来印证最终boss的想法的[/spoiler]

Reminded me of my political philosophy class last semester. Content was very surface level and took simplified views of the speakers presented but you kind of have to adjust your expectations when you download the funny haha ace attorney philosophy game. It's not meant to be serious!! Game is also funny and well-written but there were a couple 2018 millennial humor moments for sure

I really enjoyed the first Pro Philosopher, but I'll admit, the idea of debating Government philosophy seemed daunting. I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that the player-character was similarly wary of the situation. This also helped break the ideas down very neatly and helped me understand them better. For me, one of the most interesting things is how it relates to the real world. There's some lines that you definitely get a sense of which way the developers lean politically, but overall the game does see and acknowledge multiple perspectives. It acknowledges a lot of the fears and critiques of current government systems (primarily American), but it ends with an overall message of how there's potential for things to be better. I also like that it explained a little more about the Jones family and why Ariadne is so passionate about philosophy. In my review of the first game, I said the game was basically Ace Attorney but philosophy instead of law, and I think part of my reasoning is that Socrates and Ariadne felt like generic inserts created because they couldn't use Phoenix and Trucy, Ryunosuke and Susato, or any other "debater and weird-girl sidekick" combo from AA. Fleshing out the family, explaining the situation with mom, and letting Ari take the lead really helped set this game apart from just being an Ace Attorney clone. (That being said, I wouldn't oppose a crossover if this game got that big.) Trying not to get into spoilers, but there is a twist right after the "Tutorial Debate" that makes the game seem a lot more sci-fi than the previous, and it definitely felt like a sharp turn that was kinda jarring. I wasn't sure where it was going, and admittedly you have to just not overthink some of the world-building implications, but I think it ultimately worked to create a solid reason for the characters to end up in this situation. On a technical level, the art style is much cleaner and the animations much smoother. There's still some times that I want to scream at the game that my point is valid and it is just that the way I'm thinking isn't the way the game is thinking (one in particular, I wanted to make my point too early). Because of this, I appreciated that there were also some points where it felt like the game was recognizing I made a valid point, but it wasn't the point that they were looking for or it wasn't a point that worked for the overall plot, so I was nudged toward trying a similar argument on the same line or trying that argument on a different line. It felt like a good reward for thinking things through, even if it wasn't the "right" answer. Overall, great game if you like debating or philosophy ... or if you just want to see Karl Marx say "Nerf the Rich"