psyche-lock

A gameplay and story mechanic in the Ace Attorney franchise. They appear as colored heavy locks surrounded by chains that appear in front of a character during interrogation. The minimum number of locks is one, with the maximum being five. Only the player character sees them - the person being questioned has no idea they’re there (unless they already have prior knowledge of them).

Psyche-Locks come in two colors: red and black. Red locks are the most common, appearing when a person is lying. Depending on the number of red locks, the person could be hiding a simple fib, or a massively groundbreaking secret. Red locks function as a gameplay mechanic where players present evidence that contradicts the character’s statements. Once the character admits they lied, a lock will shatter. Breaking all of the locks will remove the chains and allow players to progress in the story.

Black Psyche-Locks are strictly a story element, and are much rarer throughout the franchise. These locks appear when a character is hiding a secret that they themselves don’t know about, typically as a result of a traumatic incident or from a character’s own deranged personality. Attempting to break black locks can result in severe mental damage, and no one has ever tried to do so against the character’s volition. Of the few times that black locks have appeared, there are always five locks surrounding the character.