In the courtroom trials , the player aim to get their client declared " not guilty " . To do so , they cross @-@ examine witnesses , and aim to find lies and inconsistencies in the testimonies . They are able to go back and forth between the different statements in the testimony , and can press the witness for more details on a statement . When the player find an inconsistency , they can present a piece of evidence that contradict the statement . The player is penalized if they present incorrect evidence : in the first game , a number of exclamation marks is shown , with one disappearing after each mistake the player make ; in later games , a health bar that represent the judge 's patience is used instead . If all exclamation marks are lost , or the health bar reach zero , the player lose the game and their client is declared guilty .