Before the boom in interest that has since seen many visual novels released on consoles, it was commonplace to see many games of the genre relegated to PC. Even if gaining a console release such as with Danganronpa for the PlayStation Portable, it would often take many years for a decision about potential localisations to be made – should they ever eventuate. One significant exception to this was the Ace Attorney series crafted by Capcom, which took players through a range of memorable trials with a somewhat overarching narrative, through the perspective of different defence attorneys – starting with Phoenix Wright and later expanding to feature other characters.
A spin-off to the mainline series was the Ace Attorney Investigations series, comprising two games: Miles Edgeworth in 2009 / 2010, and Prosecutor’s Gambit, which never received a release outside of Japan – both for the Nintendo DS. The major shift is from the role you play – from defence attorney to prosecutor – with a focus on both the narrative-driven story and the investigative side of evidence searching, ultimately making the game more interactive and engaging than before. Now in 2024, players have the opportunity to play not only the memorable Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth and an official localization of Ace Attorney Investigations: Prosecutor’s Gambit. – all in the one bundle: Ace Attorney Investigations Collection for the PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One – with backwards compatibility for the latter two’s current-gen platforms. While the games were solid for their day, how do they hold up in 2024? Are the new inclusions worthwhile for new and returning players alike? Read on to find out!
Both games in the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection revolve around prosecutor Miles Edgeworth, boosted from secondary to main character – as he navigates a range of complex cases – investigating the cases themselves through point-and-click interactive scenes, before going toe-to-toe to prove your case – for the most part sans the courtroom schtick. The narrative is rich and layered, with the first game introducing rewardingly complex plots tied to an international smuggling ring, while its sequel, Prosecutor’s Gambit, delves deeper with more intense political intrigue spearheaded by an assassination attempt. Both games follow a typical Ace Attorney structure, with individual cases eventually tying into larger overarching mysteries – each being grand, complex and most certainly not run-of-the-mill, holding up well against the competition in the market today, some of which do add more supernatural elements to the mix.
Throughout the games, Edgeworth’s interactions with supporting characters like Dick Gumshoe and newcomer Kay Faraday add depth to the story. Kay, in particular, brings a fresh dynamic as Edgeworth’s apprentice of sorts, acting in a similar role to Maya Fey for Phoenix Wright. The character interplay adds humour and a fresh perspective on the cases, even if they don’t revolutionise the formula too much. For those who are diving away from the ventures of Phoenix Wright for the first time, they, along with other familiar characters return in a supporting capacity, which is welcome, but simultaneously doesn’t draw from this being a game about Edgeworth. Furthermore, while one belief is that Prosecutor’s Gambit was too much of a localisation burden for Capcom when it first launched in Japan, they do a fine job in localising the game into English – with no major complaints to make on my end.
The visual and auditory presentations of both games in the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection honour the original design language, with the obvious decision to upscale the graphics to higher definition – ultimately offering crisp, clear environments and sprites that balance being modern with honouring the design language required for the Nintendo DS at the time. They brought original character designer Tatsuro Iwamoto on board to ensure consistency in style – a nice touch – and further provided the ability to switch between HD and Pixel Art style character sprites – which was welcome, even if I found myself playing on the HD sprites for the most part.
Regarding the music, both games in the collection retain the style of their respective releases and the Ace Attorney series as a whole, with remastered tracks ensuring they sound nice emitting from your modern-day television. Overall, the soundtrack is both atmospheric and engaging, complementing the investigative and emotional beats of the story. Unsurprisingly, this modern-day re-release of Ace Attorney Investigations does not feature full English voice acting, but some of the iconic soundbites to make a return.
As mentioned above, the gameplay in both Ace Attorney Investigations titles differs considerably from the main series, placing the player in control of Miles Edgeworth as he physically navigates crime scenes. Unlike the traditional first-person perspective found in the mainline games, where players move between static screens, the third-person view allows for a more hands-on investigation. The result is a more immersive experience, giving you at least the illusion of more freedom to tackle the mysteries, as you examine evidence directly, and interact with witnesses on-site.
A key feature of the gameplay is the “Logic” system, where Edgeworth gathers clues and then connects them to piece together the truth behind each crime. The logic system is generally satisfying and maintains a solid pace, although, like other games, the investigation systems do tend to be slower depending on how you map out the clues, and this I would argue is no exception. As you’d expect for a sequel, Prosecutor’s Gambit has a few improvements over its predecessor, namely the implementation of a “Mind Chess” system, timed events akin to playing mental chess, as you break down your opponents’ rhetorical defences by choosing when is best to listen and when to go on the verbal offensive. With mostly the lack of the courtroom environment and Edgeworth being on-site, it lends itself to more creative ways of coming to a conclusion and bringing the case to its end.
Without a doubt, the most substantial inclusion in the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection for Western audiences is the introduction of Prosecutor’s Gambit, which in my opinion, by itself would justify a purchase for fans of the collection. However, this is not just a long-awaited localisation and some remastering efforts but has a few nice additional features, including a comprehensive art and sound gallery, a story mode that turns the overall experience into something more comparable to a traditional mystery visual novel and a character dialogue history log. Some are a bit surprising, and some are visual novel staples, but again it shows that Capcom has made efforts to cater to fans who want to deep dive into each chapter’s challenges and mysteries and those who are time-poor and want to focus more on the narrative.
While arguably the Ace Attorney Investigations duology was overshadowed by their mainline counterparts, both Miles Edgeworth and Prosecutor’s Gambit are standout entries that, with or without the new features such as remastered visuals/audio and quality of life updates, hold their own in a market with many more titles providing comparable offerings. But really, it is great to see these games getting to live outside of the now-defunct DS / 3DS platform they have been exclusive to. Whether you’re revisiting Miles Edgeworth’s adventures or discovering them for the first time, this collection delivers a rewarding and immersive courtroom drama experience that is well worth the time. Now, here’s hoping we see a fresh Ace Attorney game soon!
Final Score of Ace Attorney Investigations Collection
This review was conducted on a digital copy of Ace Attorney Investigations Collection for the Nintendo Switch, supplied by Five Star Games (Australian Distributor).
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is now available for the Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
