Throughout my time here at BSO, I think I have mentioned the Ace Attorney franchise at least once or twice. If you happened to miss those instances and have no clue what I’m talking about, let me catch you up right now. Created by Shu Takumi for Capcom, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney was a visual novel made for the Nintendo DS system. You play as the titular Phoenix “Nick” Wright and investigate murder cases as a defense attorney, then try to win those cases in court. While the concept sounds drab and boring, you can be assured that the normal legal routine has been yeeted entirely out of the picture in favor of tremendously iconic witnesses, a clueless judge, and an entirely ludicrous legal system.
Nothing about Ace Attorney is normal or common in the legal system familiar to Westerners, but that’s why the franchise is still going strong to this day. Takumi is a master at creating memorable characters and cases that stick in your brain like a worm. The supporting cast is equally as charming. Detective Dick Gumshoe — yes, that’s his name in the game — is probably one of my favorite characters in gaming. The same could be said for Larry Butz… excuse me… Laurice Deauxnim, Wright’s best friend and a constant source of entertainment and trouble.
The series has been an absolute smash hit in both Japan and the United States, as well as around the world. Not counting compilations, there are eleven games in the series total with nine being playable in the United States. The two games not playable in the United States are from the Investigations series called Investigations: Miles Edgeworth and Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit. There was an immensely impressive fan translation for both games, but nothing official from Capcom. That all changed at their last Direct when they announced the American release of both games in a title called Investigations Collection.
Investigations Collection allows fans to play both games in either an updated HD look or the original sprite-based look and movement. Though there have been some updates to the sprites, they were done by the original character designer, Tatsuro Iwamoto. His work is burned into my brain. I will always choose the original because that’s how I learned how to play these and I see no reason to change now. There will also be a collection of art from the making of the two games and the inclusion of the original soundtrack for fans to own and appreciate.
What sets this game apart from the others is that you spend the vast majority of your time actually investigating crimes rather than arguing in court. Whereas Phoenix would spend part of a day gathering evidence and talking to potential witnesses before returning to court in the back half, Edgeworth spends nearly all of his time shuttling back and forth between locations so he can gather as much evidence as needed. This means Edgeworth is going to be talking to an impressive amount of people and you know what that means! It means Takumi is going to bless us with some of his best work creating off-the-wall characters to meet the game’s demand.
This game is truly one of the top three best games I have ever played in my life. For whatever reason, it’s stuck to my brain. If you’re looking for a different type of game with one of the most addictive soundtracks mankind has ever heard, then this game is for you. Takumi and Capcom have created a perfect game that contains multitudes. The main character is wonderful, the supporting cast deserves an award, the soundtrack is quite possibly more addictive than social media, and the gameplay is just perfect.
The game comes out on September 6th, so don’t miss out.
