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Ace Attorney Investigations Collection – Review | Eureka!

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is the latest of Capcom’s efforts to bring the Ace Attorney franchise to a wider audience. This collection packages Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth and Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit into a single release available on PC and all major consoles. The inclusion of Prosecutor’s Gambit is especially exciting, as prior to this collection it had not been officially available in English at all. As the title suggests, the collection stars prosecutor Miles Edgeworth rather than a defense attorney. It’s a departure from the usual Ace Attorney formula, and Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth somewhat stumbles in making it work. It’s still an enjoyable game though, and fortunately Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit improves on the issues I had with its predecessor.

Edgeworth Objects to the lack of objections in Ace Attorney Investigations Collection

Edgeworth is on the Case

While the original Ace Attorney trilogy follows the exploits of plucky defense attorney Phoenix Wright as he seeks justice for the wrongly accused, Ace Attorney Investigations Collection flips the script and puts you in the shoes of the prosecution, with fan-favorite prosecutor Miles Edgeworth making his main character debut. Liars and criminals be warned–the aristocratic Edgeworth is both resourceful and relentless in pursuit of the truth.

The Ace Attorney Investigations games spin off the main series and take place after the original trilogy. It’s possible to play Ace Attorney Investigations Collection in isolation and enjoy the cases, but for the best experience I would recommend playing the original trilogy first. Some knowledge of the events of these games is assumed, and there are a number of returning characters, foremost among them Miles Edgeworth himself. Edgeworth is a great character with a lot of development in the original trilogy, and seeing how he became the person he is by the start of Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth makes him a more compelling protagonist.

Checking the office in Ace Attorney Investigations Collection

Investigation Innovation

The Ace Attorney Investigations games also make some changes to the gameplay formula. The pieces you know and love are all there, just arranged differently. As the title suggests, the focus is on investigation. In fact, there are no trial sections. However, there are several new systems and mechanics to spice things up.

Investigations now take place in traversable isometric environments rather than against static 2D backdrops. Edgeworth and co. can walk around, examine various objects, and talk to other characters. As in previous games, examining objects and interviewing witnesses uncovers evidence, which is then added to Edgeworth’s organizer. However, the Ace Attorney Investigations games also include new Logical Deductions mechanics. Discovering new information can lead to ideas rather than tangible evidence, and by guiding Edgeworth to connect related ideas, you can progress the investigation. You will also at times be prompted to “deduce” examinable objects and present evidence from the organizer that connects to or contradicts what you have highlighted.

The new mechanics are both welcome and necessary in a game that is all investigations. In the original Ace Attorney trilogy, trial sections were the highlights and investigations could sometimes drag. The new deduction mechanics add depth and contribute to a more dynamic feel. Rather than simply clicking on stuff until you’ve filled Edgeworth’s organizer, the deductions keep you thinking and solving puzzles throughout the investigation rather than all at the end. I thought the pacing of the investigations was good throughout both games.

The judge

That’s Checkmate

While there are no trials in Ace Attorney Investigations Collection, the cross-examination mechanics return in the form of rebuttals. From time to time, witnesses or other parties will share with Edgeworth their knowledge and theories on the case. Of course, they are either wrong or hiding something, and it’s up to Edgeworth to set the record straight. These rebuttals work exactly like cross-examinations from the original trilogy. You can press the other party for more information, and your goal is ultimately to present evidence that exposes a contradiction. As cross-examinations are my favorite mechanic in the Ace Attorney franchise, I was happy to see them featured here in some form. Ace Attorney Investigations Collection doesn’t do anything new with them, but I’d say that’s simply a case of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.”

Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit adds one additional new mechanic called Mind Chess. Here, Edgeworth confronts verbal sparring partners hiding important information and must use his guile and calm under pressure to draw out their secrets. The conversation is framed as a chess game, with Edgeworth’s opponents’ mental defenses symbolized as chess pieces. The mechanics consist of deciding whether Edgeworth should bide his time and let his opponent talk themself into a hole or go on the offensive and press a weak point in their argument. The key clue is the appearance of the opponent’s sprite, and it doesn’t take much thought to figure out what to do. However, the conversations themselves are quite cleverly written and show off Edgeworth’s aristocratic demeanor and skill in manipulating people. It’s a great contrast to Phoenix Wright’s hot-blooded bluster, and Mind Chess helps make playing as Edgeworth feel distinctive.

Edgeworth being smug in Ace Attorney Investigations Collection

Missing Persons

I mentioned I was somewhat disappointed in Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, and it ultimately comes down to execution. The mechanics are sufficient to support the gameplay loop and story, but the puzzles aren’t as well-crafted as those in previous games. The primary issue is that Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth too often poses vague questions. I not infrequently found myself in the middle of a deduction or rebuttal with the right idea of what point I needed to make, but unsure of exactly what I needed to do to make it: which statement to object to or which object to deduce against. In an on-rails adventure game like Ace Attorney it’s important to be precise, and Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth doesn’t always deliver.

The biggest letdown in Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth isn’t the puzzles though. It’s the characters, in particular, the lack of interesting new characters. For one, there are a huge number of returning characters. Given the protagonist, you expect to see Edgeworth’s key associates like Detective Gumshoe and Franziska von Karma, and they play their parts well enough. However, many of the witnesses and minor characters are retreads from the original trilogy, and those who aren’t have little depth or development. At times it felt like trying to paper over a lack of substance with fanservice.

Edgeworth and Kay

Fresh Faces

The two notable new faces are Edgeworth’s assistant and self-proclaimed great thief Kay Faraday and cocky interpol agent Shi-Long Lang. Kay has a fun energy, and her backstory drives the game’s central cases, but she also has the same perky, high-energy goofball personality we already got in previous games in both Maya Fey and Trucy Wright. It would have been nice to see something different, especially given Edgeworth himself is quite a contrast to Phoenix Wright. Shi-Long Lang makes an impressive entrance, but it’s not until a good way into the story and he doesn’t get much character development until the sequel.

Part of the problem is that Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth lacks a recurring antagonist. The original trilogy games see you face off against the same prosecutor over multiple cases, which lets you get to know them well and gives them opportunities for character development. Instead, Edgeworth holds a series of ad hoc debates against various dubious witnesses and misguided investigators, and while individually these are fine enough, there’s no “sum of the parts” to support compelling character or ideological development.

Eustace in Ace Attorney Investigations Collection

A Closer Look

Fortunately, Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit boasts a much stronger cast. The tag team of conscientious judge Verity Gavelle and hotshot prosecutorial “prodigy” Eustace Winner show up throughout the cases to test Edgeworth’s investigative mettle, and both have well-written arcs that see them forced to confront serious challenges to their worldviews. Edgeworth also runs across his late father’s protege: defense attorney Eddie Fender. The pair have a few bones to pick regarding their shared past and Edgeworth’s decision to cross the aisle rather than follow in his father’s footsteps. Again, the dynamic between the two is well-written and plays out across the majority of the cases, allowing time to realize interesting character and narrative directions.

Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit still sports its share of callbacks and cameos, but as a side to the main dish of compelling new characters this feels like a fun rather than gratuitous level of fanservice. Plus, even the minor characters are better written, and the most significant ones appear in some form across multiple cases, allowing for a stronger sense of purpose and connection in the grander story.

Looking at a clue

The Pursuit of Justice

Compared to the original trilogy, Ace Attorney Investigations Collection makes a greater effort to tell a single overarching story rather than present a series of unrelated “cases of the week”. On the literal level, Edgeworth finds himself on the trail of a nefarious smuggling ring with ties to his past. On a deeper level, the story explores Edgeworth’s obligations to the legacy of his father and what it means to fight for justice as a prosecutor rather than a defense attorney. It’s an intriguing step forward in narrative ambition for the franchise, but the execution is uneven.

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth has the classic problem of telling rather than showing. Characters lecture each other and monologue about the meaning of justice and the legal system, but the events do little to support the ideas or challenge the characters beyond the broadest strokes. Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit does a much better job presenting the characters with difficult situations that challenge their worldviews. However, it’s still quite unsubtle in using its characters as mouthpieces. Plus, while the ultimate resolution offers a satisfying answer to the games’ central philosophical question, the last case jumps the shark to get there. Regardless, I appreciate the ambition and imagine these games paved the way for even stronger execution of an overarching narrative in The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles.

Edgeworth and Lang discussion innocence in Ace Attorney Investigations Collection

Art, Sound, and Extras

As per usual for the franchise, Ace Attorney Investigations Collection nails the audio and visuals. Sprites exude the fun, wacky spirit the series is known for and investigation scenes provide both a wealth of sight gags and the visual clarity needed to solve the puzzles. While this release offers the option to play with the original Nintendo DS sprites, I opted for the updated HD graphics, which add polish without losing character. The soundtrack hits too, from the expressive character themes to the scene-setting background music to the highlight reel pursuit themes.

As you play through the cases, you unlock Ace Attorney Investigations Collection’s Gallery, which allows you to view CGs and character sprites as well as listen to the soundtrack and track achievements. Some of the achievements are missable (and silly), so you’ll want a guide if you’re the type who chases 100% completion, but I didn’t worry about them. There are also bonus features in the form of a concept art gallery and orchestral renditions of much of the soundtrack. They’re a nice bow on top of what’s already a great package.

Franziska talking about foolish fools

Verdict

While Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth is one of the franchise’s weaker entries, it’s still good fun, and Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit improves on everything its predecessor got wrong. Bundle them together in a convenient package finished with polish and extras, and Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is an easy recommendation.

ACE ATTORNEY INVESTIGATIONS COLLECTION IS RECOMMENDED

Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One
Purchase: Humble (PC Steam)

If you are looking for another mystery title, you might enjoy Anonymous;Code.

Thanks to Capcom for providing a PC review code for Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy.

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