Did you know that you can play as a defense attorney in a video game? That’s the main idea for the “Ace Attorney” video game series from Capcom. This visual novel adventure game started in 2001 with the Japanese release of Gyakuten Saiban under the direction of producer Shu Takumi. This first game was released on the Game Boy Advance in Japan, but was localized for other countries on the Nintendo DS in 2005 under the name “Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney”. Since the first release, there have been 10 games, not including any of the compilation releases.
The first trilogy of games consists of “Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney,” “Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice for All” and “Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Trials and Tribulations.” This first trilogy follows the protagonist, Defense Attorney Phoenix Wright and his spirit medium co-counsel Maya Fey in the world of law. However, this law is unlike what is seen in either America or Japan; courts only have 3 days to declare a defendant guilty or innocent. This rushed form of justice means both defense and prosecution have made deals to get the verdicts they want. Phoenix Wright aims to be honest, however, by believing in his client’s innocence and searching for only the truth.
The second trilogy includes “Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney,” “Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies” and “Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice.” These games follow the new protagonists, Defense Attorneys Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes, along with Phoenix Wright. There are also spin-off games, including “Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth” and “Ace Attorney Investigations 2”, the crossover with Professor Layton called “Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney” and the newest games “The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures” and “The Great Ace Attorney: Resolve”.
The gameplay consists of investigation sequences and court proceedings. In the investigations, the player goes to the crime scene to question witnesses, gather evidence, and form ideas of what transpired. On the court days, the player is tasked with going through witness testimonies. The player must press the witness and present evidence to further the trial and to eventually prove their client innocent. The game involves a good bit of reading and comprehension skills to solve the mysteries behind the crimes. All games, except the spin-off series based on the prosecutor from the first game, Miles Edgeworth, follow this similar setup.
Now is as good a time as any to pick up these interesting games! They are available on most modern consoles such as the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and even Steam. Some of the games are also available on mobile devices via the app store. Hopefully, there are no objections to playing these games!
