When you think about it, prosecutors are often overlooked nominees for hero status. They are tasked with upholding the law of the land, pursuing suspected criminals in the courts and proving any wrongdoing. This is perhaps part of why Capcom’s Ace Attorney franchise caught the imagination so well when it launched on the unstoppable Nintendo DS nearly 20 years ago over on these shores.
The series has a long and successful history of telling intriguing stories filled with mystery, twists and turns. In fact it’s all about the narrative, the Ace Attorney games are built around a compelling set of characters who are trying to understand the events unfolding around them.
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is no different and contains two titles from the period where releases outside of Japan started to get less frequent. The first game, Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, made it around the world, however this edition marks the first time Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit has been available outside of Japan. That alone will surely make this collection a must have for fans of the series.
For the uninitiated, Ace Attorney Investigations Collection very much follows the theme of the series, bundling two titles that showcase the classic narrative based sleuthing. This is done via a few different methods, from a classic point and click exploration of crime scenes, to questioning witnesses and suspects and scrutinising testimony in order to expose the contradictions from the evidence collected.
However, this time around the balance of gameplay feels better with more focus on the investigation side of things (I guess the clue is in the title). This is no bad thing, as the Ace Attorney games are extremely text heavy. There’s lots of reading and concentration required, so if that isn’t up your alley you may not get along with Ace Attorney Investigations Collection.
Indeed, at times you will be asked to do nothing more than sit back and pay attention to the exchanges between characters. Thankfully, you can stick the dialogue on autoplay to remove the need to continually bump along the text. The script is brilliantly written, purposely paced to gradually drip feed new information and chuck in plenty of red herrings.
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection has had a story mode feature added, where even puzzles and selections will be completed for you so you can truly relax and simply enjoy the tale which is being told. Again, if the idea of this sounds like your idea of hell, this isn’t a game for you.
As I mentioned, at certain points Miles will need to turn detective and investigate a crime scene. He will note down any observations, document evidence and also deploy his famous “logic” technique, which has you fitting jigsaw puzzles together to progress the story. Certain areas will also require closer inspection, as well as items of interest. At times Miles will need to link what’s in front of him with evidence he has already gathered to produce a breakthrough. Or, make deductions as it is known in the trade.
The first game, Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, features a crime scene recreation mechanic driven by a nifty little gadget called “Little Thief”. This creates a virtual simulation of events based on the information fed into it, and proves crucial to Miles in uncovering the truth.
Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit introduced the “Mind Chess” mechanic. Miles is clearly a fan of the historic game, and applies the same tactical thinking to his case solving. In these situations, the trick is to trip up the interviewee and use that information to crowbar some important information from them.
Exchanges and breakthroughs are illustrated by big 3D chess pieces smashing into each other which is satisfying, and you’re against the clock also. It’s not all about going on the attack however, sometimes holding off and maintaining a stoic silence will prove just as effective.
Otherwise most of your time will be spent in conversation with the weird and wonderful cast of characters in Ace Attorney Investigations Collection. It’s a series that doesn’t take itself too seriously, giving an elderly character the surname “Oldbag”, for example. The more straightforward element of this is simply asking questions to gather more information about the case.
However, the more challenging (and fun) part is picking apart a testimony that at first is presented to you as the truth. All of the series’ hallmarks are present and correct, from “Objection!” to “Hold It!” which one can never hear too much of. It’s here where you will need to scrutinise an account line by line, and look for contradictions with what your evidence tells you.
It’s always satisfying when the pieces click and you expose the lies. It feels earned, despite sometimes being pretty obvious and at others feeling like a bit of a stretch. Overall it’s not too taxing on the old noggin, especially as you can ask your peers for some insight, as well as Miles’ internal thoughts usually pointing you in the right direction.
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection will get you thinking however, and occasionally scratching your head. The cases can get quite complex, so another improvement made on the originals is the history log, which records all recent conversations so you can review them before making decisions. The good thing is that the information is always at hand, there’s no cheap tricks, it’s just about how you piece it together.
It’s worth mentioning that you do have a “health bar” of sorts which will deplete with each incorrect accusation or assertion, and if this happens before the case is closed then the truth will be forever lost. It does replenish at the end of an investigation, but thankfully you can save at any time and immediately pick up from where you left off.
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is a remaster after all, so what else is new I hear you ask. Well, visually both games have had a glow up. The character sprites are now detailed in glorious HD courtesy of the original character designer, Tatsuro Iwamoto. What is pretty cool is the fact that you can switch back to the original pixel art if you like too. Ace Attorney Investigations Collection looks fantastic on the big screen, and as a result is even more immersive than before. Each character not only looks more detailed than ever, but each of their animations is brilliantly realised as they wrestle with the mystery and revelations of each case.
The soundtrack has also had an update in the form of five new arrangements of classic tracks from the original games. You can also delve into the music collection with over 100 pieces to enjoy. Ace Attorney Investigations Collection sounds brilliant, with a varied suite of music that matches each beat of the narrative wonderfully.
Other extras include the character compendium, where you can get to know the cast better and enjoy each individual animation from different phases of the game. There are also photos, character designs and more all waiting to be unlocked as you play through each game.
Don’t let the fact that Ace Attorney Investigations Collection only contains two games fool you, there are hours of enjoyment to be had here. The joy in a good mystery is taking it slowly, enjoying the rollercoaster ride to the truth and both games do this really well. Each episode is self contained, but also linked by a bigger story. However, when all is said and done Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is similar to the other games in the series. It’s for this reason that it won’t be a game which suits all, or wins over those who didn’t enjoy the earlier adventures. For fans it’s largely more of the same battle of wits, although for the most part set outside the courtroom this time around.
The changes made in Ace Attorney Investigations Collection over the original games are subtle, cosmetic even, but all that is really needed. Let’s be clear, these are the same games that were released around 15 years ago. They have been preserved so players get the same experience as those the first time around, albeit with a spit and polish.
So what’s next for the Ace Attorney series? We’ve been treated to many of these great games on Xbox in recent times, so my money is on the The Great Ace Attorney duo of games. You heard it here first folks.
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection lovingly brings the spin-off adventures of Miles Edgeworth to Xbox. It consists of another two entries in an impressively consistent franchise which largely sticks to what it does best, and that is no bad thing.
