Ace Attorney Investigations Collections review for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, PC

I am a guilty man…guilty of how incredibly excited I got when Capcom announced the release of the latest installment in the Ace Attorney collection series. You see, back in May of 2009 I purchased a Japanese Miles Edgeworth Nintendo DSI bundle. I didn’t know that the handheld would be region locked and I could not find any translations for the game. I attempted to play the game to no success. Years later, I was excited to get an other chance to play Ace Attorney Investigations I am even more excited to report that Capcom has done a fantastic job updating and remastering ‘Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth and Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit”. The latter is being released for the first time here in the US and leaves for only one more title to be rereleased outside of Nintendo’s handheld ecosystem (looking at you Professor Layton Vs Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney).

The focus of the title is on Miles Edgeworth—the brilliant prosecutor from the previous Ace Attorney titles. Unlike previous titles in the franchise, there is a large focus on all the action outside of the courtroom. This game brings you through different crime scenes as you try to investigate and piece together the larger occurrence at hand. Keeping with the traditions of the franchise, Ace Attorney Investigations will try to catch you sleeping. Throwing at you various twists and turns as a multitude of inconsequential clues and red herrings to throw you off track. Ace Attorney Investigations does a good job of balancing the mood and tone of the game. Very serious and intense moments can be relieved by humor or lightheartedness. This is a strength of the franchise. Running you through a spectrum of emotions, making you want that emotional climax or sense of relief as you figure stuff out.

One of my favorite aspects of this franchise is the eclectic and colorful characters you encounter. Ace Attorney Investigations is no different, we are introduced to new and returning favorites of Ace’s Attorney’s past, such as Dick Gumshoe, the lovable, brutish detective of the series who returns to be your sidekick in this game.

The gameplay in Ace Attorney Investigations is a bit different than in previous titles. The game still contains some of the previous point-and-click aspects and moves away from being just a standard interactive visual novel. You’re going through each crime scene that directs you from location to location as you piece together clues and suspects. You’re looking to find the holes in the suspect’s stories. They will provide rebuttals and clarifications and it is your job to smackdown what they are serving. You are putting together a puzzle to uncover logic holes in the suspect’s stories. Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit has a feature known as “Mind Chess’ where you get into a verbal contest of wits to get key information to spill out. You are using keywords and phrases to get the most difficult of nuts to crack. There are down moments where I feel like I’m reading a bit too much, but the dialogue and story keep the pace of the game very fast and direct. Some areas feel a little too open with little to do.

If there is one thing that makes this game complete, it has to be the absolute banger of a soundtrack. The Ace Attorney games have some of the most iconic soundtracks ever and Ace Attorney investigations continue that wonderful tradition. Yauko Yamada found the perfect atmospheric set pieces to add more intensity to a scene. The game contains the original tracks from the previously released titles but also remixes to the 2009 and 2011 soundtracks. I like how the score plays up the severity of a situation. You can visit the gallery to listen to both complete soundtracks. Ace Attorney Investigations not only updated the sounds but the look of the game as well. The game has a very clean, polished high definition look to it.

You can flip between art styles. The first is a more crisp HD art style and the other is more of that DSI era pixel art. You can flip through arranged music or play with the original soundtrack. Another nice feature is a story mode in which the game plays itself, giving you a more cinematic experience.

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is a love letter to Ace Attorney fans. You can unlock different concept art from each game with every accolade completed. You are also treated to some orchestrated piece not released in the US. This game is both great for returning fans and newcomers to the series. It will make you want to scream HOLD IT and OBJECTION during every twist and turn. The humor and the vast array of emotions you’ll truly gives this game its day in court.

Note: Capcom provided us with a Ace Attorney Investigations Collections Switch code for review purposes.

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection - NIntendo Switch

Price: $39.99

9 used & new available from $39.59

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