Since 2001, the Ace Attorney series has been one of Capcom’s premiere franchises, beginning with Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney on the Nintendo DS. It has built a solid and dedicated fanbase, has an anime series, and has crossed over with other Capcom franchises, as well as Professor Layton, SEGA, Bandai Namco, SNK, and Marvel.

Over the past few years, Capcom has been on a high. A large part of their recent success was by revisiting their older games such as the Resident Evil series and upcoming Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster. Capcom has been doing the same with the Ace Attorney games and bringing them to modern consoles, much to the delight of its diehard fanbase. As announced in June’s Nintendo Direct, the next to receive the remaster treatment is Ace Attorney Investigations Collection, coming soon to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection includes full HD remasters of 2009’s Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth and 2011’s Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit. Both games were originally released on Nintendo DS and then later on mobile, but the latter of the two was never released outside of Japan. Sadly, this meant that fans in other countries completely missed out and even though unofficial fan translations were available, it wasn’t the same. Ace Attorney Investigations Collection isn’t just a remaster of both games, but also a chance for longtime fans who don’t speak Japanese to finally play the second game in an official capacity.

Throughout most of the Ace Attorney series, players took control of Defence Attorney, Phoenix Wright, as well as Apollo Justice in other games. Ace Attorney Investigations is a spinoff from the main series, putting players in the shoes of Chief Prosecutor and main rival to Phoenix Wright, Miles Edgeworth. In both games, Miles investigates five cases that tie together to form an overarching story, with the help of the bumbling Detective Dick Gumshoe and other characters who join him in later cases.

Unlike other Ace Attorney games, Investigations never take place in the courtroom, but primarily at the scene of the crime. In each case, Miles speaks to suspects, forensics experts, and anyone who may have information on the crime that took place. Despite working as a prosecutor, Miles sometimes feels more like a detective (even though there’s a real detective beside him), but he never forgets he’s a prosecutor first and foremost and gets plenty of opportunities to put his years of experience to good use. Instead of waiting to take things to court, Miles’ aim is to close the case right there and then.

In each case, players collect evidence by speaking to other characters and searching the area for clues. With everything they’ve collected, they need to piece together the evidence to find the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, before confronting the possible suspects. Like the main games in the series, players will need to hear their testimonies, cross-examine them, press on each statement to find contradictions, and present evidence to expose them and make them confess to their guilt. Even though this usually happens in the courtroom, players will still get the same thrill, excitement, and satisfying feeling for successfully solving each case and of course, seeing each criminal hilariously fall apart and suffer a meltdown in spectacular fashion.

Both games may only have five cases each, but they’re lengthy, full of story, deep lore, and entertaining moments. Just like other Ace Attorney games, the writing is incredibly well done, keeping players drawn in and in great anticipation to find out what happens next, never experiencing a dull moment. The dialogue is all in text form, but the characters’ over-the-top actions and emotions with familiar sound effects like the iconic “OBJECTION!” add so much to the overall experience.

Various familiar faces return from previous games, either as part of a case or make small cameos in the background. Plenty of new characters are introduced too, each with their own colourful and outlandish personalities. It’s worth noting that certain characters have different names from the original Japanese versions and some of the dialogue is also changed to make it more appealing to Western players. Despite the changes, overall, the games retain the same spirit and personality as the originals.

Playing as the calm, collected and snot-nosed Miles Edgeworth is a whole new experience from playing as the usually nervous Phoenix Wright or Apollo Justice. Even when players get things wrong and someone points it out, Miles keeps his cool and plays it off like it’s no big deal, sometimes claiming he was testing them. A fun fact is that the Investigations game was meant to have Ema Skye as the main protagonist and utilise her unique detective skills, but no one will object to the fact that Miles Edgeworth was indeed the better choice due to his popularity.

The original Nintendo DS versions looked fantastic, even with the 16-bit graphics while walking around. Even if their faces lacked detail and clear facial expressions, their animations helped express their feelings with their exaggerated body movements. This HD remaster improves on all of that and looks better than ever. Everything seems incredibly smooth and crisp, and everyone’s facial expressions are clearer than before, adding to the emotion. Players can also switch to the original graphics to experience the games in their original formats.

The soundtracks remain unchanged from their original games, as they are perfect the way they are. It has something for every occasion, from a relaxing jazz tune when things are calm, dark, and eerie for the prelude murder scene and an upbeat fast tune when things get intense, and the suspect is under pressure. There is also plenty to collect from various art, concept sketches, character sprites, and more, which can all be viewed in the gallery.

With a whole new makeover and the chance to finally play Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit, Ace Attorney fans have a lot to be excited about. For now, court is adjourned, so be sure to check out our full review when the case of Ace Attorney Investigations Collection reopens for its official release on September 6th, 2024.

Written by: Sammy Hanson