The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles Review

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a two-game collection from Capcom that includes two titles in the Ace Attorney series. The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures and The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve were released for the 3DS in Japan in 2015 and 2017, respectively. Now, they are fully translated and brought to the West for the first time. Fans of the long-running Ace Attorney series should expect all the courtroom shenanigans and investigative shenanigans the franchise is known for. Players solve five cases in each game by investigating different locations, talking to people involved in the case to gather information, and participating in high-stakes courtroom drama to find the culprit. Some of the main differences between these two games, however, are the main characters and setting. Instead of playing as the iconic Phoenix Wright from the original trilogy or Apollo Justice (another defense attorney who came to the series later), Ace Attorney fans will step into the shoes of Ryunosuke Naruhodo, an ancestor of Phoenix Wright. RELATED: Ace Attorney Is Getting An Online Orchestrated Concert Players may be worried about stepping into the shoes of a new protagonist, but they shouldn’t be. One of the best parts of this duology is the main cast of characters, and that includes Naruhodo and his judicial assistant Susato Mikotoba. He is a very inexperienced lawyer, and the first case in the first game even starts with being the main suspect in a case of Naruhodo’s murder. She, along with her partner, definitely raises the charm meter. He’s very lovable and geeky, and the two of them have such great chemistry through the several cases that the player goes through. Whenever Naruhodo gets stuck about not knowing how to proceed during cross-examination in court, Susato is always there to reassure him and support him with some guidance. This is very similar to the relationship between Pheonix and his partner Maya Fey in the original Ace Attorney trilogy. Fans of the series will no doubt enjoy the chemistry between the two, as well as some of the other characters they will encounter. And like the previous games, the courtroom gameplay is back, but it’s been changed a bit. Seeing as the Great Ace Attorney Chronicles setting is in the early 1900s in Japan and England, technology hasn’t advanced much yet, and courts have different rules. Instead of relying on high-tech forensic tools to match fingerprints to a suspect or look at a blood sample, lawyers these days have to use deduction to figure out who did it, which may have consequences for future cases. Most of the time, the players are in a London courtroom, and it’s definitely different from an American or Japanese one, because there’s a jury. Not only do players have to cross-examine witnesses to find contradictions with the evidence, but they also have to make sure the jury is on the side of the defendant. They will be considered at times, and players will have to listen carefully to gather new evidence. Adding a jury may seem like a game-changer due to having more participants on the courtroom floor, but it doesn’t add much to the overall Ace Attorney courtroom experience. Speaking to the jury and listening to what they had to say sometimes felt like prolonging the high-stakes arguments from the prosecutor and Naruhodo. This takes away from the main point of ongoing discussions and feels like extra padding to make these sections longer than they need to be. It’s a neat idea, but, unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to have been executed well in this first attempt. Aside from the jury, however, much of the courtroom gameplay remains the same as previous entries. Players will use evidence gathered during investigations for use in court when a contradiction is found. If a player makes a mistake, they lose one of their five “lives.” However, it’s not worth worrying about getting it wrong because The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is actually one of the easier games in the franchise. Players will still feel the sense of satisfaction for knowing all the solutions during a case, but the game holds players’ hands quite a bit. This is not a bad thing by any means, but it makes the player do less work, and that can be an issue for hardcore fans. It is also worth noting that these games have little relation to other games in the series, so anyone can join and feel comfortable with the narrative presented in them, even if the cases are not as memorable as others. Although The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles has dozens of hours of content spread across two games and 10 cases (as well as some bonus mini side cases), many of the game’s cases are lacking. They don’t feel as creepy or gore as the previous cases from the original trilogy. New players will certainly enjoy the variety of cases and the fun it brings, but veterans may be disappointed by how some play. All in all, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a great entry point for players new to the franchise. The main cast of characters are charming and full of personality, even without voice acting; there are tons of entertaining cases to go through, and courtroom dramas will keep players almost intrigued and on their toes. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is not the best pair of Ace Attorney games, but they will still give players an enjoyable experience that will last many, many hours. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles launches for PC, PS4, and Switch on July 27, 2021. Today Technology has been given a review code for the PS4 version. MORE: Capcom Needs To Bring Back Ghost Trick After The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles