The Ace Attorney series has been quiet for the past few years, but that changed last month with the official announcement of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. Now fans are rejoicing over the long-awaited news, and many new players are eyeing the upcoming game with interest. So whether you’re a newcomer wondering if you can start with this latest release or an old fan looking to refresh your memory of the series with new playthroughs on modern platforms, here’s everything you need to know about playing the Ace Attorney series in 2021.
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
Let’s start things off with the newly-announced game, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. This is actually a collection of two games previously released only in Japan for the 3DS and mobile devices, Dai Gyakuten Saiban and Dai Gyakuten Saiban 2 (now officially titled The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures and The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve in English). While the main series is set in the near future, these are far-distant prequels that take place in Meiji era Japan and star Phoenix Wright’s ancestor, Ryunosuke Naruhodo. After traveling to Britain in order to continue studying, he crosses paths with none other than Sherlock Holmes–or rather, Herlock Sholmes. Yes, Capcom decided that for the Western release of these games, it was safer to go with the time-honored tradition of renaming Holmes to Sholmes.
Your first thought might be to credit Capcom with thinking up yet another wacky Ace Attorney name, but “Herlock Sholmes” actually goes all the way back to 1908, when author Maurice Leblanc decided to put his character Arsène Lupin up against Herlock Sholmes to avoid the legal trouble with using Holmes. Sherlock Holmes is mostly in the public domain now, but a few of the later stories remain copyrighted. That was believed to be one of the most likely issues keeping the Great Ace Attorney games from being localized until now, so it seems Capcom decided to err on the side of caution.
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles will be out on July 27, bringing these prequel spin-offs to the West at last. If you’re a newcomer to the series, there is also a special bundle called the Ace Attorney Turnabout Collection that bundles The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles together with the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy.
How to play: You’ll be able to pick up The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC.
Can you start here: Since these games are set over 100 years before the main series, you should be able to start here without a problem.
The Phoenix Wright Trilogy
Now let’s move on to where it all began. The series started with Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, a game released for the GBA in 2001 in Japan, and followed shortly afterward by Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice for All and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Trials and Tribulations. All three then came to the Nintendo DS, which is when they saw their first English translations. Since then, they’ve been re-released on numerous systems, particularly after being bundled together as the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy.
They star a young lawyer named Phoenix Wright who follows in his mentor’s footsteps to become a great lawyer known for being able to prove his client’s innocence no matter how dire the case against them might seem. They’re filled with memorable characters, twists and turns as you search for the truth about each case, and a hefty dose of pun-based humor and other antics. While each game has its own separate cases and overarching plot, there are also several unifying threads that tie them together as a trilogy. Personally, I consider the third game to be the best in the series, but all three are well worth playing.
How to play: At this point, I all but guarantee you own something that can play these games. The Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy is available for the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and iOS, and the original games can still be found for the DS.
Can you start here: Being the first games in the series as well as the most readily available ones, starting with the trilogy is the #1 best starting point if you’re interested in Ace Attorney.
The Second “Trilogy”
Unfortunately, this is where things stop being quite as simple. The trilogy was followed by a fourth game for the DS, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. It starred a new protagonist named Apollo, another rookie lawyer dealing with his own strange cases and wacky co-stars, as well as the legacy of Phoenix Wright himself. After a long hiatus, the series finally returned with Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies and then Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice, both digital-only titles for the 3DS. (Apparently, Capcom decided they needed to have Phoenix’s name front and center, despite Apollo still being a major character, along with a third lawyer named Athena Cykes.) All three of these games saw ports to iOS and Android devices, and Apollo Justice was eventually brought to the 3DS as well.
Unlike the original games, these three don’t fit together quite as cohesively; we tend to call them a trilogy simply because they’re the next three games in the main series. I’m still surprised Capcom went to the prequel duology for the next collection instead of bundling these three together for fans who played the trilogy on newer platforms and wanted to continue the series. It’s possible that we’ll see such a collection before the next mainline game is released, but for now, they just aren’t as accessible as the original trilogy.
How to play: For the foreseeable future, you’ll need either a 3DS or an iOS or Android device to play these games.
Can you start here: Starting with Apollo Justice or Dual Destinies isn’t bad, since they don’t draw on too much from the previous games, but you might be a little lost if you jump in with Spirit of Justice.
Ace Attorney Investigations
Now let’s get into the other spin-offs. During that long gap in between Apollo Justice and Dual Destinies, the series received its first spin-off. Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth for the Nintendo DS starred the prosecutor Miles Edgeworth instead of a defense attorney. That wasn’t the only way in which it departed from series tradition, however. Not only did it focus almost entirely on investigation gameplay, lacking the courtroom sections from the main series, but it also lets you directly control Edgeworth and walk around each area. It was a unique entry that kept a lot of things that made the series stand out while changing enough to feel like something new. It was eventually brought to iOS and Android devices.
A couple years later, it got a sequel… only in Japan. Sadly, Gyakuten Kenji 2 has never received an official localization despite being highly praised for its story (which includes a flashback case where you play as Gregory Edgeworth) and improvements over its predecessor. A well-received fan translation is currently the only way to play it in English. Still, I think its chances are better than ever now that The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is on the way. I’d expect the next three mainline games to be released on modern platforms next, but I’m still holding out hope that Capcom will give the Investigations duology new life with its own collection and an official translation for the second game.
How to play: Investigations is only available on the DS, iOS, and Android. Its sequel has no official English release.
Can you start here: I wouldn’t recommend it, but since its plot is mostly standalone, you could probably enjoy Investigations without knowledge of the previous games.
Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
And that leaves us with just one last game to discuss, the crossover with Level-5’s Professor Layton series, Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Only ever released on the 3DS, this crossover brings the courtroom deductions of the Ace Attorney series together with the puzzle-solving investigations of the Professor Layton series in a standalone story about witch trials in a strange, magical city. While I have my criticisms of its story, it’s both an homage to the two series it comes from, as well as a game that can be played without knowledge of either. Unfortunately, there’s no sign of it coming to any other platform (and it never even goes on sale when the other games do).
How to play: It is only available on the 3DS.
Can you start here: Although it will be enjoyed the most by fans of both series, it’s arguably the ideal starting point if you’re already a fan of either Ace Attorney or Professor Layton and want to try the other.
Conclusion
And that brings us to the end… at least until the long-rumored Ace Attorney 7 is announced. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is due out on July 27, and I can’t wait. I absolutely love these games, and I was waiting for The Great Ace Attorney localization news ever since it was first announced. The series is a personal favorite of mine, so I hope this article has been helpful to you if you’re looking to start (or continue) the Ace Attorney series.
