The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles Review

20 years have passed since the Japanese release of the first chapter in the Phoenix Wright saga. In the West, we only started getting to know it a few years later when it came out on Nintendo DS. However, the first chapter originally came to GBA. Since then, the success of this one-of-a-kind adventure has carved out a large slice of fans all over the world, even giving life to 2 anime series. Capcom’s Phoenix Wright series owes its outstanding success to a mix that combines engaging stories with excellent character writing. The gameplay also puts you in the shoes of a lawyer who tries in every way to make the truth prevail by analyzing evidence and testimonies. Finally, we have the chronicles. Here is my The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles review on Nintendo Switch.

In reality, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a compilation of two games. These are The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures and The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve. Both released respectively in 2015 and 2017 on Nintendo 3DS, but only in Japan. Finally, the two spin-off titles also released on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC for the West. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles were highly anticipated by fans, especially those who had never been located outside Japan. All lovers of the series can now enjoy!

ONE PLOT, TWO GAMES

Capcom set the story of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles in the late 1800s, at the height of the Meiji era in Japan. The Meiji era is a revolution for the land of the Rising Sun and sees the return of the Emperor as effective head of state after the fall of the Shogun. For this reason, Japan is trying to reform all its political and administrative bodies, including those that linked to the system of laws. To build a solid system, Ryunosuke Naruhodo, a young lawyer, goes to England to study their system of laws.

If you are a fan of the old games in the series, the excellent story that unfolds in over 10 cases divided into two titles will fully satisfy you. There is basically only one plot, but divided into two games. The first title, in fact, ends without a real conclusion and postpones the continuation to the second chapter. This irritated the Japanese fans at the time. Since then, they had to wait two years to know the end of the adventure. Fortunately, in this case, you can enjoy the entire storyline from start to finish.

The characters continue to be the heart of the title. Although the cast is totally new, you will not find it difficult to become attached to Ryunosuke or his skilled assistant, Susato Mikotoba. She is a new protagonist outside and inside of the courtroom. There are also several supporting actors and antagonists, one of them being Herlock Sholmes. Among the antagonists, we can also not forget about a legendary English prosecutor, Barok Van Zieks.

Then there are the classic over-the-top witnesses, now the trademark of the entire saga. They are full of oddities and will make you sweat seven shirts to get a useful testimony. But this is the beauty of The Great Ace Attorney, an engaging story made up of surreal characters. The Escapades were also a delightful addition to the game. Take note that these are short stories without playable parts, which show you further details on some characters, revealing interesting details.

PLAYING DETECTIVE

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles’ gameplay broadly maintains the same formula seen in previous titles in the saga. The developers always divide the adventure into two phases. Firstly, the investigation phase. Here, it will be necessary to question the witnesses and get the necessary evidence to win in court. Secondly, the court phase. This takes place within the court of justice, where you will have to prove your client’s innocence.

This is nothing new, but being a unique gameplay exclusive to the Capcom series, the formula is still valid and always fun. The big news linked to the investigation phase is given by the presence of Herlock Sholmes. He will activate a mode called Dance of Deductions, where you can analyze a crime scene trying to reconstruct the events. Often, however, the brilliant detective will prove that he is not so brilliant.

This is because of bizarre reconstructions that you will then have to fix in order to use them in the court. The second title of the collection does not add much, except for fingerprints. Take note that this is not a real novelty, since it was also present in some previous chapters. All in all, this phase is always fun, even if in some cases the investigations become a bit too long and not very stimulating.

YOU VS. THE JURY

As mentioned earlier in my The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles review, they split the core of the gameplay between investigations and court challenges. Even the latter have remained faithful to the past. As always, you will have to spend your time in challenges that at first seem impossible to overturn. However, test after test and testimony after testimony, you will begin to glimpse the truth until the eventual victory that no one expects. As always, therefore, you will have to analyze every sentence of the witnesses called into question.

Showing the right evidence at the right time is absolutely key! Unfortunately, even in these Capcom titles, there are always a few minor problems. Sometimes you will understand what has happened, but you cannot present fundamental proof until they request it. Some cases are actually a little too broad without a real valid reason. Take note that there are six people in the jury who have an enormous weight on the final verdict.

Throughout the process, you will always have to try to have at least half of the jury on our side. When you convince the jury of your client’s guilt, you will have to persuade them with evidence or by showing inconsistencies in the testimonies. In short, the mechanics are new and interesting, but the methods in which the game uses them are those from the past. The presence of the jury is an interesting novelty that will not fail to give life to several twists that will spice up the story.

ART AND ANIMATIONS

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a port of two titles released on Nintendo 3DS, as I said at the beginning of this review. Graphically, Capcom has not revolutionized the original titles much. In fact, we are faced with a version almost equal to those seen on the 3DS. Basically, they focused on making the characters more detailed so that they do not look disfigured.

This helps when you want to play on screens larger than those of the Nintendo Switch. Fortunately, the Capcom series of titles has never been very demanding in this respect, being an adventure with little movement and many static images. They always do a good job with the animations of the characters and the overall art design.

Do you want to try Capcom’s The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles? What do you think of my The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles review on Nintendo Switch? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below. Are you interested in more games? Check out our reviews for Death’s Door, F1 2021, Castle Flipper, Miitopia, Hood: Outlaws & Legends, and Maid of Sker.