A review recommending the smartphone version of "Ace Attorney Investigations"

Quite a few years have passed since "Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney" was released on the Game Boy Advance in 2001.
When I played it, I thought it was a novelty game with a bizarre premise to grab attention.
However, upon playing it, I found it to be a classic mystery adventure game with a very interesting scenario.
Furthermore, the characters were all unique, and even those you fought against were often somehow likeable.

However, its greatest appeal lies in "presenting evidence to refute the opponent's lies."
The way the truth is gradually revealed as contradictions are exposed, much like a detective's deduction in a mystery novel, is fascinating in every book in the series.
This time, I played "Ace Attorney Investigations," a spin-off of the Ace Attorney series, so I'm writing an article recommending it.

 


① Differences from "Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney"
② Points I thought were good compared to "Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney"
③ Summary

① Differences from "Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney"
While there are certainly differences in the detailed systems, the actual purpose remains largely the same.

In this game, whether you're a lawyer or a prosecutor, your objective is the same: to find the real culprit and uncover the truth.

Therefore, even people who have only played "Ace Attorney" can jump right in without any problems.

② Points I thought were good compared to "Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney"
The pacing is quite good.

First of all, the area to be investigated is relatively compact.
Once you've finished your research, the scene changes and the task is complete; it's a user-friendly design that clearly shows you what you need to do.
This reduces the worry of not knowing what to do next and getting stuck until you set a key flag.

Furthermore, the film has a good balance due to the relatively frequent inclusion of confrontations with witnesses.
The confrontation with a witness is the same as the courtroom confrontations in Ace Attorney. (It's the one where you "press" and "confront" them.)
In "Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney," these kinds of confrontations mainly take place in the courtroom, which sometimes made the game feel drawn out in the later stages.

However, in Ace Attorney Investigations, there are such confrontations at key points, so there's a sense of frequent small catharsis.

Also, since the protagonist is a prosecutor, the story progresses naturally.
(Since this is about a game, you probably don't need to think about it too deeply...)
Unlike the Ace Attorney series, it would be practically impossible for the defense to outmaneuver the investigators and obtain crucial evidence.
However, in Ace Attorney Investigations, the protagonist is on the investigating side, so it makes sense that they can get the results of forensic science immediately.
Finally, and this is a matter of personal preference, it's the difference in the main character's personality.
The protagonist of Ace Attorney is always a character who is constantly on the brink of disaster and gets beaten to a pulp, but the protagonist of Ace Attorney Investigations is the complete opposite.

When he's an enemy, he's a calm, collected, and formidable character, but when he's the protagonist investigating, he's a reliable character who relentlessly pursues his opponents.
Personally, I prefer this Ace Attorney Investigations game.

③ Summary

If you enjoyed the Ace Attorney series, you'll almost certainly enjoy this.

Starting with a mysterious beginning and then neatly resolving all the plot points by the final episode, it's, as always, a fantastic script.
The smartphone version is easy to play, like reading a mystery novel, and I highly recommend it.
However, it consumes a fair amount of battery power, so caution is advised.
The smartphone app version of "Ace Attorney Investigations 2" has also been released, so I immediately installed that as well.
If "Ace Attorney Investigations 3" is ever released, I would definitely want to continue buying this game.