Previewing the Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney trilogy is a strange undertaking. How on earth does one preview an entire trilogy, let alone re-release the first game that launched 16 years ago? Especially considering my position here, as an Ace Attorney fan who had been anticipating these remasters before they were even announced, but who nonetheless got into the series through the last few similar compilations: the 2019 re-release of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy, and the long-awaited global release in 2021 of the previously Japan-only prequel Ace Attorney Chronicles.
iGamesNews
Now, obviously from a marketing perspective, the previous remakes worked really well, because in five years, I – and a lot of people like me – have gone from being someone with only the vaguest idea of what Ace Attorney was. Became a big fan. However, I’m not trying too hard to avoid spoilers considering I’ll probably never actually play the rest of the series, including the three games in this trilogy that are now coming to modern systems. So while I’ve never played Apollo Justice, Dual Destinies, or Souls of Justice before, I’m not exactly new to it either.
One of my favorite things about the world of Ace Attorney is that it’s not set in stone. People like Phoenix Wright are a bunch of anime-esque people who could easily be allowed to exist in comic book time, never age between installments, and could easily last forever in terms of their personal lives status quo. After all, you could keep writing silly little murder mysteries for the gang to solve indefinitely without changing anything about them as people.
But no, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney’s opening case may be the biggest change in the series: it puts you in the role of the protagonist, a new guy you’ve never met before (unless you’ve played Ace Attorney 4-6). When they first appear…), and will give you a lot of narrative progression very quickly. That said, it’s been seven years since the last game, and Phoenix Wright lost his license to practice law shortly after the conclusion of his eponymous trilogy, and he’s now a sleazy lowlife living on the fringes of the criminal underworld. , he makes a living playing poker. Oh, and he has a kid. and was tried for murder (again), but the kid’s thing was the real truth; after all, returning players knew the guy was always accused of murder.
All of this is pretty well known by now as far as Ace Attorney lore goes, but it’s worth taking a moment to realize that all of this was (or was back in 2007) a pretty big deal on Capcom’s part bet. The Ace Attorney games are primarily visual novels, so the investment in the characters and their stories is a major draw. Writing with a massive time jump in the opening moments of a new game and relegating your iconic protagonist to a slightly antagonistic side character feels like a way to turn off long-time fans. Coupled with some unexpected descendants – teasing the idea that some fan-favorite ships are about to be destroyed due to off-screen ties between games – if this closure is more sentimental than literal, Capcom Might be lucky.
Apparently Ace Attorney is smarter than that. If it wasn’t, we probably wouldn’t be here talking about a shiny new remake 16 years later. I’m not going to give any more details about the story here, just in case you’re one of those sweet summer kids who avoids spoilers for these games, but that’s the setup you enter into the Apollo Justice trilogy. But, needless to say, it’s going to go a few places before we’re done.
While the overhaul of characters and dynamics ultimately benefits the series as a whole, it’s worth noting that Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney isn’t a great entry point into the franchise as a whole. Unlike Ace Attorney Chronicles, which was a stand-alone two-part prequel with a completely different setting, Apollo Justice Trilogy assumes you know enough about the Phoenix Wright trilogy to play without Pick up narrative threads without any prologue.
Additionally, considering Apollo Justice was the fourth game in the original release order, it considers the series’ tendency to tell stories in non-linear chapters to be a given. Those familiar with Ace Attorney’s tendency to come back later to clarify details won’t be too worried about the fact that many fundamental questions remain unanswered by the end of the first part of the game. But the pacing does feel a little uneven at times – especially in terms of how we’re supposed to understand the relationship between Apollo and his mentor, newcomer Christopher Gavin – even knowing the context may have been on the way.
If this is your first time experiencing Ace Attorney, I can imagine it all being a bit off-putting. I highly recommend playing the Phoenix Wright Trilogy first, even if the upcoming re-release of the Apollo Justice Trilogy initially catches your attention.
If you’re still here, though – either it’s because you’re a long-time fan eager to check out beautiful remasters of three games you already know like the back of your hand, or because (like me) you’re addicted to the previous games’ re-releases and longing for them Go with some games that are at least new to you – what can I say other than you won’t be disappointed? Capcom’s ongoing project to bring the Ace Attorney series to modern systems has been remarkably consistent in what it offers, and if you were drawn to the last two collections, the Apollo Justice Trilogy will almost certainly do the same for you experience. The art is a little more painterly this time around, and there’s a new investigation mini-game or two to master, but the overall experience is very similar to other remasters in the series – which is certainly not a bad thing.
If this all sounds like good news to you, here’s more news: there are more games here! The trilogy includes complete remasters of the fourth to sixth mainline Ace Attorney games, as well as two cases originally released as DLC for Dual Destinies and Souls of Justice. The total running time is 95 hours (thanks HowLongToBeat.com!), which makes it the longest of the three remasters, and hopefully takes away some of the sting from its slightly higher price tag than its predecessor. two.
Luckily for returning players who just want to relive their favorite cases, all 16 individual chapters in the trilogy are unlocked from the start, so you don’t have to do it within 95 hours if you want. Play through everything in order. There’s also a museum mode accessible from the start, showcasing everything from concept art to anticipated fanbait (i.e. the new animation studio) for even more bang for your buck.But, just to warn you, the additional content is no When it comes to spoilers, new players should probably plan to avoid the game until they’ve seen everything they want in it first.
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy will be released on January 25, 2024 on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, priced at £40/$50. This preview is based on the Switch version.
