Ace Attorney (series)
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''Ace Attorney'' is a
visual novel A visual novel (VN) is a form of digital interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with static or animated illustratio ...
franchise developed by
Capcom is a Japanese video game company. It has created a number of critically acclaimed and List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil'', ''Monster ...
. With storytelling fashioned after legal dramas, the first entry in the series, '' Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney'', was released in 2001; since then five further main series games, as well as various spin-offs, prequels, and high-definition remasters for newer game consoles have been released. Additionally, the series has been adapted in the form of a
live-action film Live action is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live action with animation to create a Live-action animation, live-action animated feature film. Live action is used to define ...
and an
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
; it is the base for
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
series,
drama CD Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatised, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
s,
musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...
and
stage play A play is a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than mere reading. The creator of a play is known as a playwright. Plays are staged at various levels, ranging ...
s. The player takes the roles of various defense attorneys, including
Phoenix Wright Phoenix "Nick" Wright, known as in the original Japanese language versions, is the fictional titular defense attorney and the protagonist in '' Ace Attorney'', a visual novel adventure video game series created by Shu Takumi, who was an emp ...
, his mentor
Mia Fey ''Ace Attorney'' is a series of legal thriller comedy-drama Adventure game, adventure/visual novel Video game, games created by Shu Takumi. Players assume the role of a defense attorney in a fictional courtroom setting in the main series. Publish ...
, as well as his understudies Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes who investigate cases and defend their clients in court. They find the truth by cross-examining witnesses and finding inconsistencies between the testimonies and the evidence they have collected. The cases last a maximum of three days; the judge determines the outcome based on evidence presented by the defense attorney and the prosecutor. While the original Japanese versions of the games are set in Japan, the series' localizations are set in the United States (primarily
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
) though retaining Japanese cultural elements. In the spin-off series '' Ace Attorney Investigations'', the player takes the role of prosecutor
Miles Edgeworth Miles Edgeworth, known as in original Japanese language versions, is a fictional prosecutor in '' Ace Attorney'', a visual novel adventure video game series created by Japanese company Capcom. Initially introduced as a cold-hearted perfectionis ...
and in the
prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term ...
series, ''
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles ''The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles'' is a compilation video game of both games in the ''Ace Attorney'' spin-off prequel series, consisting of '' The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures'' (2015) and '' The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve'' (2017). Since ...
'', they play Phoenix's ancestor Ryunosuke Naruhodo. The series was created by the writer and director Shu Takumi. He wanted the series to end after the third game, but it continued with Takeshi Yamazaki taking over as writer and director starting with '' Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth'' (2009). Takumi has since returned to write and direct some spin-off titles. The series has been well received, with reviewers liking the characters, story, and the finding of contradictions; it has also performed well commercially, with
Capcom is a Japanese video game company. It has created a number of critically acclaimed and List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil'', ''Monster ...
regarding it as one of their strongest intellectual properties. The series has been credited with helping to popularize visual novels in the Western world. As of December 31, 2024, the game series has sold 13 million copies worldwide.


Games

The ''Ace Attorney'' series launched in Japan with the
Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...
game '' Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney'' in 2001, and has been published in the West since the release of a
Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...
port in 2005. The series currently consists of six main series games and five spin-offs.


Main series

* '' Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney'' is the first entry in the series. It was originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2001 in Japan; it has also been released for the Nintendo DS in 2005,
Nexon Mobile Nexon Co., Ltd. (formerly ) is a South Korean video game developer and publisher. It develops and publishes titles including ''MapleStory'', ''Crazyracing Kartrider'', ''Sudden Attack'', ''Dungeon & Fighter'', '' The First Descendant'', and ''B ...
in 2007, Microsoft Windows in 2008, and the
Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...
and
iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...
in 2009. * '' Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice for All'' was originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2002 in Japan; it has also been released for the Nintendo DS in 2006, Microsoft Windows in 2008,the Wii in 2010, and iOS through the trilogy mobile port released in Japan in 2012, and in the West in 2013. * '' Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Trials and Tribulations'' was originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2004 in Japan; it has also been released for Microsoft Windows in 2006, the Nintendo DS in 2007,,the Wii in 2010, and for iOS through the trilogy mobile port released in Japan in 2012, and in the West in 2013. * '' Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney'' was released for the Nintendo DS in 2007 in Japan and in 2008 in the West, for iOS and Android in 2016, and for Nintendo 3DS in 2017. * '' Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies'' was originally released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013 in Japan, North America and Europe; outside of Japan, it was given a digital-only release. It was also released for iOS in 2014, and Android in 2017. * '' Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice'' was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2016 in Japan, North America and Europe. Like ''Dual Destinies'', it was given a digital-only release outside Japan. It was released for iOS and Android in 2017.


Spin-offs


''Ace Attorney Investigations'' series

* '' Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth'' was released for the Nintendo DS in 2009 in Japan and in 2010 in the West, and for Android and iOS in 2017. * '' Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Gambit'' was released in Japan for the Nintendo DS in 2011, and for Android and iOS in 2017.


''The Great Ace Attorney'' series

* '' The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures'' was released in Japan for the Nintendo 3DS in 2015, and for Android and iOS in 2017. * '' The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve'' was released in Japan for the Nintendo 3DS in 2017, and for Android and iOS in 2018.


''Professor Layton'' crossover

* '' Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney'' is a
crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Music Albums * ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue * ''Crossover'', an album by ...
between ''Ace Attorney'' and the ''
Professor Layton ''Professor Layton'' is a puzzle adventure video game series and transmedia franchise developed by Level-5. The property consists primarily of seven main video games, a mobile spin-off, an animated theatrical film, and an anime television serie ...
'' series. It was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2012 in Japan and in 2014 in the West.


Compilations

* '' Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy'' contains the first three games in the series: ''Phoenix Wright'', ''Justice for All'', and ''Trials and Tribulations''. It was released for iOS and Android in 2012 in Japan and for iOS in 2013 in the West, as ''Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy HD''. It was later released for the
Nintendo 3DS The is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console produced by Nintendo. Announced in March 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS, the console was released originally on February 26, 2011 and went through various revisions in its lifetime, ...
in 2014, and
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
,
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
,
Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
, and
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...
in 2019 as ''Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy''. Capcom removed the mobile-only version of the game from stores and replaced it with the console version on iOS and Android in 2022. * ''
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles ''The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles'' is a compilation video game of both games in the ''Ace Attorney'' spin-off prequel series, consisting of '' The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures'' (2015) and '' The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve'' (2017). Since ...
'' contains both games in ''The Great Ace Attorney'' series: ''Adventures'' and ''2: Resolve''. It was released in July 2021 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Windows. This was the first time both games were made officially available outside of Japan. * '' Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy'' contains the fourth through sixth mainline games: ''Apollo Justice'', ''Dual Destinies'', and ''Spirit of Justice''. It was released in January 2024, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. * ''
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection ''Ace Attorney Investigations Collection'' is a compilation video game of both games in the ''Ace Attorney'' spin-off series ''Ace Attorney Investigations'', consisting of '' Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth'' (2009) and '' Ace Attor ...
'' contains both games in the ''Ace Attorney Investigations'' series: ''Miles Edgeworth'' and ''2: Prosecutor's Gambit''. It was released in September 2024, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. This compilation marks ''Prosecutor's Gambit'' first official release outside Japan.


Common elements


Gameplay

The ''Ace Attorney'' games are
visual novel A visual novel (VN) is a form of digital interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with static or animated illustratio ...
adventure game An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story, driven by exploration and/or puzzle-solving. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based m ...
s in which the player controls
defense attorney A criminal defense lawyer is a lawyer (mostly barristers) specializing in the defense of individuals and companies charged with criminal activity. Some criminal defense lawyers are privately retained, while others are employed by the various ...
s and defends their clients in several different episodes. The gameplay is split into two types of sections, investigations and courtroom trials. During the investigations, the player searches the environments, gathers information and evidence, and talks to characters such as their client, witnesses, and the police. After enough evidence has been collected, the game moves on to a courtroom trial. In the courtroom trials, the player aims to have their client declared "not guilty". They cross-examine witnesses, aiming to find lies and inconsistencies in the testimonies. They are able to go back and forth between the different statements in the testimony, and can press the witness for more details on a statement. When the player finds an inconsistency, they can present a piece of evidence that contradicts the statement. If the player is correct, the game presents a sequence that often starts with the protagonist shouting "Objection!" and pointing at the witness along with a shift in music before they begin to grill the witness with the inconsistency, which has become an iconic aspect of the series. The player is penalized if they present incorrect evidence: in the first game, a number of exclamation marks are shown, with one disappearing after each mistake the player makes; in later games, a health bar that represents the judge's patience is used instead; and in 3DS games, the character's lawyer badge is used. If all exclamation marks or lawyer badges are lost, or the health bar reaches zero, the player loses the game and their client is found guilty. Several ''Ace Attorney'' games introduce new gameplay mechanics to the series. ''Justice for All'' introduces "psyche-locks", which are shown over a witness when the player asks them about a topic they do not want to discuss; using a ''
magatama are curved, comma-shaped beads that appeared in prehistoric Japan from the Jōmon period, Final Jōmon period through the Kofun period, approximately 1000 BCE to the 6th century CE. The beads, also described as jewels, were made of stone and e ...
'', the player can start breaking the psyche-locks by showing the witness evidence or character profiles that proves they are hiding something. The number of psyche-locks depends on how deep the secret is; when all locks are broken, the topic becomes available, giving the player access to new information. ''Apollo Justice'' introduces the "perceive" system, where the player looks for motions or actions made by witnesses that show nervousness, similar to a tell in poker. ''Dual Destinies'' introduces the "mood matrix", through which the player can gauge the emotions of a witness, such as tones of anger when mentioning certain topics; if the player notices a contradictory emotional response during testimony, they can point out the discrepancy and press the witness for more information. ''Dual Destinies'' also introduces "revisualization", where the player reviews vital facts and forms links between evidence to reach new conclusions. ''Spirit of Justice'' introduces "divination
séance A séance or seance (; ) is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word ''séance'' comes from the French language, French word for "session", from the Old French , "to sit". In French, the word's meaning is quite general and mundane: one ma ...
s", in which the player is shown the memories of victims moments before their deaths, and must find contradictions in the victim's five senses to determine what has happened. ''Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney'' introduces simultaneous cross-examinations of multiple witnesses, with the player being able to see and hear reactions from the different witnesses to the testimony and using this to find contradictions. ''The Great Ace Attorney'' introduces "joint reasoning", where the player finds out the truth by pointing out when their investigative partner
Herlock Sholmes is a fictional character and the protagonist of the ''Space Pirate Captain Harlock'' manga series created by Leiji Matsumoto. Harlock is the archetypical Romantic hero, a space pirate with an individualist philosophy of life. He is as noble as ...
takes his reasoning "further than the truth". The ''Ace Attorney Investigations'' spin-off series splits the gameplay into investigation phases and rebuttal phases, the latter of which is similar to the courtroom trials of the main series. During the investigation phases, the player searches for evidence and talks to witnesses and suspects. Things which the player character notice in the environment are saved as thoughts; the player can use the "logic" system to connect two such thoughts to gain access to new information. At some points, the player can create
hologram Holography is a technique that allows a wavefront to be recorded and later reconstructed. It is best known as a method of generating three-dimensional images, and has a wide range of other uses, including data storage, microscopy, and interf ...
reproductions of the crime scene, through which they can discover new information that would otherwise be hidden. ''Prosecutor's Gambit'' introduces "Mind Chess", where the player interrogates witnesses in a timed sequence that is visualized as a game of chess, with the player aiming to destroy the other character's chess pieces. To do this, they need to build up their advantage in the discussion by alternating between speaking and listening, and then choose to go on the offensive.


Characters and setting

The protagonist of the first three games is the defense attorney
Phoenix Wright Phoenix "Nick" Wright, known as in the original Japanese language versions, is the fictional titular defense attorney and the protagonist in '' Ace Attorney'', a visual novel adventure video game series created by Shu Takumi, who was an emp ...
, who is assisted by the spirit medium
Maya Fey Maya Fey, known as in the original Japanese language versions, is a fictional spirit medium in '' Ace Attorney'', a visual novel adventure video game series created by Japanese company Capcom. Maya is featured as the main support character to t ...
; in the third game, Phoenix's mentor
Mia Fey ''Ace Attorney'' is a series of legal thriller comedy-drama Adventure game, adventure/visual novel Video game, games created by Shu Takumi. Players assume the role of a defense attorney in a fictional courtroom setting in the main series. Publish ...
is also a playable character. In the fourth game, the protagonist is the defense attorney Apollo Justice; in the fifth, Phoenix, Apollo and the new defense attorney Athena Cykes are all protagonists; and in the sixth, Phoenix and Apollo are the main protagonists, while Athena is playable in one case. The spin-off ''The Great Ace Attorney'' is set in England near the end of the 19th century, and follows Phoenix's ancestor Ryunosuke Naruhodo. Susato Mikotoba, Naruhodo's judicial assistant, is a playable character in one chapter. Phoenix's childhood friend
Miles Edgeworth Miles Edgeworth, known as in original Japanese language versions, is a fictional prosecutor in '' Ace Attorney'', a visual novel adventure video game series created by Japanese company Capcom. Initially introduced as a cold-hearted perfectionis ...
, who is the protagonist of the ''Ace Attorney Investigations'' games, is a recurring rival prosecutor character; in addition to him, each new game in the series introduces a new rival:
Franziska von Karma Franziska von Karma, known as in Japanese, is a character in the ''Ace Attorney'' series. She first appeared as the rival prosecutor to protagonist Phoenix Wright in '' Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice for All'', replacing former rival ...
is introduced in the second game, Godot in the third,
Klavier Gavin ''Ace Attorney'' is a series of legal thriller comedy-drama adventure/visual novel games created by Shu Takumi. Players assume the role of a defense attorney in a fictional courtroom setting in the main series. Published by Capcom, the series in ...
in the fourth,
Simon Blackquill ''Ace Attorney'' is a series of legal thriller comedy-drama Adventure game, adventure/visual novel Video game, games created by Shu Takumi. Players assume the role of a defense attorney in a fictional courtroom setting in the main series. Publish ...
in the fifth,
Nahyuta Sahdmadhi ''Ace Attorney'' is a series of legal thriller comedy-drama adventure/visual novel games created by Shu Takumi. Players assume the role of a defense attorney in a fictional courtroom setting in the main series. Published by Capcom, the series in ...
in the sixth, Barok van Zieks in ''Adventures'', and Kazuma Asogi in ''Resolve''. Most of the prosecutor characters are portrayed as powerful and arrogant characters of high social status and who care about keeping perfect-win records in court, and even may favor convictions over finding the truth, although most have secret motivations and sympathetic backstories and typically help the protagonist at the game's climax. Similarly to real Japanese prosecutors, the prosecutors in the series often directly oversee investigations, issuing orders to the police. Japanese attitudes towards the police force are reflected in the series, with the police being represented by incompetent characters such as
Dick Gumshoe ''Ace Attorney'' is a series of legal thriller comedy-drama Adventure game, adventure/visual novel Video game, games created by Shu Takumi. Players assume the role of a defense attorney in a fictional courtroom setting in the main series. Publish ...
, Maggey Byrde, and Mike Meekins. In the world of ''Ace Attorney'', trials only last three days, and usually end with a "guilty" verdict, with trials taken up by the protagonists of the games being rare exceptions. The outcomes of cases are decided by a judge, based on evidence provided by the defense attorney and the prosecutor. In the original Japanese, the series takes place in Japan, while in the English localization, it takes place in an alternative version of
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
in which Japanese culture is far more prevalent due to a lack of historic anti-Japanese policy. In other versions, the setting depends on region, with Asian languages such as
Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
and
Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...
following the Japanese version and European languages such as
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and
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
following the English version. The only official exception is the
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
version, which takes place in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
.


Development

The series was created by Shu Takumi, who wrote and directed the first three games. The first game was conceived in 2000 when Takumi's boss at the time,
Shinji Mikami is a Japanese video game designer, director, and video game producer, producer. Starting his career at Capcom in 1990, he has worked on many of the company's most successful games. He directed the Resident Evil (1996 video game), first installme ...
, gave him six months to create any type of game he wanted to; Takumi had originally joined Capcom wanting to make mystery and adventure games, and felt that this was a big chance for him to make a mark as a creator. The game was designed to be simple, as Takumi wanted it to be easy enough for even his mother to play. Originally it was going to be a detective game and Phoenix was a
private investigator A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI; also known as a private detective, an inquiry agent or informally a wikt:private eye, private eye) is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. ...
, but at one point Takumi realized that finding and taking apart contradictions was not related to detective work; he felt that the main setting of the game should be in courtrooms. Takumi cited Japanese mystery author
Edogawa Ranpo , better known by the pen name , was a Japanese author and critic who played a major role in the development of Japanese mystery and thriller fiction. Many of his novels involve the detective hero Kogoro Akechi, who in later books was t ...
as being an inspiration, particularly ''The Psychological Test'', a short story which involves a crime that "unravels due to the criminal's contradictory testimony." It had a big impact on him and was a major influence on the game. He was inspired by stories from another Japanese author, Shinichi Hoshi, saying that he was pursuing his "element of surprise and unexpectedness." Takumi felt that the best way to write a mystery with a good climax is to reveal various clues, and then pull them together into one conclusion, and not have multiple possible endings. He said that the biggest challenge with that was to make the gameplay and story work together. The goal was to make the player feel like they have driven the story forward themselves, with their own choices, even though the game is linear. He did not spend much time writing a backstory for Phoenix before writing the first game's story; instead he made up dialogue and developed Phoenix's personality as he went along. He came up with the partner character Maya because he thought it would be more fun for players to have another character with them, giving them advice, than investigating on their own. After the first game's development was finished, Mikami told Takumi that they should make an ''Ace Attorney'' trilogy, with a grand finale in the third game's last case. Takumi had originally planned to let Edgeworth be the prosecutor in all episodes in the second game, but during the production the development team learned of the character's popularity which led to Takumi feeling that he had to use the character more carefully and sparingly; he created the new prosecutor character Franziska von Karma, to save Edgeworth for the game's last case and avoid a situation where he—a supposed prodigy—loses every case. Takumi wanted the three first ''Ace Attorney'' games to comprise three parts of a greater whole; therefore, he avoided having a lot of changes between games: art from the first game for main characters such as Phoenix, Maya, and Edgeworth was reused to avoid having the previous games look outdated in comparison to newer games in the series. No new gameplay mechanics were added for ''Trials and Tribulations'', as Takumi was happy with the gameplay after having added the psyche-lock mechanic for ''Justice for All''. For the fourth game, Takumi wrote the scenario and took on a supervisory role. He had wanted the series to end with the third game, as he felt Phoenix's character had been fully explored and that his story had been told; he said that it is important to know when to end a story, that he did not want the series to become a shadow of its former self, and that he did not see any reason to continue it. Still, the spin-off series ''Ace Attorney Investigations'' was created, directed by Takeshi Yamazaki, and produced by Motohide Eshiro; Takumi returned to the series to write the crossover ''Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney''. He also directed and wrote the spinoff series ''The Great Ace Attorney'', the first of which was described as being the first entry in a new ''Ace Attorney'' series. He said that he has mixed feelings about the series being developed by other Capcom staff, comparing it to a parent sending their child to their first day in school. Yamazaki and Eshiro directed and produced the main series entries ''Dual Destinies'' and ''Spirit of Justice''. Due to being exhausted after working on ''Dual Destinies'', Yamazaki split direction responsibilities with Takuro Fuse for ''Spirit of Justice''; Yamazaki worked on the scenario and Fuse on the art and gameplay. In 2020, Yamazaki left Capcom. The games developed for the
Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...
and
Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...
were created using 2D sprites, initially due to the limitations of the hardware. The developers had discussed switching to
3D models In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical coordinate-based representation of a surface of an object (inanimate or living) in three dimensions via specialized software by manipulating edges, vertices, and ...
ahead of the development of ''Apollo Justice'', but it was not until the ''Professor Layton'' crossover, which used 3D to a limited extent, that they realized the
Nintendo 3DS The is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console produced by Nintendo. Announced in March 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS, the console was released originally on February 26, 2011 and went through various revisions in its lifetime, ...
could easily support 3D. ''Dual Destinies'' was developed around the use of 3D graphics, which remained a staple for future games in the series. Similarly, Level-5, the developers of the ''Professor Layton'' series, also started using 3D graphics after the crossover title.


Localization

The localization of the first game was outsourced to Bowne Global; it was handled by the writer
Alexander O. Smith Alexander O. Smith is a professional Japanese to English translator and author. While his output covers many areas such as adaptation of Japanese novels, manga, song lyrics, anime scripts, and various academic works, he is best known for his so ...
and the editor Steve Anderson. While the Japanese version takes place in Japan, the localized version is set in the United States; because one of the episodes involves time zones, it had to be specified where the game takes place and the United States was selected without thinking a lot about it. The Japanese justice system of the original still remained intact in the localization, as changing it would have altered the entire game structure. The change in the series' setting became important in later games and the Japanese setting is more obvious. Beginning with the second game, the series localization direction has been handled by Janet Hsu; One of their first decisions was how to localize Maya's hometown and the mysticism of the Fey clan. The localized versions of the ''Ace Attorney'' games happen in Los Angeles in an alternative universe where anti-Japanese laws like the
California Alien Land Law of 1913 The California Alien Land Law of 1913 (also known as the Webb–Haney Act) prohibited "aliens ineligible for citizenship" from owning agricultural land or possessing long-term leases over it, but permitted leases lasting up to three years. It affe ...
have not been passed, anti-Japanese sentiments were not powerful, and where Japanese culture flourished. That dictated the elements which should be localized and what should be kept as Japanese. Things relating to the Fey clan and the Kurain channeling technique were kept Japanese, as that was Maya's heritage; Japanese foods which were not widely known in the West were changed, such as changing Maya's favorite food from ramen to burgers. That particular change was mocked by players as the dish later became more well known in the West, and was lampshaded in the English release of ''Spirit of Justice'', where Maya is described as liking both ramen and burgers. Character names were localized using double meanings similarly to the Japanese names; the name puns were based on the characters' personalities or backgrounds, or were visual gags. Several English names were based on their Japanese counterparts, but for some characters the names had to be altered heavily compared to the Japanese versions. Smith and Anderson had a lot of freedom when localizing the names of minor characters in the first game, but discussed the names of the main cast with Capcom. Phoenix's English surname, "Wright", was chosen as his Japanese name, "Naruhodō"—meaning "I see" or "I understand"—is frequently used as a joke in the script. ''Dual Destinies'' was given a digital-only release in the West to release the English version as close to the Japanese release date as possible and maintain a tight development schedule. Its follow-up, ''Spirit of Justice'', was released in the same manner. Both ''The Great Ace Attorney'' games were released in the West with English localization in July 2021 as part of ''The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles,'' while ''Prosecutor's Gambit'' was not localized until its inclusion in the ''Ace Attorney Investigations Collection'' in September 2024.


Reception

The ''Ace Attorney'' series has been well received by critics, and has performed well commercially: in December 2009, it was Capcom's 9th-best-selling series of all time, and in October 2010, they called it one of their "strongest intellectual properties", with more than 3.9 million units sold worldwide. By December 2013, the series had sold over 5 million units. In the United States, the first game became surprisingly successful, forcing Capcom to prepare at least three additional runs to meet the demand. By June 2018, the series had sold over 6.7 million units. As of December 31, 2024, the game series has sold 13 million copies worldwide. Geoff Thew at ''Hardcore Gamer'' said that the "craziness" of the game world makes the cases entertaining, but also that it "resonates on a deeper level" due to its connection to the real
Japanese legal system The law of Japan refers to the legal system in Japan, which is primarily based on legal codes and statutes, with precedents also playing an important role. Japan has a civil law legal system with six legal codes, which were greatly influenced b ...
, making the setting still feel relevant in 2014. Bob Mackey at ''
USgamer Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British digital media company based in London. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and ot ...
'' said that the ''Ace Attorney'' games were among the best written games of all time, and that the series' strength is how each game builds up to a "stunning and satisfying finale". Thomas Whitehead at ''Nintendo Life'' also liked the writing, praising its balance between "light-hearted nonsense" and darker, more serious scenarios. Several reviewers have appreciated the series' characters; Thew felt that Phoenix and Maya's banter is among the best in video games, and that Edgeworth's
character arc A character arc is the transformation or inner journey of a character over the course of a story. If a story has a character arc, the character begins as one sort of person and gradually transforms into a different sort of person in response to c ...
is one of the most compelling parts of the stories. Reviewers have liked finding contradictions; a common complaint however, is the games' linearity, as well as how the player sometimes has to resort to a
trial-and-error Trial and error is a fundamental method of problem-solving characterized by repeated, varied attempts which are continued until success, or until the practicer stops trying. According to W.H. Thorpe, the term was devised by C. Lloyd Morgan ( ...
method because the games only accept specific pieces of evidence, and how testimony statements sometimes need to be pressed in a specific order. Some reviewers have criticized the lack of changes to the gameplay and presentation throughout the series, other have said that fans of the series would not have a problem with it. Several reviewers praised the series' music. Thew said that the greatest aspect of the series is its audio design, with the first three games using the Game Boy Advance sound chip better than any other game for that platform; he called the music phenomenal, with the exception of that in ''Justice for All'', but said the sound effects are what "steals the show". Mackey commented that the games' small amounts of animations for each character are used well for their characterization.


Related media and other appearances

The
Takarazuka Revue The is a Japanese all-female musical theatre troupe based in Takarazuka, Hyōgo, Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Women play all roles in lavish, Broadway theatre, Broadway-style productions of musicals and stories adapted from films, nov ...
, an all-female theater troupe, has adapted the series into stage musicals: 2009's ''Ace Attorney: The Truth Reborn'', which is based on the last episode of the first game; 2010's ''Ace Attorney 2: The Truth Reborn, Again...'', whose first act is an original story, and whose second is based on the final episode of the second game; and 2013's ''Ace Attorney 3: Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth'', which is set before the events of ''The Truth Reborn, Again...'' In 2023, the Takarazuka Revue wrote and performed a musical based on ''The Great Ace Attorney'', titled ''The Great Ace Attorney: New Truth Reborn''. A
stage play A play is a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than mere reading. The creator of a play is known as a playwright. Plays are staged at various levels, ranging ...
based on the series, titled ''Gyakuten no Spotlight'', ran in 2013, and was written by Eisaku Saito. A 2012 live-action film adaptation of the first game, titled ''
Ace Attorney ''Ace Attorney'' is a visual novel franchise developed by Capcom. With storytelling fashioned after legal dramas, the first entry in the series, '' Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney'', was released in 2001; since then five further main series game ...
'', was produced at the film studio Toei and directed by
Takashi Miike is a Japanese film director, film producer and screenwriter. He has directed over 100 feature film, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. His films span a variety of different genres, ranging from violent and surrealism, b ...
. A 2016 TV anime adaptation of the series, ''
Ace Attorney ''Ace Attorney'' is a visual novel franchise developed by Capcom. With storytelling fashioned after legal dramas, the first entry in the series, '' Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney'', was released in 2001; since then five further main series game ...
'', was produced at
A-1 Pictures is a Japanese animation studio and production company founded by ex- Sunrise producer Mikihiro Iwata. It is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan's anime production firm Aniplex. History The company was established by SMEJ's animat ...
and directed by
Ayumu Watanabe is a Japanese animation director. After joining Shin-Ei Animation, he directed multiple ''Doraemon'' animated films. As a freelancer, he also worked on numerous animated adaptations such as '' Space Brothers'', '' After the Rain'', and '' Komi Ca ...
.
Kodansha is a Japanese privately held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning (magazine), Morning'', ''Afternoon (magazine), Afternoon'', ''Evening (magazine), Eveni ...
has published several
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
based on the series: a short story anthology was published in ''Bessatsu Young Magazine'' in 2006; ''Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney'' and ''Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth'' were serialized in ''Weekly Young Magazine'' in 2007 and 2009, respectively; and another manga, which is based on the anime, was published in ''
V Jump is a Japanese shōnen manga magazine, focusing on manga as well as video games based on popular manga. The magazine's debut was in 1990 by Shueisha under the '' Jump'' line of magazines. History In the early 1990s, Shueisha directed ''Weekly ...
'' in 2016. A novel based on the series, ''Gyakuten Saiban: Turnabout Idol'', was released in June 2016. ''Ace Attorney''
drama CD Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatised, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
s,
soundtrack albums A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' ...
, and
figurines A figurine A figurine (a diminutive form of the word ''figure'') or statuette is a small, three-dimensional sculpture that represents a human, deity or animal, or, in practice, a pair or small group of them. Figurines have been made in many med ...
have also been released. ''Ace Attorney'' characters have made crossover appearances in other video games. Some ''Ace Attorney'' characters appear in '' SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters DS''. Phoenix and Edgeworth make a cameo appearance in
She-Hulk She-Hulk (Jennifer Susan Walters) is a Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she First appearance, first appeared in ''The Savage She-Hulk ...
's ending in the fighting game '' Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds''; in the game's update, ''
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is a 2011 crossover fighting game developed by Capcom in collaboration with Eighting. It is an updated version of '' Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds''. The game features characters from both Capcom's video game franchises and comic book ...
'', Phoenix appears as a
playable character A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...
while Maya appears alongside Phoenix in his moveset, victory animation and Phoenix's ending in the game. Phoenix and Maya are playable characters in ''
Project X Zone 2 ''Project X Zone 2'' is a crossover tactical role-playing video game developed by Monolith Soft for the Nintendo 3DS and Bandai Namco Entertainment. Despite the game being the sequel to ''Project X Zone'', the plot is a homage to the events of ...
'', while Edgeworth makes a non-player appearance. Phoenix, Maya, Edgeworth and Franziska were all playable in the
mobile game A mobile game is a video game that is typically played on a mobile phone. The term also refers to all games that are played on any Mobile device, portable device, including from mobile phone (feature phone or smartphone), tablet computer, table ...
''
Monster Hunter is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fantasy-themed action role-playing video games, beginning with first installment '' Monster Hunter'' for the PlayStation 2, released in 2004. Titles have been released across a variety of pl ...
Explore'' in 2017, as part of one of its temporary crossover events, and a Phoenix transformation is available for a companion character in '' Monster Hunter XX''. Music from the ''Ace Attorney'' series is featured in '' Taiko Drum Master: Doko Don! Mystery Adventure'', with Phoenix making an appearance in the game's story. In April 2021, Ace Attorney was introduced to ''
Teppen (stylized as ''TEPPƎN'') is a free-to-play digital collectible card game developed by GungHo Online Entertainment and Capcom. It released in North America and Europe on July 4, 2019 and in Asia on August 8 for Android, and iOS. The game was ...
'' alongside the ''
Dead Rising is a series of action-adventure games created by Keiji Inafune. It was originally developed by Capcom in 2006 until Capcom Vancouver took over developing the franchise and Microsoft Studios took over the publishing rights. As of December 31, 2 ...
'' franchise with the "Ace vs. The People" expansion.


Legacy

In 2015, ''
GamesRadar+ ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', '' Edge'' and '' Compute ...
'' named ''Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney'' as the 55th-best video game of all time. In 2016, ''
Famitsu , formerly , is a line of Japanese Video game journalism, video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly f ...
'' readers voted the original ''Gyakuten Saiban'' as the second-most memorable Game Boy Advance title (behind only ''Pokémon Ruby'' and ''Sapphire'') and ''Gyakuten Saiban 123'' as the tenth-best Nintendo 3DS game. In 2017, ''Famitsu'' readers voted ''Gyakuten Saiban'' the third-best
adventure game An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story, driven by exploration and/or puzzle-solving. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based m ...
of all time, behind only ''
Steins;Gate ''Steins;Gate'' is a 2009 science fiction visual novel game developed by 5pb. and Nitroplus. It is the second game in the ''Science Adventure'' series, following ''Chaos;Head''. The story follows a group of students as they discover and develop ...
'' and '' 428: Shibuya Scramble''. The ''Ace Attorney'' series has been credited with helping to popularise visual novels in the Western world. ''
Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...
'' magazine credits the ''Ace Attorney'' series with popularizing the visual novel mystery format and noted that its success anticipated the resurgence of point-and-click adventure games as well as the international success of Japanese visual novels. According to ''
Danganronpa is a Japanese video game franchise created by Kazutaka Kodaka and developed and owned by Spike Chunsoft (formerly Spike). The series primarily surrounds various groups of apparent high-school students who are forced into murdering each oth ...
'' director
Kazutaka Kodaka is a Japanese video game designer, writer, and manga artist. His work is known for recurring themes of contrasting hope and despair, luck and talent, truth and lies, and mixing tragedy with dark humor, as well as using numerous plot twists. He ...
, ''Ace Attorney''s success in North America was due to how it distinguished itself from most visual novels with its gameplay mechanics, which ''Danganronpa'' later built upon and helped it also find success in North America. The ''Ace Attorney'' series has also inspired many video games. The 2008 Capcom title '' Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law'', based on the
animated series An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...
, shares many elements with the ''Ace Attorney'' series. The 2013 title '' Socrates Jones: Pro Philosopher'' keeps the ''Ace Attorney'' format but swaps law for philosophical argument, and the 2015 adventure game '' Aviary Attorney'' features similar gameplay but with an all-bird cast of characters. The 2016 video game '' Detective Pikachu'', which received a 2019 film adaptation, has also drawn comparisons to the ''Ace Attorney'' series. In the 2018 episodic
role-playing Role-playing or roleplaying is the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role. While the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' offers a definition of role-playing ...
game ''
Deltarune ''Deltarune'' is an episodic role-playing video game in development by Toby Fox as a follow-up to his 2015 video game ''Undertale''. In the game, the player controls a human teenager, Kris, who is destined to save the world together with Susie ...
'', the character of
Susie Susie is a female name that can be a diminutive form of Susan, Susanne, Suzanne, Susannah, Susanna or Susana. Susie may refer to: Songs *"Susie", a song by Krokus from '' Painkiller'' *"Susie", a song by John Lee Hooker from the album '' ...
was originally inspired by Ace Attorney character:
Maya Fey Maya Fey, known as in the original Japanese language versions, is a fictional spirit medium in '' Ace Attorney'', a visual novel adventure video game series created by Japanese company Capcom. Maya is featured as the main support character to t ...
, Susie was originally "nice and cute" character like Maya before Susie's character and design developed into a "thug". The 2023 visual novel ''Tyrion Cuthbert: Attorney of the Arcane'' also parodies the franchise, following a lawyer who defends clients in a supernatural setting. ''Ace Attorney'' is referenced in several
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
shows. In a murder mystery arc of the 2006 anime series ''
Haruhi Suzumiya is a Japanese light novel series written by Nagaru Tanigawa and illustrated by Noizi Ito. It was first published in 2003 by Kadokawa Shoten in Japan with the novel ''The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'', and has since been followed ...
'', the show's titular character mimics Phoenix Wright during an episode. The 2014 anime series ''
No Game No Life is a Japanese light novel series by Yuu Kamiya. It is published under the MF Bunko J imprint with twelve novels released between April 25, 2012, and February 25, 2023. The author and his wife, Mashiro Hiiragi, adapted the novels into ...
'' also pays homage to the game during an episode. In early 2021, a user on
Reddit Reddit ( ) is an American Proprietary software, proprietary social news news aggregator, aggregation and Internet forum, forum Social media, social media platform. Registered users (commonly referred to as "redditors") submit content to the ...
created a bot which took selected Reddit forum arguments into short movies fashioned after ''Ace Attorney'' courtroom battles between the games' various characters. A similar bot was later created for the platform X (commonly known as Twitter). Later in the year, the ''
San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...
'' noted its
queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...
inspiration and influence: the first game was inspired by quite a bit of fanwork which features same-sex pairings, developers in turn took inspiration from
Yaoi , also known by its abbreviation , is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that depicts homoerotic relationships between male characters. It is typically created by women for a female audience, distinguishing it from the equivale ...
(boys' love) in writing the sequels' characters.


Notes


References


External links

* {{Portal bar, 2000s, Anime and manga, Japan, Law, Music, Video games Capcom franchises Kodansha manga Legal comedies Murder mystery video games Mystery adventure games Shueisha manga Video game franchises Video game franchises introduced in 2001 Video games set in Los Angeles Video games set in Japan Visual novels Video games adapted into films Video games adapted into television shows Video games about law Video games about wrongful convictions Works about lawyers Works set in courtrooms