The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a collection developed by Capcom, featuring revamped versions of the 2015 adventure video game legal dramas The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures and 2018's The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve. Both games were originally released on the Nintendo 3DS console and have never left Japan. Thus, this set marks the debut of these games in an English-language version.

Plot

In terms of plot, the project is a prequel. The protagonist is Ryunosuke Naruhodo, a young Japanese man living in the 19th century who is Phoenix Wright's ancestor. In total, the collection offers ten big cases to solve, set in Japan and in the UK.

The action begins when Ryunosuke is accused of murdering a professor at the university where he studies English. He is defended by his friend Asogi Kazuma, who is about to graduate from law school.

If the player succeeds in discovering the real perpetrator and acquits the protagonist, Kazuma and Naruhodo will travel to the UK, where the first of them wants to learn the secrets of Western justice. Unfortunately, dramatic events will occur during the voyage, which will ultimately set Ryunosuke on the path of a legal career.

Mechanics

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is built on the mechanisms of previous installments of the series. Each case is divided into two phases. The first one is the investigation, during which we search the locations, gather evidence and clues and interview witnesses.

Once the preparations are complete, it's time for the trial, during which we have to present our own theory and support it with arguments and evidence. A key role is also played by catching inaccuracies in the testimony of witnesses called by the prosecution.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles offers several novelties significantly affecting gameplay. This time, besides the judge, a six-person jury also takes part in the trials. Its members themselves decide when to call for a vote, which determines the guilt or innocence of the accused. However, if the verdict is not in our favour, we are given the chance to speak to each member of the jury. If we manage to convince four out of six then the decision is reversed and the trial resumes.

During the investigations, the protagonist is often helped by a detective named Herlock Sholmes (you know who this character is parodying). Related to him is the second major novelty in the form of Joint Reasoning. In such sections Sholmes begins to present his own theories and ideas, and the player's task is to find inaccuracies and errors in them, so that the detective is eventually able to come to the right conclusions and thus provide us with additional information useful during the trial.

Game modes

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles features a single player mode only. Apart from standard gameplay there is also Story Mode. In this mode the game makes all the decisions for us, and we can concentrate on following the story.

Technical aspects

Collection offers attractive 3D graphics designed in a very cartoon style. Both games were originally released on the 3DS, and the versions in The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles look noticeably better thanks to high resolution and anti-aliasing. Players can also choose between Japanese and English dubbing.

The set includes the basic versions of both games along with all DLC, which enhanced the originals with additional mini-cases and alternative costumes. Players also get access to a virtual Gallery with artworks, and an Auditorium that shows how the music recording and dubbing process took place.