Given the steady re-release of the Phoenix Wright and Apollo Justice sagas, it was only a matter of time before Miles Edgeworth got the same treatment.
Indeed, I’ve been fortunate enough to get my magnifying glass out and give Ace Attorney Investigations Collection a good once over for preview.
For those unfamiliar, Miles Edgeworth is a prosecutor by trade and will be very familiar to fans of the franchise. He was in fact the main adversary to the legendary Phoenix Wright at one point. However, as the word “investigations” suggests, this time the action is shifted away from the usual courtroom setting.
Instead, Miles turns detective as he (accompanied by his ever loyal pal, Dick Gumshoe) uses his impressive skillset to solve a string of murders. However, it turns out that not is all at it seems, and something larger is at play. Well, when is it ever straightforward?
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is a bundle of two games originally released for the DS around 15 years ago – Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth and Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit. Rather interestingly, the second game never made it out of Japan, until now that is.
As mentioned, both of these games play out a little differently to those which came before. You will need to scour crime scenes looking for and examining evidence. This is from a third person perspective, and the first person viewpoint kicks in as you get a little closer to items of interest. This is known as the investigation phase.
The other main phase of play is the rebuttal phase, and this works in very much the same way as cross-examining a witness testimony in court. It’s a case of studying what is said carefully, and either pressing for more information in the hope of finding inconsistency, or spotting a contradiction and presenting your evidence to support it. “Objection!” and “Hold It!” make a welcome return during these exchanges.
Miles Edgeworth is a smart chap, and has a little skill up his sleeve called “logic”. This allows him to piece together bits of information like a jigsaw puzzle, and gain new insights into a case. It’s a simple but effective mechanic.
I’m a big fan of these games and Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is shaping up to be another strong addition. The cases are well written, full of the twists and turns you would expect. On balance, I’d say it’s a little less challenging than some previous entries in the series from what I’ve played so far. However, if you are struggling then the story mode will solve puzzles for you. This is aimed at players looking to simply enjoy the tale which is being told. Autoplay is back too, which is a godsend, and removes the need for you to endlessly push on the dialogue by pressing buttons.
Both games look better than ever thanks to the HD treatment, but you can choose between the original pixel style for nostalgia if you wish. Otherwise, the new character designs look great, and help bring the cast to life.
As with all of these re-releases, there’s lots of extras to accompany the main games. Some will be unlocked as you play through each episode, but between illustrations, character animations and even some reworkings of the original soundtrack, there’s plenty here to keep fans happy.
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is a slightly different take on a series which has won over legions of fans over the years. The shift to investigating quickens the pace a little and potentially makes it more appealing to a broader audience. For the already converted, having the chance to play a previously unreleased entry in the series will probably clinch it, regardless of the other 600 words or so in this article.
Keep your eyes peeled for our full review of Ace Attorney Investigations Collection on Xbox soon.
Thanks go out to Capcom for providing us access to Ace Attorney Investigations Collection on Xbox for this preview. You’ll find the game releasing on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and PC come September 6th 2024. If you wish to pre-order, hit up the Xbox Store where you’ll find it sitting behind a £34.99 asking price.
