Fans of the Phoenix Wright series have been waiting a long time to play these two Capcom games in the collection. The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures first hit the 3DS in 2015 in Japan. The sequel, The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve, launched two years later in 2017. Now fans in the West can enjoy these games in HD on the Switch or PS4 as far as consoles go.
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It is a miracle that one game finally got translated officially let alone two. All that remains now is to get Miles Edgeworth 2 out here. Unlike the main series which stars the titular Phoenix Wright, these two games are set in a steampunk version of England wherein Wright’s predecessor from ages past is on the case. Also around is the famed detective Herlock Sholmes which is just a great parody name. Was the wait worth it?
10 Best: Art Style
This series has come a long way since it debuted in Japan on the Game Boy Advance in 2001. While the sprites of that age along with the artwork from the DS era will always remain classic, the new 3D models in this game also look stunning.
This series has always been very anime adjacent and the new art style enforces that feeling. It looks good on the Switch in handheld mode and on the TV.
9 Worst: No Way To Minimize Text
The downside to the game looking great is that there is no way to capture its beauty. The Switch has a great built-in photo mode, which is nice. The problem is that the game does not allow players to take away text boxes.
Other visual novel games like this usually offer ways to take away text so that fans can take pictures or just admire the art without distractions. It’s not a huge issue in the game but it is a shame that this feature is missing.
8 Best: Character Design
Along with the art style, the characters deserve their own set of praise. This series’ shining beacon has always been its cast of wacky characters. This ranges from the titular leads to the defendants, the witnesses, and beyond. What makes them so great are the animations that are over the top. A good example is Nosa in the first episode.
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Their character model slowly evolves to reveal a child hiding behind him who keeps tugging away at his mustache. The characters would be nothing without the writing being so funny either. It's hard not to get a few laughs in while playing through these titles.
7 Worst: Little Voice Acting
Unfortunately, this game still feels like it was made in 2001 on the Game Boy Advance. There are full anime cutscenes in the game which are great and they have full voice work. The core game is absent of voices for the most part, though.
What makes this odd is that there is an option to turn off voices in the settings but all this does is mute outbursts like “Yes” or “Objection” by being accompanied by a single shout. It’s an odd choice for a game in 2021 even if it is a remaster on Switch.
6 Best: Good Mysteries
This series has always provided some good mysteries but these two new games may be the best yet. The new time period works well to introduce some new wrinkles to the cases.
Not only is it a throwback piece, but the two games’ cases primarily take place in a different region other than Japan aka England. The inclusion of the Sherlock Holmes wannabe adds a nice touch to make these really feel like great detective games.
5 Worst: Longwinded Trials
As good as the central mysteries are to each case, they all suffer from bloating. Half the time players may inevitably solve the case only for the plot to sidetrack itself and go the long way around. That’s something that has always plagued this series.
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Every case in every game would be better if they were just trimmed a little bit. On the bright side, the long-winded nature of each case allows players to spend more time with the quirky cast.
4 Best: Story Mode
The puzzles are never too terribly hard to solve in these games. Sometimes the answer is more abstract than the obvious one, leading players to second guess themselves even though they’re on the right track.
If players are stumped this may inevitably lead to hard quitting a game which is something a developer like Capcom, or any developer, probably wants to avoid. That’s why the Story mode is so great as it solves the case for players thus making it a more accessible experience for everyone.
3 Worst: Plot Inconsistencies
This is a light novel series of games meaning there is a lot of text in them. For the most part, the writers are able to keep things clear and concise but nobody is perfect. Even if a team quadruple checks the lore, there is bound to be a slip-up or inconsistency in the plot.
One example can be found in the first episode involving the bull engraved steak plate. Why weren’t both I presented? It doesn’t make sense and that’s just one in many confounding examples? One could elaborate but this isn’t the place for spoilers.
2 Best: Two Games In One
It needs to be stated again just how cool it is that Capcom bundled both games together and for a reduced price. $40 for two-game remasters is a great deal and assuredly this price will drop within the coming months.
Capcom could have easily released both games at full price like certain other companies. Video games are a business after all and it is within their right to charge whatever. It’s just nice to see a deal like this from a big company like Capcom.
1 Worst: Gameplay Hasn’t Evolved Much
The writing has mostly stayed consistently excellent in the past almost two decades of this series existed. That’s astounding for any franchise. While the graphics have changed, not much else has though.
A few mechanics have been added here and there but by and large, these two games are exactly the same light novel constructs as the Game Boy Advance games. It would be great to see future titles expand into 3D adventure games like the Telltale series.
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