The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures

Did You Know?

• The game won VGMO's 2015 Scores of the Year award in the Traditional / Acoustic category.
• The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, a bundle containing both Adventures and its sequel, was released worldwide in July 2021 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Windows.

Gameplay

The game continues the courtroom style of previous Ace Attorney titles, with fully 3D environments and character models as seen in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies. Gameplay alternates between investigation, where players gather evidence and testimonies, and courtroom battles, where evidence is used to find contradictions in witness statements. As in Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, the player may cross-examine multiple witnesses simultaneously, gaining new information by addressing one witness when they react to another's statement. Two new mechanics are introduced: the Dance of Deduction and Summation Examinations. In the Dance of Deduction, Herlock Sholmes presents a flawed theory based on observations, and players must examine the scene and witnesses to correct his mistakes. Summation Examinations occur during trials when the jury unanimously decides a guilty verdict; the player must convince a majority of jurors to change their verdict by comparing contradictory statements from two jurors, sometimes pressing them or presenting evidence.

Premise

Set near the end of the 19th century and the dawn of the 20th century, in Japan's Meiji Period and Britain's Victorian era, the game follows Ryunosuke Naruhodo, a student at Imperial Yumei University and an ancestor of series protagonist Phoenix Wright. He has a strong sense of justice but easily ends up in danger. His friend Kazuma Asogi, a law student, is already qualified to stand in court and aims to transform the legal system through study in Great Britain. They are aided by Susato Mikotoba, a judicial assistant described as an ideal Japanese woman and a progressive dreamer who loves foreign mystery novels. In England, Ryunosuke meets Herlock Sholmes, a world-famous detective whose rapid abductive reasoning often leads to incorrect conclusions, and his assistant Iris Wilson, a ten-year-old prodigy and inventor who writes The Adventures of Herlock Sholmes. The story begins in Japan when Ryunosuke is put on trial for the murder of visiting teacher Dr. John H. Wilson. Represented by Kazuma Asogi, with prosecutor Taketsuchi Auchi, they prove the real murderer is Jezaille Brett, an English exchange student, though her motive remains a mystery; she is to be sent to China for trial.

Development

Development began in 2013, a few months after the Japanese release of Shu Takumi's previous project, Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, when he was asked to work on a new Ace Attorney game. Takumi considered focusing on civil trials but recalled an idea from around 2000: a mystery game where a detective makes incorrect deductions and players correct him. He thought combining this with Ace Attorney would be fun but did not expect Capcom to accept it. Takumi had long wanted to make a Sherlock Holmes game, and Holmes was part of the concept from the start, both for gameplay and to separate the game from the main series by setting it in a different time period. This led Takumi to consider Japan's historical context, opening new possibilities for mysteries. Initially, he intended the game to begin in London, thinking a Japanese court would be too much for a prologue, but character designer Kazuya Nuri suggested starting in Japan. Takumi's work on Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney helped establish details for the setting. Character designs and art direction were by Kazuya Nuri, with music by Yasumasa Kitagawa and Hiromitsu Maeba.

Release

Capcom released the game for Nintendo 3DS in Japan on July 9, 2015, in several editions. A limited edition through e-Capcom included the game, a box based on Holmes' briefcase, Holmes and Iris plush toys, a pin like Ryunosuke's, postcards, and a Holmes-themed sticker. Another e-Capcom edition included the game, a soundtrack CD, and an illustration collection. A third edition bundled the game with all bonus items. Pre-orders offered a The Great Ace Attorney theme for the 3DS home screen. A limited edition bundling the game with its sequel and a soundtrack CD was released on August 3, 2017. The original soundtrack was published by Capcom in Japan on July 15, 2015. Android and iOS versions launched in Japan on August 30 and 31, 2017, respectively. As of September 2015, Capcom France stated no plans for a Western release; producer Yasuyuki Makino noted localization challenges. In June 2016, Eshiro said they wanted a Western release but that certain circumstances prevented it. A fan translation in subtitled videos was uploaded to YouTube, taken down by Capcom in June 2017, reinstated in July 2017, and later removed. A complete English fan translation patch for 3DS and Android was released in 2019 under the name The Great Ace Attorney: The Adventures of Ryuunosuke Naruhodou.