Ace Attorney Investigations Collection to be ready for trial in September

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Upgraded two-game collection includes first-ever release of Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit in English

Following a trio of Phoenix Wright (and one Apollo Justice) adventures experienced from the defense side of the courtroom, fans of CAPCOM's popular Ace Attorney series got to view things from a whole new perspective in 2010's Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth. But while a sequel was released the following year on the Nintendo DS in Japan, Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Gambit never made it to English-speaking shores. Until now. Or at least, until September, when both games are due to arrive, bigger and better than ever in the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection.

In his self-titled first game, Miles Edgeworth steps into the starring role for the first time as he "puts his investigative prowess to the test, determined to reveal the truth no matter the cost." In the follow-up, Edgeworth must confront his past and the legacy of his defense attorney father in an "even bigger challenge" that sees him square off against new foes and battle "for his right to remain a prosecutor." While the anime-inspired visuals and much of the visual novel-styled gameplay in Edgeworth's investigations remain true to their predecessors, challenging players to interrogate persons of interest, find inconsistencies in witness statements, and expose the lies in court, these games also allow Edgeworth to stretch his legs at the crime scenes themselves, searching for clues and gathering evidence in more traditional point-and-click adventure gameplay. 

While the  Ace Attorney Investigations Collection remains faithful to the original games, they've been enhanced with a number of technical and quality-of-life improvements. The graphics are now in full HD, with upgraded, "extra expressive" and more smoothly animated chibi sprites, though anyone seeking a more "retro vibe" can opt for a pixel art presentation instead. A conversation history allows easy reference to previous dialogues as a refresher of what's been said, while a chapter select feature allows a handy way to return to previously finished sections to replay. Or, if you'd rather just sit back and let events play out on their own, a new "Story Mode" will "solve even the toughest puzzles on your behalf," and can be toggled on and off at will. A variety of bonus extras complete the package, ranging from an art gallery with character sketches and in-game illustrations to a soundtrack with "all 106 in-game background tracks" as well as almost two dozen orchestral tracks.

It won't be long before the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection arrives, as the two-game bundle is due to launch on Steam for Windows PC on September 6th, along with console versions for PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch platforms. Pe-orders are available now, which come with an additional five-track arranged musical set for Ace Attorney Investigations 2 that can be used in-game or listened to from the gallery.