We present decisive evidence that Capcom's detective saga has been on full display with this remaster
During cross-examination, the witness says something that we know is not true, or is a half-truth. We go to the court registry and select that evidence, the same one that we know will shatter that testimony, and we present it. After the shout of “PROTEST!”, the music stops. We know that we have got it right and that winning pride fills us. This is why the Ace Attorney saga is so satisfying. This sensation is rounded off by putting us in the role of a lawyer-detective who must investigate crimes and defend the client from him (almost always) unjustly accused. This cult saga had shone on Nintendo DS and, later, on Nintendo 3DS. The first generation, starring Phoenix Wright, had arrived on consoles in 2019 through the compilation Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy . This year it was the turn of his successor Apollo Justice with Apollo Justice Ace Attorney Trilogy , the compendium that brings to PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series the second generation of this unique saga from Capcom and that mixes the conversational adventure with the graphic adventure. Today at “chuckymovie” we talk to you about how this remaster has recovered a benchmark saga of the detective genre .
Apollo Justice, a worthy successor
Creating a legacy is difficult, and maintaining that legacy over time is even more difficult. The challenge is higher when it comes to passing the baton between protagonists. However, Capcom emerged victorious from these challenges in the Ace Attorney saga. Phoenix Wright, with his spiky hair, his navy blue suit, his red tie and his iron sense of justice had become an icon within the detective genre, and his successor has lived up to it. Young Apollo shares certain characteristics with him: he is kind, passionate, and justice is one of his primary values. And, he sports a pair of spiky locks that are the target of ridicule from other acquaintances, just as his mentor’s hair was.
The generational change between Phoenix and Apollo works because Capcom maintains the great premise that makes both sagas shine: they are games that appeal to the satisfaction of being right. It is a game system that combines two genres: graphic adventure and conversational adventure and gives the player an active role in the investigation and resolution of crimes. In them, it is not worth trying dialogue options without rhyme or reason, since the game punishes incorrect answers: during the trial, we have a life bar that receives penalties if we choose an incorrect conclusion.
Each game is divided into 4 or 6 episodes, each covering a case. In them, a murder is committed that claims two victims: the deceased and the accused, who is usually innocent. Apollo, like Phoenix, plays the role of defense attorney who must prove his innocence. Each case alternates two phases: the investigation phase, where Apollo travels to the crime scene and interrogates witnesses and collects evidence; and that of the trial, where there is a duel between him and the prosecutor on duty. At trial, Justice must question witnesses and suspects, pressure them to investigate their statements further, and present as evidence anything that contradicts the testimony. Thus, the narrative progresses as we get closer to the resolution of a case that, at first glance, seems simple, but ends up showing various layers of depth and surprising twists. This compilation includes the complete games, with their respective episodes that were released through DLC.
Phoenix Wright passes the baton to Apollo Justice also for a narrative reason: Ace Attorneys work because the story revolves around an inexperienced protagonist who is undervalued by the rest of the judicial personalities. And, precisely for this reason, it is so pleasant to win cases. We have a young, novice lawyer against a prosecutor who exudes a self-confidence that borders on arrogance (and, according to the prosecutor, passes through it). The judge, although impartial, seems to lean towards the prosecution while we must do all the active work to dismantle the accusation. However, we are the one who demonstrates the truth hidden beneath a crime, breaking with dignity all the prejudices held against the new lawyer, saving the life of an innocent person and uncovering the true culprit.
Wright had already acquired some experience throughout his saga and, therefore, there is no longer that distance of experience between him and the prosecutors. Capcom, intelligently, passes the baton from Phoenix to Apollo , who takes the rookie position this time. And, at the same time, he keeps Phoenix within the story and even regains the spotlight in the third installment.
A remaster that does justice
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy is made up of the three titles starring the lawyer in the red suit: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, Apollo Justice: Dual Destinies and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice. From it, we can access any of the three games and their respective chapters without having to have completed the previous ones. However, we recommend playing them in the established order and, although it is not strictly necessary, having previously completed the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy titles.
Each of these titles incorporates new mechanics that refresh the basic game system : Apollo has a bracelet that allows him to examine the nervous tics of the people he interrogates. This is in addition to the fingerprint or fluid search minigames in AJ: Ace Attorney. In Dual Destinies, lawyer Athena Cykes enters the scene with the mood matrix, which allows her to analyze people’s emotional state and find dissonances between their statements and feelings. In this, the investigation becomes more comfortable and interesting by being able to change locations without having to necessarily go through other areas, and the multidimensional investigation adds more depth to the collection of clues. In Spirit of Justice, she brings back mysticism with the Divination Séance mechanic, which allows you to see someone’s last moments before they die.
The remastering of the three titles involves an excellent refinement of the graphics and animations , more fluid and with certain nuances of the expressions that make them more alive within the anime style of each of the titles and, in addition, the ratio and The definition is adapted to current screens. However, there is a necessary sacrifice: the elimination of the touch screen. Now, navigation is done through a cursor instead of the stylus, with precision and comfort well translated. The double screen is united in one, with a well-distributed adaptation of the menus and without hindering immersion: now we access the judicial record through a button, and the menu is superimposed on the main image, as well as the dialogue choices. Certain interactions are missed in certain mini-games, such as blowing through the microphone during fingerprint detection, but it is an understandable loss due to the format. The music has also been greatly improved, with new arrangements that add greater richness to iconic songs like Guilty Love or Thrill Theme .
As interesting extras, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy includes a virtual museum that is a delight for fans. Here we access a collection of internal trophies and an art gallery with sketches, illustrations and videos, some of them unpublished and all unlockable as we progress through the story. We also have alternative costumes for Spirit of Justice and Dual Destinies and a concert hall to listen to the symphonic version of a soundtrack, performed by characters from the saga in chibi enamel pin style and with a certain narrative in some songs. Capcom has also been aware of how the saga has been an inspiration for Internet memes and has therefore created an animation studio to make ours. Here, we choose a character, his gesture and his voice line. However, this tool is somewhat limited for us and, seeing that there are Internet pages where we can create our texts, we think that Capcom could have gone a little further.
A detective game for everyone?
The difficulty is quite fair and does not require a privileged mind, although the game makes us feel that we have an intellect worthy of Sherlock Holmes. However, there is a hint system in Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice, where we can consult our companion. Likewise, in all games we can set the gameplay to automatic, where the same AI continues with the narrative and the correct choices while we contemplate the cases as if they were a mystery series. The mystery remains within everyone’s reach, regardless of their problem-solving abilities.
However, there is a small stab within a remastering that could be perfect: it is not available in Spanish. It had already happened with Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy, of which there was already a Spanish localization. It is available in English, French, German, Japanese, Korean and traditional and simplified Chinese and a high level of the language of our choice is required.
All in all, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy shows us that it is a saga and formula that not only stands the test of time, but also sports a facelift in the audiovisual and playable aspect that rejuvenates it. A great example of what a detective title should be like , with interesting cases where nothing is what it seems. And, far from being a mystery that relegates the player to a passive role, it incorporates them into gameplay where it forces them to draw their own deductions, instead of just reading.
This game has been analyzed in its version for PlayStation 5.
CONCLUSION
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy brings back the three games belonging to the Apollo Justice generation. The remastering of the graphics and sound has fit it like a glove, and makes it shine on consoles within the anime style of the saga. It is a joy to be able to enjoy the complete content of the three installments, where Capcom maintained a game system full of personality and enriched with new mechanics. Once again, Ace Attorney prove to have a timeless formula in the detective genre: they revolve around the narrative of a case that seems simple but unravels into a much more complex mystery, where the player has the active role of lawyer and detective, with the satisfaction of being the one who solves the case and proves to be right. However, the immersion of some minigames that required the touch screen and the use of the microphone has been lost, but we understand that it is a necessary sacrifice within a very well adapted gameplay. And, with this, one last mystery remains: Why hasn’t Capcom localized this compilation into Spanish?