Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth
Japanese title	逆転検事 (Gyakuten Kenji)
Genre	Visual novel
Developer	Capcom
Release	Nintendo DS May 28, 2009 (Japan) February 16, 2010 (North America) February 18, 2010 (Australia) February 19, 2010 (Europe)
Number of players	1
Media	Nintendo DS Game Pak
Rating	CERO: B ACB: PG ESRB: T PEGI: 12+

Miles Edgeworth

A prosecutor is one who seeks the conviction of a defendant. However... I don't believe that's all we are.

— Captivate 2009 Trailer

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth (逆転検事 (Gyakuten Kenji); lit. "Turnabout Prosecutor"), codenamed "NEW Gyakuten NOT Saiban" prior to its official announcement, is the fifth game in the Ace Attorney series of adventure video games, and centers around prosecutor Miles Edgeworth and detective Dick Gumshoe, with a few other characters from the main Ace Attorney series appearing in the game with varying degrees of prominence. This is a departure from the previous games, known collectively in Japan as the Gyakuten Saiban series, in that Phoenix Wright is neither the protagonist or a major character, although he does make a cameo appearance in this game. In March 2009, Capcom trademarked "Ace Attorney Investigations" as the game's English title. Prior to this, English-speaking fans and magazines often referred to the game as "Miles Edgeworth: Perfect Prosecutor" or some variant thereof.

A direct sequel to the game called Gyakuten Kenji 2 was released in 2011, but to date has not received an official release outside Japan.

Basic information

Aside from one case, the game takes place roughly a month after the events of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations. Unlike the core series, which Shu Takumi directed, Takeshi Yamazaki is the director instead.

Investigations is more similar to "point-and-click" adventure games than the text-adventure style of previously games in the series. During investigations, characters appear as small sprites standing at a specific point in an area rather than as large sprites facing the player. Edgeworth and his various partners also appear in the same manner, and the player is able to move Edgeworth around freely. Many gameplay functions return in similar, if not identical, forms to those in the previous games.

The developers stated that they took great care in animating the characters correctly; for example, they tried to ensure that Edgeworth's running animations are "graceful, while exerting effort". Like the other games in the series, the player can access gameplay features via either the touchscreen or the buttons.

Development

Pre-announcement

While developing the Nintendo DS version of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations, producer Motohide Eshiro had the idea of making a spin-off series based on a major character in the Ace Attorney series. He ran into Takeshi Yamazaki and suggested the idea to him, and Yamazaki agreed to work on it. In his blog at the official Ace Attorney website, Eshiro described it as a reckless suggestion with an inspiring, enthusiastic, reckless response. Daily meetings occurred soon after that.

Eshiro and Yamazaki quickly established an emphasis on the crime scene, rather than on the courtroom, for the game. Some points of contention during the "endless discussions" included the meaning of searching for contradictions in a crime scene, the possibility of playing as multiple different characters, and conveying an Ace Attorney game without the signature courtroom battles.

Director Yamazaki's original plan was to create a detective game starring Akane Houzuki (Ema Skye). However, producer Eshiro saw Reiji Mitsurugi (MilesEdgeworth) in his mind as the main character of the detective game, partly because he was seen as a more popular character according to fan feedback, and it was so. The game was developed as a follow-up and spin-off to the main Gyakuten Saiban series. Mikumo Ichijou (Kay Faraday) was the first new character to be created for the game.

Post-announcement

Logo for Gyakuten Kenji.

On March 5, 2008, the official Gyakuten Saiban developer's blog hinted at the game. The blog referred to the game as a product called "NEW Gyakuten NOT Saiban" and stated that more info would be released on the product during an orchestral concert for the music of Gyakuten Saiban. During the concert, the developers showcased a trailer revealing the game and a new major character, Mikumo Ichijou (Kay Faraday). An official website accompanied the revelation.

On September 17, 2008, the September issue of the magazine Famitsu revealed more information about Mikumo Ichijou as well as a new character called Makoto Yuuki. The official website was also updated over the following month.

During Tokyo Game Show 2008, more info on the game was released, including info about gameplay phases and the confirmation of Mei Karuma (Franziska von Karma) as another major character. The developers also announced that the game was about half-done at that point. Visitors were able to play a demo of the first case, which featured an appearance by Mako Suzuki (Maggey Byrde).

An early gameplay screenshot of Miles Edgeworth conversing with Zinc Lablanc.

According to a Famitsu survey of 55 companies that were present at TGS 2008, Gyakuten Kenji received the most attention of any portable game at the show.

The October 2008 issue of Famitsu and the official website corroborated the information revealed at TGS 2008.

The November 2008 issue of Famitsu revealed the second case of the game, as well as some relevant characters.

The January 2009 issue of Famitsu revealed two new characters. B's Log published the same information and added the age of one of them.

On February 2009, the box art was revealed. The February issue of Famitsu also revealed a limited edition of the game as well as a new mode of gameplay, "crime scene reproduction". The TGS 2008 demo also appeared on the official website. Additionally, e-Capcom, Capcom's virtual store, announced that the game's official soundtrack would be released as a two-disc set on June 24, 2009, and began pre-orderings at a price of 3,360 yen (including taxes). Tatsuro Iwamoto, the game's designer and art director, drew the album's cover art.

In March 2009, Capcom trademarked the name "Ace Attorney Investigations". In late April, an English logo for the game was leaked on Court Records in a picture taken from the event Captivate 2009. The English version of Tokyo Game Show trailer was also released soon after the event's conclusion, revealing Mikumo Ichijou's name as Kay Faraday as well as officially releasing the English logo. A release period of Winter 2009 was also revealed.

The May 2009 issue of Famitsu revealed returning characters Ema Skye, Winston Payne, and Mike Meekins. The game was released on the 28th of that month (though due to time zone differences it was the 27th in America when it came out).

Early gameplay image from Turnabout Airlines. The old touchscreen designs were evidently in use.

The old "court record" design of the organizer.

North American coverage post-release

The English logo.

A small trailer was shown at E3, revealing "Portsman" (Makoto Yuuki) and "Jim". A release date window for North America of January 2010 was also leaked by Nintendo.

Comic-Con 2009, which was held on July 23-26, 2009, featured a playable demo of the English version of Investigations as well as the official North American and PAL release dates. The demo revealed Portsman's first name as well as "Jim's" name, as Jacques Portsman and Buddy Faith, respectively.

Nintendo Power's November 2009 issue contained an article on Investigations, revealing new English names such as Shi-Long Lang.

The English name "Shih-na" was revealed for Shi-Long Lang's partner during Tokyo Game Show 2009.

On Sept. 25, 2009, the official English website fully launched.

A playable demo of Turnabout Visitor and Turnabout Airlines (the first and second case, respectively) featured on CES 2010, which ran from Jan. 7 to Jan. 10, 2010. The full names of Zinc Lablanc and Rhoda Teneiro were revealed around this time.

European release

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth wasn't translated in any non-English language. This was justified by the sales of the last Ace Attorney games (Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney), which were stated to be too low. This led to huge disappointment among non-English-speaking fans of the franchise.

Canceled features

One crime scene was indicated on a map that looked identical to the one used in Turnabout Corner to reveal the locations of the three minor crime scenes Apollo Justice was tasked to solve. The crime scene in question was shown to be located near the spot on which the Wright Anything Agency would have sat. This crime scene did not make it into the final game.

A parking lot crime scene that never made it into development. The old touchscreen design was evidently in use.

More of the crime scene.

The canceled map feature. The map looks identical to the one used in Turnabout Corner.

An early close-up examination.

Eureka!

Edgeworth presents his findings.

Another crime scene, resembling an airport.

Gameplay

Edgeworth and Lang exchanging cards.

The game is centered around moving Edgeworth to different locations and interacting with different objects and people by examining the former and talking to the latter. The player moves Edgeworth around by touching a directional pad on the touchscreen or the physical d-pad. Edgeworth also usually has a "partner" who follows behind him as he moves around, and Edgeworth can converse with said partner by touching their partner icon on the touchscreen or pressing "Y". As in the core Ace Attorney games, the player can access an "Organizer" (the game's version of the court record) at any time and peruse evidence and profiles collected. There are two main phases of play in the game, which are equivalent to the investigation and trial phases of previous games. However, rather than abruptly alternating from one to the other, the transitions are seamless and the player is not necessarily in either phase at any given time.

In investigations, several modes of gameplay are available, including some that did not exist in previous games. Some areas, like crime scenes, can be examined more closely in a manner that is similar to the "Examine" function in the core Ace Attorney games. Occasionally, the player must look for a clue in an area that contradicts collected evidence and then press a "Deduce" button (or the "X" button) to select the contradicting evidence. Investigations also make use of a second "inventory", called "Logic", that stores important pieces of information that Edgeworth has found. Here, the player can combine two ideas to reach a conclusion. This can create a new piece of information or trigger some other event. Some investigation phases involve investigating a virtually reconstructed version of a crime scene using a gadget belonging to Kay Faraday called "Little Thief".

The other main phase of the game are "arguments", which are similar to cross-examinations in the core Ace Attorney games.

Episodes

The episodes in the game by gameplay order, with their chronological order in brackets.

List

1. Turnabout Visitor (逆転の来訪者) (4)
2. Turnabout Airlines (逆転エアライン) (2)
3. The Kidnapped Turnabout (さらわれる逆転) (3)
4. Turnabout Reminiscence (過ぎ去りし逆転; lit. "The Departed Turnabout") (1)
5. Turnabout Ablaze (燃え上がる逆転) (5)

Main characters

• Miles Edgeworth is a renowned prosecutor who finds himself embroiled in an Interpol investigation into an international smuggling ring.

• Dick Gumshoe is a bumbling but well-meaning police detective who assists Edgeworth in his investigations.

• Kay Faraday is a young girl claiming to be an infamous thief known as the "Yatagarasu". She also assists Edgeworth via her gadget "Little Thief", which can create a virtually reconstruction of a crime scene.

• Franziska Von Karma is Edgeworth's adoptive sister, daughter of the late veteran prosecutor Manfred von Karma, as well as a fearsome prosecutor in her own right. She is currently working with Interpol to take down a smuggling ring.

• Shi-Long Lang is an elite Interpol investigator who has the highest successful arrest rate out of all Interpol agents, mostly due to his methodology of "arrest first, ask questions later". He is well-known for his mass investigation tactics using a large team of 100 subordinates.

• Shih-na is a seemingly quiet and unassuming woman who acts as Lang's second-in-command.

• Tyrell Badd is a veteran police detective who is pursuing the Yatagarasu.

Characters by episode

Turnabout Visitor

• Tyrell Badd (debut, but unnamed and hidden in shadow)

• Maggey Byrde

• Miles Edgeworth

• Buddy Faith (debut)

• Dick Gumshoe

• Winston Payne (cameo)

• Jacques Portman (debut)

Turnabout Airlines

• Zinc Lablanc (debut)

• Miles Edgeworth

• Dick Gumshoe

• Akbey Hicks (exclusive)

• Sal Manella (cameo)

• Cammy Meele (exclusive)

• Rhoda Teneiro (debut)

• Franziska von Karma

The Kidnapped Turnabout

• Ernest Amano (exclusive)

• Lance Amano (exclusive)

• Bellboy (cameo)

• Colin Devorae/Oliver Deacon (exclusive)

• Miles Edgeworth

• Buddy Faith (cameo)

• Kay Faraday (debut)

• Maya Fey (cameo)

• Dick Gumshoe

• Shi-Long Lang (debut)

• Mike Meekins

• Wendy Oldbag

• Lauren Paups (debut)

• Jacques Portman (cameo)

• Shih-na (debut)

• Ema Skye

• Phoenix Wright (cameo)

Turnabout Reminiscence

• Tyrell Badd

• Manny Coachen (debut)

• Miles Edgeworth

• Byrne Faraday (exclusive)

• Kay Faraday

• Dick Gumshoe

• Judge

• Shi-Long Lang (cameo)

• Deid Mann (exclusive; allusions)

• Mack Rell

• Franziska von Karma

• Cece Yew (exclusive; allusions)

• Calisto Yew ("debut")

Turnabout Ablaze

• Quercus Alba (exclusive)

• Tyrell Badd

• Larry Butz

• Manny Coachen

• Miles Edgeworth

• Kay Faraday

• Dick Gumshoe

• Lotta Hart (cameo)

• Shi-Long Lang

• Shi-na

• Missile (cameo)

• Ka-Shi Nou (exclusive)

• Wendy Oldbag

• Colias Palaeno (exclusive)

• Franziska von Karma

During credits

• Maggey Byrde

• Judge

• Zinc Lablanc

• Mike Meekins

• Lauren Paups

• Ema Skye

• Rhoda Teneiro

Timeline

See also: Timeline

Excluding Turnabout Reminiscence, which takes place seven years prior to the main events in the game, the majority of the game takes place between March 12, 2019 (with Turnabout Airlines) and the trials of the main villains on March 17 of the same year at the conclusion of Turnabout Ablaze. Investigations features the shortest "present" timeline period in the series (i.e., excluding Turnabout Reminiscence, although ages in character profiles assume the same "year" used in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations.

Limited edition

The limited edition of Gyakuten Kenji in Japan included the following:

• A pamphlet from the spring concert
• A few character illustrations
• A card case
• An orchestra "mini album" (four of the tracks plus a bonus)
• A DVD of promotional trailers

There was also a limited edition Gyakuten Kenji-themed Nintendo DSi.

Music

The Gyakuten Kenji Original Soundtrack was released on June 24, 2009 on two discs. Composed by both Noriyuki Iwadare and Yasuko Yamada, the cover was designed by Tatsuro Iwamoto, the game's designer and art director. It is the only game in the series to have a two disc soundtrack.

Another music disc, the Gyakuten Kenji Orchestra Mini Album, was released with the limited edition version of the game, and featured orchestral soundtracks based on music from Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, as well as previous games in the Ace Attorney franchise.

Reception

In Japan

A preview by the Official Nintendo Magazine prior to the game's release in Europe: "Ace Attorney fans should have no objections to the quality of what's on offer here."

Ace Attorney Investigations sold 172,000 units in its first week of release in Japan, and 42,000 the following week. In both cases, the game was the 2nd best selling DS title in Japan, after Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.

In June 2009, an interview with Eshiro revealed that, considering the positive fan reaction to the game, another Kenji game would probably be developed in the future. This eventually came to pass with Gyakuten Kenji 2.

In the United States

The game received positive reviews from critics. Nintendo World Report gave the game 8.5/10 and said "Ace Attorney Investigations is quite possibly the best entry in the series, as it changes up the tried-and-true formula enough to keep it fresh, while retaining the style and witty dialogue of the previous titles." They gave high praise for the game music and art style, but complained a little on the method of controlling Edgeworth with the touch screen. EuroGamer gave the game 8/10, praising the choice of Edgeworth as the main character and the new gameplay and character additions, on which they commented that "For all that's new, it's still faithfully an Ace Attorney game."

GameZone's Steven Hopper gave the game a 7.5/10, saying "Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth gets props for changing up the setting and providing a new protagonist for the franchise. However, the gameplay is pretty standard for the Ace Attorney series, and brings with it the same flaws from other entries." Ultimately, Western sales of the game were disappointing, causing Capcom to not release the game's sequel, Gyakuten Kenji 2, outside of Japan.

Box art gallery

Gyakuten Kenji (DS)

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth (DS)

External links

• Official website
• Official Japanese website, including a demo of the game
• Wikipedia page
• Screenshots
• News
• Tokyo Game Show 2008 Trailer (FANSUBBED), as well as Captivate 2009's English version