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The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures (大逆転裁判 -成歩堂龍ノ介の冒險-; lit. "Great Turnabout Trial: The Adventures of Ryūnosuke Naruhodō") is the ninth entry in the Ace Attorney series of video games. Originally released on the Nintendo 3DS in Japan in 2015, it was ported to mobile phones in 2017. It is also the first half of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, released in 2021 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Steam. The game is published by Capcom, directed by Shu Takumi, and produced by Shintaro Kojima. Ace Attorney veteran Kazuya Nuri returns for official art, and the soundtrack is composed by Yasumasa Kitagawa (of Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney) and Hiromitsu Maeba.

Episodes[]

  • The Adventure of the Runaway Room (疾走する密室の冒険) - Upon his arrival in London, Ryunosuke Naruhodo is immediately sent to the Old Bailey to take on a trial involving a murder in a horse-drawn carriage. Although the young lawyer is told that this will be a simple case, Naruhodo soon finds out why nobody else would take the case: his opponent is the prosecutor Barok van Zieks, supposedly cursed as the "Reaper of the Bailey". The trial is further complicated with the arrival of a shady witness, a pickpocket going by Gina Lestrade.
  • The Adventure of the Clouded Kokoro (吾輩と霧の夜の冒険; lit. "The Adventure of The Foggy Night and Me") - Ryunosuke Naruhodo is assigned to another case. His defendant this time is Soseki Natsume, a Japanese transfer student living with his cat Wagahai, who has been charged with stabbing a woman to death. He and Susato Mikotoba encounter Herlock Sholmes, who invites them to move in with him and a child genius named Iris Wilson. The defendant is based on Japanese author Natsume Sōseki. The reference is further reflected in the use of the Japanese first-person pronoun Wagahai (吾輩) in the title and as the cat's name, referencing I Am a Cat, one of Natsume's books. The English title is not a direct translation of the Japanese but instead references Kokoro, another of Natsume's books.
  • The Adventure of the Unspeakable Story (語られない物語の冒険) - An attempt by Gina Lestrade to access Iris Wilson's manuscript of her book The Hound of the Baskervilles in a pawn shop goes awry and results in the shop owner's death. In taking on this seemingly simple case, Naruhodo uncovers a plot of international proportions. The manuscript is a direct reference to the Sherlock Holmes novel of the same name.

Characters[]

DGS Promo 1

Clockwise from top: Barok van Zieks, Kazuma Asogi, Ryunosuke Naruhodo, Susato Mikotoba, Iris Wilson, and Herlock Sholmes.

Main characters[]

  • Ryunosuke Naruhodo (成歩堂 龍ノ介)
  • Susato Mikotoba (御琴羽 寿沙都)
    • Voiced by: Kana Hanazawa (Japanese), Rina Takasaki (English)
    • Age: 16
    • A judicial assistant working alongside Naruhodo. A "yamato nadeshiko" with a progressive frame of mind and a love for books on law and foreign mystery novels.
  • Kazuma Asogi (亜双義 一真)
    • Voiced by: Yūichi Nakamura (Japanese), Ben Deery (English)
    • Age: 23
    • A close friend of Naruhodo's and fellow student at Imperial Yumei University. He is studying to become a defense attorney, but supporters say that he is already more than qualified to become one. He seeks to travel to Britain to continue his studies. Asogi is calm and confident compared to the inexperienced Naruhodo, and stands alongside him in Episode 1.
  • Herlock Sholmes (シャーロック・ホームズ)
    • Voiced by: Shinji Kawada (Japanese), Bradley Clarkson (English)
    • Age: 34
    • A legendary English detective famous for his talent for rapid-fire abductive reasoning. He teams up with Naruhodo for criminal investigations.
  • Iris Wilson (アイリス・ワトソン)
    • Voiced by: Misaki Kuno (Japanese), Claire Morgan (English)
    • Age: 10
    • Sholmes's assistant. A genius inventor and doctor who has invented rudimentary forensic instruments for use in Sholmes's investigations. She is also the author of The Adventures of Herlock Sholmes. Takumi's familiarity with Arthur Conan Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes stories, and their various theories and parodies in particular, led him to create the Iris Wilson character.
  • Barok van Zieks (バロック・バンジークス)
    • Voiced by: Kenjiro Tsuda (Japanese), Robert Vernon (English)
    • Age: 32
    • A "cursed" English prosecutor known colloquially as the "Reaper of the Bailey". He has returned to the Old Bailey courtroom after a five-year absence.
  • Narrator

Other named characters[]

Episode 1:

  • Yujin Mikotoba (御琴羽悠仁) - Professor at Imperial Yumei University. Kazuma Asogi's mentor and Susato's father.
  • John Wilson (ジョン・H・ワトソン) - The victim. An English professor from London who has taught at Imperial Yumei University for the past three years. Originally named after Dr. John Watson of Sherlock Holmes fame, his name is adjusted for the English localization.
  • Jigoku (慈獄政士郎) - The judge of the Supreme Court of Judicature. Though he is not named in Episode 1, his surname is mentioned in Episode 2.
  • Taketsuchi Auchi (亜内武土) - The prosecutor in this case and an ancestor to Winston and Gaspen Payne. Equally as arrogant and self-confident as his descendants.
  • Satoru Hosonaga (細長悟) - A waiter with a bad cough. The first witness.
  • Iyesa Nosa (渦久丸 泰三) - A Japanese soldier and father who appears as a witness.
  • Kyurio Korekuta (園日暮 三文) - An old merchant of relics who appears as a witness alongside Nosa. He owns a antique shop called Rasu-Tei.
  • Aido Nosa (渦久丸 九郎丸)- The troublemaking son of Iyesa Nosa.
  • Jezaille Brett (ジェゼール・ブレット) - A British woman in a blue dress and hat whom Naruhodo claims to have seen at the scene of the crime. She is an exchange student researcher from England studying at Imperial Yumei University's medical department.

Episode 2:

  • Nikolina Pavlova (ニコミナ・ボルシビッチ) - A 15-year-old ballet dancer who is running away from Novavich Ballet, her ballet group.
    • While searching for her, Sholmes encounters a bearded man calling himself Grimesby Roylott (グリムズビー・ロイロット). The detective goes on to accuse Roylott of being the notorious Russian revolutionary Vilen Borshevik and trying to break open a trunk with Pavlova inside. The name "Grimesby Roylott" may be a reference to Dr. Grimesby Roylott, a character from "The Adventure of the Speckled Band".
  • Bif Strogenov (ミトロフ・ストロガノフ) - A sailor who was on patrol at the time of the incident.

Episode 3:

  • Mael Stronghart (ハート・ヴォルテックス) - The Lord Chief Justice in England. He is a strict adherent to science with a focus on time. He assigns Naruhodo to an allegedly simple case.
  • Magnus McGilded (コゼニー・メグンダル) - The defendant. Although he is well-liked, nobody wants to take his case due to the prosecution being handled by the legendary Barok van Zieks.
  • "Thrice-Fired" Mason (三度焼きのモルター) - The victim. He is a brick-worker who lives in the East End, and is found dead in a carriage.
  • Beppo (ベッポ) - The driver of the carriage in which the crime took place.
  • Lay D. Furst (アダム・レディファスト) - A hat-maker who was a witness to the murder.
  • Bruce Fairplay (オスカー・フェアプレイ)- A banker who was a fellow witness to the crime.
  • Gina Lestrade (ジーナ・レストレード) - A pickpocket who witnessed the murder. One of Iris Wilson's lucky charms is associated with her, implying that she is seen as a main character to some extent, but she does not appear as such in game trailers.

Episode 4:

  • Soseki Natsume (夏目漱石) - A transfer student from Japan living with his cat Wagahai. He finds himself accused of murder when a woman is stabbed and he runs away.
  • Olive Green (ビリジアン・グリーン) - The victim, who managed to barely survive the incident. Found after collapsing on a sidewalk with a knife in her back. Little else is known about her.
  • John Garrideb (ジョン・ガリデブ)- A landlord who owns the lodgings near the crime scene where Natsume lives.
  • Joan Garrideb (ジョーン・ガリデブ) - John Garrideb's wife who doubles as his maid due to their inability to afford a separate maid. She serves as a juror.
  • Roly and Patricia Beate (パトリック・オマーリ & ローラ・オマーリ) - A young married couple called as witnesses in the trial. Roly works as a patrol officer of the London Metropolitan Police, working a beat near the building where Soseki lives.
  • Tobias Gregson (トバイアス・グレグソン) - A detective at Scotland Yard who loves fish and chips. He is based on the Sherlock Holmes character of the same name, even appearing in Iris Wilson's books.
  • Two mysterious men appear briefly, one in a flashy, jeweled outfit who lived in the other flat in the Garrideb house, and the other in bright yellow clothing.

Episode 5:

  • Wagahai (ワガハイ)- Soseki's pet cat he leaves behind in England.
  • Pop Windibank (ハッチ・ウィンデバンク) - The owner of a pawnshop that Herlock and Gina Lestrade use from time to time.
  • Eggert Benedict (エッグ・ベネディクト) - A twirling man with a white hat looking to retrieve a coat from Pop's pawnshop.
  • Nash and Ringo Skulkin (ネミー・ティンピラ & タリー・ティンピラ) - Two common crooks who stand as witnesses to murder. They are brothers, and claim to be looking for a third from whom they were separated at birth and whom they call Sulky Skulkin.
  • Vilen Borshevik (デミトリ・デミグラスキー) - A Russian revolutionary who is first seen in a newspaper article in Episode 2. He appears in person as Juror number six in Episode 5, claiming to have come to Britain as a tourist to see the Crystal Tower, but the truth of this is suspect as he reads from a notebook every time he says it. He also states that he is an expert on firearms.

The Old Bailey:

  • A judge.
  • The Old Bailey trials include a six-member jury. While some named characters become involved as jurors, most jurors go unnamed and are identified only by numbers.

Gameplay[]

Both games in The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles expand on the 3D environments of previous 3DS titles. In particular, the camera work and animations were treated with special care[1] to help depict Herlock Sholmes's legendary ability to infer details from even the subtlest of movements.[2] For this purpose, actors from the Himawari Theatre Group were brought in for motion capture.[3]

The Chronicles games also expand on the basic investigation/trial formula used in previous Ace Attorney titles, mainly through two major new mechanics. The save screens are also to some extent decoupled from the act structure of the games (e.g. "Investigation, Part 1"). Additionally, unlike previous games, some text graphics in Japanese versions of Chronicles use English translations alongside or in place of some of the Japanese terms, such as "cross-examination" and episode titles.

Investigations[]

Ryunosuke Naruhodo
Hold it, Mr. Sholmes!

Chronicles introduces a new element to investigations, known as "dance of deduction" (共同推理 kyōdō suiri, lit. "joint reasoning"). This feature involves Herlock Sholmes using his rapid-fire reasoning to come to a conclusion based on various details that he notices. Naruhodo then has a chance to rebut this train of logic by pointing out flaws and contradictions. The main way of doing so is to inspect an individual or a scene from various angles to find hidden clues that have escaped Sholmes's notice, possibly leading to an entirely different conclusion. Investigations in Chronicles also allow for more in-depth background exploration. Additionally, dances of deduction feature heavy usage of spotlights and flashy poses, in a fashion reminiscent of Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective.[2]

Trials[]

The trial system mixes in elements previously seen in the witch trials from Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. This includes the Confidence Icon penalty system from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and cross-examining multiple witnesses at once. Additionally, dialogue resulting from pressing a witness can be interrupted if the player catches a different witness thinking.

The English courts use a jury system involving six jurors and a judge. The jurors vote by launching flaming knives in a firework-like manner onto a set of scales, one side representing a guilty vote and the other representing a not guilty vote. The jurors can change their votes as the trial progresses. If all six jurors vote "guilty", the defense has the right to a "summation examination" in which each juror presents their reasoning for their verdict. This works much like cross-examinations, except the main goal is to point out a contradiction between two jurors' statements, another feature originating in Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Unlike the aforementioned game, there is a button dedicated to this feature, allowing the player to choose any two statements instead of having one already picked out by the game. As a result, jurors may reverse their decisions, and if a majority of them do so, the trial continues.

The court record appears similar to the one used in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies, with five evidence icons fully visible at a time, though two other evidence slots are visible, partially obscured by the arrow buttons used to scroll through the evidence. The Chronicles release expands this to eight icons being fully visible at a time.

Development[]

Dai Gyakuten Saiban logo

The game's Japanese logo.

The Great Ace Attorney 1 logo English

The game's English logo.

Development of Adventures began a few months after the November 2012 Japanese release of Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, when Takumi was asked to start work on a new Ace Attorney game.[4][5] Because the series had become so long, spanning eight text adventure titles up to that point, a more accessible game was desired. One of the concepts that Takumi initially looked to was civil trials, which he ultimately decided would not lead to very clear-cut conclusions. The "dance of deduction" concept that he developed with Herlock Sholmes was one that he had kept in his mind ever since the development of the original Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.[2][5] The idea was somewhat vague at first, with Takumi only writing in concept plans, "Sholmes says something strange, and you correct that." The Meiji Japan setting was Nuri's idea, as Takumi originally conceived of the game taking place entirely in London.[3]

The concept was later made into a demo in December 2013 and presented to higher-ups at Capcom, signaling a more concrete notion of how these interactions would unfold.[3] Takumi did not actually expect Capcom to accept the proposal.[6][7] The legal department at Capcom confirmed for him that there would be no problem with using Sherlock Holmes in this manner. Natsume's descendants were also contacted, and they gave permission to use Natsume as a character.[5]

The development cycle of the game was long and difficult due to all of the new approaches to the plot and game mechanics. The plot in particular took more effort than Takumi had anticipated. The last Ace Attorney scenario that he had written in an ordinary setting was the 2007 Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, and he wanted to make a series that could compete with the original trilogy in terms of quality.[2] The game script was huge and changed drastically multiple times before being finalized in April 2015,[8] with much of the content having to be split off and eventually be used in a sequel, The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve.[9] This in turn provided a daunting challenge for Nuri and the other asset developers. It was as if no one really knew what the final product would look like.[3]

Nuri designed the graphics to have an illustration-like touch to them and convey the feel of the material of the clothing and other objects of the period. The characters were designed to have a more realistic feel with their expressions and movements, though witnesses and jurors were still more comic-looking to make them more recognizable when sitting next to each other. Nuri had difficulty with designing characters due to the limited selection of clothing and hairstyles available for the period, as well as the need to design so many jurors. He had to bring out their personalities in different ways.[10]

Unlike past games, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles makes extensive use of camera movements. For the asset designers, this meant that they could no longer get away with skimping on details on characters and settings that would not have been very visible in past games. Keeping the hand-drawn feel of the backgrounds even with camera zooming and movement required putting much more detail into the assets. Despite this, the asset designers pulled through and the assets were finished by the end of 2014.[3]

Demos[]

Jump Festa 2014 featured a playable demo of the game.

Demos of the first and second episodes were shown on Capcom TV by producer Kojima.

On June 3rd, 2015, a playable demo heavily focusing on the dance of deduction mechanic was released on Nintendo eShop.

Ken Gyakuten Saiban[]

Ken Gyakuten Saiban OA

On April 1, 2015 local time, the official Japanese site for Adventures celebrated April Fools' Day by renaming the game Ken Gyakuten Saiban: Inuhodō Ryūnosuke no Bōken (犬逆転裁判 -戌歩堂龍ノ介の冒險-; lit. "Dog Turnabout Trial: The Adventures of Ryūnosuke Inuhodō") and showing dog-like versions of the main characters. Herlock Sholmes's design as a dog is based on the "Meitantei Holmes" 1984 anime. The first kanji of the title was changed from 大 (meaning "big"/"great"/"large") to the slightly different-looking 犬 (meaning "dog"). Similarly, the first kanji of the Naruhodo surname was changed from 成 (meaning "to accomplish/finish/become") to the slightly different-looking 戌 (the Earthly Branch for the dog). The other characters' names each had a kanji or syllable replaced with ワン (wan, the sound of a dog barking) (Kazuwan Asogi, Susato Mikotowan, Iris Wantson) except Herlock Sholmes, whose name stayed intact. A trailer was also shown, based on the Tokyo Game Show trailer of Adventures.

Unofficial translation[]

Since the game was not initially planned for an official English release, in August 2017 a group by the name of "Scarlet Study" released the first English translation patch for the game. The initial patch translated the first case, with subsequent patches released through late 2017 and 2018 translating cases two, three, four, and five. On March 30, 2019, the full patch was released with all five cases translated.

Reception[]

Famitsu gave Adventures scores of 9/9/9/8 out of 10, for a total score of 35/40.[8] The game sold 135,690 physical units in its first week, surpassed only by Yo-Kai Watch Busters: Red Cat Team & White Dog Corps.[11]

Soundtrack[]

The Adventures soundtrack, The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures Grand Performance Recording, contains 67 tracks on 2 CDs. It was released on July 15, 2015 in Japan, and was rereleased on Steam and Spotify alongside the Chronicles release.

Character popularity poll[]

Capcom conducted a character popularity poll[12] that lasted from July 23 to August 7, 2015. Fans voted using Twitter and the characters were ranked based on the amount of retweets they received. The results were posted on the official The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures website.

  1. Kazuma Asogi
  2. Herlock Sholmes
  3. Barok van Zieks
  4. Ryunosuke Naruhodo
  5. Satoru Hosonaga
  6. Iris Wilson
  7. Wagahai
  8. Susato Mikotoba
  9. Soseki Natsume
  10. Gina Lestrade
  11. Magnus McGilded
  12. Taketsuchi Auchi
  13. Nikolina Pavlova
  14. Tobias Gregson
  15. Mael Stronghart
  16. Bif Strogenov

Gallery[]

[]

Promotional artwork[]

References[]

  1. Bolt Storm. DGS in Famitsu 4/2: Full Scans. Court Records Forums. Retrieved 2015-04-01.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Ash. Takumi Special Interview. Court Records Forums. Retrieved 2015-09-10.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Ash. Re: DGS in September 2015 Dengeki Nintendo. Court Records Forums. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
  4. "Twitter / takumi_gt: コトの始まりは…去年。《レイトン教授VS逆転裁判》が発売され". Twitter. 2014-04-24. Retrieved 2014-09-13.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Ash (2018-04-03). "Takumi Shū Explains How The Scenarios and Tricks of Gyakuten Saiban and Dai Gyakuten Saiban Are Created (GCC’18) (2018) ". Gyakuten Saiban Library. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  6. "Twitter / takumi_gt: そこで、なにができるかな…と考えたとき。 そういえば…ムカシ". Twitter. 2014-04-24. Retrieved 2014-09-13.
  7. Apr 24 (2014-04-24). "Twitter / takumi_gt: この機会に、セッカクなので《逆転裁判》と、その“企画”を融合". Twitter. Retrieved 2014-09-13.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Bolt Storm. DGS in Famitsu 7/2 - Full Scans. Court Records Forums. Retrieved 2015-07-02.
  9. Ash (2021-10-23). "Turnabout Anecdotes and Memoirs of Two Decades (2021)". Gyakuten Saiban Library. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
  10. Ash. Capcom Legends interview with Nuri (art director DGS). Court Records Forums. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
  11. Chris1964. Media Create Sales: Week 28, 2015 (Jul 06 - Jul 12). NeoGAF. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
  12. 大逆転裁判キャラクターリツイート人気投票キャンペーン. Capcom. Retrieved 2015-12-07.

Videos[]

Trailers[]

Other videos[]

External links[]

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