The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles | Review

In our first approach to The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles we could only confirm how good there was in the transposition of the prequels of the entire Capcom series. Of course, prequel is a big word considering that we are talking about decades away, but as much as it may seem like a stretch it is true that this duology between feudal Japan and England is nothing more than the story of the evolution of the judicial system, of how and what it means to represent justice in and of itself. Prosecutors, lawyers, investigators: everything has a starting point and the great enterprises that engrave their memory in the generations to come.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a tale between centuries and values, a political point so much how much social. Friendship, agreements and desires come together in a narrative that since the first titles of the Capcom brand has always been balanced on the virtues rather than the quibbles of the law. In the classrooms of Ace Attorney, the penal code is valid, but also the moral and ethical code, so much so that it is the links between the parties involved in the cases that make the difference. So, given that we are talking about a very old series and not everyone has had the opportunity to deal with it (although there is a collection already published on the current generation), The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a great place to start to appreciate Ace Attorney as a whole, indeed perhaps it could be appreciated even more considering how the "Will of the Lawyers" can be linked between all the consecutive protagonists for a beautiful inheritance effect that transcends time.

England away

At the center of past events is Ryunosuke Naruhodo, a name that may say little to us Italians but which actually incorporates two different elements: the first, the surname, is the classic reference typical of Phoenix Wright, where "Wright" referred to "Right" or "I understand", the same translation of Naruhodo which in Japanese literally means "I understand". The second reference, however, is the most important, since Ryunosuke is the union of the kanji that make up the original names of Apollo Justice and Phoenix Wright, the two future descendants of Ryunosuke. This "trivia" on the character may seem like a simple outline element, however it is very significant if we consider how much Ryunosuke perfectly embodies what will then be the merits of his future heirs: sincerity, a strong sense of justice, believing in one's protégé and giving value to those who esteem themselves. Most of all, The Great Ace Attorney is the story of how Ryunosuke's personality comes up against a world that would leave honest guys like him behind, where corruption rampant in the streets and politics is far more important than a young man. out of distant Japan.

A path, really difficult for the law student sent abroad, so much so that at times you will find yourself feeling hit by the obstacles that will arise in front of Ryunosuke. And the two games in this collection do not go too lightly: the first two cases of the initial title are vital, tough and with such serious consequences that we can approach the key cases of the last two titles of Wright's career. Which is a good start for a title that offers a whole series of beautiful situations from traditional thriller with a hint of difference between East and West, not surprisingly inviting the player to take part in the duel of intellect with Herlock Sholmes and his trusted assistant.

Of course, the names may not be faithful to the figure we all know, but the writing and characterization of the Capcom character are textbook, also thanks to the creative efforts of the iconic Kazuya Nuri who already we mentioned in the preview. One of the biggest draws, and virtual court veterans know it, has always been to see what kind of people might appear on the stand, and even here The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles never disappoints. Each time you will find yourself in front of the guys so absurd and funny that you will surely get a few laughs in the quietest moments, and sometimes some curse when you have to be aware of their strangeness and at the same time find a logical thread in their actions. This is not always an easy task, as can be guessed, also because sometimes you will find yourself crazy enough to be indecipherable unless you listen very carefully to their dialogues both in court and during the investigation. Satisfaction comes, however, when your pressing will be so strong that they despair: the highlight of Ace Attorney's processes and where it is possible to admire how Kazuya Nuri exploits the character design not only in aesthetic terms, but also in merging clothing, animations and storytelling visual. Put simply, a feast for the eyes in any case.

Change the law, change the man

None of this could happen if there were not an accurate judicial system that allows to our Naruhodo to exercise their skill and theatricality. In general Ace Attorney has never lacked from this point of view, so much so that by many it is considered one of the titles that have revolutionized the basic form of visual novels. The textual charm remains intact and at the heart of the operation, however with the passing of the chapters we have always tried to add some increasingly present elements of interaction where possible. As a newcomer, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is the one with the most things to do while reading, including examining witness statements, analyzing the evidence in 3D and first-person investigation in point and click style, this time even richer and more detailed thanks to the power of today's consoles. Most of all, however, the big news arrives in the court, starting from the possibility of questioning several witnesses together and exploiting their openings on the fly up to having to confront the jury of the English legislature. more complex and with moderately long phases, however requiring more and more ingenuity and the acceptance that some logical connections that you can make immediately require additional steps to arrive at a conclusion. The joys and sorrows of having to look for new cases to be solved by the players after a dozen titles and spin-offs, but coming to terms with some frustration here and there you will generally have a positive experience (always keep the bailouts at hand). And then, if you really want to put on autopilot, switch to Story Mode and stop thinking about anything.

In our opinion, however you want to experience Ace Attorney, it is important that you feel the difficulty of having to win a process against all odds, not so much to be understood in the sense of a "video game challenge" as as a concrete challenge of a totally alien person (Ryunosuke and you) who finds himself having to fight against the way of seeing certain things of a country. Fighting against corruption and crime, which is sometimes evident and sometimes even more hidden than one might expect. The trials of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, like those of the whole series, are to be lived on a razor's edge that continues to sharpen, so much so that the wrong choices could cost you the case. But it is by remaining resolute even when logic is hindered by deception that you can reach the truth behind every accusation, a truth that you will have to sweat by operating your brain and keeping it in motion until you reach the satisfaction of saying "Objection!" and hear the beautiful soundtrack totally change tone in your favor. Writing it in words makes all of this seem too schematic, almost empty, but it is precisely that moment when you turn the case that is the spark that keeps the beautiful flame of this franchise alive.

The only barrier to the enjoyment of these two games, sold at a bargain price considering their duration and quality, is the lack of textual localization that penalizes us a lot, or at least penalizes the local public not used to these titles. Generally we would like to point out the presence or absence of localization without necessarily decreeing it as a defect, as indeed it is not here in terms of objective criticism, however we should not underestimate how much the linguistic exercise required by The Great Ace Attorney is very onerous for any player who is not experienced enough, also because due to the varied character design sometimes the texts take on forms that go far beyond the common modern speech.

And if to all this we also add the condition for to which the words in court cases must be understood perfectly in order to be able to answer correctly, whoever makes a trivial translation error and fails to make the necessary logical connections will feel cut off from the whole game by a barrier that is too thick to be route. Clearly the writer has not tried what has been described, being used to such situations for work, but we do not hide the fact that in some specific moments we had difficulty in proceeding precisely because of these minutiae. And it's a shame, because collections like these should be a very good entry point for a new kind of audience, to build up consensus and show how good it is to juggle the courtrooms. However, this opportunity has not yet arrived for us - indeed even in the previous collection already translated our language was removed - leaving The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles to remain in the niche of the fans of all time.