Ace Attorney Investigations Collection completes the remastered series in grand fashion

The Ace Attorney Investigations Collection brings the final piece of the series up to date and it's just as good as everything that came before

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection / Capcom

Every Ace Attorney fan remembers that moment in Bridge to the Turnabout where they realized they were getting to play as Edgeworth – the main thing everyone wanted since the first game. Phoenix’s most enduring rival (and maybe lover depending on which part of the fanbase you ask) is arguably the most beloved character in the entire franchise, so it was an inevitability that Capcom would capitalize with a spin-off series, and that series is finally getting a remaster.

All of the Ace Attorney collections released so far have done a fantastic job of updating this classic series for the modern era, so it’s no surprise that the Investigations Collection is no different. That said, there are a few things that set this pair of remasters apart from all of the others in the series.

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection / Capcom

Most importantly, this marks the first time Investigations 2 has been officially translated into English since its 2011 release. That’s a heck of a long time to wait for a translation if you’ve been avoiding the fan-made one all these years, but you’ll be pleased to know that no corners were cut, and this game is translated to the same quality as the rest of the series.

On top of that, the Investigations games have unique gameplay compared to other Ace Attorney games. Rather than being a full visual novel, these games include “Investigation” phases where you can actually move around the 2D environments as Edgeworth to investigate things within the scene and question people there.

This gets around the awkward problem a lot of Ace Attorney cases run into, where you need to question multiple witnesses to get the full story, but because only one person can be in a location at a time, you need to keep hopping around the place. These phases are also a little more loose in the order you discover things. There are set conclusions you have to reach to end the phase, but where other games can be frustratingly strict in the order you have to gather all the evidence, Investigations lets you tug on threads separately before weaving it all together by the end of the phase.

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection / Capcom

They’re also made more engaging with Edgeworth’s logic abilities – something Phoenix could only dream of having – where he’s able to connect pieces of information or questions in his mind to draw conclusions and progress the case. This mechanic is usually very easy though, as you only get a small handful of clues to connect, and which ones do and don’t link are pretty obvious. However, it still enhances the feeling of solving a mystery as, easy though they are, you’re actively making connections and drawing conclusions.

The same goes for the new mechanic introduced in the sequel, Mind Chess. Here you lock into a mental battle with your opponent, pressing them for information about the case. However, you have to carefully consider when to press and when to give them space, which is all possible thanks to the always-excellent expressive character art. You need to read your opponent’s mood and reactions to your statements to get them to spill their darkest secrets.

I found this to be a much more engaging way to get information out of people than the main series’ method of simply presenting witnesses with every piece of evidence you have until they let something slip. These mechanics all come together to make me feel like I’m going on the offensive more than I ever am in the main games. That is arguably the point – Phoenix Wright is a defense attorney after all – but mechanics like logic and Mind Chess give things a constant sense of forward momentum.

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection / Capcom

There is still the classic Ace Attorney gameplay, but presented in a much more fitting way to Edgeworth’s character. Cases in these games aren’t resolved in the courtroom, but at the crime scene, with the legal part of the proceedings happening off-screen. So, instead of formally debating cases in court you instead use evidence and logic to poke holes in people’s testimony as you go. Mechanically this plays out identically to the Cross Examinations of the main series, but presenting it as an Argument followed by a Rebuttal adds a layer of sophisticated debate to the whole thing that meshes well with Edgeworth as a character.

Speaking of, if the original trilogy left you desperate for more Edgeworth content, then you won’t be disappointed by what’s on offer here, as these games explore every facet of his character. 

Much like when he was playable in Bridge to the Turnabout, the game gets a lot of mileage out of Edgeworth’s refusal to engage in any of the whacky antics this world wants to throw at him, making him arguably a better comedic foil for the setting than even Phoenix himself.

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection / Capcom

Like the main series, this pair of games have a connected overarching narrative that follows on from where we left Edgeworth at the end of the original trilogy. He continues on his quest for the truth but faces questions over what direction he should be moving in going forward. I can’t go into detail on that in this preview but know that if you love Ace Attorney for the character development, you won’t be missing out here – although the second game does it better than the first.

These remasters make notable improvements on the originals too. The biggest improvement that’s come in all of these remasters is the ability to skip through text without having to beat the game first. If you’re like me and can read a lot faster than the default text speed, you’ll be thrilled to know you can skip through dialogue at a brisk pace without missing anything.

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection / Capcom

The rest are just nice touches to have in a remaster like this such as optional extras in the galleries, fun achievements that reference fan in-jokes, and the ability to switch between the new HD sprites or the original DS ones in all their pixel glory.

Like every Ace Attorney collection that’s come before, this game is clearly made for the fans by a team that care about this series. Let’s just hope the success of all these collections is enough to get us a new game now that Capcom has run out of entries to remaster.