Review: Ace Attorney Investigations Collection (Nintendo Switch)

I always felt kind of bad for Miles Edgeworth. He’s supposed to be this unbeatable prosecutor, yet pretty much all Phoenix Wright ever did in the Ace Attorney games was beat him. That’s not the case in Ace Attorney Investigations Collection. Here, Miles takes the center role, and we finally get to see him shine.

This collection repackages and remasters two Ace Attorney games originally released for Nintendo DS in 2009 and 2011. The first game—Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth—got a western release in 2010. The second game—Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit—did not. Finally being able to play the latter is the big news for western fans of the series, but this is a collection that can easily be enjoyed by anyone.

Aside from the focus on Miles, the biggest change from the main game is that very little of the drama takes place in an actual courtroom. As implied by the title, gameplay centers around Miles’ investigations of the crime scenes where he presents his findings on the spot. Early on, this tends to involve him clearing his name of the crimes, as the guy just always happens to be in the wrong spot at the wrong time. Later, he corrects competing investigators to make sure the wrong person isn’t convicted of the crime.

The player gets full control of Miles, moving him around the crime scene to investigate certain areas and items (identified with a magnifying glass) or questioning persons of interest (speech bubble). He can add items to his inventory, which he can then explore further and eventually present as evidence to expose contradictions in the subject’s testimony.

He also has the ability to combine key elements in order to make deductions that push the case along. Combine items that don’t relate, and you’re punished. Get it wrong too many times, and it’s “case dismissed.”

By not shoving us in and out of a courtroom, the cases have a smoother flow to them. We still bounce between the investigation and challenge phases, but they mostly all happen in the same area and in a short period of time. That’s a pleasant change. However, it also makes things seem much less dramatic than in the standard Ace Attorney games featuring Phoenix Wright, Ace Apollo, et. al. The finality of a courtroom battle made every decision feel more significant than they do here.

A couple series features do carry over to Ace Attorney Investigations, the most significant of which are the quirky characters and goofy humor. These games are populated by wonderfully absurd suspects and witnesses, each of whom gets a chance to shine at some point. Fans of earlier games will get to see plenty of familiar faces, some with pretty significant parts. Be sure to thoroughly investigate the crime scenes to locate the Easter-egg achievements.

The Ace Attorney games typically feature some unique use of technology or psychology to help you solve the crimes, and that’s still the case here. The first game makes some use of a 3D visualizer that allows Miles to enter a virtual representation of the crime scene without actually being there. In the second game, he will engage in battles of “mind chess.” Here Miles must choose between speaking and listening to uncooperative characters to gain the advantage over them. These challenges proved difficult, which felt out of place considering the Investigations Collection is otherwise the simplest Ace Attorney game I recall playing. I often felt like I was ahead of the case, which can prove frustrating; when you present the right evidence but not in the right order, you’re still punished for that.

All of this is part and parcel for an Ace Attorney game, however. Although Mind Chess may be my least favorite gimmick in the series, it didn’t hamper my enjoyment, it just meant I had to keep a walkthrough handy. Cheating? Sure. But considering this collection has an option that solves the crimes for you, allowing you to just ride along visual novel-style, I don’t feel bad. It also includes plenty of bonus materials—character artwork and such—to check out.

Of course, the remaster looks great, too. The animations are smooth and lively, although often hit with bizarre framerate drops that simply shouldn’t have been there. You can even select to play with the original pixelated graphics. I found that OK in handheld mode, but it looked pretty junky when docked.

Overall, series fans will find a lot to enjoy here. The Miles Edgeworth games alter the recipe enough to feel like you’re getting something new, but with a very familiar flavor. The story arc in each game is as compelling as ever, and the characters and situations you encounter along the way are as bonkers as you’d hope. It’s especially great that western players get a completely new game here. The price could be a bit lower, considering only two games comprise the collection, both of which can be breezed through pretty quickly. That won’t stop me, however, from enthusiastically recommending Ace Attorney Investigations to fans of the series or crime games in general.