One of my white whales in gaming was Ace Attorney Investigations: Prosecutor’s Gambit. Much like The Great Ace Attorney duology, for many years after it was released, there was no localisation. Some attributed it to the fact that the first Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth sold poorly. Others said it was due to the difficulties of translating the subject matter for a Western audience. Despite this, there was a fan translation of the game. One that was painstakingly cobbled together by those in the fandom.

While I never did play through the fan translated version (it involved far too much shady downloading of online ROMs), I did watch snippets of a playthrough.

Alas, watching a game isn’t the same as playing it. At least, when it comes to me.

The joy I would have normally derived from playing through an Ace Attorney game simply wasn’t there for me. Besides, I had so many other games I needed to get through. And, upon stumbling upon the Danganronpa series, I could have fun with solving murders in an entirely new setting! More than that, I could also be involved in hackney-styled trials, and where, after a case is solved, the punishment for said crime is DEATH! All in gory pink blood.

My love affair, of course, with the Danganronpa series will have to wait, however, for another post (when I play and finish Master Detective Archives: Rain Code. I will get there! Eventually!).

So, imagine my surprise that shortly upon releasing the Apollo Justice trilogy, CAPCOM announced the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection for release in 2024!

Although, I suppose I should not have been surprised. They DID release the Great Ace Attorney Chronicles only a few years back despite the fact many feared it would never come to the West.

It was with glee that I grabbed hold of the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection that I set about playing through it. I may have been behind on 2023 and 2024 game releases but Miles Edgeworth standalone games were a top priority! And even though I’d already played the first game in the collection, I would gladly do it again (Turnabout Ablaze notwithstanding)!

After all, given how I write up game impressions on the internet, it doesn’t seem like proper journalism if I only play only one of the games.

The Ace Attorney Investigations games, as previously stated, stars Miles Edgeworth as the playable character. The first game sees the star prosecutor of Japanifornia getting involved in numerous murder cases in quick succession. The poor man is even knocked out a few times too. He’s even falsely accused. Despite this, our favourite cravat-wearing-British-accented (and possibly gay or aroace) rival remains cool and calm in the face of danger (the only instance being when he was tied up during the kidnapping incident at Gatewater Land).

Many of the cases in the first game are quite quick, taking only a few hours to get through. And while each murder case Miles tangles with are intriguing in their own right (with some fairly strong writing in terms of characters and the build-up of deducing the murderer), there is also an overarching narrative of an international smuggling ring. One that Interpol is trying to track down, and which the whip-happy Franziska von Karma has been assigned (I honestly forget she’s only 19 sometimes).

Speaking of which, I do like how Investigations provides some deeper insight in Franziska. As with many of the characters in the franchise, she has daddy issues. Something which is pointed out in Investigations 2 (honestly, the whole game that is Prosecutor’s Gambit should be called Daddy Issues).

In the end, Miles, in the four days from his return trip overseas (which is a little absurd given the timeframe) manages to uncover the mastermind behind the smuggling ring. He also solves four murders, reunite with a young girl who used his cravat as a tissue seven years ago, and attend a Steel Samurai show at a foreign embassy!

Talk about a whirlwind number of days!

Of course, one does not simply talk about Investigations without complaining about the last episode: Turnabout Ablaze. Back in my younger days, playing it on the Nintendo DS, I remember being frustrated at how long this last case felt. Especially when Miles is able to quickly deduce Alba’s involvement. But due to his status as ambassador and the rules around extraterritoriality, Miles and the team were hard-placed to have the ex-general arrested.

And I wasn’t the only one! After discussing it with bleachpanda, even she had grown tired of the endless back and forth between Ambassador Alba and Miles. All the ‘Hold It’s’ and interruptions from every single side character just to nail the man.

Still, I like to think it was all worth it in the end.

That said, I’m surprised people weren’t arrested more and evidence scrounged up later. Especially in instances where there was sufficient suspicion cast on the likes of many of the murderers in the second game.

In contrast with the first Investigations, Prosecutor’s Gambit was a much more personal case. No longer were Miles and the gang dealing with an international smuggling ring run by a foreign ambassador. True, there was Kay Faraday’s backstory and trauma to dig through in the first game, but Prosecutor’s Gambit also added further depth to Miles and his quest for the truth. The themes in Prosecutor’s Gambit were far more complex and I loved the new additions to the cast including Judge Verity Gavelle and rookie prosecutor Eustace Winner.

What’s more, Prosecutor’s Gambit also showcased off the man Gregory Edgeworth was before his untimely death in the DL-6 incident.

Ever since the first game, we knew Miles had initially wanted to be a defence attorney, like his father before him. It was not until Gregory was killed in an elevator that he chose to become a prosecutor.

But who was Gregory Edgeworth?

Prosecutor’s Gambit was able to showcase this and more as it delved into the final case Gregory was involved in before his untimely death. In so doing, it helped paint in the rough edges of who this pivotal figure was, the beliefs he carried, and how his legacy was continued by his son.

Gregory’s relationship with Miles stood in stark contrast with that of Eustace and Excelsius. While a young Miles was never seen in the third case of the game, Gregory’s thoughts were never far on his son (although, one did have to wonder who was looking after Miles while Gregory was investigating. Do NONE of these characters have loving mothers? I mean, who even knows what Phoenix’s parents are like). Eustace, on the other hand, is considered an utter and complete failure by Excelsius, a controlling and abusive individual who has risen to the position of Chairman of the Committee for Prosecutorial Excellence.

It is shown in the game that Excelsius will do anything: manipulate evidence, ‘disappear’ inconvenient witnesses and people, and take advantage of the law simply to get ahead. His is the quintessential lawful evil.

When he is taken down in the fourth case of the game, before Eustace lands the finishing blow to him in the last case, it is oh so satisfying! Especially because it shows Eustace’s own growth and ability to finally step out of his father’s shadow and be his own person. More importantly, taking out Excelsius is like extracting the cancerous corruption sitting in the heart of the legal system.

However, despite the menacing nature of Excelsius, he is not the mastermind of the game. No. Rather that is Simeon Saint: victim and criminal in equal measure.

And this is why I like Prosecutor’s Gambit so much.

The law is a necessary aspect of keeping society intact, and the people who comprise it, safe. But the law isn’t perfect. People often fall through the gaps. High numbers of indigenous in custody, racial profiling of suspects, etc. Despite our best efforts, injustice remains in our world.

Worse, many people who were wronged, who were abused in the past, end up becoming abusers themselves. Thus, perpetuating an endless cycle of hurt and pain and trauma.

There are innumerous real world comparisons that could take the place of Simeon Saint. Heck, even Miles himself started off as an antagonist wholly focused on obtaining a ‘guilty’ verdict for any and all suspects regardless if they had committed the crime or not.

It is here where Prosecutor’s Gambit shines as it casts a light on how legal systems can fail.

But, most importantly, it also sheds light on those very same servants of the law facing down the contradictions within the law itself and fixing them where possible. Humans err. As laws are written by humans, the next logical conclusion is that the law, too, can err.

By recognising where missteps have been taken, it is up to us, humans, to change the law and have it evolve with us. You see this all the time. Or, at least, you do in Western countries. New legislation is pushed through parliament quite regularly to reflect the changing landscape. Amendments and addendums are also added to clarify parts of legislation that may also be confusing.

Overall, while Ace Attorney Investigations Collection keeps the core gameplay loop very much the same, the few gimmicks that have been added (including Mind Chess and Little Thief simulations) help to bring a unique spin to the formula. As with most visual novels, however, it is the narrative and characters that shine in these games. And shine they did. From old staples like Larry to even new ones like Eustace and Verity.

In fact, I kinda want a new game starring Kay Faraday, if only for the developers to stretch their wings in an entirely new direction. Here’s hoping there will be a few more games in the franchise!

And if not Kay, why not Athena? Or maybe a spinoff with Franziska?

As a side note, it felt so weird to have Shaun call Verity his mother given there’s only a thirteen year age-gap. I mean, did she adopt him when she was fourteen? WHY DID THEY MAKE VERITY ONLY 26?!