Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Genre: Adventure
Platform: PC, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: July 27, 2021
Price: $39.99 / €39.99 / £32.99
Languages: English (Subtitles) / English, Japanese (Dual Audio)
'Chronicles' is the North American and European debut of the 'Great Ace Attorney' duology, written by series creator Shu Takumi and newly translated under the direction of Ace Attorney veteran Janet Hsu. 'Adventures' and 'Resolve' were previously only released on Nintendo 3DS (and later mobile) in Japan between 2015 to 2017.
Gather evidence, solve puzzles, interview witnesses, and battle it out in court as rookie lawyer Ryunosuke Naruhodo; ancestor of Ace Attorney's Phoenix Wright. Encounter a cast of vibrant and memorable characters while solving a series of mysteries in late 19th-century Japan and England.
Investigations
You will visit a variety of locations with detailed backgrounds. Examine these places and objects of interest for clues to aid you in building your case.
Dance of Deduction
Work together with Herlock through the detective's (often baffling) leaps of logic to discover alternate perspectives to your investigation.
Cross-Examination
Uncover vital clues and contradictions in witness testimony during court sessions. Present the evidence and information you have collected to convince the judge and jury of your case.
Summation Examination
During trials in Britain, each member of a 6-person jury will submit their verdict to the Scales of Justice. When the scales are stacked against your client, a Summation Examintion begins. You must expose faults in the jury's reasoning in order to tip the scales back towards a "not guilty" verdict.
Descriptions from the official website
| Ryunosuke Naruhodo: The Ancestral Ace Attorney Phoenix Wright's ancestor and protagonist of this tale, Ryunosuke is a student at the Imperial Yumei University in the Empire of Japan. Although it wasn't his original field of study, his brush with the law set him firmly down the path of an attorney. With a new-found sense of justice, he is travelling to Great Britain in the hopes of learning the latest in legal thought and practice. |
| Susato Mikotoba: Faithful Judicial Assistant A learned judicial assistant, Susato is ever ready to help Ryunosuke through any trial. She is a lover of Western detective novels, and is at once a classic Japanese lady of virtue and grace, and a progressive dreamer. |
| Kazuma Asogi: Certified Lawyer and Best Friend A fellow student at the Imperial Yumei University, Kazuma is also Ryunosuke's best friend. He is a talented man, having passed certification to practise law, despite still being in school. He dreams of studying in Great Britain and bringing that knowledge back in order to revolutionise the Japanese judicial system. |
| Herlock Sholmes: A Most Singular Great Detective The world's most famous detective. Sadly, his overly-sharp observations and deductions sometimes cut beyond the heart of the matter to a maddeningly confused conclusion. |
| Iris Wilson: Precocious Doctor and Literary Young Lady Herlock Sholmes's young, little flatmate. Her tender age belies her great achievements. Not only does she hold a medical degree, she is also the author of the fabulously popular serial, 'The Adventures of Herlock Sholmes'. |
| Barok van Zieks: The Grim Reaper of the Old Bailey A legendary prosecutor known throughout the judicial world as the 'Reaper'. It is said that not a single soul who stands accused before him can escape his 'final judgment'. |
The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures The Empire of Japan – after opening its doors, a push for cultural transformation brought great waves of Western influence to the Far Eastern island nation. The revolution washed over the land, making life in the capital exciting and unsettling. It was a period of great change, and some were swept away by the tide. But for one man, the turbulence of that era was just the beginning of an extraordinary story. |
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The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve The Great Exhibition of London – that grand event that was to be a celebratory last hurrah of the 19th century. But from amongst the glitter and glory of Great Britain's latest achievement, a series of grim crimes began to emerge and come to the fore. From the Empire of Japan to the British Empire, a sweeping tale that straddles the two island nations is about to take centre stage. |
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Autoplay Mode: This automatically advances the text for you.
Story Mode: The game handles everything, including making choices and puzzle solving.
Autoplay and Story Mode can be turned on or off at any time during gameplay.
Episodes set in Japan will feature graphical text in its original language for authenticity. When examining an item in the Court Record, a translation will appear as a subtitle.
Additional features:
- Individual on/off settings for background music, sound effects, voices, controller vibrations, and screen flashes.
- Text box transparency, and the ability to set the time between dialogue lines during Autoplay/Story Mode.
- Multiple save slots, including one Autosave, and the ability to manually choose which save data you load under 'Load Game' in the Main Menu (selecting 'Continue' will pick up from the latest save file.)
- Chapter select is available even on a first playthrough - found under 'Select Adventure' in the Main Menu.
- Accolades... in-game achievements! (Note: using Story Mode will render some of these Accolades unobtainable in that playthrough.)
- On Nintendo Switch: optional touchscreen input.
- On PC: 4K monitor support, Steam trading cards, stickers, and more in the points shop.
Escapades: Eight slice-of-life episodes that portray the daily goings-on behind the scenes of the main game, written by series director Shu Takumi.
Special Exhibitions: Character designs, music tracks, and specially voiced lines are available in these galleries, including newly commissioned art from series art director Kazuya Nuri. Purchases made before September 1, 2021 will also receive additional art and music from the vaults.
Costumes: A set of three costumes for use only in 'The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve' - dress Ryunosuke, Susato, and Sholmes in these alternate outfits (these may not appear in certain scenes.)
Special Videos: Included are two special videos that were shown exclusively at events and thirteen 'Indictment' and 'Adjudication' videos, where players in Japan voted on Ryunosuke's guilt or innocence each evening online and the results were posted the next day. (Japanese voice with English subtitles only.)
Let's clear a few things up...
I've never played an Ace Attorney game before. Can I start here?
Yes! These 2 games are prequel spin-offs set many years before the other Ace Attorney titles, and can be enjoyed by new players. Having no knowledge of the previous games will not be an impediment to understanding the story.
How long are these games, approximately?
There are 5 cases in both games, plus 8 side stories. These are text-heavy games, so time to completion will vary depending on the player's reading speed. The video update, A Message from Shu Takumi, puts both games combined at "over 50 hours."
Will there be a physical release?
There will be:
There are no plans for physical releases in Europe.
- A US release on Nintendo Switch.
- Japan releases on both PS4 and Switch.
- Asia (R3) English releases on both PS4 and Switch.
There are no plans for physical releases in Europe.
Herlock Sholmes? What's up with that name?
The character's name is Sherlock Holmes in the original Japanese versions of GAA1+2. This was likely changed for the NA/EU release in order to avoid copyright issues with the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle, though Capcom haven't confirmed this. Fun fact: French author Maurice Leblanc, a key influence on the Ace Attorney series, famously used this name in his collection of stories titled 'Arsène Lupin versus Herlock Sholmes.'
Shu Takumi said:My first encounters with the mystery genre were through Sherlock Holmes and Arsène Lupin.
Finally, localisation director Janet Hsu shared this advice for all players:
Janet Hsu said:If you're the type to avoid spoilers, then maybe you should hold off on the Gallery and the Auditorium until after you've finished the two main games. The Escapades also contain small spoilers for the first game, The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures, so proceed with caution.
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