5/5 ★ – asoola's review of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles.

I recently replayed my favorite Ace Attorney games that are included in The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles and they’re still my top 2 favorite games in the franchise, as always I’ll talk about each game included in this collection so without further ado let’s start! The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures Review: I finished my replay of the first volume of Ryunosuke Naruhodo’s story and I forgot how much I loved this game, the moment I started the game I remembered each feeling I had during my first playthrough and those feelings resurfaced when I rewatched the ending. It’s no surprise that the story is well written I dare say that it’s better than anything I played so far in the previous trilogy that of course doesn’t mean the other games I played are bad but there’s something special about The Great Ace Attorney story and Ryunosuke Naruhodo’s journey with his VERY likable comrades and their various adventures in the game. (no pun intended) The mysteries of the world are present from the beginning and it only made me more intrigued when I played the game for the first time and second time the way each episode is written and how each episode has Naruhodo deal with a different issue so he can be the best defense lawyer he can be is fantastic as well, the cases were really fun and more challenging and I really like that it wouldn’t be fun if everything was solved easily! I really love how in the finale the game introduces mysteries they plan on exploring and explaining in the second game as well. The various characters in this game left a lasting impression whether they remained with Ryunosuke or parted ways with him, each character was written well with their own struggles, goals and secrets. Kazuma Asogi’s time in this game is short but during the short time he was in the game I immediately fell in love with his character and his impact on both Ryunosuke and Susato is always present, this doesn’t just apply to Kazuma though characters like Susato Mikotoba, Herlock Sholmes, Iris Wilson, Gina Lestrade, Yujin Mikotoba, even Barok van Zieks all of these characters immediately left a lasting impression on me I could tell each of them went through something traumatic and they’re working through it they’re not entirely healed from their past trauma but they’re definitely working towards finding the truth so they can move forward and change their views on things. The protagonist just like his descendant is a fantastic protagonist, the love I have for Ryunosuke Naruhodo can’t be described in words however I saw his struggles from the start and he never gave up, he’s a kind person and when he realized his friend Kazuma will lose his dream if he himself is found guilty of a crime he never committed he puts his life on the line and decides to defend himself. His talent as a defense lawyer isn’t just mere beginner’s luck despite that he was humble and always wanted to learn more from his more experienced friends like Susato Mikotoba for example. His growth as a defense lawyer is clear as day in this game but he still has lots to learn I mentioned how each episode makes him deal with a different issue, and that’s how I think his growth starts in the first game he never even thought of becoming a defense lawyer but when his friend passes away he decides to take his place to fulfill his friend’s dreams. Later his belief in the client’s and himself wavers, he slowly starts to realize that he lost sight of something very important and that’s belief and this belief in both the client and himself is more shown in the finale. His character goes through an adventure (again no pun intended) and he learns so much and in return he grows as both a lawyer and a person. I will mention the relationship between various characters is written really well Ryunosuke’s friendship with Kazuma is amazing and I immediately felt how much they care for each other, Susato friendship with both Ryunosuke and Kazuma is also something I loved, Herlock father-daughter relationship with Iris was a sight to see! Point is this game is no stranger to the found family aspects I always love in the Ace Attorney franchise and it’s more shown when Ryunosuke and Susato move in with Herlock Sholmes and Iris Wilson! All of that aside though the gameplay is super fun in this game the investigation gameplay is the same and while it’s fun it definitely didn’t change much but obviously there’s now a chance of the Dance of Deduction happening and I really love the crazy deductions Sholmes comes up with and how Ryunosuke corrects him like it’s a fun gameplay mechanic and it always makes me laugh when the characters are confused about his deductions! I really loved the courtroom gameplay and the new things added to make it more fun like convincing the Jury and the pursue feature everything was so improved and so much fun to play! The music really reminds me of the 19th century the game covers which is weird considering no one that worked on the game was born in that time (I think) but that’s my point they conveyed the Meiji period/Victorian London era in the music and it made me feel like I’m in that era too! The game design, and various locations designs and characters designs were also very well done each character design was fantastic and I really love the different take on Herlock Sholmes (Sherlock Holmes) it makes him so unique both design wise and story wise! Overall this game is fantastic and it’s a great introduction to learn more about the ancestor of Phoenix Wright, Ryunsoke Naruhodo and his journey as a defense lawyer! The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve Review: I finished my replay of the second and final game in The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles and this game remains to be my favorite Ace Attorney game of all time! A lot of the mysteries that were introduced in the first game were resolved (no pun intended) in this game and they were resolved in a brilliant manner, the game’s story is written extremely well! Each episode was challenging, amazing and enjoyable to play and most importantly the characters new and returning all continue to leave a lasting impression, when I first played the game I never expected for a certain character to come back (more on that later) and his return was as the game describes it glorious. I mentioned this in my The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures review but this time around, the characters that had a certain struggle, goal or trauma has now resolved to move on from said struggle/trauma and they each chose their new path and goals on their own (sorta more on that later) because of the events in this game! The game is really well done and I enjoyed my time with it even more in my second playthrough! Themes of found family and friendship is once again present here and it may sound cheesy to some but I think seeing the characters resolve to do what they want to do because of the company that surrounds said characters is something I really love. Mael Stronghart is a really well written antagonist that I can’t help but hate because he’s that kind of antagonist, but he was written really well and witnessing his downfall was really nice to see! Klint van Zieks wasn’t an angel but his story made me cry honestly same goes with Genshin Asogi’s story both of them were parents that would do whatever for their children and I really love how frequent that theme was in the game. As always I’ll talk about few characters that I really loved then talk about the protagonist! first I’ll talk about a character who I love very much and that character is Kazuma Asogi. I mentioned how I immediately fell in love with his character and I’m so glad they decided to expand more on his character in The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve. He’s a multifaceted character it’s not just him each character in this game was like that but they went all out with his story and character, I never expected him to have a really sad backstory when I first played the game and replaying it is making me realize how tragic his story is. In short we can say he’s a determined character that wanted to unearth the truth and change the judicial world, but if I wanna talk in detail? Oh he’s so much more than that! Kazuma Asogi had his own trauma and struggles, his own determination to know what actually happened to his dad and him wanting to get justice for his dad is admirable although he did let his emotion cloud his judgement but here’s the thing I think that makes him extremely realistic as a character! And seeing him mature after his best friend gave him a few words of wisdom was fantastic. He knew deep down Barok isn’t the reaper and he isn’t the one behind the injustice and because of that he needed a little push towards the right direction to follow his strong sense of justice rather than his emotions, and Ryunosuke’s words were the push he needed. I mentioned above how the characters each chose their new path on their own (sorta) well this is what I mean no one told Kazuma what to do he knew it deep down that he should approach this from a different angle and Ryunosuke’s words as I said were the push he needed, Kazuma still chose his own path as a prosecutor but he did that with a bit of help and the game showcases this brilliantly at the end. From the beginning Kazuma never wanted to force Ryunosuke to be a defense lawyer and Ryunosuke wasn’t gonna do the same thing to his best friend. He’s not just a defense lawyer with strong sense of justice and he isn’t just a ruthless prosecutor he’s like the rest of the prosecutor characters in the series, he had a dark side that scares even him and he’s willing to face his demons at some point in his journey as a prosecutor. The moment he let go of his hatred is the moment he realized what he should do as a prosecutor, sure he didn’t forgive Barok but now instead of hating him he’s looking up to him and wants to become a good prosecutor like Barok van Zieks. Next is Herlock Sholmes yet another multifaceted character, the goofy side of him that we all love is something that will always continue to make me laugh but there’s more to him than meets the eye deep down he’s a kind person who wants to save people from their untimely demise if he can, and if he fails he’ll blame himself more than anyone (as shown when Gregson dies) he has a heart of gold as Ryunosuke says he immediately accepts the role of a father to Iris even when he was a young man himself, the role of a father isn’t easy and raising a kid isn’t easy I’m sure but he wanted to take care of this child as if she’s his own and when he hears her words of gratitude to him for raising her, it’s the best words of gratitude to him. So Herlock Sholmes isn’t just a funny guy he’s a genius detective (when he wants to), a caring father, and a great friend to his investigative partner and to his companions. When I first saw his character back in Adventures in 2021 I never expected I would come to love his character as much as I do now. Next on the list is Susato Mikotoba the best judicial assistant ever actually. Her strong sense of justice is very clear to all and her brilliance as both a judicial assistant and a defense lawyer is amazing, she’s truly a caring character and I loved playing as her and getting to know more about her outside her role of a judicial assistant in court! Her choosing her own path at the end made me feel weirdly proud but her deciding to go with Ryunosuke rather than stay with Kazuma and going as far as asking permission from her friend when she doesn’t even need to just made me love her more she’s so considerate of everyone’s feelings and just like the rest of the characters her resolve to her new path was something I loved very much. Iris Wilson the best daughter ever her story in this game made me cry she always wanted to find her real dad to find where she came from and find out more about herself but her realizing at the end that it doesn’t matter and her dad is Herlock made me cry, sure she’s a genius and an author but at the end of the day she’s just a kid. As Mikotoba says her knowing who her father was will be a good thing but now I’m glad she’s living happily with her dad, Herlock Sholmes. Seeing The Adventures of Herlock Sholmes “Wilson” change to “Iris Wilson” standing next to Sholmes also made me cry I love found family themes in Ace Attorney games and this game delivers on that with these two characters especially. Gina Lestrade and Tobias Gregson are characters that have an amazing character development and just like Iris and Sholmes, Gina and Gregson father-daughter (or rather mentor and apprentice) relationship made me cry the fact both of them brought upon change on each other’s goals is something that is written very well. Gina gave up who she was and followed her new path even after her mentor died and she’s such a courageous character honestly. And while Gregson wasn’t a saint his willingness to be a better Inspector because of Gina made me happy and sad because I wished he was still alive. As I said each character chose their own path with a little help, no one forced them to chose this path they did because of the amazing people that surrounded them and gave them new perspective on things. Barok van Zieks what a complex character he is, is him hating all Japanese people because of what happened to his brother is right (even though his brother died willingly and Genshin didn’t even betray him but he didn’t know that at the time)? Absolutely not. But what makes him an amazing character to me is how he always wanted to get justice done right and not just that his amazing character development throughout both games makes him an amazing character. He realized him having unjustified hate isn’t right or logical and decided to let go of that hate just like Kazuma and only by letting go of that hate was he able to see the truth and mature as a person I think. He’s not a bad person and him sacrificing his reputation so the crime rate is low is sad but at the end he realizes because of a Japanese man that fighting for justice like that isn’t the right way and he resolved to always fight for the truth no matter what. Yujin Mikotoba who expected him to be the great detective friend and investigative partner? Not me in 2021 that’s for sure, but the way they expand more on his character made him one of my favorite characters in The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. Just like Sholmes he also has a heart of gold and was willing to go to extreme lengths to help a woman and her unborn child that he never even knew he’s an amazing doctor and a friend he didn’t ask questions and helped Genshin fulfill his last wish to Klint. Not just that but he helped Sholmes become something more than a great detective as a great friend, he’s a good character and he’s an amazing dad to his daughter. Hearing him talk about how much the death of his wife affected him and how he wanted to get away from the grief made me cry. He never forgot about his wife even when he was in Britain and that’s why Iris is named after her. He’s a caring father, friend and doctor. Him realizing hiding the truth isn’t for the best is also amazing to witness I think. Last but not least Rei Membami I honestly loved her character despite her short time in the game she immediately left a lasting impression I loved how despite her hate she still wanted to help Asa Shinn, I always love kind characters so it’s no surprise but Rei is definitely a fantastic character and her interactions with Ryutaro made me laugh and her friendship with Susato was amazing to see. And to end this segment I have to talk about the Great Protagonist ever, Ryunosuke Naruhodo. The love I have for his character still can’t be described by words but the end of his journey and how he resolves to be a better defense lawyer is brilliant writing! He no longer doubts himself at the end of this game he’s more confident and he knows what he wants to do in his journey as a lawyer to find out the truth always. Seeing the daruma doll now having both eyes instead of one made me emotional because he finally is a great lawyer to many. He’s not just a lawyer though he’s also a caring friend to many he only reached this resolve because of his great family as he says. He inspires many of the characters and I can’t say I’m surprised he’s a fantastic character that I love dearly. 💛 Now that’s over as I said before the gameplay is very fun and challenging and I loved every second of it. As for the music the new tracks are fantastic and well thought out and once again they remind me of the era the story takes place in which as I said before is an amazing feat! Kudos to everyone who worked tirelessly on everything that made the game special from the backgrounds in the game to the game and characters designs to the fantastic music everything was perfect. Well that’s all I wanted to say about the amazing chronicles of Ryunosuke Naruhodo, I had lots of fun solving the mysteries twice now (because I forgot half of the solutions to everything I played before hehe) and I cried lots during my replay because of how emotional the story was! Until next time, Ryunosuke Naruhodo! 💛 (because there’s still the escapades section hehe!) The Great Ace Attorney Escapades Review: I never played any of these short stories back in 2021 but I’m so glad I played them now because they were so much fun and intriguing stories! I loved how all of them give more information about the characters how Kazuma struggles with tongue twisters, or how Sholmes knew about Ryunosuke hiding before Kazuma “dies” (although he probably forgot 😂), Ryunosuke impulsive purchases tendencies, or the last case where I genuinely thought Gregson murdered a person just for it to end up being a bird that didn’t even die like I never saw that coming for sure! But all of the short stories made me love the world and characters of The Great Ace Attorney even more than I did before! Definitely fun stories that I wish I played sooner! Now I’m finally done with everything related to the Chronicles these two games will always be special to me and I’ll always love the adventures and resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo. 💛