Does the critically-acclaimed series still hold up with a new style of gameplay?
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth (DS)
Developer: Capcom
Release Date: February 16, 2010
ESRB Rating: T
As previous reviews on the site have indicated, I am quite a fan of the Ace Attorney series for a number of reasons; the excellent story, the logic-puzzle gameplay, the sweet music, etc. It’s understandable, then, that I was rather surprised when the newest title apparently threw the classic gameplay formula out the window, in favor of a new approach. Does Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth hold up as well as its predecessors?
Being generally an adventure title, the story of AAI is more important than in most games, and as usual, the series does a fine job. With the removal of major, epic court scenes, your showdowns aren’t quite as dramatic and mind-blowing as they are in games like Trials and Tribulations, but you’ll encounter plenty of twists and turns, as well as a number of fun cameos, so both fans and newcomers should get enjoyment out of this one.
For what it’s worth, Miles Edgeworth is far manlier, and much more satisfying, as a main protagonist than Phoenix Wright; he’s long been one of my favorite characters, and playing through an entire game with him has only made me like him that much more. The other characters aren’t too bad either; most of the minor ones are tolerable, but there are plenty of new and old characters that you’ll enjoy seeing on screen for their fun dialogue. Kay Faraday, one of the new main characters, is one of the most likable characters introduced in the past several games.
The more interesting change, of course, is the overhaul of the gameplay that’s occurred in Investigations. Where you stayed permanently in first-person while investigating in Ace Attorney, in AAI Edgeworth is walking around, able to walk around small areas, instead of just touching things you want to look at in a picture. Additionally, when it is time to investigate, the game will let you know with a nice big Begin Investigation, and you’ll be confined to a certain space to do your investigating. I cannot adeuqately express how much better this system is than in the original game, where you wander from area to area, hoping that something interesting is going to happen. In AAI, you have a clear idea of what needs to be done, but the game isn’t any less challenging as a result.
The other major addition is the Logic system. In previous AA titles, you were combining evidence with statements to produce contradictions, and that does carry over into AAI, though in a bit more compact form. In addition to that, as you explore a scene and investigate, little tidbits will show up in your Logic screen. You’ll connect Logic pieces together to form other Logic pieces, or to advance the story a bit. It’s not always very difficult, since you’ll usually know when you have two matching pieces, but it’s rather satisfying to come to conclusions yourself instead of having things explained by the game all the time.
What AAI loses in the story, it gains threefold in gameplay; if Capcom were to combine the best parts of each franchise, they would create an unstoppable goliath of a game, crushing all that stood in its way. As it stands, AAI is still an excellent entry in the series, better than some of the poorer AA titles, and definitely worth your time and money. This game should keep you occupied for about 15 to 20 hours, so you definitely get value for money, if you don’t mind a game that’s mostly well-written text. You won’t find a better story in almost any other DS game, and you’ll be hooked all the way until the very end. Like the entire series, Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth isn’t for everyone, but if you’re a fan, or if you’re looking for something different that will stimulate your brain, you should definitely pick this one up.
