The court date for the eighteenth door of the 2021 RPS Advent Calendar has arrived. Listen, I know it’s normal to be nervous about a big challenge – after all, it’s just how we feel on the line – but trust me, I’ve got the best and most experienced security team around. most prepared for this challenge and – wait, what is it? Have they only trained for three months? And they don’t even qualify? Oh no, what did we do…
Its Chronicles of the great lawyer Ace!
Rebecca: With apologies to my real-life loved ones, no one has made me as consistently and uncomplicatedly happy this year as Ryunosuke Naruhodo, the protagonist of The Great Lawyers Chronicle. In a year full of ups and downs, it’s comforting to start this game and see Ryunosuke’s sweet, worried face, and know that he’s struggling with it, too. The guy is a walking disaster area, and I love him for it.
I knew from the start that I would really enjoy The Great Lawyers Chronicle – after all, it had Sherlock Holmes in it (sorry, Herlock Sholmes), and that’s all I need from life. But I didn’t expect this to turn out to be my favorite Ace Attorney game. Prequels are all about humour, and it can sometimes be difficult to keep the main characters interested when the ending is set in stone.
As you have certainly gathered from my beloved opening, this is by no means the case here. The Great Lawyer Chronicle takes the prequel art to the next level by pulling the action 120 years into the past – hence the presence of Sherlock Holmes. This is good for a couple of reasons: there’s no barrier for novice players to Capcom’s courtroom attorney; while returning fans can enjoy adventures that are seamlessly connected to the main series without having to cram in a ton of established lore.
This setup justifies its connection to the other Ace Attorney games by making Ryunosuke an unidentified ancestor removed from the main series protagonist Phoenix Wright (who is referred to as Ryuichi Naruhodo in the original version). original Japanese). I will confess that I didn’t come into The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles with high expectations for Ryunosuke one way or another. This is because – heresies warning coming – I don’t usually find Phoenix to be the most enjoyable part of Ace Attorney games, and Ryunosuke was originally depicted as more or less like Phoenix’s relative, despite having the hair a little nicer.
But, to my surprise, I found Ryunosuke to be a really easy character to invest in. It started with how nervous he looked on his first court appearance: a charming cartoon figure with trembling hands and wide, worried eyes. It is true that he is the defendant, not the lawyer – a situation that is clearly as surprising for him as the protagonist as it is for me as the player. Ace Attorney leaders are sure to go to court for crimes they didn’t commit sooner or later, but they’re usually warmed up by at least a couple of chapters.
But no, poor Ryunosuke was thrown into the worm’s end, and spent the rest of his heroic 60-hour journey (over two games, I might add) more or less running to stand still, as it was probably It makes little sense how the only character in historical Ace Attorney to be appropriately attuned to his world. The setting may be 1897 but it’s the most 2021 mood I’ve seen recorded as a video game, which alone qualifies for GOTY status if you ask me.
Don’t be fooled, however: aside from the bewildering themes of existence that involve the unexpected, this game is rather ludicrously fun. It made Agatha Christie shake “yes, there was a murder, but we’re here to have fun after all”. The writing of the piece is hilarious, the entire production is gorgeous, and there are at least 200% more adorable kittens than the plot really requires. The Great Lawyer Chronicle starts to make you smile, and no matter what else I think, I can’t think of a single time it didn’t work out.
Katharine: I still find it unbelievable that out of all the games Capcom has made over the years and the series that have come and will never be seen again (RIP Ghost Trick), it is the legal drama of They’re about a defense attorney that’s still going strong after 20 years. 20 years! It’s been a long time in the land of video games, but like The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles amply proved, there’s still a lot of life in the wider Wright dynasty, and I fully endorse Rebecca’s assertion above that this is easily one of the best Ace Attorney games.
Although set more than 100 years in the past, this is the most modern feeling Ace Attorney I’ve ever played. Its animation is gorgeous, mysteries are possible, and Capcom’s localization team is completely unwilling to translate the script by series author Shu Takumi. The pun (both written and visual) is exceptional, and I won’t lie, that pun is 95% of the reason why I played the Ace Attorney game in the first place.
I also can’t believe Capcom is still packing this and The Ace Lawyers Trilogy (is a PC port of the HD versions of the first three AA games) together for just £40. That’s amazing value for money for five of the best visual novels you’ll ever play on PC, and just £8 more than you’d pay for Chronicles. It’s a crime if you’re new to the series, and trust me, you don’t want the ending wrong this judge’s hammer, no sir.
I rest my case.
