Side Quests: Ace Attorney Investigations Collection Review

I've always had a soft spot for the Ace Attorney franchise. Visual novels are hit-and-miss as far as I'm concerned, but something about how this series tells its stories – and how those stories range from grounded true-to-life tales of friendship and perseverance to off-the-wall bits where a killer whale becomes one of Phoenix Wright's clients – always resonates with me. 

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth and its sequel – two spin-off games based on Wright's prosecutorial rival – are the latest to receive the remaster treatment in this Ace Attorney Investigations Collection. The original launched in 2009 here in the States, while the second never made its way across the pond from Japan until now. I was excited to dive in (or dive back in) to Edgeworth's extracurriculars, and I'm happy to say that both games stand the test of time. 

Miles Edgeworth

I do not want to discount the first game in this spinoff duology, however, as it introduces a few key elements to the Ace Attorney formula that I feel make the entire experience better. First and foremost are the investigation sections; where previous games acted as a Highlights-style seek and find with static pictures, AAI here lets us roam freely as Edgeworth and discuss the details with bystanders and other characters. 

This free-roaming mechanic is, to me, the biggest reason why this duology benefits more from the fresh remaster coat of paint than other Ace Attorney games. Sure, the character art of the lawyers behind their desks furiously pointing at each other looks great with modern touch-ups, as they do here, but that extra personality translates to the full character models on display here too. I can see the individual wrinkles on poor Gumshoe's face as he stomps with frustration after a bad beat, for example, and that gives these characters even more personality than they already have. 

The second is the Logic system, where instead of always gathering hard evidence, Edgeworth will sometimes acquire an