Another Ace Attorney, not like "Ace Attorney. Ace Attorney 2", a masterpiece adventure featuring Naruhodo Ryuichi's rival, Reiji Goken [Memories Game Review No. 2

This is a project in which the author introduces some of the games he has played and recommended in the past. In this second installment, we will introduce the mystery adventure "Ace Attorney 2" (Capcom), which was released for the Nintendo DS in 2011 (currently available on iOS and Android).

The "Ace Attorney" series has released six titles to date since the first title was released for the Game Boy Advance in 2001. In this courtroom battle adventure, lawyer Ryuichi Naruhodo takes on a variety of cases, armed with a strong sense of justice, an instinct for spotting mijuns, and bluffing. This series has sold nearly 6 million copies in total, and has been produced in collaboration with the "Dai Gyakuten Trial" series, in which the protagonist's ancestors appear, and the "Professor Layton" series produced by Level-5. Naruhodo-kun is now one of Capcom's most popular characters.

Ace Attorney 2" is the second game in the series featuring Mitsurugi Reiji, a prosecutor who appeared as a rival in the "Ace Attorney" series in which Narihodo-kun played an active role. Goken is a prosecutor in the Prosecutor's Office and is also known as a "genius prosecutor" for his excellent powers of observation, insight, and deduction.

Traditional Mystery and Goken's Logic

Unlike the "Ace Attorney" series, in which the storyline is based on the investigation of a case at the scene of the crime and then the defense in court, the story in the "Ace Attorney" series basically progresses at the scene of the crime. Goken gathers evidence and testimony at the scene, and Goken ultimately finds the true culprit while helping the falsely accused suspect or defendant.

The system is designed to elicit further information by confronting the evidence and testimony, pointing out the muddle of the interviewee's story, and shaking up the suspicious parts of the story. The system familiar from "Ace Attorney" is also employed in this series.

In short, although the environment and the position of the players may change, what they do is basically the same as in "Ace Attorney. Opinions differ as to whether this is a standard feature or not, but I at least have a favorable impression of it. If the main character is a prosecutor, it would be natural for him to use evidence and testimony to hunt down and convict an opponent who is evading his accusers. But "guilty" is a bad word, of course, and even if the player's pursuit is justice, it is not a good feeling, and it is not entertainment-oriented. In other words, it is not game-friendly. Series works tend to demand something new every time, but some things are better not to change.

However, this does not mean that everything is the same. Goken's belief in logic is an important aspect of "Ace Attorney. In a system literally called "logic," the player puts together specific pieces of information gathered and uses logic to find new facts.

Incidentally, this "logic" system was carried over from the previous work. In this title, "Logic Chess" has been newly added. In "Logic Chess," players play games with their opponents under a time limit to extract information. The key is to choose the best option from among those presented in order to gain the upper hand in the conversation, and the player is required to make judgments based on the situation, such as folding on a weak opponent or waiting to see what he will say if he is angry. If you make the wrong choice, the time limit decreases, and when it reaches zero, the game is over. It sounds difficult to read, but the opponent's attitude is over the top and easy to understand, and thanks to this, there is not much to miss. If you make a mistake, you can start over right from the beginning of "Logic Chess.

Thinking things through in a logical manner and proceeding in a steady manner is the opposite of Naruhodo-kun, who uses tact and bluffing as his weapons. His story, which began as a newcomer to the field, was full of hiccups and cold sweats, but there is a sense of stability in the way Goken, who has both talent and career, calmly analyzes information and defeats his opponents. Ace Attorney" has established an unshakable position as a mystery game, but when you think about it, incorporating a "courtroom" into a game is unique, and perhaps "Ace Attorney," where the player solves mysteries in the field, is more like a royal road.

Intense Scenarios and Goken's Growth

Although this title was initially released for the Nintendo DS, the volume of the scenario is more than adequate compared to relatively recent entries such as "Ace Attorney 6" and "Dai Gyakuten Trial 2. Although we did not measure the exact playing time, "Ace Attorney 2" may possibly be the longest in the entire series. Although long stories often suffer from slow pacing and redundant direction, I did not feel this to be the case even after playing the app version for the first time in a while for this article. The main character and the people around him grow little by little through each independent story and eventually solve a major case at the climax, which is the best part of the "Ace Attorney" and "Ace Attorney" series. Each story builds on the last and adds to the excitement of the final story. I can't go into details because it would be a spoiler. However, the scenario is long but packed with content, and the flow of the story, which approaches the climax while recovering foreshadowing naturally, is one of the highest quality in the entire series.

In the course of the story, Goken also grows. He has never been a man who would use any means necessary to convict a defendant, but in the "Ace Attorney" series, he fights Narihodo in court, and he begins to change his mind. He begins to seek the pure truth like Naruhodo-kun, not something distorted by human hands, but at the cost of coming into conflict with organizations such as the police and the prosecutor's office. As the story progresses, Goken, who is said to be a genius prosecutor, gradually begins to behave like a lawyer.

Goken's partner, Detective Keisuke Saw (left), who helps Goken, and Ichijo Miun (right), the heroine of the previous film.

The son, who had been on the path of a prosecutor, the opposite of his father, Makoto Goken, a lawyer, after a certain incident, solves various cases and comes to rethink his own way of life when he meets his father's apprentice, Shigaraki Shigeyuki. We have already noted that the basic system of this title follows that of the "Ace Attorney" series. This system seems to make the core of Goken's story, "Prosecutor or Lawyer," even more impressive. If one looks at Goken, who operates under similar circumstances to Seihodo-kun, the player might think, "Wouldn't he be a good fit as a lawyer as well?" players think, "He would be a good fit as a lawyer. The player can sense Goken's feelings about which way of life he should choose, both in the scenario and in the game system. It may be a stretch, but at least that's what I thought.

The third episode, "Inherited Reversal," is a perfect example. The scenario moves back and forth between the present and 18 years ago. A new murder occurs at the scene of a murder case that Makoto Goken was once in charge of. Reiji Goken is called in. At the same crime scene, Reiji Goken, a prosecutor, pursues the current murder case, and Makoto Goken, a lawyer, pursues the murder case from 18 years ago. Both are manipulated to uncover the two cases. As Goken follows his father's back, not only the contrast between the prosecutor and the lawyer, but also the theme of "surpassing one's father" emerges. As the title "Inherited" suggests, the story of the father and son also comes into focus, adding even more depth to the character of Reiji Goken. I have played all the games in the "Ace Attorney" series with the exception of the "Professor Layton" collaboration, but "Inherited Reversal" from "Ace Attorney 2" is my favorite.

The "Ace Attorney" series is almost independent from each other and does not assume knowledge of the "Ace Attorney" series. However, the "Ace Attorney" series is originally an outside story, and to fully enjoy the world view and story, it is essential to play the main series. In addition, since "Ace Attorney" is chronologically positioned between "Ace Attorney 3" and "Ace Attorney 4," it may be a good idea to play "Ace Attorney 123: Narihodo Selection" beforehand if you have not played "Ace Attorney 3" and "Ace Attorney 4.

Although most people tend to focus on the "Ace Attorney" series featuring Narihodo as the main character, the "Ace Attorney" series featuring Goken is of equal or better quality. The combination of the elements of the "Ace Attorney" series and the logic of prosecutor Reiji Goken makes for a different kind of reversal drama. If the author's logic has piqued your interest, we hope that you will experience his way of life firsthand.

(Text: Natsuyoshi Natsuyashirauchi)

Film information

Reversal Prosecutor 2

Genre: Deduction adventure

Compatibility: Nintendo DS/iOS/Android

Price: 2,440 yen (including tax)

App version: Complete set of scenarios

*Episode 1: 120 yen (tax included)/Episode 2 and thereafter: 730 yen each (tax included)

Release date: Now on sale