Short Version: Even though the game is quite short and has little re-playability, it is a great game that’s a lot of fun to play and definitely worth a try.
Capcom’s latest release in the Ace Attorney series comes to us with a bit of a twist. Anyone already familiar with the series will recall that you typically play as Phoenix Wright and battle against your nemesis, Miles Edgeworth, on most cases. In the 5th installment of the series, this time it’s you playing as Miles, out to find those responsible for committing evil and wrong-doings!
The nice change about Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth is just as the title states; investigations! This game keeps you out of the courthouse and on the streets, looking for clues, and laying down the law. As you move through cases and locations you will spend time looking for evidence and talking with suspects, witnesses and other characters you encounter on your journey.
Once you have gathered enough clues and statements, you can start to piece together each mystery by identifying common threads in your evidence and combining them to deduce and discover a new piece of the puzzle and quite often, the chance to learn more about the crime at hand. You can then question your suspects, press them for more information and catch them on contradictory evidence and testimony in order to punch holes in their alibis, and eventually bust the bad guys and solve the mystery.
The graphics in Ace Attorney Investigation: Miles Edgeworth are excellent and the way the gameplay mechanics allow you to dive deeper into every scene for a more thorough investigation is both creative and rewarding. Only by piecing together statements and evidence can you get a more detailed look at the things around you.
Although the sound didn’t take anything away from the game it didn’t really add anything either. The score was forgettable and the sound effects got a little tired after the first couple cases.
While the game can be quite challenging at times, it is still very short, clocking in at around 14 hours to complete all 5 cases. With little re-playability, you are going to need to decide if 30$ is worth a game lasting no more than a week or two at most.
The game left me wanting more, in a good way. I have been a fan of the Ace Attorney series of games for a few years now and am glad to see a fresh face on a great title. I look forward to the next Ace Attorney, maybe this time with a mix of investigations and court room drama; Law and Order Stylez! If they could have given me 2-3 times more story I would have been much happier.
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth was released this week on February 16th, 2010.
Are you a fan of the Ace Attorney Series? Tell us what you think in the comments below.