Capcom’s recent remastering efforts with the Ace Attorney games have turned me into a fan of the series, even though, for the most part, I’m not exactly the biggest fan of visual novels. Ever since the release of the first remastered collection of the GBA originals back in 2019, I’ve been eagerly anticipating brand new collections of previously released hidden gems, despite not being well-versed into the series’ lore that much. After dropping collections of GBA and Nintendo 3DS titles, it’s finally time for Capcom to drop some more bangers with the Apollo Justice remaster trilogy, previously released on the original DS.

The core “gameplay” (if you can call menu hovering and option selection actual gameplay) loop is the same as other Ace Attorney games: jump from PNG background to PNG background, and gather as many clues as you can in order to defend your client in court. Press witnesses when needed, and confront their BS with evidence that they’re lying. We are not here for actual gameplay innovation, for this is just like Boston Legal or Suits. You don’t care that those shows are just about people in fancy suits talking in court, you just want to see truly ludicrous cases being held with total seriousness by attorneys and a judge.

This is what we’re here for: over-the-top cases and top-notch writing. The difference between Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy and other iterations of the franchise is who you’re playing as an attorney. The titular Apollo Justice (that’s the most metal name of all time, I swear) is a young, fresh-out-of-law-school lad mentored by Phoenix Wright, the first (and most famous) protagonist in the franchise, the legend behind the GBA originals. He’s been out of law practicing for a while, so he’s basically your completely crazy (and oddly overconfident) Mr. Miyagi. As always, the writing is truly phenomenal, with ludicrous, but absolutely captivating plot twists in each case.

The relationship between mentor and student is the trilogy’s highlight, but as to be expected, all of those games feature iconic characters to interact with. It doesn’t matter if it’s just a passerby or the villain of the entire episode; you’ll have a good time with some absurd character designs and funny dialogue.

With three games in this collection, there’s a lot to see and do. Cases are varied enough, and even though they aren’t exactly replayable (once you’re done with, you’re done with them), they are well worth experiencing at least once. In fact, I would go as far as to say the cases in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy are probably my favorites in the series, compared to the limitations imposed by other games in the franchise being either set in a specific, scope-shrinking setting, or being held back by the GBA’s limitations.

As for the remastering efforts, they are as good as the ones seen in the Phoenix Wright collection. There are the obvious improvements seen when jumping from the GBA’s hardware to the Nintendo DS’s one, with some cutscenes featuring (rudimentary) polygons and the very occasional, borderline static FMV themed around something related to the case in question. Every single character sprite looks great in its remastered form, but I assume it would have looked better on the screen of a portable, as those profiles take a look of empty screen real estate. The fact they are still limited in terms of their animations is an issue inherited from the original DS games.

With that being said, it looks great. It’s colorful, it’s varied, it runs well. The UI is simplistic, and the mouse-based controls don’t exactly feel as polished as they should, but there are no issues or glitches to be seen. It would have been borderline impossible to screw up the remastering process of a bunch of games that were barely taking advantage of a portable’s capabilities from twenty years ago, after all. Even if the mouse-based interface doesn’t feel 100% pristine, it’s still the best way to play this particular collection, absolutely better than using a controller.

The only bit about this trilogy which didn’t feel very exciting, just as in previous Ace Attorney collections, is the sound department. Again, the DS wasn’t known for pushing sound boundaries, so don’t expect a lot. Voice clips are the highlight (I will never get tired of hearing “OBJECTION” or the stabbing sound effect used when unmasking a liar), but this is not exactly a collection of games you’ll miss out on if you decide to play on mute.

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy is yet another collection of absolute bangers. Those games, just like other Ace Attorney titles, are more than simply excellent visual novels. They are absolutely ridiculous stories, almost always engaging, and often times thought-provoking. They are still the best examples of what the genre can achieve, and how easily accessible and entertaining they can be, even for people who aren’t exactly into static, story-based games with little in terms of interactivity. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that the Apollo Justice games are my favorite subsection of Ace Attorney stories. It’s yet another great conversion by Capcom. It might be best enjoyed on a portable, but it’s a blast no matter how you decide to play it.

 

Oh, and before I forget…

There we go. Now we have a perfect Ace Attorney article.

 

Graphics: 8.0 What were once Nintendo DS sprites look great on a PC monitor, complete with improved drawings and post-processing effects. They are still very dated sprites, and not very animated, but they do look clean and crisp.	Gameplay: 7.5 Even if the mouse interface isn’t as polished as other PC games, it’s still the preferred way to play these former DS titles.
Sound: 6.0 Minute remastering efforts to improve the quality of what was once part of a bunch of Nintendo DS sound departments. Voice clips are the highlight, but this is not exactly a collection of games you’ll miss out on if you decide to play on mute.	Fun Factor: 9.5 Absolutely ridiculous, engaging, and often times thought-provoking. This might be my favorite Ace Attorney collection of the bunch, even though they are still best enjoyed on a portable.
Final Verdict: 8.5

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy is available now on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Reviewed on Intel i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, RTX 3060 6GB.

A copy of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy was provided by the publisher.