Rosie Peterson ‘25, Opinion Editor
If you ask any child born before or during the 2000s if they have ever played on a Nintendo DS, chances are they will say ‘yes’. The DS popularized and produced several iconic games of today, many of which remain popular even decades after release.
One of the most notable DS games is Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. The courtroom drama-themed visual novel, while originally meant for the Gameboy Advance, was made available to the Western world through its release on the DS, quickly followed by its sequels: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney—Justice for All and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney—Trials and Tribulations. As popularity rose and demand increased for a fourth installment in the series, game director Shu Takumi decided that Phoenix’s story was over and he took the opportunity to create a new main character for the fourth Ace Attorney game. The character, of course, is Apollo Justice.
The Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney game is often overlooked among fans when it comes to the franchise, with many focusing instead on the original trilogy. Recently, however, there has been an increase in discussion surrounding the game. This is due to the upcoming release of the Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney trilogy port for the Nintendo Switch. The trilogy consists of the previously mentioned Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, as well as two other titles: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney—Dual Destinies and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney—Spirit of Justice.It is clear that, despite the trilogy being in his namesake, Apollo Justice is not the titular character in two out of the three games. The reasoning behind this is likely a result of Takumi deciding to step away from the Ace Attorney franchise after the release of the Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney game, leaving the future of the games in the hands of Motohide Eshido. Eshido chose to center the fifth and sixth Ace Attorney games around Phoenix once again and created them for the Nintendo 3DS, rather than the DS. However, game translator Janet Hsu stated the reasoning behind naming the trilogy after Apollo, despite the majority of the games being titled after Phoenix:, is, “The fourth game was always meant to be the beginning of a new protagonist’s story. While the main character of the previous trilogy is in these games, we felt that these three titles together tell the story of Apollo Justice—he is the one who goes through the most growth and change, after all.”
In addition to general fan anticipation for the new port, there is also the potential to reach a much larger audience. While the Nintendo DS was popular when it first came out, it has quickly become outdated with the advancement of gaming devices being created. One of the current most popular devices is the Nintendo Switch—something on which the first Ace Attorney trilogy is already available.
By porting the new trilogy to the Switch, those who already enjoy other games on it may hear of the trilogy and take more interest in it than they would the DS version. Most people are not willing to go out of their way to find an old DS just to play a game from 2007, but if it is rebranded in a new and more accessible way, it could find its way to new fans. Sophomore Tegan Wusthoff said, “Usually the game itself does not change when it comes to ports. There may be different graphics, new sound, etc., but it is still the same game just on better hardware. It is also a way for people who do not have the older hardware to play these games, so yeah, I would buy it.”
In the end, the Ace Attorney franchise is long-lasting and successful; it continues to garner attention even 20 years after its original release. Hopefully, this new port can push the series in an upward direction, and perhaps lead to new advancements for the games in the future.
Lyon Life 