A new Ace Attorney trilogy has been announced at Capcom's 2023 games showcase. The series of visual novel adventure games kicked off in 2001 with the first title in the series being Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney that was initially exclusive to Nintendo's Game Boy platform before being ported. Most recently, it arrived on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows as part of the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy. The Ace Attorney series is credited as one of the main drivers that helped popularize visual novels in the west.As of writing, there are 11 games in the franchise with some fans hoping for a new Ace Attorney game that will tie up some loose plot threads that were never addressed. Ace Attorney has also gained a couple spinoffs over the years; Investigations and its sequel as well as The Great Ace Attorney put players in the shoes of prosecutor Miles Edgeworth and Ryonosuke Naruhodo (Phoenix Wright's ancestor from the late 18th century) respectively. There has also been a crossover title, Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, which released in 2014 exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS.Capcom has announced a re-release trilogy called Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy that will contain the games Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies, and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice. The first game in the trilogy takes place seven years after the events of Trials and Tribulations and introduces the new protagonist, Apollo, who takes the helm as the legal system enters a dark age that sees the titular Phoenix lose his lawyer's badge thanks to false charges and fabricated evidence.
While a re-release might not be as exciting as a fresh entry into the franchise, it will be exciting for gamers who missed out on these well-rated Ace Attorney titles the first time around. The Metacritic score has never dipped below 75 in the history of the franchise, which is an impressive accolade that few other franchises can claim. With the release of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy, all the mainline games in the franchise will be playable on modern hardware.
Players can look forward to experiencing the unique sense of accomplishment associated with the Ace Attorney franchise when Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney trilogy releases in early 2024. Capcom has not locked down an exact release date as of writing, but more information can likely be expected later in 2023.
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy is currently in development for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC and will release in early 2024.
