We have new details on the next iteration of the Ace Attorney series. It turns out The Great Ace Attorney, currently a Japan exclusive, is the beginning of a new spin-off series.
As series creator Shu Takumi points out, it is not just an Ace Attorney game in a new setting. It will have a different image and feel that will feel drastically different from all the previous games made up until now.
As we have already confirmed, the game is set in Meiji or restoration era Japan, and its protagonist, Ryuuichi Naruhodo, is an ancestor of Phoenix Wright. We also get a better idea of Susato Mikotoba’s character. Producer Shintaro Kojima describes her as a graceful Japanese woman, who always follows the proper way of doing things. This is an allusion to the rigid traditions of the era, and could possibly hint at a different tone for the new series.
Of course, the game is still being made primarily for 3DS, and unfortunately we still have no clear idea if it will make it to the West. Ace Attorney fans had to lobby quite a bit to get the last games localized, and given the franchise’s recent sales performance in the region, and Capcom’s financial situation, it’s still not quite clear if this one will make it. Let’s hope it does well enough in Japan. We’ll share more details on The Great Ace Attorney as they are revealed.