The Holmesian apocrypha is a rare trove, whose ores are and will be forever renewed. As such, it is difficult for a work to stand out from it – even if it is by playing the literal adaptation card or by offering something new. Dai Gyakuten Saiban has the excellent merit of meeting this challenge. Immersed in the spirit of Phoenix Wright's ancestor, the player is taken on an adventure across the globe, as our dear lawyer will plead in Japan as well as in London. The cases are very well done overall, with a special mention for the third one which is a wonderful rewrite of The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton. The title knows how to make full use of its universe, transcribing the iconic aspects of the series in a Victorian context. Sherlock Holmes is a delight, even if his writing may put off the most obtuse: a whimsical character, but with an acute intelligence, he tends to jump to the most far-fetched conclusions. A whole discourse and reflection on the writing of a mystery and a story ensues, a metatextual discourse on which particular emphasis is placed in the fifth case. The game, such is clearly Shu Takumi's will, is to lay the first stones to an adventure that extends over ten cases. The public is largely divided on the final investigation of this opus, as it brings more questions than answers: this is understandable. Nevertheless, I believe that such a way of working allows for more precise development of the various characters: patience is rewarded with a high-flying cast. All of this suggests that it is difficult to fully enjoy the game without being a connoisseur of the canon; nevertheless, the deadpan and always well-paced humour of this opus guarantees that everyone will find something to enjoy. There are a few complaints, however. If the artistic and technical direction is sublime – what a work on the spatial environment! –, some sequences can be a little long or artificial. The Joint Deduction can be slightly too long, when you have to listen to Sherlock Holmes' elucidations twice, and the Conclusive Statement is sometimes a little too artificial, when it is used three times in the same trial. On the other hand, the investigation phases are very well calibrated, with the choice to reduce them to their minimum, i.e. a single sequence at the opening of each chapter. It only remains to salute the great work of the Scarlet Study, which delivered a high quality fan-translation, surely one of the best unofficial localisation that exists for this media. Their efforts were not in vain and were very well directed: one can only be happy to have such a fine translation for such a good game.

This game is like actually true kino. I feel like I said that about Investigations 2 already but I'm saying it again for this one.

I thought Dual Destinies looked nice visually, but DGS really blows it out of the water. This definitely feels like a much more high budget game in comparison with how much effort they put into the presentation. The models look great, and the animations are a step above AA5. They're much more fluid in comparison, whereas AA5 was trying to go for a more limited kind of animation that was in the older games. The artstyle is also great, and I appreciate the whole Victorian-style aesthetic they were going for with the designs and background art. Of course the soundtrack is really good as well as it usually is in these games, but the orchestral style really does a lot to distinguish this from the main series, as well as compliment the game's setting.

In terms of story I actually don't have that much to talk about. I enjoyed all of the cases pretty much, and the main cast is really charming. Van Zieks is probably one of the most intimidating prosecutors in the series. It really feels like you're fucked when you start your first trial in London against him. Sadly he feels a little underdeveloped compared to Edgeworth or some of the other ones, but his deal will probably get expanded on in the sequel.

Only reason this gets a 4.5 is because most of the story just feels like setup, but I wasn't bored or pissed off by it at all. Guessing there will be more pay off in Dai Gyakuten Saiban 2, whenever that gets translated 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Also they removed the log button which they finally added in AA5, what the fuck Capcom?

Consistently good and lovingly crafted, but not quite the grand slam that it could've been. GAA1 opens with a strong first case, and then makes an interesting swerve by effectively moving into a second tutorial case. This second tutorial case is by far my least favorite of the set, and only in small part due to the new non-court gameplay elements that it introduces. "Great Deductions" in GAA1 are flashy, and help to supplement the less "gamey" investigation portions, but the process by which they play out and the ease with which they are resolved can make them a bit tedious.

The third case is great. No notes.

The fourth case is fine... but a bit... lame?

The finale isn't quite as much of a thrill ride as most AA final acts, but it's definitely enough to satisfy.

Having taken a small peek ahead to satisfy my curiosity, I'm relieved that GAA2 reinstates a more typical flow between investigations and the courtroom... not that GAA1's slight departure in structure does it much harm. I'm just a big fan of cycling between the two, rather than chunking them all together.

All in all, a lovely time. Just... we're talking about an A-tier, not an S-tier.