For followers of the Ace Attorney franchise, Dai Gyakuten Saiban appeared to be an unattainable mirage. Released in 2015 and never localised, the title was a distant beacon that players were desperately trying to experience. The situation had already happened in the past with Gyakuten Kenji 2 (2011). The game was a follow-up to the first spin-off which already featured Miles Edgeworth. In that case, the combination of the disappointing sales of the first opus and the impossibility of splitting the localisation team on both Gyakuten Kenji 2 and the upcoming Dual Destinies (2013) prevented the game from being released outside Japan. The Ace Attorney community being tenacious, they set about an unofficial translation, the quality of which must be underlined for amateur work. Thus, it was the Scarlet Study team that took on the unofficial translation of Dai Gyakuten Saiban, shortly after a playthrough with English subtitles was released online.
A titanic task if ever there was one. This fan localisation also shines through in its tendency towards professionalism and was well on its way to completing the entirety of the two games released, before leaks took the public by surprise, announcing the official localisation in a single collection, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. The following months would confirm these rumours and the localisation was carried out by Janet Hsu, whose challenge here is particular. Unlike the main series, for which the localisation embraced an Americanisation of all Japanese place names and cultural markers, The Great Ace Attorney only makes sense by respecting the spirit and letter of the terms used.
Indeed, the title places us in the shoes of Ryunosuke Naruhodo, ancestor of Phoenix Wright, and young Japanese student. His adventures will lead him to become a defence lawyer and to cross the globe to settle in the Victorian United Kingdom, with Herlock Sholmes. He is accompanied by Susato Mikotoba, a legal assistant caught in the conservative fire of legal institutions. This historical context is the cornerstone of the title's social and political discourse, as well as the narrative economy, so that it is impossible to transpose Meiji era Japan to a fantasy creation that copies the United States. This historical stability thus brings an element of complexity, since it is a question of translating dialogues, but also a continuum of reactions – drawn from reality – that underlie behaviours at the turn of the 20th century.
It would be difficult for me to set out here all the issues related to translation, as they are so rich and plural. Nevertheless, I would like to insist briefly on the ability to transcribe strangeness in the official localisation, something that is lacking in the fan localisation. Indeed, for a Western audience – especially if they are familiar with the mysteries of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction – the Victorian spirit should not be too disorienting. For our protagonists, the situation is quite different, and conveying this impression of surprise and novelty is a difficult operation, when all the text is in English. Susato and Ryunosuke use idioms and comparisons with Japanese elements to express their perplexity and it is the translation of such elements that is the great challenge of the localisation. For more on this, I can only recommend the extremely interesting blog posts by Janet Hsu.
But what about the game itself? I'm not ashamed to say that the title has quickly become one of my favourite games, crowning an exceptional franchise in my opinion. The Ace Attorney formula is generally well known: a succession of four or five cases, in which our protagonist alternates between investigation and trial sequences. In the former, the gameplay is close to traditional point&clicks, in a tradition that may remind us of The Portopia Serial Murder Case (1983) and all the games that follow. The trial phases are visual novels with cross-examination sequences where the aim is essentially to dismantle the testimonies by pointing out the contradictions they have with the case file. If the formula has always worked well, it must be said that certain recurrent criticisms point to the length of the investigation phases and a certain artificiality in the rhythm of the cases. I agree with them overall and was very surprised to see that The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles sweeps away these problems with exceptional ease.
For the first five cases, the pace is impeccably supported by a single investigative sequence, followed by the trial court portion. Even when the traditional formula returns for the last four cases, the pace is judiciously thought out, thanks to an elegant tangle of narrative threads. Indeed, in the vein of Gyakuten Kenji, The Great Ace Attorney has several overarching mysteries, within which are nestled smaller mysteries, solved with each case. This matriochka structure keeps the dramatic tension high and highlights the corruption that permeates the British Empire and its Japanese counterpart.
The Great Ace Attorney is a far cry from Apollo Justice and does not omit the political aspect in its criticism of the judicial system. This was very bland in the main series with a dark age of the law that had no formal consequences, so it was more of a background that awkwardly justified Phoenix Wright's suspension. Here, the corruption is felt in the gameplay from the third case onwards, and it persists throughout the rest of the game, through subtly revolting elements that challenge Ryunosuke and Susato's certainties.
In general, all the elements, beyond their comic and narrative strengths, aim to highlight structural problems in British and Japanese society, indirectly shedding light on very contemporary concerns. The plunge into Victorian London for Japanese students is highlighted by the main cast, but also the figure of Natsume Souseki, whose restlessness helps to convey the difficulty of adapting to a decidedly foreign society. The insistence on taxes points to the horror of the British social classes, in contrast to the aristocratic image that some characters give off – van Zieks, but more generally the entire judicial institution. Whether in the third, fifth, seventh or eighth case, The Great Ace Attorney is careful to highlight the problem of science at a time when a methodical revolution is taking place. The birth of forensic science and forensics allows the title to discuss what science is and what it can do.
For the game takes up the character of Sherlock Holmes – here localised as Herlock Sholmes, as Maurice Leblanc did in his time – but all the themes that are addressed in the Doylian stories. Shu Takumi shows a remarkable love for the Holmesian canon, reinterpreting and blending iconic investigations into his own universe, as well as classic detective fiction, as references abound and there are more or less sustained tributes to Ellery Queen and John Dickson Carr, Edogawa Rampo and Gilbert Keith Chesterton. I would have loved to go into more detail about these references, but that would require a full explanation of the cases, and I prefer to leave the pleasure of discovery to the reader. In any case, lovers of classic detective stories can only be seduced by Shu Takumi's approach, which offers an exceptional recital on well-known themes and tropes.
Finally, a word on the technical achievement. If Ace Attorney has always been known for its exceptional sprite work and impeccable staging – thanks to a remarkable sound effects job – The Great Ace Attorney raises the discipline to the best of the franchise. The animations are exceptionally beautiful and the sense of timing is always perfect. While the first five cases use some animated scenes in its cinematics, the last five are content to use the game's engine, but there is no room for reproach, as the composition is so well mastered.
In this respect, the musical work is undoubtedly the best in the series, with a subtle play in the instrumentation, which marries Western orchestras with Japanese influences and instruments – in a way that also recalls the work of Yu-Peng Chen on Genshin Impact. On a personal note, The Great Ace Attorney has my favourite soundtrack of the entire franchise, for the enveloping nature of the tracks and its solemnity, which I particularly enjoy. The dubbing is not to be outdone, as it suits the characters perfectly; in particular, the fact that the actors for the Japanese students are British dubbers of Japanese descent – thus Mark Ota, Rina Takasaki and Ben Deery – contributes to the overall atmosphere.
I could go on and on about the characters being some of the funniest in the franchise and the sincerity that emanates from the game, but what can I say except that they contribute to one of my most cherished video game experiences? I've always had a foreign fascination with the late 19th century and pre-war era. To see characters evolve in this setting, in their fortunes and misfortunes, has been a source of exceptional joy.
No doubt the fact that I shared this experience with my parents – in that respect, how perfect is the Ace Attorney franchise for introducing newcomers to video games! – makes it special. But few games, in any case, are able to take me from tears to laughter in a matter of moments. It's a title that makes no concessions on its themes, on its political discourse, and that remains exceptionally sweet, with a high level of humanity. John Watson, in the Holmesian canon, observed of Mary Marson: "A wondrous subtle thing is love, for here were we two, who had never seen each other before that day, between whom no word or even look of affection had ever passed, and yet now in an hour of trouble our hands instinctively sought for each other... So we stood hand in hand like two children, and there was peace in our hearts for all the dark things that surrounded us." The atmosphere in this quote is the feeling that The Great Ace Attorney evokes in my heart, when I think of it again. A masterwork, without any doubt.
A titanic task if ever there was one. This fan localisation also shines through in its tendency towards professionalism and was well on its way to completing the entirety of the two games released, before leaks took the public by surprise, announcing the official localisation in a single collection, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. The following months would confirm these rumours and the localisation was carried out by Janet Hsu, whose challenge here is particular. Unlike the main series, for which the localisation embraced an Americanisation of all Japanese place names and cultural markers, The Great Ace Attorney only makes sense by respecting the spirit and letter of the terms used.
Indeed, the title places us in the shoes of Ryunosuke Naruhodo, ancestor of Phoenix Wright, and young Japanese student. His adventures will lead him to become a defence lawyer and to cross the globe to settle in the Victorian United Kingdom, with Herlock Sholmes. He is accompanied by Susato Mikotoba, a legal assistant caught in the conservative fire of legal institutions. This historical context is the cornerstone of the title's social and political discourse, as well as the narrative economy, so that it is impossible to transpose Meiji era Japan to a fantasy creation that copies the United States. This historical stability thus brings an element of complexity, since it is a question of translating dialogues, but also a continuum of reactions – drawn from reality – that underlie behaviours at the turn of the 20th century.
It would be difficult for me to set out here all the issues related to translation, as they are so rich and plural. Nevertheless, I would like to insist briefly on the ability to transcribe strangeness in the official localisation, something that is lacking in the fan localisation. Indeed, for a Western audience – especially if they are familiar with the mysteries of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction – the Victorian spirit should not be too disorienting. For our protagonists, the situation is quite different, and conveying this impression of surprise and novelty is a difficult operation, when all the text is in English. Susato and Ryunosuke use idioms and comparisons with Japanese elements to express their perplexity and it is the translation of such elements that is the great challenge of the localisation. For more on this, I can only recommend the extremely interesting blog posts by Janet Hsu.
But what about the game itself? I'm not ashamed to say that the title has quickly become one of my favourite games, crowning an exceptional franchise in my opinion. The Ace Attorney formula is generally well known: a succession of four or five cases, in which our protagonist alternates between investigation and trial sequences. In the former, the gameplay is close to traditional point&clicks, in a tradition that may remind us of The Portopia Serial Murder Case (1983) and all the games that follow. The trial phases are visual novels with cross-examination sequences where the aim is essentially to dismantle the testimonies by pointing out the contradictions they have with the case file. If the formula has always worked well, it must be said that certain recurrent criticisms point to the length of the investigation phases and a certain artificiality in the rhythm of the cases. I agree with them overall and was very surprised to see that The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles sweeps away these problems with exceptional ease.
For the first five cases, the pace is impeccably supported by a single investigative sequence, followed by the trial court portion. Even when the traditional formula returns for the last four cases, the pace is judiciously thought out, thanks to an elegant tangle of narrative threads. Indeed, in the vein of Gyakuten Kenji, The Great Ace Attorney has several overarching mysteries, within which are nestled smaller mysteries, solved with each case. This matriochka structure keeps the dramatic tension high and highlights the corruption that permeates the British Empire and its Japanese counterpart.
The Great Ace Attorney is a far cry from Apollo Justice and does not omit the political aspect in its criticism of the judicial system. This was very bland in the main series with a dark age of the law that had no formal consequences, so it was more of a background that awkwardly justified Phoenix Wright's suspension. Here, the corruption is felt in the gameplay from the third case onwards, and it persists throughout the rest of the game, through subtly revolting elements that challenge Ryunosuke and Susato's certainties.
In general, all the elements, beyond their comic and narrative strengths, aim to highlight structural problems in British and Japanese society, indirectly shedding light on very contemporary concerns. The plunge into Victorian London for Japanese students is highlighted by the main cast, but also the figure of Natsume Souseki, whose restlessness helps to convey the difficulty of adapting to a decidedly foreign society. The insistence on taxes points to the horror of the British social classes, in contrast to the aristocratic image that some characters give off – van Zieks, but more generally the entire judicial institution. Whether in the third, fifth, seventh or eighth case, The Great Ace Attorney is careful to highlight the problem of science at a time when a methodical revolution is taking place. The birth of forensic science and forensics allows the title to discuss what science is and what it can do.
For the game takes up the character of Sherlock Holmes – here localised as Herlock Sholmes, as Maurice Leblanc did in his time – but all the themes that are addressed in the Doylian stories. Shu Takumi shows a remarkable love for the Holmesian canon, reinterpreting and blending iconic investigations into his own universe, as well as classic detective fiction, as references abound and there are more or less sustained tributes to Ellery Queen and John Dickson Carr, Edogawa Rampo and Gilbert Keith Chesterton. I would have loved to go into more detail about these references, but that would require a full explanation of the cases, and I prefer to leave the pleasure of discovery to the reader. In any case, lovers of classic detective stories can only be seduced by Shu Takumi's approach, which offers an exceptional recital on well-known themes and tropes.
Finally, a word on the technical achievement. If Ace Attorney has always been known for its exceptional sprite work and impeccable staging – thanks to a remarkable sound effects job – The Great Ace Attorney raises the discipline to the best of the franchise. The animations are exceptionally beautiful and the sense of timing is always perfect. While the first five cases use some animated scenes in its cinematics, the last five are content to use the game's engine, but there is no room for reproach, as the composition is so well mastered.
In this respect, the musical work is undoubtedly the best in the series, with a subtle play in the instrumentation, which marries Western orchestras with Japanese influences and instruments – in a way that also recalls the work of Yu-Peng Chen on Genshin Impact. On a personal note, The Great Ace Attorney has my favourite soundtrack of the entire franchise, for the enveloping nature of the tracks and its solemnity, which I particularly enjoy. The dubbing is not to be outdone, as it suits the characters perfectly; in particular, the fact that the actors for the Japanese students are British dubbers of Japanese descent – thus Mark Ota, Rina Takasaki and Ben Deery – contributes to the overall atmosphere.
I could go on and on about the characters being some of the funniest in the franchise and the sincerity that emanates from the game, but what can I say except that they contribute to one of my most cherished video game experiences? I've always had a foreign fascination with the late 19th century and pre-war era. To see characters evolve in this setting, in their fortunes and misfortunes, has been a source of exceptional joy.
No doubt the fact that I shared this experience with my parents – in that respect, how perfect is the Ace Attorney franchise for introducing newcomers to video games! – makes it special. But few games, in any case, are able to take me from tears to laughter in a matter of moments. It's a title that makes no concessions on its themes, on its political discourse, and that remains exceptionally sweet, with a high level of humanity. John Watson, in the Holmesian canon, observed of Mary Marson: "A wondrous subtle thing is love, for here were we two, who had never seen each other before that day, between whom no word or even look of affection had ever passed, and yet now in an hour of trouble our hands instinctively sought for each other... So we stood hand in hand like two children, and there was peace in our hearts for all the dark things that surrounded us." The atmosphere in this quote is the feeling that The Great Ace Attorney evokes in my heart, when I think of it again. A masterwork, without any doubt.
5 Comments
@Trance Hello! Firstly, thank you for your kindness – I'm happy you enjoyed and connected with some of my reviews. A quick note that this particular one was written a long time ago and I'm not very satisfied with it.
For your question, I believe there are two ways to understand this particular ending. It can indeed be felt as a lacking twist and something undermining the criticism of imperialism, especially considering the personal role of Queen Victoria regarding the moral agenda of the Empire. Another way to look at it – and I'm exploring the question in an upcoming article – is to consider Daigyakuten saiban as both a continuation and rebuttal of Doyle's portrayal of Holmes. If you are well-versed with the canon, you might know that Holmes was modelled on Robert Koch, who discovered the bacteria responsible for tuberculosis and a forefather of bacteriology.
Doyle was himself a physician and the metaphor of infection is prevalent in the Sherlock Holmes canon. In particular, the most overtly political stories – take 'His Last Bow' with the German spy, for example – are rooted in the idea that there is a necessity for the scientific to protect the British Empire from hidden threats, both foreign and domestic. Even in 'non-political' cases, Holmes works to protect the reputation of his clients, even though he may find them personally repulsive. The canon is based on the idea that Britain is controlled by its elite and that the moral hierarchy should be maintained to avoid chaos. In other words, at a bigger scale, there are rules to uphold. In hindsight, the worst thing is counterfeiting a reputation, while undermining the foundations of the Empire.
In some way, Daigyakuten saiban discards the major part of the colonial matrix from Sholmes' actions, but there remains the unbreakable will to get rid of what infects the British Empire – here, van Zieks. In return, this also allows Ryūnosuke and especially Mikotoba to cleanse Japan from the morality upheld by Jigoku. The Ace Attorney series has always tried to depict what 'justice' means, by comparing it with times of lawlessness in court (the whole Dark Age of the Law in the second trilogy), but this doesn't mean a radical refutation of the entire system. Both Japan and the United Kingdom are constitutional monarchies – the orientation of Japan was directly taken from the British bicameral system, see the 1881 crisis – and had a history of imperialism. I believe that the point is, as you said, to create a fantasy where the characters can reaffirm values want would be morally acceptable in an imperial system. Hence the focus of the game is on unbiased justice, the place of women and the collaboration between British and Japanese people. The 1902 alliance and the end of the 'splendid isolation' is not a bad thing, but the friendship must be rooted in equality (that didn't happen, because the racial equality clause was rebutted by the British side).
Like Holmes and Sholmes, Victoria is a fictional construction that helps the story develop some of its themes, even though it might contradict historical facts. In 'The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans', we know that Victoria gave an emerald tiepin to Holmes for protecting the submarine plans. It serves as the endorsement of Holmes' political involvement as the hygienist of the Empire. Similarly, I believe that the final twist of Daigyakuten saiban is perhaps more about having the highest authority of the land crediting the vision – that was imagined by a Japanese Shū Takumi and represented by Sholmes, Mikotoba, Ryūnosuke, Susato and Kazuma – good justice and international friendship, even at the cost of indirectly upholding imperialist values.
Is it a good or a bad thing? Well, I think it's a matter of personal judgement, but I still commend Takumi for really understanding what the Sherlock Holmes canon was about – stories about a moral hygienist, with all the good and bad it entails.
For your question, I believe there are two ways to understand this particular ending. It can indeed be felt as a lacking twist and something undermining the criticism of imperialism, especially considering the personal role of Queen Victoria regarding the moral agenda of the Empire. Another way to look at it – and I'm exploring the question in an upcoming article – is to consider Daigyakuten saiban as both a continuation and rebuttal of Doyle's portrayal of Holmes. If you are well-versed with the canon, you might know that Holmes was modelled on Robert Koch, who discovered the bacteria responsible for tuberculosis and a forefather of bacteriology.
Doyle was himself a physician and the metaphor of infection is prevalent in the Sherlock Holmes canon. In particular, the most overtly political stories – take 'His Last Bow' with the German spy, for example – are rooted in the idea that there is a necessity for the scientific to protect the British Empire from hidden threats, both foreign and domestic. Even in 'non-political' cases, Holmes works to protect the reputation of his clients, even though he may find them personally repulsive. The canon is based on the idea that Britain is controlled by its elite and that the moral hierarchy should be maintained to avoid chaos. In other words, at a bigger scale, there are rules to uphold. In hindsight, the worst thing is counterfeiting a reputation, while undermining the foundations of the Empire.
In some way, Daigyakuten saiban discards the major part of the colonial matrix from Sholmes' actions, but there remains the unbreakable will to get rid of what infects the British Empire – here, van Zieks. In return, this also allows Ryūnosuke and especially Mikotoba to cleanse Japan from the morality upheld by Jigoku. The Ace Attorney series has always tried to depict what 'justice' means, by comparing it with times of lawlessness in court (the whole Dark Age of the Law in the second trilogy), but this doesn't mean a radical refutation of the entire system. Both Japan and the United Kingdom are constitutional monarchies – the orientation of Japan was directly taken from the British bicameral system, see the 1881 crisis – and had a history of imperialism. I believe that the point is, as you said, to create a fantasy where the characters can reaffirm values want would be morally acceptable in an imperial system. Hence the focus of the game is on unbiased justice, the place of women and the collaboration between British and Japanese people. The 1902 alliance and the end of the 'splendid isolation' is not a bad thing, but the friendship must be rooted in equality (that didn't happen, because the racial equality clause was rebutted by the British side).
Like Holmes and Sholmes, Victoria is a fictional construction that helps the story develop some of its themes, even though it might contradict historical facts. In 'The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans', we know that Victoria gave an emerald tiepin to Holmes for protecting the submarine plans. It serves as the endorsement of Holmes' political involvement as the hygienist of the Empire. Similarly, I believe that the final twist of Daigyakuten saiban is perhaps more about having the highest authority of the land crediting the vision – that was imagined by a Japanese Shū Takumi and represented by Sholmes, Mikotoba, Ryūnosuke, Susato and Kazuma – good justice and international friendship, even at the cost of indirectly upholding imperialist values.
Is it a good or a bad thing? Well, I think it's a matter of personal judgement, but I still commend Takumi for really understanding what the Sherlock Holmes canon was about – stories about a moral hygienist, with all the good and bad it entails.
Thanks for such an in-depth and considered response! I'll have to read it a couple more times to really chew on it, but this moral hygienist theory / hypothesis is pretty striking. I thought I might be missing the Sherlock Holmes side of the framework as I haven't read any of them, and based on your comment that might just be the case. Where will I be able to read your upcoming article?
@Trance: It will be available on bumpcombat.net (my profile), but I'll make a note to also mention you here when it will be released!
That's very kind of you! I'll keep an eye out and will check out this site in the meantime
Trance
3 months ago
[SPOILERS] did the ending machinations of the Queen sweeping in with a rescue not undercut the games' observations around structural injustice for you? Or could it be seen as a pointed bit of tragedy that something so fantastical was the only way out of the dire corner that the reality of this world shoved Ryunosuke Naruhodo and co. into? By fantastical, I don't mean the hologram contraption, but that Queen Victoria would lend her aid to foreigners challenging a foundational system of her country. Perhaps she's just trying to protect the courts from public humiliation, but that feels overly charitable and not found in the text. It doesn't undo all the work that comes before in my eyes (in review stars, I guess I'd call it a collective 4.5), but it did leave a sour tinge. Perhaps I simply misread the tone of this story. I haven't read as many thoughtful reviews as yours for this game nor do I know anyone who has finished it among my friends, so I thought I'd ask here. Thank you!