Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Games in Order of Release

Ace Attorney is a popular visual novel adventure game franchise that places players in control of a defense attorney.

Through various investigations, epic courtroom battles, and vivid artwork, this series has amassed a dedicated fanbase that’s been going strong for two decades.

Ace Attorney Games in Order of Release

For those of you new to the franchise, a great way to get into them is by playing them chronologically since they are plot-driven games.

Therefore, below we list and describe all Ace Attorney Games in order of Release as this is a great way to start playing the games.

1. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (2001)

Supported Platforms: Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, Windows, Wii, iOS, Android

The first in the series, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney introduces players to defense attorney Phoenix Wright. Newly hired at the Fey & Co. law firm, Wright’s first case involves him defending a childhood friend against murder charges.

From there, players go through five episodes in all each with their own court case with the fifth episode being an exclusive originally added for the Nintendo DS. It’s now seen in every subsequent release of the game.

There are investigation and courtroom moments. Players can view evidence, speak to witnesses and clients, and with the police as well.

After you complete the game one time, you can play the episodes in any order you’d like.

2. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice for All (2002)

Supported Platforms: Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, Windows, Wii, iOS, Android

In Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice or All, defense attorney Phoenix Wright returns for another round of cases. There are four episodes this time around with each episode separated into chapters.

Much of the same gameplay remains as players will investigate and hit the courtroom to defend their clients. You can examine different environments, finding evidence, and presenting it to characters to learn more about the case.

A new gameplay element is that players can now present profiles to witnesses. They can show evidence or a profile to certain characters at the location.

Progressing through the game otherwise is the same such as cross-examining witnesses to win the case.

3. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Trials and Tribulations (2004)

Supported Platforms: Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, Windows, Wii, iOS, Android

The third installment in the series, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Trials and Tribulations marks the return of the familiar characters such as Phoenix Wright and Mia Fey, the latter who is a playable protagonist in flashback cases.

Gameplay is unchanged from the previous game, so those of you who have played them before will fall into familiar patterns.

The only unfamiliar here is the order this game goes chronologically. There are five episodes, and they are not in chronological order.

The fourth episode is first in terms of time, while the first episode takes place five years before the rest of the game.

4. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney (2007)

Supported Platforms: Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, iOS, Android

Set seven years after the previous game, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney works as a soft reboot for the franchise. It’s the first that doesn’t have Phoenix Wright as a protagonist or mention the Fey clan at all.

Instead, players follow the new protagonist Apollo Justice who is a rookie attorney working at Gavin Law Offices for Kristoph Gavin.

He does, however, find himself working for Phoenix Wright, who is disbarred and is now gambling.

Besides the change in characters, the investigation and courtroom case gameplay remain.

There are some new mechanics though thanks to the 3D elements such as using an X-ray machine or finding fingerprints. Each episode presents players with a new gameplay mechanic.

5. Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth (2009)

Supported Platforms: Nintendo DS, iOS, Android

Marking a different spin on the franchise, Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth does away with the standard investigation and courtroom trials.

Instead, players now experience more interaction when investigating as they can move the protagonist around to search for evidence, meet suspects, and talk to witnesses.

There are different gameplay modes within this such as “Logic”, “Examine”, and “Deduce”. From there, players will experience “arguments”. These are similar to the cross-examination moments from previous games.

As for the protagonist, players take control of Miles Edgeworth, who is a prosecutor. There are five episodes total, and the game starts a month after the fourth game in the franchise.

6. Ace Attorney Investigations 2 (2011)

Supported Platforms: Nintendo DS, iOS, Android

The sixth entry in the franchise is officially known as Gyakuten Kenji 2, but unofficially referred to by Ace Attorney Investigations 2.

It was only released in Japan, and it follows Miles Edgeworth, Detective Dick Gumshoe, and a teenage thief named Kay Faraday.

The same gameplay returns as well as the investigation and argument modes. However, there is a new mechanic: Logic Chess.

During interrogation with an unwilling character, the screen turns into a chessboard, indicating Miles and the other character are in a mental chess match.

There are five episodes in all, and as per the theme so far, a new case with each episode.

7. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy (2012)

Supported Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, Windows

With the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy, you can enjoy the first three games in the franchise:

  • Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney,
  • Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice for All, and
  • Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Trials and Tribulations.

They are remastered in HD quality suitable for the available platforms they’re on.

Not only are the classic games available with a fresh update, but this also comes with a cool language patch.

You can play the game not just in English and Japanese, but also in Korean, simplified and traditional Chinese, French, and German.

8. Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (2012)

Supported Platforms: Nintendo 3DS

A nice change of pace, Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a fun visual novel adventure puzzle game created by the developers of both games.

It’s a crossover of the two, effectively blending the trial mechanics from Ace Attorney with the exploration and puzzle mechanics from Professor Layton.

The story centers around the characters from both games as they work to solve the Labyrinthia mystery.

There are 12 chapters, and the game divides rather fairly with having Professor Layton and assistants explore the witch trials and Phoenix Wright and assistants undergo investigation styles usually found in the Professor Layton game.

A new feature players of Ace Attorney will notice is that there are fully-voiced cutscenes in anime style.

9. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies (2013)

Supported Platforms: Nintendo 3DS, iOS, Android

The Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies allows players to take control of three characters: Wright, Apollo Justice, and Athena Cykes.

This story takes place a year following Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney as Wright has his attorney’s badge again.

This game features a bit of a darker theme in which lawyers found on both sides of the court have used tactics both illegal and unethical to win.

There are still the same gameplay mechanics, but the characters also have special abilities to use such as Wright’s “psyche-lock” skill

A new mechanic introduced is the “mood matrix”, Athena’s skill, that lets players figure out any conflicting emotions during testimonies.

10. The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures (2015)

Supported Platforms: Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Windows, iOS, Android

The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures serves as the first entry to The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. There are five episodes as well as downloadable content.

In the game, there are the investigations and trials usually found in the franchise.

Sometimes you may even cross-examine multiple witnesses all at the same time. Additionally, this game comes with some immersive 3D character models and backgrounds with improved animations.

There is something new, however. The game features “Dance of Deduction”. This pops up while investigating with Herlock Sholmes in which Sholmes makes snap deductions and theories about a witness. The player has to then point out any contradictions.

11. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice (2016)

Supported Platforms: Nintendo 3DS, iOS, Android

In Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice, players take over the roles of Phoenix Wright, Apollo Justice, and Athena Cykes.

Wright travels to the fictional place known as Kingdom of Khura’in, discovering a conflict in that country’s court system.

From there, you’ll play in both trials with Wright as well as trials back home with his colleagues. This game uses the 3D navigation to go through environments at various angles.

Meanwhile, there’s also a new mechanic introduced known as “Divination Séances”. These will show a victim in the moment they had before their death, and players must study it carefully to find any contradictions to use for their case.

12. The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve (2017)

Supported Platforms: Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, Windows, PS4, iOS, Android

With The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve, players dive into the story four months after the events of The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures.

There are five full-length episodes to play through with this game. Many of the same elements return that were in the previous game. However, this one does mark a return of the fingerprint dusting game mechanic.

An interesting fact about this game is that the episode naming scheme pays homage to the titles of the original Sherlock Holmes short story compilations.

13. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (2021)

Supported Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PS4, Windows

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles serves as a duology collection for both The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures and The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve.

Besides including the games, this collection comes with more gameplay features as well as some additional content. It introduces two modes: Autoplay Mode and Story Mode.

If you go in Autoplay Mode, then the text will advance automatically without you having to press it.

Meanwhile, with Story Mode, the decision-making mechanic and the puzzle-solving mechanic are skipped. It’s designed for players who simply want to enjoy the story.

Image Credits

By https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000B69E96, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13655956

By https://www.amazon.co.uk/Professor-Layton-vs-Phoenix-Wright/dp/B00E4LGLZO/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41764385

By https://www.ace-attorney.com/great1-2/us/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46813804

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