 = Ace Attorney = 
 
 Ace Attorney , known in Japan as Gyakuten Saiban ( Japanese : 逆転裁判 , " Turnabout Trial " ) , is a series of visual novel adventure video games developed by Capcom . The first entry in the series , Phoenix Wright : Ace Attorney , was released in 2001 ; since then , nine further games have been released . Additionally , the series has seen adaptations in the form of a live action film and an anime , and has been the base for manga series , drama CDs , musicals and stage plays . 
 The player takes the roles of the defense attorneys Phoenix Wright , Mia Fey , Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes , and investigates cases and defends their clients in court ; they find the truth by cross @-@ examining witnesses and finding inconsistencies between the testimonies and the evidence they have collected . The cases all last a maximum of three days , with the judge determining the outcome based on evidence presented by the defense attorney and the prosecutor . In the spin @-@ off series Ace Attorney Investigations , the player takes the role of prosecutor Miles Edgeworth , and in the spin @-@ off Dai Gyakuten Saiban , they play as Phoenix 's ancestor Ryūnosuke Naruhodō . 
 The series was created by the writer and director Shu Takumi , who wanted the series to end after the third game . The series still continued , with Takeshi Yamazaki taking over as writer and director starting with Ace Attorney Investigations : Miles Edgeworth ( 2009 ) ; Takumi has since returned to write and direct some spin @-@ off titles . While the original Japanese versions of the games are set in Japan , the series ' localizations are set in the United States , though retaining Japanese cultural influence . The series has been well received , with reviewers liking the characters and story , and the finding of contradictions ; it has also performed well commercially , with Capcom regarding it as one of their strongest intellectual properties . 
 
 = = Titles = = 
 
 The Ace Attorney series launched in Japan with the Game Boy Advance game Phoenix Wright : Ace Attorney in 2001 , and has been published in the West since the release of a Nintendo DS port in 2005 . The series currently consists of six main series games and four spin @-@ offs . Additionally , two titles that collect the first three main series games have been released : Ace Attorney : Phoenix Wright Trilogy HD , which was released for iOS in 2012 in Japan and in 2013 in the West , and Phoenix Wright : Ace Attorney Trilogy , which was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2014 . 
 
 = = = Main series = = = 
 
 Phoenix Wright : Ace Attorney is the first entry in the series . It was originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2001 in Japan ; it has also been released for the Nintendo DS in 2005 , Microsoft Windows in 2008 , and the Wii and iOS in 2009 . 
 Phoenix Wright : Ace Attorney − Justice for All is the second entry in the series . It was originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2002 in Japan ; it has also been released for the Nintendo DS in 2006 , Microsoft Windows in 2008 , and the Wii in 2010 . 
 Phoenix Wright : Ace Attorney − Trials and Tribulations is the third entry in the series . It was originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2004 in Japan ; it has also been released for Microsoft Windows in 2006 , the Nintendo DS in 2007 , and the Wii in 2010 . 
 Apollo Justice : Ace Attorney is the fourth entry in the series . It was released for the Nintendo DS in 2007 in Japan and in 2008 in the West . 
 Phoenix Wright : Ace Attorney − Dual Destinies is the fifth entry in the main series . It was originally released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013 in Japan , North America and Europe ; outside of Japan , it was given a digital @-@ only release . An iOS version was released in 2014 in Japan and the West . 
 Phoenix Wright : Ace Attorney − Spirit of Justice is the sixth entry in the main series . It was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2016 in Japan , and is planned to be released later in the year in North America and Europe ; outside of Japan , it will be a digital @-@ only release . 
 
 = = = Spin @-@ offs = = = 
 
 Ace Attorney Investigations : Miles Edgeworth is the first entry in the Investigations spin @-@ off series . It was released for the Nintendo DS in 2009 in Japan and in 2010 in the West . 
 Ace Attorney Investigations 2 is the second entry in the Investigations series . It was released for the Nintendo DS in 2011 in Japan , but has not been released in the West . 
 Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright : Ace Attorney is a crossover between Ace Attorney and the Professor Layton series . It was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2012 in Japan and in 2014 in the West . 
 Dai Gyakuten Saiban : Naruhodō Ryūnosuke no Bōken is the first entry in a planned spin @-@ off series . It was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2015 in Japan , but is not intended to be released in the West . 
 
 = = Common elements = = 
 
 
 = = = Gameplay = = = 
 
 The Ace Attorney games are visual novel adventure games in which the player controls defense attorneys and defends their clients in several different episodes . The gameplay is split into two types of sections : investigations and courtroom trials . During the investigations , the player searches the environments , gathering information and evidence , and talks to characters such as their client , witnesses , and the police . Once enough evidence has been collected , the game moves on to a courtroom trial section . 
 In the courtroom trials , the player aims to get their client declared " not guilty " . To do so , they cross @-@ examine witnesses , and aim to find lies and inconsistencies in the testimonies . They are able to go back and forth between the different statements in the testimony , and can press the witness for more details on a statement . When the player finds an inconsistency , they can present a piece of evidence that contradicts the statement . The player is penalized if they present incorrect evidence : in the first game , a number of exclamation marks is shown , with one disappearing after each mistake the player makes ; in later games , a health bar that represents the judge 's patience is used instead . If all exclamation marks are lost , or the health bar reaches zero , the player loses the game and their client is declared guilty . 
 Several Ace Attorney games introduce new gameplay mechanics to the series . Justice for All introduces " psyche @-@ locks " , which are shown over a witness when the player asks them about a topic they do not want to discuss ; using a magatama , the player can start breaking the psyche @-@ locks by showing the witness evidence or character profiles that proves they are hiding something . The number of psyche @-@ locks depends on how deep the secret is ; when all locks are broken , the topic becomes available , giving the player access to new information . Apollo Justice introduces the " perceive " system , where the player looks for motions or actions made by witnesses that show nervousness , similar to a tell in poker . 
 Dual Destinies introduces the " mood matrix " , through which the player can gauge the emotions of a witness , such as tones of anger when mentioning certain topics ; if the player notices a contradictory emotional response during testimony , they can point out the discrepancy and press the witness for more information . Dual Destinies also introduces " revisualization " , where the player reviews vital facts and forms links between evidence to reach new conclusions . Spirit of Justice introduces " divination séances " , in which the player is shown the memories of victims moments before their deaths , and must find contradictions in the victim 's five senses to determine what has happened . Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright : Ace Attorney introduces simultaneous cross @-@ examinations of multiple witnesses , with the player being able to see and hear reactions from the different witnesses to the testimony and using this to find contradictions . Dai Gyakuten Saiban introduces " joint reasoning " , where the player finds out the truth by pointing out when their investigative partner Sherlock Holmes takes his reasoning " further than the truth " . 
 The Ace Attorney Investigations spin @-@ off series splits the gameplay into investigation phases and rebuttal phases , the latter of which is similar to the courtroom trials of the main series . During the investigation phases , the player searches for evidence and talks to witnesses and suspects . Things the player character notices in the environment are saved as thoughts ; the player can use the " logic " system to connect two such thoughts to gain access to new information . At some points , the player can create hologram reproductions of the crime scene , through which they can discover new information that would otherwise be hidden . Ace Attorney Investigations 2 introduces " logic chess " , where the player interrogates witnesses in a timed sequence that is visualized as a game of chess , with the player aiming to destroy the other character 's chess pieces . To do this , they need to build up their advantage in the discussion by alternating between speaking and listening , and then choose to go on the offensive . 
 
 = = = Characters and setting = = = 
 
 The protagonist of the first three games is the defense attorney Phoenix Wright , who is assisted by the spirit medium Maya Fey ; in the third game , Phoenix 's mentor Mia Fey is also a playable character . In the fourth game , the protagonist is the defense attorney Apollo Justice ; in the fifth , Phoenix , Apollo and the new defense attorney Athena Cykes are all protagonists ; and in the sixth , Phoenix and Apollo are the protagonists . The spin @-@ off Dai Gyakuten Saiban is set in England near the end of the 19th century , and follows Phoenix 's ancestor Ryūnosuke Naruhodō . 
 Phoenix 's childhood friend Miles Edgeworth , who is the protagonist of the Ace Attorney Investigations games , is a recurring rival prosecutor character ; in addition to him , each new game in the series introduces a new rival : Franziska von Karma is introduced in the second game , Godot in the third , Klavier Gavin in the fourth , Simon Blackquill in the fifth , and Nahyuta Sahdmadhi in the sixth . The prosecutor characters are portrayed as powerful and arrogant characters of high social status , who favor convictions over finding the truth , and who care about keeping perfect @-@ win records in court . Similarly to real Japanese prosecutors , the prosecutors in the series often directly oversee investigations , issuing orders to the police . Japanese attitudes towards the police force are reflected in the series , with the police being represented by incompetent characters such as Dick Gumshoe , Maggey Byrde and Mike Meekins . In the world of Ace Attorney , trials only last three days , and usually end with a " guilty " verdict . The outcomes of cases are decided by a judge , based on evidence provided by the defense attorney and the prosecutor . 
 
 = = Development = = 
 
 The series was created by Shu Takumi , who wrote and directed the first three games . The first game was conceived in 2000 when Takumi 's boss at the time , Shinji Mikami , gave him six months to create any type of game he wanted to ; Takumi had originally joined Capcom wanting to make mystery and adventure games , and felt that this was a big chance for him to make a mark as a creator . The game was designed to be simple , as Takumi wanted it to be easy enough for even his mother to play . It was originally going to be a detective game , with Phoenix being a private investigator , but at one point Takumi realized that finding and taking apart contradictions was not related to detective work , and felt that the main setting of the game should be courtrooms . 
 Takumi felt that the best way to write a mystery with a good climax is to reveal various clues , and then pull them together into one conclusion , and not have multiple possible endings . He said that the biggest challenge with that was to make the gameplay and story work together ; the goal was to make the player feel like they have driven the story forward themselves , with their own choices , even though the game is linear . He only spent little time on writing a backstory for Phoenix before writing the first game 's story , and instead made up dialogue and developed Phoenix 's personality as he went along . He came up with the partner character Maya because he thought it would be more fun for players to have another character with them , giving them advice , than investigating on their own . 
 After the first game 's development was finished , Mikami told Takumi that they should make an Ace Attorney trilogy , with a grand finale in the third game 's last case . Takumi had originally planned to let Edgeworth be the prosecutor in all episodes in the second game , but during the production the development team learned that the character had become popular . This led to Takumi feeling that he had to use the character more carefully and sparingly ; he created the new prosecutor character Franziska von Karma , to save Edgeworth for the game 's last case , and avoid a situation where he – a supposed prodigy – loses every case . As Takumi wanted the three first Ace Attorney games to be parts of a larger work , he avoided making a lot of changes between games : art from the first game for main characters such as Phoenix , Maya and Edgeworth was reused , to avoid having the previous games look outdated in comparison to newer games in the series ; and no new gameplay mechanics were added for Trials and Tribulations , as Takumi was happy with the gameplay after having added the psyche @-@ lock mechanic for Justice for All . 
 For the fourth game , Takumi wrote the scenario and took on a supervisory role . He had wanted the series to end with the third game , as he felt Phoenix had been fully explored and that his story had been told ; he said that it is important to know when to end a story , that he did not want the series to become a shadow of its former self , and that he did not see any reason to continue it . Despite this , the spin @-@ off series Ace Attorney Investigations was created , being directed by Takeshi Yamazaki and produced by Motohide Eshiro ; Takumi returned to the series to write the crossover Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright : Ace Attorney . He also directed and wrote Dai Gyakuten Saiban , which was described as being the first entry in a new Ace Attorney series . He said that he has mixed feelings about the series being developed by other Capcom staff , comparing it to a parent sending their child to their first day in school . Yamazaki and Eshiro went on to direct and produce the main series entries Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice . Due to exhaustion after working on Dual Destinies , Yamazaki split direction responsibilities with Takuro Fuse for Spirit of Justice , with Yamazaki working on the scenario , and Fuse on the art and gameplay . 
 
 = = Localization = = 
 
 The localization of the first game was outsourced to Bowne Global , and was handled by the writer Alexander O. Smith and the editor Steve Anderson . While the Japanese version takes place in Japan , the localized version is set in the United States : because one of the episodes involves time zones , they had to specify where the game takes place , and chose the United States without thinking a lot about it . The Japanese justice system of the original still remained intact in the localization , as changing it would have altered the entire game structure . 
 The change in the series ' setting became an issue in later games , where the Japanese setting was more apparent . Starting with the second game , the series localization direction has been handled by Janet Hsu ; One of the first decisions she had to make was how to localize Maya 's hometown and the mysticism of the Fey clan . She came up with the idea that the localized versions of the Ace Attorney games take place in Los Angeles in an alternative universe where anti @-@ Japanese laws like the California Alien Land Law of 1913 were not passed , anti @-@ Japanese sentiments were not powerful , and where Japanese culture flourished . This dictated what should be localized and what should be kept Japanese ; things relating to the Fey clan and the Kurain channeling technique were kept Japanese , as that was Maya 's heritage , while Japanese foods that were not widely known in the West were changed . 
 Character names were also localized to use double meanings similarly to the Japanese names ; the name puns were based on the characters ' personalities or backgrounds , or were visual gags . Several English names were based on their Japanese counterparts , but for some characters the names had to be altered heavily compared to the Japanese versions . Smith and Anderson had a lot of freedom when localizing the names of minor characters in the first game , but discussed the names of the main cast with Capcom . Phoenix 's English surname , " Wright " , was chosen as his Japanese name , " Naruhodō " – meaning " I see " or " I understand " – was frequently used as a joke in the script . 
 Dual Destinies was given a digital @-@ only release in the West . This was partially because of the game 's tight development schedule : by releasing it digitally , Capcom was able to release the English version close to the Japanese release date . Two of the games have not been localized : Ace Attorney Investigations 2 and Dai Gyakuten Saiban , although the former has received a full fan translation . 
 
 = = Reception = = 
 
 The Ace Attorney series has been well received by critics , and has performed well commercially : in December 2009 , it was Capcom 's 9th best selling series of all time , and in October 2010 , they called it one of their " strongest intellectual properties " , with more than 3 @.@ 9 million units sold worldwide . By December 2013 , the series had sold over 5 million units . In the United States , the first game became surprisingly successful , forcing Capcom to prepare at least three additional runs to meet the demand . 
 Reviewers have liked finding contradictions ; a common complaint , however , is the games ' linearity , as well as how the player sometimes has to resort to a trial @-@ and @-@ error method due to the games only accepting specific pieces of evidence , and how testimony statements sometimes need to be pressed in a specific order . Some reviewers have criticized the lack of changes to the gameplay and presentation throughout the series , while some have said that fans of the series would not have a problem with this . 
 Geoff Thew at Hardcore Gamer said that the " craziness " of the game world makes the cases entertaining , but also that it " resonates on a deeper level " due to its connection to the real Japanese legal system , making the setting still feel relevant in 2014 . Bob Mackey at USgamer said that the Ace Attorney games were among the best written games of all time , and that the series ' strength is how each game builds up to a " stunning and satisfying finale " . Thomas Whitehead at Nintendo Life also liked the writing , praising its balance between " light @-@ hearted nonsense " and darker , more serious scenarios . Several reviewers have appreciated the series ' characters ; Thew said that Phoenix and Maya 's banter is among the best in video games , and that Edgeworth 's character arc is one of the most compelling parts of the stories . 
 Several reviewers have praised the series ' music . Thew said that the greatest aspect of the series is its audio design , with the first three games using the Game Boy Advance sound chip better than any other game for that platform ; he called the music phenomenal , with the exception of that in Justice for All , but said the sound effects are what " steals the show " . Mackey commented that the games ' small amounts of animations for each character are used well for their characterization . 
 
 = = Related media and other appearances = = 
 
 The Takarazuka Revue , an all @-@ female theater troupe , has adapted the series into stage musicals : 2009 's Ace Attorney : Truth Resurrected , which is based on the last episode of the first game ; 2010 's Ace Attorney 2 : Truth Resurrected Again , whose first act is an original story , while its second act is based on the final episode of the second game ; and 2013 's Ace Attorney 3 : Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth , which is set before the events of Truth Resurrected Again . A stage play based on the series , titled Gyakuten no Spotlight , ran in 2013 , and was written by Eisaku Saito . A 2012 live @-@ action film adaptation of the first game , titled Ace Attorney , was produced at the film studio Toei and directed by Takashi Miike . A 2016 TV anime adaptation of the series , Ace Attorney , is being produced at A @-@ 1 Pictures and is directed by Ayumu Watanabe . Kodansha has published several manga based on the series : a short story anthology was published in Bessatsu Young Magazine in 2006 ; Phoenix Wright : Ace Attorney and Ace Attorney Investigations : Miles Edgeworth were serialized in Weekly Young Magazine in 2007 and 2009 , respectively ; and another manga , which is based on the anime , will be published in V Jump in 2016 . A novel based on the series , Gyakuten Saiban : Turnabout Idol , is planned to be released in 2016 . Ace Attorney drama CDs and albums with Ace Attorney music have also been released . 
 Ace Attorney characters have made cross @-@ over appearances in other video games . Some Ace Attorney characters appear in SNK vs. Capcom : Card Fighters DS . Phoenix and Edgeworth make a cameo appearance in She @-@ Hulk 's ending in the fighting game Marvel vs. Capcom 3 : Fate of Two Worlds ; in the game 's update , Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 , Phoenix appears as a playable character . Phoenix and Maya are playable characters in Project X Zone 2 , while Edgeworth makes a non @-@ playable appearance . Music from the Ace Attorney series is featured in Taiko Drum Master : Doko Don ! Mystery Adventure , with Phoenix making an appearance in the game 's story . 
 
 