The Ace Attorney series has been credited with helping to popularise visual novels in the Western world.[168][169] Vice magazine credits the Ace Attorney series with popularising the visual novel mystery format,[170] and notes that its success anticipated the resurgence of point-and-click adventure games as well as the international success of Japanese visual novels.[171] According to Danganronpa director Kazutaka Kodaka, Ace Attorney's success in North America was due to how it distinguished itself from most visual novels with its gameplay mechanics, which Danganronpa later built upon and helped it also find success in North America.[169]