We played Ace Attorney this week! Ace Attorney is a visual novel/adventure game that follows the journey of protagonist Phoenix Wright as he learns how to become a great defense attorney. You hear court cases and discover the truth by listening to witness testimonies, examining people at the stand, and finding inconsistencies between their stories and the evidence you find. Upon first play, the game was a delight. The storylines were engaging and exciting enough to keep us entertained without becoming overwhelmed. I think this game could be enjoyed by all age groups; while the court cases might be more thrilling and scary to a younger audience, the game is still perfectly enjoyable as an older player. I think a large part of this is due to the visuals. As mentioned in the paired source from this week, the animation is truly (in my opinion) the star of the show. It never occurred to me before how easy it would be to make a really bad visual novel game; not until I realized how skillfully and masterfully Ace Attorney is done.
The poses of the characters truly provide the most bang for your buck. With only a few simple poses, the characters have strong personalities that almost jump off the screen (the blush is my fav). It is no wonder that so many poses from this game have become so iconic. The animators are able to convey so much with so little! Even from just a few frames, it is easy to gain a strong impression about a character as they are very expressive and provide a shockingly large range of movement. Through the first case, the preliminary villain provides a perfect example of the effectiveness and brilliance of the animation.
From the very first time you see him, you know that Frank is evil. The animators really managed to pinpoint the slimiest and sleaziest pose possible for Frank’s introductory animation in the first scenes in court. From the shimmying of the shoulders to the mouth movements, the introductory animation of Frank conveys a nervousness and a cunning nature that immediately cues the player to know that he is guilty. Compared to most visual novel games, where only the character’s mouth is animated, or their range of motion is very small, Ace Attorney successfully creates dynamic and unique characters that are a joy to interact with. This skillful animation, paired with the effectiveness of the textual narration and the sound effects, overall creates a beautiful picture that is easy to immerse yourself in as a player. The shorter, personable text blocks provide character and deter the player from just skimming through, or even skipping over things. I think with a lot of visual novel games, they fall into a trap of wanting the storylines to be so deep and involved that it becomes too dense, and the player loses interest. Ace Attorney skillfully avoids this, and in turn provides an easily playable engaging experience. I would definitely recommend this game to anyone who likes visual novel games, or anyone who’s had a bad experience with a visual novel game in the past. I think Ace Attorney might change your mind!
It sounds like your experience with Ace Attorney was thoroughly enjoyable! This game indeed stands out in the visual novel genre, especially for the way it combines courtroom drama with puzzle-solving elements to create a compelling narrative that’s accessible to players of all ages.
You’ve highlighted a crucial aspect that sets Ace Attorney apart: the animation and character design. It’s impressive how the game uses a few simple poses to breathe life into its characters, making them memorable and full of personality. The effectiveness of these animations in conveying character traits and emotions is a testament to the skill of the animators. As you mentioned, even a character like Frank is vividly brought to life through his unique animations, which instantly communicate his sleazy and cunning nature to the player.
The game’s ability to maintain a balance between an engaging storyline and clear, concise dialogue is another point well made. It’s an excellent observation that Ace Attorney avoids the pitfalls of some visual novels that can become overly dense and lose the player’s interest. Instead, it manages to keep the text engaging and interactive, which encourages thorough reading and involvement rather than skimming.
Your recommendation of Ace Attorney to both fans of visual novels and those who might have been previously disappointed by the genre suggests it has a unique charm and appeal that could convert skeptics. It’s great to hear that the game has made such a positive impression on you and that you’d consider it a potentially transformative experience for others as well.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this delightful game. It’s always wonderful to hear when a game can offer both fun and a deep, engaging experience, proving that interactive storytelling can be both accessible and deeply captivating.