Ace Attorney fans, rejoice: Ace Attorney Investigations 2 is finally receiving an official English-language release after 13 long years. The original Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth title released on the Nintendo DS in 2009 in Japan and in 2010 in North America. Unfortunately, its sequel, Ace Attorney Investigations 2, wasn’t so lucky. The game released in Japan in 2011, but never saw any sort of official localization afterwards. That all changes on September 6, 2024, when the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection brings Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit onto Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam.
The excruciating wait for an official release of Ace Attorney Investigations 2 will be well worth it, as the game collection includes a plethora of new features to enhance the experience. HD sprites and illustrations that were previously exclusive to the Japan-only mobile ports are joined by the classic Nintendo DS sprites, as players can choose between the two as they please. The “Story Mode” feature from previous Ace Attorney collection games also makes a comeback. In Story Mode, the game plays itself, which is nice when replaying the game just to experience the story. It can also be used to get through tricky gameplay sections at the expense of not unlocking any of the related accolades, the collection’s version of achievements.
Also included is an art gallery featuring official illustrations and pre-production art, and a music player where you can listen to the games’ great songs. New to the collection are five arranged tracks that can be listened to in the music player or set to play during the game. One of these tracks is the iconic Pursuit theme from the original Ace Attorney Investigations, which will surely be a treat to hear in-game. Players who pre-order the collection can also download five additional arranged tracks from Ace Attorney Investigations 2.
This is a truly monumental moment in Ace Attorney history. In a few short months, every game in the series will be available to play in English and on current consoles. It’s been a long eight years since the last mainline game in the series, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice, but getting the entire series caught up like this more than makes up for the absence of all-new titles.