Ace Attorney Trilogy Producer Kenichi Hashimoto on bringing back Apollo Justice
You don't want to replay the Apollo Justice Trilogy? Objection! Here's series producer Kenichi Hashimoto telling you why you should.
In the world of interactive storytelling and courtroom drama, the Ace Attorney series has always stood as a shining beacon. With iconic characters, gripping narratives, and clever courtroom battles, this beloved franchise has captured the hearts of players around the globe. Now, series veterans and newcomers alike have reason to rejoice, as the Apollo Justice trilogy is set to make a return in a remastered collection. Producer of the Ace Attorney Trilogy Kenichi Hashimoto sat down with us at gamescom asia 2023 to talk more about this.
Kenichi talks about the challenges of remastering a legal legend and what it means to bring the beloved series back to life. He offers a little bit of behind-the-scenes insight regarding the remastering process, the enduring legacy of Ace Attorney, and the exciting future that lies ahead for fans of courtroom drama.
When it comes to fan feedback and suggestions, which particular inputs were most memorable, most interesting, and/or made a major impact to you?
The Ace Attorney staff constantly checks on different feedback from fans. An example of the work we’ve done in the Apollo Justice Trilogy in particular is with regards to how fans of Spirit of Justice have noticed a very minor detail about how timespan works. This was quite interesting for the team given how small and insignificant things can majorly impact how players experience the game. That’s where we get the most excited is when the most dedicated fans inform possible gameplay tweaks and refinements that can help improve series development moving forward.
Do you have any messages to both long-term and new fans of the Ace Attorney franchise?
I invite newcomers to come and experience the Apollo Justice Trilogy given that this time, we made it with a higher resolution and brand new voiceovers. Obviously, we would like for them to experience these classic titles with upgraded visuals on the newer platforms. As for the long-time fans of the franchise, we would like them to compare how the game itself has improved from the original, for example, what things changed from the older games on Nintendo DS and how they’re currently looking in the Nintendo Switch or PlayStation. There were certain gameplay mechanics back then that couldn’t be done now so it would be fun to see how they discover how we shook things up a bit. So we would like for all fans, no matter whether old or new to enjoy our current game.
Kenichi did mention that one of the biggest challenges the team faced when remastering the Apollo Justice Trilogy was transferring all of the content to run on Capcom’s amazing RE Engine. While being one of the most impressive in the industry, it was a much more complex infrastructure compared to what was used back then with the original releases.
The Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy is set to release on January 25, 2024 for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, and Steam.