At its core, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is about the most stressful study abroad trip of all time. Released worldwide in 2021, the Ace Attorney spin-off follows Ryunosuke Naruhodo, a Japanese university student on a perilous academic journey to Victorian London. While he is an ancestor to series protagonist Phoenix Wright, his struggles are entirely his own.
The game combines two titles: The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures and The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve, which were originally released in Japan in 2015 and 2017, respectively. For those catching up in 2026, it remains a standout experience, particularly because it operates outside the baggage of the mainline series. Unburdened by the sometimes contradictory plot threads of the main games, this duology feels like a focused, cohesive passion project from series creator Shu Takumi.
A New Kind of Courtroom Battle
Unlike previous entries where you primarily face off against a judge, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles introduces the "Jurist System." In this version of Victorian London, the jury is quickly convinced of your client’s guilt. Your only hope lies in a dusty footnote found by your judicial assistant, Susato Mikotoba, in an Encyclopedia of British Law.
This allows Ryunosuke to invoke the "summation examination," a mechanic where you can challenge the jury's collective bias. It is a feature Takumi had envisioned as far back as 2000, and it provides a fresh mechanical hook that forces you to correct the jury’s misconceptions rather than just cross-examining a witness. It even incorporates the "Jurist System" concept that was briefly tested in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney but largely abandoned until now.
A Heavier, More Grounded Narrative
The game moves away from the typical Ace Attorney structure of fighting corrupt individuals, opting instead to have the cast navigate a fundamentally unjust institution. Ryunosuke and Susato frequently face overt discrimination based on their race and class, making the stakes feel more personal and grounded. This narrative weight is bolstered by the presence of recurring characters like pickpocket Gina Lestrade and the real-life Japanese author Soseki Natsume, who help build a world that feels lived-in and connected across the two titles.
The game also features a "cursed" prosecutor, Barok van Zieks, known as the "Reaper of the Bailey." Because every defendant he faces seems to end up dead, Ryunosuke finds himself in a fight for survival from his very first case. It’s a testament to the game's design that it manages to deliver this high-stakes tension without relying on the familiar face of Phoenix Wright.
With no new mainline Ace Attorney game since Spirit of Justice arrived roughly a decade ago, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles remains a vital entry in the series for those looking for a fresh take on the courtroom formula. Whether you are a long-time fan or a newcomer, the collection is currently available on Nintendo Switch, PC, and PlayStation.