Dai Gyakuten Saiban: Naruhodō Ryūnosuke no Bōken

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Dai Gyakuten Saiban
Naruhodō Ryūnosuke no Bōken
Dai Gyakuten Saiban cover art.png
Japanese cover art, featuring the game's main characters.
Developer(s) Capcom
Publisher(s) Capcom
Director(s) Shu Takumi
Producer(s) Shintaro Kojima
Artist(s) Kazuya Nuri
Writer(s) Shu Takumi
Composer(s) Yasumasa Kitagawa
Hiromitsu Maeba
Series Ace Attorney
Platforms Nintendo 3DS
Release date(s)
    Genre(s) Adventure game, visual novel

    Dai Gyakuten Saiban: Naruhodō Ryūnosuke no Bōken (大逆転裁判 ‐成歩堂龍ノ介の冒険‐?, "Great Turnabout Trial: The Adventure of Ryūnosuke Naruhodō") is an adventure video game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo 3DS. It is a prequel to the Ace Attorney video game series, directed and produced by Shu Takumi and Shintaro Kojima, respectively. The game was released in Japan on July 9, 2015; a release outside Japan is not currently planned.

    Gameplay

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    See also: Gameplay in the Ace Attorney series

    The game carries on the courtroom style gameplay of previous installments in the Ace Attorney series, including the fully 3D environments and character models previously featured in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies. Like previous titles, the game is divided between investigation, in which players explore areas to gather evidence and testimonies, and courtroom battles, in which players must find contradictions in witness testimonies to find the truth behind a case. Similarly to Takumi's previous game, Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, the player sometimes have to cross-examine multiple witnesses at the same time.[1]

    Trials in the game feature a jury, not just one judge; this also was the case in the fourth case of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, however, in Dai Gyakuten Saiban the jury directly influences the trial. After the case has been presented, and the witnesses have been cross-examined, the jurors decide on the verdict. If a majority decides on "guilty", then the defendant is given a guilty verdict. However, the player is able to present a closing argument after the verdict during which they interview the jurors, attempting to change their minds. If after the closing argument the player is successful, then the jury takes back its verdict and the trial continues. If they fail, then the verdict stays as is and the trial is adjourned.

    New to this game is Joint Reasoning, which takes place during investigations alongside Sherlock Holmes. In these segments, Holmes makes quick deductions about a witness, and it is up to the player to point out contradictions in his theories. This will occasionally require the player to inspect the witness from various angles, similar to how certain bits of evidence could be examined in previous installments, in order to find hidden clues that can help lead Holmes to the proper conclusion.[2][3]

    Premise

    Taking place near the end of the 19th century (known in Japan as the Meiji Period, in Britain as the Victorian era), Dai Gyakuten Saiban focuses on Ryūnosuke Naruhodō – an ancestor of Phoenix Wright, the primary protagonist of the Ace Attorney series – who seeks to become a full-fledged defense attorney. Joined by his assistant, Susato Mikotoba, Ryūnosuke travels to England to further his studies, where he encounters world-famous detective Sherlock Holmes and works alongside him in solving a mysterious case.

    Plot

    The first chapter, The Adventure of the Great Departure, takes place in Japan, and has Ryūnosuke get put on trial for the murder of Dr John H Watson. He is represented by Asōgi, while the prosecutor is Taketsuchi Auchi, the Meiji Period ancestor of recurring character Takefumi Auchi (Winston Payne in the English localizations). With help from Susato, Ryūnosuke and Asōgi prove that the real murderer is Jezail Brett, an English exchange student who had been studying under Watson, though her motive is not explained. Following the trial, Asōgi leaves Japan to complete his studies in Great Britain, but has Ryūnosuke travel with him as a stowaway.

    In the second chapter, The Adventure of the Unbreakable Speckled Band, Asōgi is found murdered within his cabin, and Ryūnosuke is once again blamed for the murder. Working with Susato and Sherlock Holmes, Ryūnosuke discovers that the real killer is Nikomina Borschevitch, a world famous Russian ballerina who had fled Russia, and had unintentionally killed Asōgi after mistakenly assuming that he was going to turn her in to the captain (he was actually going to introduce her to Ryūnosuke).

    The third chapter, The Adventure of the Runaway Room, has Ryūnosuke and Susato assigned to defend the philanthropist Cosney Megundal, who has been accused of murdering a bricklayer named "Thrice-Fired" Morta within a moving carriage, shortly after they arrive in Britain. They go up against Barok van Zieks, a legendary British Prosecutor known as the "Death God of the Old Bailey" and are introduced to the British legal system, which uses a jury of 6 people to judge the verdict. During the trial, a smoke bomb is let off, forcing an evacuation of the courtroom. After court resumes, Ryūnosuke and Susato discover evidence proving that Morta had been killed on the carriage roof, though Zieks claims that this evidence had been forged after the smoke bomb had gone off. He is unable to prove this, and Megundal is subsequently acquitted, though Ryūnosuke remains unsure of Megundal's innocence. Shortly after the trial, Megundal is murdered.

    In the fourth, The Adventure of Clouded Kokoro, Ryūnosuke and Susato take on the defense of the soon to be famous novelist Natsume Sōseki, who is currently in London studying English as an exchange student, and has been charged with aggravated assault following a stabbing in the street. During the trial, Ryūnosuke proves that the stabbing was actually the result of a domestic disturbance between landlord John Garrideb and his wife Joan, who had thrown a knife at her husband, only to unintentionally hit the victim with it. Sōseki is declared not guilty, and explains that he is going to go back to Japan. Sherlock invites Ryūnosuke and Susato to live with him and Iris at 221B Baker Street.

    Characters

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    See also: List of Ace Attorney characters
    • Ryūnosuke Naruhodō (成歩堂 龍ノ介 Naruhodō Ryūnosuke?) – The protagonist of the game, and a defense attorney. He's described as a character with a strong sense of justice, but who easily ends up in danger.[4]
    • Susato Mikotoba (御琴羽寿沙都 Mikotoba Susato?) – A judicial assistant working alongside Ryūnosuke since Kazuma Asōgi ask her to be helper of his pal Ryūnosuke. She is described by Capcom as a yamato nadeshiko (a personification of the image of the ideal Japanese woman), a progressive dreamer, and a lover of foreign mystery novels.[5][6]
    • Sherlock Holmes (シャーロック·ホームズ Shārokku Hōmuzu?) – The world-famous British detective who helps out Ryūnosuke.[7] Not like within Novel, he often misjudge some clues left around the crime scene.
    • Iris Watson (アイリス·ワトソン Airisu Watoson?) – Holmes' assistant, a ten-year-old genius girl. She is the daughter of Dr John H Watson, who is deceased.[7] She was planned to be a 8-year-old clever female associate of Holmes.
    • Kazuma Asōgi (亜双義一真 Asōgi Kazuma?) – A friend of Ryūnosuke's, who, like Ryūnosuke, is a student at the Teito Yūmei University. He is studying to become a defense attorney, but is described by Capcom as being "more than qualified to be one" already. As the modern judicial system was new at the time in Japan, he aims to complete his studies in Great Britain.[1]

    Development

    The game was directed by Shu Takumi.

    Dai Gyakuten Saiban was developed by Capcom for the Nintendo 3DS. It was directed by Shu Takumi, produced by Shintaro Kojima,[8] composed for by Yasumasa Kitagawa and Hiromitsu Maeba,[9] and features character designs and art direction by Kazuya Nuri.[10][11] The game is planned to be the first title in a new series.[12]

    Development began in 2013, a few months after the Japanese release of Takumi's previous project, Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, when he was asked to work on a new Ace Attorney game.[13] At one point, he considered having the game focus on civil trials,[14] but remembered a game idea he had come up with earlier:[15] around 2000, he had the idea of a mystery game in which a detective makes incorrect deductions, and where players have to correct the detective and lead him towards the truth.[14] He thought it would be fun to combine the idea with Ace Attorney, but did not expected Capcom to accept the idea.[15][16]

    Takumi had also been wanting to make a Sherlock Holmes game for a long time; because of this, Holmes was part of the concept all the way from the start. According to Takumi, he had several reasons for wanting Holmes in the game: both due to the gameplay, and as a way to separate the game from the main Ace Attorney series, as Holmes is from a different time period than the one the main series games take place in. This led to Takumi thinking about how Japan was at that time, and lead to new possibilities for the game's mysteries.[14] Initially, Takumi had intended for the game to begin in London, thinking that it would be too much to create a Japanese court only for the prologue; this changed when Nuri said that he thought it should begin in Japan.[10]

    Takumi found it challenging to write dialogue and using expressions appropriate for the way the Japanese language was during the Meiji period, as he had to avoid both too old-fashioned and too modern dialogue. As the Meiji period was a time when the lawyer profession was new in Japan, and when there was a lot of focus on becoming a part of "the new world" and becoming more Western, Takumi made sure to make the game reflect this.[12] As Takumi had to create a new world for the story to take place in, it took longer than expected to write the game's scenario.[10] The protagonist Ryūnosuke's character was based on how the main series protagonist Phoenix Wright would speak and act if he had lived during the Meiji period. When the development team wrote a list of ideas for names for the protagonist, "Ryūnosuke" was the first one to be suggested; it only took a few seconds for them to decide on it.[17] Susato is based on the same concept as that of previous Ace Attorney heroines: she was designed to be a "perfect partner" and fun to spend time with, as the heroines of the series always are by the main characters' side.[14] her name was decided by choosing kanji characters that Takumi found pretty.[18] The development team decided to change "Sherlock's Watson" from the original, as they thought it would be more interesting if Watson weren't another English gentleman.[14]

    Visuals and music

    Unlike previous Ace Attorney games, both characters and environments are fully made in 3D.[19] Like Takumi's earlier game Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, spotlights light up characters while they dance; this was something that had not been done in previous Ace Attorney games.[14] Motion capture of the former Takarazuka Revue actress Shiotsuki Shuu was used for some animations; as the Ace Attorney series is known for its poses and animations, this was chosen as a way to make the animation more dynamic.[20] Nuri designed the characters to make them look simple while also conveying a lot of information. He intended to make the graphics look like illustrations, and wanted to convey the feeling of the materials clothes and items from the Meiji period were made from. Characters were designed to be partially realistic, as realistic animations and facial expressions were needed for the game. Witnesses and jury members were however designed in a more stylized way, to ensure that players immediately recognize them when they see the characters sitting next to each other.[11]

    Ryūnosuke was designed to have "the sharp look of a university student", which went without problems. It did, however, take a long time to design his haircut; Takumi wanted the haircut to be recognizable from Ryūnosuke's silhouette, but said that most people during the Meiji period had simple haircuts.[17] Nuri tried designing various haircuts from that time, and designed around 50 variations.[11] Susato was designed to be an elegant Japanese woman; because of the time period, it was decided that she was to wear a kimono. Takumi had several ideas for various items she could hold, but it was decided that it was best to keep her design simple,[18] as contrast to the English characters. Several different variations were made for Holmes' design, including "depressed", "cute", "adventurous", "dark", and "sleeping" variations; eventually, they used a variation on how Holmes traditionally is depicted, as contrast to his personality. Additionally, he was given a gun as contrast to Ryūnosuke's sword. Iris' design included gothic elements, as well as elements of a mad scientist, and was created to look good when appearing together with Holmes. Asōgi's clothes were designed with influences from both Japanese and Western cultures. His headband, which flutters in the wind, was something Nuri really wanted in the game, and was something they were only able to do with 3D graphics.[11] Van Zieks was designed to give off a "dark aura",[21] with elements of vampires, wolves, and fallen angels.[11]

    When composing the game's music, Kitagawa used a mindset similar to that when composing for older games, trying to work within limitations to create strong music. He focused on creating catchy melodies, and went through a lot of trial and error. Takumi wanted the music to sound more "festive" than the electronic music used in earlier Ace Attorney games, so he asked Kitagawa to make use of a live orchestra, but with fewer instruments than in the previous game. He also wanted it to sound British, so Kitagawa ended up using sounds similar to chamber music. They did not think piano sounded right for the game, which led to difficulties in differentiating the instruments, as they only had string and wind instruments; because of this, they ended up introducing Spanish elements to the music. As a reference to how Holmes is known for playing the violin, they also tried using violins in the music.[10]

    Release

    The game was released by Capcom for the Nintendo 3DS in Japan on July 9, 2015.[22] According to Capcom France, it is not planned for release in the West.[23]

    The game is available in various different editions. There's a limited edition only available on Capcom's "e-Capcom" store, which in addition to the game includes a box designed to look like Holmes' briefcase, Holmes and Iris plush toys, a pin similar to the one Ryuunosuke wears, postcards, and a Holmes themed sticker. Another edition, also exclusive to e-Capcom, includes the game, a soundtrack CD, and a collection of illustrations. Finally, there's an edition that includes the game and all the bonus items from the other editions. People who preordered the game also received a Dai Gyakuten Saiban theme for the Nintendo 3DS home screen.[24] The original soundtrack release was published by Capcom in Japan on July 15, 2015.[25]

    Reception

    The game won VGMO's 2015 Scores of the Year award in the "Traditional / Acoustic" category; the music was described as exceeding the "already high expectations" for the series, and being streamlined and varied with "high-quality instrumentation and engaging melodies".[26]

    References

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

    External links

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