Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Gambit

I was at a work cookout when this localization was announced via a Nintendo Direct. Being who I am, I had to have a single earbud in so I could listen to the live presentation as we sat at the picnic tables waiting for the food. I've been known to have some giddy reactions to Nintendo Direct announcements before (Xenoblade Chronicles 3 comes to mind), but that was always in the privacy of my own home. If it weren't for this cookout, I would have been working remote and my response to this announcement would have likely gone unnoticed by anyone but my cats. Instead, I had to explain to my boss why the official translation of a thirteen year old Japanese-only DS game prompted an audible yelp amidst the picnic table banter.

Now, a few years after that embarrassing moment, I've finally beaten the game that many consider one of the best in the Ace Attorney franchise. When the official localization to English was announced, I already had the fan translation of the DS release on deck, but playing it like this just felt right, and I'm glad I waited. While I don't think I'd consider it my favorite in the series, it's definitely in the top four. However, as the final 2D Ace Attorney, I think Prosecutor's Gambit is an excellent capstone. 

From what I can remember of the games that preceded it, this one tells the most cohesive story, using every one of its chapters to push the overarching plot forward. Nothing of what Prosecutor's Gambit delivers is filler. It's also stuffed with callbacks and references to its predecessors, even nodding a couple of times to Apollo Justice, which follows this duology chronologically. The clever blending of familiar and fresh keeps the setting grounded without making the experience feel like a cheap asset flip.

Rejoining Miles Edgeworth shortly after the events of the first Investigations title, this sequel challenges our favorite cravat-adorned prosecutor's core beliefs in ways we haven't seen since he battled Phoenix Wright in the very first Ace Attorney game. Starting with the investigation of an assassination attempt against a world leader, the already high-stakes story transforms into a multi-generational battle for truth against a corrupt legal system. As he unearths multiple conspiracies, overturns false convictions, and reconnects with his roots, we have never seen Miles Edgeworth in so conflicted a state.

The struggles and growth we see in the characters throughout Prosecutor's Gambit make for one of the most compelling stories in the entire franchise. This even applies to the least-tolerable individual in the game, who was so thoroughly annoying to encounter that it hurt my appreciation of the game. For a while, I actually wondered why such a character would even be included. Thankfully, the writers played their cards right and my doubts were stomped by the end of the story, redeeming what otherwise would have been a sore spot in my memory.

I don't have as much time to play video games now as I did in my youth, or even as much as just before I became a parent. As such, I spent a couple of months with Prosecutor's Gambit before I finally beat it. While I wouldn't have minded the pace being a little faster, purely for the sake of my backlog, I truly enjoyed chipping away at the mysteries every day. My wife is obsessed with late-2000's/early 2010's consultant crime procedurals (think Monk, Psych, and Elementary), usually watching at least two episodes a day. Over those months, Prosecutor's Gambit started to feel like my equivalent to her obsession. It was a comfort to come back to the familiar characters a bit each evening, and I'll remember it fondly, just as I do the rest of the franchise. 

It could become a serious debate if we were to try and determine the best order to play the Ace Attorney series in, but I have my opinion. I won't lay it all out here, but I will say this much. I believe that concluding your journey through the series with the two Investigations games provides the best opportunity to capitalize on the nostalgia they're trying to tease, while also granting you a new take on a formula that may have grown a bit stale. However you choose to enjoy them though, there truly is so much to appreciate. Prosecutor's Gambit especially is a fantastic adventure, and I'm glad I finally got to play it.
The game is available for Switch and Switch 2 here (as of 6/9/26): https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/ace-attorney-investigations-collection-switch/
The game is available for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S here (as of 6/9/26): https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/ace-attorney-investigations-collection/9P25VS66VJVN
The game is available for PS4 and PS5 here (as of 6/9/26): https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP0102-CUSA45441_00-AAIM12FULLGAME00

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