Since 2001, the legal drama adventure game series Ace Attorney has been one of the most popular and critically acclaimed visual novel franchises. With six mainline titles, five spin-offs, and multiple remakes and adaptations, this series is still going strong with plenty of fanworks and future installments.
But, if fans of the series want more similar content while they wait for the next sequel, there are some games that are either similar or directly inspired by the Ace Attorney franchise. Though they're still different, these games have many elements that fans will likely love.
Tokyo Twilight Busters
If players loved the unique gameplay mechanics the Ace Attorney series added to the mystery adventure genre, then they will likely love the Japan-only point-and-click adventure game which is possibly one of the best PC-98 games. Created by Wolf Team, who were the original creators of the popular JRPG franchise Tales, the game follows a young man named Sho Kusanagi who has been studying abroad in England.
After learning that his father has disappeared, he decides to return to Tokyo to find him and gets caught up in a dangerous mystery. Besides the typical point-and-click gameplay, players will have to manage their inventory and fight monsters in turn-based battles. Also, many puzzle sections are timed and different characters can be assigned different tasks, which means that players are required to have some quick thinking and strategy.
Murder By Numbers
With a soundtrack created by Masakazu Sugimori, who also composed the score for the early entries in the Ace Attorney series, and character designs by Hato Moa, who created the Hatoful Boyfriend series, Murder by Numbers is an excellent 2020 detective game for fans. Set in Los Angeles in 1996, the player follows a former actress turned detective, Honor Mizrahi, and her amnesiac robot side-kick, SCOUT, as they solve mysteries.
Similar to the Ace Attorney series, the player solves crimes by exploring crime scenes, talking with other characters, and collecting evidence. But, this game sets itself apart by having Pixel Puzzles, which means that players must uncover clues by filling in the proper spaces in number-based grid puzzles.
Star Apprentice: Magical Murder Mystery
Released in 2021, Star Apprentice: Magical Murder Mystery is a short detective game that combines the point-and-click visual novel aspects of Ace Attorney with the "bullet hell" gameplay of the Touhou franchise, and it's possibly one of the best Magical Girl games. While on a train known as the Scarlet Express, the famous Detective Lasnam is killed, and now the titular apprentice, Minnie, must uncover the truth behind his death.
But, magic exists in this universe, so regular investigation methods may not always work. Luckily, Minnie has the power to enter a person's mental space where she must dodge bullets in order to refute their claims. With a cute art style and several unique characters, this is a free experience that should definitely get a sequel.
Paradise Killer
Unlike most detective games, the 2020 mystery open-world adventure game Paradise Killer is one of the few titles that actually forces the player to solve the case on their own rather than being guided through set story beats. To resurrect their dead alien deities, a group called the Syndicate needs to create a "perfect society," which has led to them making an experimental world known as "Paradise Island."
Each time the world fails, the current citizens are all killed, and their souls are used to build the next island. Before this occurs on the 24th iteration, the entire Syndicate council is killed, so the notorious detective Lady Love Dies is put on the case. As the player explores the island's 3D world, Love Dies will talk to characters and uncover evidence, and the player can convict anyone as long as there's enough evidence.
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Developed by Shu Takumi, who created the Ace Attorney series, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is a 2010 mystery puzzle adventure game and one of the best titles released on the Nintendo DS. In this cult classic, the recently deceased amnesiac protagonist, Sissel, discovers that he now has the power to manipulate objects, which are called "Ghost Tricks," and the ability to travel four minutes before a person's death in order to rewrite history.
After using his new ghost powers to save a young detective named Lynne, the two characters go on a journey to recover Sissel's memories and solve the mystery surrounding his death. Since Sissel's spirit will disappear at dawn, he only has one night to uncover the truth.
Aviary Attorney
Directly inspired by the Ace Attorney series, is an excellent monochromatic legal drama adventure game released in 2015. Funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign, the game takes place in a world inhabited by anthropomorphic animals and follows a kind defense attorney named Monsieur Jayjay Falcon and his apprentice named Sparrowson as they try to lessen the overwhelming crime in 1848 Paris, .
The game truly emulates this historical era by featuring art from French caricaturist J. J. Grandville and music from French composer Camille Saint-Saëns. Besides the setting, art style, and soundtrack, the game sets itself apart from other titles by giving players only a limited amount of time to search for evidence and three possible endings.
Nina Aquila: Legal Eagle
Another game that's largely inspired by the Ace Attorney series is the ongoing episodic mystery visual novel adventure game Nina Aquila: Legal Eagle. Set within a world where all anime genres exist at once, the player follows the titular rookie defense attorney Nina Aquila as she tries to run the agency after her mentor is arrested.
As she interacts with a large cast of characters, Nina will have to defend clients and solve cases while also trying to figure out what happened to her mentor. Besides the regular courtroom and investigation gameplay, the game also has other gameplay elements such as card battles and racing sections. At the moment, the first three episodes have been compiled into Nina Aquila: Legal Eagle, Season One.
The Case Book of Arne
The Case Book of Arne is an ongoing episodic detective series that combines aspects from several popular mystery visual novel games including Ace Attorney. After a young noble heiress named Lynn Reinweiß is almost killed by a supernatural murderer while she was chasing her father, she is mysteriously transported to the city of Lügenberg, which exists in a universe built for non-humans. During a chance encounter, she meets a vampire detective named Arne Neuntöte.
To figure out who the murderer was and what happened to her father, she makes a pact with Arne and they team up. Without knowing it, the two begin a journey that will change their lives forever. Currently, the developer is making the second case, and the first case and DLC are available on Steam.
1BitHeart
Created by Miwashiba, who also developed Alicemare and LiEat, 1BitHeart is an RPG Maker adventure game that primarily focuses on the characters rather than the mystery itself. The game follows an agoraphobic boy named Nanashi who one day encounters a mysterious amnesiac girl named Misane Mikoto. After Misane suggests that Nanashi should gain some friends, the two venture out of the apartment to meet a large cast of unique characters.
As Nanashi gains friends and helps Misane regain her memories, they quickly become entangled in a mystery involving hackers that are possessing people by manipulating their ingrained devices called Bit Phones. After this title, Miwashiba also created a sequel titled 1BeatHeart.
Danganronpa
Along with the Ace Attorney series, one of the most popular mystery visual novel franchises is Danganronpa. Since the original installment titled Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc in 2010, the series has had multiple sequels, spin-offs, and adaptions. While the characters and settings typically change between the games, they usually focus on a group of high school students who are forced to murder each other by a strange bear-like creature called Monokuma.
Before a murder occurs, players participate in the "Daily Life" segments where the main character can talk to the other characters and explore the area. Then, after a murder occurs, the "Deadly Life" segments have the player investigate and the "Class Trial" segments have everyone working together to uncover the killer.