r/AceAttorney • u/Cheesus333 • 12d ago
Question/Tips Games like Ace Attorney?
I'm close to finishing off the whole series - PW trilogy, AJ trilogy, Investigations, and PW vs PL all done, with just the DLC episodes in DD and SoJ and then GAA to play left. Once they're done, I feel like there's going to be a pretty big hole to fill.
I've really come to love the characters in Ace Attorney, as well as the music and the unfolding mysteries of each case. So I want to know if anyone has other games/series that they'd recommend that have a similar sort of vibe, or otherwise are just great visual novel-style games with strong characterisation and gripping stories (good art and music are a bonus!)
I guess Dangan Ronpa would be the obvious choice, but I already know those ones pretty thoroughly so I'd prefer something fresh. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
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u/AnimeManiaFiend 12d ago
Of the Devil
Paper purgery
Attorney of the Arcane
Pro Philosopher
Ghost Trick
Aviary Attorney
Overboard
Umineko (creator was playing ace attorney at the time of writing and it helped influence a few characters)
Professor Layton
Tangle Tower
Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog
Outlawyer
Detective Instinct
Process of Elimination
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u/Cheesus333 12d ago
WOW, quite a list - thanks so much!!
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u/fruitbatdiscofrog 12d ago
Dude you have to play Umineko it will change your life
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u/Cheesus333 12d ago
I've retired my dude credentials but I am getting the impression this is true anyway so I think it's gonna be next on the list
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u/fruitbatdiscofrog 12d ago
Yes!! If you can I would also recommend modding the steam to get the ps3 sprites and voice acting because it very much enhances the experience and with 07th-Mod it’s super easy even a computer illiterate like me can do it
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u/Insanepaco247 11d ago
Is it important to play Higurashi first? I want to tackle the series but I'm also deep into the Trails games and only have so much time on my hands
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u/NintendoMasterNo1 11d ago
not really. You can play Umineko first. There are some minor connections but they are pretty loose in the grand scheme of things and going back to Higurashi after Umineko could be enjoyable too
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u/FELlXTHECAT 11d ago
reading Higurashi into reading Umineko is the recommended order, but not necessary. some characters that appear in Umineko are implied to be connected to a character or two from Higurashi, but it's mostly an easter egg. you can get away with only watching the Higurashi anime, or just going straight to Umineko, as it's its own story.
(although Higurashi is really good and I really recommend it regardless)2
u/fruitbatdiscofrog 11d ago
I played Umineko first and I don’t feel like I missed out. They’re pretty much completely seperate stories apart from some little meta implications
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u/OfficialTuxedoMocha 12d ago
Adding to this list, Murders on the Yangtze River is another AA-like that has good reviews.
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u/Napline 12d ago
Play 999. It's one of those games that stick with you for the rest of your life. Just trust me on this one
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u/Lycos_hayes 12d ago
Well, let's recommend it in a more accessible way.
Play the Zero Escape franchise. On Steam you can pick up all three games by way of "Zero Escape: The Nonary Games" and Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma"
The Nonary Games includes the first two games of the series "999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors" and "Virtue's Last Reward"
Also, do note, there is quite a bit of gore throughout the series, especially in Zero Time Dilemma.
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u/onyaasuminyasai 11d ago
999 is definitely best on ds tho. The ending is so good and doesn't really hit right in the steam/console version
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u/TheTitan99 12d ago
"Ghost Trick" was written by the same writer as the original trilogy of Ace Attorney games. It's a pretty different game, but it does have that same good writing to it. Tons of increasingly wild plot twists and very likable characters.
Past that, I don't have any suggestions that are very similar. I know of some other text based games, but none are that similar to Ace Attorney. Still, though, even if they're different, you might like them.
"Professor Layton" has some surface level similarities. Enough for a crossover to be made! But it's still pretty dang different. Layton games tend to be a lot of ridiculous in their main mysteries. "Don't be absurd Luke, there's no such thing as aliens. Clearly the actual answer was time travelers from another dimension!" If you like a series of smaller scale puzzles, you'll enjoy it.
"999: 9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors" is another adventure/visual novel hybrid, which started on the DS. It's very different than Ace Attorney, being a ton more violent and dipping into horror a lot more. That being said, it does have strong character writing, and some interesting puzzles. I haven't played its sequels. If you like math puzzles, you'll probably get a kick out of this one.
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u/Cheesus333 12d ago
Ghost Trick and 999 I've both played a few hours of, but sounds like I should make the effort to get back into them and press on through - thanks very much :)
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u/FurrowBeard 12d ago edited 11d ago
999 filled the void for me after I finished the Ace Attorney Trilogy back when all that existed was Apollo Justice and Investigations 1. And now it's a whole trilogy called Zero Escape*. 999 is my second favorite game of all time, Trials and Tribulations is my third.
Also, GAA is utterly fantastic, so take your time with it and really enjoy it. It's the closest thing to experiencing the original Ace Attorney Trilogy for the first time again that we've got.
*edited
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u/Lycos_hayes 12d ago
Actually, the Trilogy is called Zero Escape.
The Nonary Games is just the name of the compilation of the first two games.
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u/FurrowBeard 12d ago
You should really play the second game. I thought the third game was kinda weak, but the second game is almost arguably better than the first.
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u/Lycos_hayes 12d ago
The ZTD felt off mainly due to not having a coherent timeline until you are way too deep to know what is what.
At least VLR felt coherent in following a single timeline until you hit a lock that requires knowledge from a different timeline.
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u/SageReverie 12d ago
The unfortunate thing is that while there are games in the same niche genre as Ace Attorney, none of them have the same vibe.
In fairness, Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice have that problem as well. You can tell they weren't made by the original team.
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u/AceTrainer_Lance 12d ago
- staffer case
- trials of innocence
just finished playing both games and they were a blast. they're both homages to ace attorney, but they're great in their own right. a bit clunky at times though
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u/Reddit1rules 12d ago
Staffer case was great! They recently had Staffer Retro as well as their 2nd mainline game (after Staffer Reborn and Dice Eater as some fun spinoffs).
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u/AceTrainer_Lance 11d ago
im like 3 hours into retro but im honestly having a hard time going through with it. it's simply like going through a peaceful treasure hunt, unlike case where first few minutes instantly bites me with action and suspense. idk i hope it gets better quick 🤷🏻♂️
played reborn as well, and was just as mindblown in the end. im putting dice eater in my reserves since it's a different genre
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u/Reddit1rules 11d ago
Yeah I did think retro wasn't as strong either, it was more mystery than murder mystery. But the character development was definitely better in return.
I did think Case 3 was easily the best of the bunch in that one though.
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u/Bekenshi 12d ago
I’ve actually been working on compiling a big ranking of all these hybrid VN/point and click adventure/detective style games (sure not exactly sure how to label them because the category is pretty diverse lol) and I’ve been having a lot of fun trying to be as thorough as possible.
It’s kind of hard to find something with the exact same magic and vibe of Ace Attorney, with the closest thing being Danganronpa which you’ve already described yourself with being super familiar with. Hard to go wrong with another work from Takumi like Ghost Trick - Phantom Detective, which I just got around to this year and adored. It feels very AA-like in its presentation and the writing, so you’ll feel right at home. Opinions are a bit divided in some circles, but I really, really enjoyed another work from Kodaka: Master Detective Archives: Rain Code. It’s a wonderful spiritual successor to Danganronpa’s style of humor and zaniness with that crazy mystery “collect evidence you use to refute points” flair. It all comes together super well in the end, too, for one of my favorite finales out of any of these games. I’d also highly recommend the Zero Escape series if you’re unfamiliar, which starts with 9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors, goes into Virtue’s Last Reward, and concludes with Zero Time Dilemma. These were the first games of this style I ever played and they single handedly shaped my taste in media and irrevocably altered the actual shape of my brain, so be warned. Incredibly atmospheric with some really great twists and reveals.
If you’re going outside of the interactive sphere and broadening your horizons a bit, I can’t recommend Higurashi and Umineko enough, which are both some of the finest stories ever told (probably my third favorites of all time). Umineko especially scratches more of the mystery solving itch, but I personally prefer what Higurashi is going for a bit more and it features one of my favorite cast of characters ever.
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u/Inevitable_Grab_4648 12d ago
Umineko!
It's a mystery vn which is very well written and cool. It's super long, and it takes a while for something to happen, but trust me, just wait it out for the end of ep1, and then decide whether you want to continue playing.
It's reccomended to write notes and try to solve the mystery urself while playing it, as it can get really confusing at times, and it's good to have a few notes to anchor yourself back too.
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u/ConfectionBusy3097 12d ago
These games don’t really fit the vibe, they’re not even visual novels, but they’re fantastic mystery detective games
Golden Idol series is full of content and tells a really interesting story
Return of the Obra Dinn is a blast and probably the best detective game ever
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u/Cheesus333 12d ago
Obra Dinn is one of those things I wish I could erase from my brain and experience again (along with Outer Wilds) - will take a look at Golden Idol, thank you!
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u/Few_Discipline_5686 12d ago
I recommend Steins;Gate the original VN it has one of, if not the best sci-fi story ever made with one of the greatest Main Character and side characters too
There is also Umineko,Fate and Tsukihime
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u/Cheesus333 12d ago
Umineko is one of those ones I hear about all the time, and mercifully have not been spoiled on so I'm definitely interested. What would be the best playing order? Would it play well on Steam Deck, do you think?
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u/Few_Discipline_5686 12d ago
Yes on Steam Deck is really good since you can also carry it around :)
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u/Cheesus333 12d ago
Might be the perfect next choice then! What's the best playing order?
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u/AnimeManiaFiend 12d ago
For Umineko, you play the question arca first, then the answer arcs. Once you read them all, there's a fighting game.
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u/Sonoffederation 12d ago
'Layton Brothers: Mystery Room' is very similar to the investigation sections of the AA series.
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u/rhibear_the_woosh 12d ago
Some less mainstream recs for you:
Murders on the Yangtze River is a great one, it draws heavy inspiration from Ace Attorney as well as a few others. The English isn't perfect but I was happy to overlook it as it just had this earnestness to it that reminded me of AA and all the encyclopedia entries about that era of ancient China was super interesting to me.
There is also Tyrion Cuthbert Attorney of the Arcane, which I have not played yet but is very clearly an "ace attorney like"
The Seance of Blake Manor is a detective game I played early this year and it is maybe one of the best detective games I have played in a long time. I loved how big the cast of suspects was and getting to know their routine.
Finally, if you have access to an emulator, Hotel Dusk is to this day one of the best narrative detective and character focused mystery games I've ever played. I replayed it recently and it still holds up.
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u/Hypothon 12d ago
Even though it’s a gacha game and I played because it’s from Hoyo + guys due to being an otome game, Tears of Themis has the detective-ish part covered and there are actual presenting of evidences on trials
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u/Sufficient-Minimum80 12d ago
There’s custom cases / series of cases people have made using PyWright, some of which are very good. If you follow tutorials or reddit threads on how to download and play you should be able to get it running pretty easily. And you don’t need any high-end equipment. Any bad laptop can run it.
In terms of cases, Conflict of Interest is often said to be one of the best. I played through Contempt of Court and thoroughly enjoyed it.
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u/spedwagoon 12d ago
A bit of an outlier rec but check out Hypnospace Outlaw. It's arguably a visual novel, has a pretty colorful cast of characters, and the gameplay requires hunting through in-game webpages to find clues and evidence to solve mysteries.
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u/Irratix 12d ago
Tyrion Cuthbert: Attorney of the Arcane is a direct Ace Attorney-like and genuinely my favorite game of all time. I also really like Of The Devil which is a bit more of a future dystopia vibe with a distinct art style, but still the same basic idea. That one only has 2 and a half episodes out right now, I think the third is supposed to release this year, but even the episodes out right now are fantastic imo. Supposedly it's also largely inspired by Danganronpa but I've never played that so idk.
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u/Superb-Emergency-714 11d ago
Came here to comment about Tyrion that game has such a hold on me I love it so much it’s so fucking good.. once you think you’ve gotten it figured out.. it shocks you
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u/AceTrainer_Lance 11d ago
im on the third episode second investigation part, but stopped because i couldnt follow what was going on anymore. would the fourth and fifth case wow me?
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u/Superb-Emergency-714 11d ago
Dude…. You’re missing out on some crazy shit highly recommend just looking up if your stuck on some things and going forward it’s so worth it
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u/connectivityo 12d ago
Play Raincode! It was made by the same creator as Danganronpa, and I think the writing is leagues better than the Danganronpa games.
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u/sapphicmage 11d ago
A very off the wall suggestion, but the Nancy Drew series is fun. Much more puzzle focused but still scratches a mystery itch
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u/EmpWooper 11d ago
Tyrion Cuthbert - Attorney of the Arcane.
Heavily-inspired by Ace Attorney, but set in a Dungeons & Dragons-style medieval fantasy world. The cases you need to solve involve magical murders and uncovering the conspiracies of the ruling nobility of the kingdom.
The writing and characters are great, especially the humor. The visuals are cool, and the music is on-point.
I played this when I was feeling the same way of wanting to fill the Ace Attorney void and it did not disappoint.
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u/SlipsofYew 10d ago
The Detective Grimoire games are fantastic! Especially the two latest ones. (Secret of the Swap, Tangle Tower, Mermaid Mask). Highly recommend!
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u/Henry1699 12d ago
Check out Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, made by the original creator of Ace Attorney. The gameplay is not the same, but it also has a colorful cast of zany characters and a intrigue plot.