First released in 2001, Ace Attorney is a series that influenced many games and other facets of pop culture after it. The series was beloved enough to get its own anime, manga, drama CDs, spin-off games, musicals, and even a live-action movie.
Those that love the Ace Attorney games tend to love games that are visual novels, particularly those rooted in the mystery genre. In terms of gameplay, puzzles are most suited for Ace Attorney fans as well. Luckily for fans of Ace Attorney, there are a lot of games that follow some of the same formulas of mystery, interesting characters, and visual novel format.
Updated August 11, 2021 by Allison Stalberg: The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles has just came out for the PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Microsoft Windows, and fans are giving the new addition to the series many positive reviews. In typical Ace Attorney style, the game is full of murder-mysteries, twists, humor, and drama.
The new game has made fans hungry for more. Luckily for them, there are many games either directly inspired by Ace Attorney games and also just games that happen to be quite similar. After all, solving mysteries is one of the most fun types of games to play.
15 The Danganronpa Series
Danganronpa is basically Ace Attorney meets Battle Royale. The series has students trapped in locations where a killing game takes place.
While that story may sound quite different from Ace Attorney, its main commonalities are in its gameplay, mechanics, visual novel style, and memorable characters. Every time a student is killed, the player must solve the mystery of who among them is the killer. There are trials in which the player must argue their case to everyone else.
14 The Zero Escape Series
The Zero Escape series consists of three games in all, much like the main Ace Attorney games. However, unlike Ace Attorney, The Zero Escape series has only its three main games.
This game is for escape room fans, as the premise is a bunch of characters waking up trapped in a giant escape room. There are a ton of puzzles, and the characters are all quite memorable and interesting to get to know.
13 Heaven’s Vault
Released in 2019, this adventure indie game is about an archaeologist that discovers lost history in a space nebula. The gameplay includes piecing together an ancient language, exploring, and finding artifacts. Its best traits are graphics, voice acting, story, exploration, and its new game plus.
The game is perfect for any sci-fi fan who loves word puzzles. The main issue that fans say is the game’s weakest point is that you cannot revisit areas once they are left.
12 Hotel Dusk: Room 215
Released for the Nintendo DS in 2007, this is a point-and-click game where players take the role of a former detective. Like most point-and-click games, the gameplay consists of puzzles and talking to characters to learn vital information.
The story takes place at a hotel in Los Angeles and has unique sketch-book style art for its characters. Many to this day wish there was a remake or remaster for current consoles. Like Ace Attorney, the game is word-heavy, but it has a story that hooks you to keep on reading.
11 Aviary Attorney
While it may seem like just a cute joke from its title, Aviary Attorney is a game well-loved by all who have played it. The game takes place in France during the 1840s. Players take the role of Jayjay Falcon, a lawyer.
The game is a delight. It is full of bird puns, Paris landmarks, different endings based on your choices, and a unique art style. Many reviews mention laughing a lot throughout the game for its humor.
10 Overboard!
This adventure indie game came out recently in June and is about a woman who isn’t trying to solve a murder . . . but get away with one. That’s right, you play a woman who has murdered her husband on a passenger ship. Overboard! is made by the same people that created Heaven’s Vault.
Like Ace Attorney, the game has a lot of wit and charm. It turns out to be a lot of fun when you’re the person actually trying to get away with murder. Gameplay includes planting evidence and framing others. The game is full of dark humor as well.
9 Grim Fandango
Grim Fandango actually predates Ace Attorney, having been released in 1998. However, Ace Attorney players are still bound to love it. Set in the Land of the Dead, the game is rooted in film noir traditions and puzzles, and keeps the story very focused on conversation.
The game won a ton of awards and it is not unusual to see it listed as one of the best video games of all time. The story actually doesn’t follow a lawyer, but a travel agent! However, like Phoenix Wright, he is on a journey to get to the bottom of things for his job.
8 Tangle Tower
This indie mystery game came out in 2019 and is beloved for its eye-catching art style and eccentric characters. It is a point-and-click murder mystery story that involves more exploring and interrogation rather than inventory-based puzzles.
While its Steam account is piled with positive reviews, many fans have claimed that the ending felt abrupt. Ignoring that factor though, the game is amazing in every other sense.
7 Disco Elysium
Disco Elysium is like Ace Attorney in that you play as a detective and interrogate characters. What sets it apart is that it’s a RPG. As the Steam description for the game stats, you can “Become a hero or an absolute disaster of a human being.”
The game won many awards and holds a score of 97 on Metacritic. It has voice acting, many choices that branch out, 24 various skills, items, and a fantastic cast of characters with a well-written story. The game is available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Microsoft Windows.
6 The Trauma Center Series
With a total of five games to its name, the Trauma Center series was developed for both the Nintendo DS and Wii and had its releases from 2005 to 2010. Instead of Ace Attorney’s court system as its main focus, Trauma Center was a game that featured medical stories.
Like Ace Attorney, the games are visual novels with welcoming gameplay elements mixed in. For example, the DS touch screen was used a lot for the mechanics of this series.
5 Murder By Numbers
Released in 2020, Murder by Numbers is a visual novel and puzzle game. Like Ace Attorney, the story is a crime drama with witty banter and charming characters. In fact, the characters were designed by Hato Moa, the creator of Hatoful Boyfriend.
The setting is in Los Angeles and the main character is an actress-turned-detective that teams up with a trashed reconnaissance robot.
4 Agent A: A Puzzle In Disguise
This point-and-click indie puzzle adventure game has the player take the role of Agent A. The mission is to capture Ruby La Rouge, a stylish and witty spy. The aesthetic is all retro with a somewhat 60s style.
The positives of this game are its puzzles, locations, and artwork. The major con is that there is no map and lots of backtracking. It is a game that takes less than 10 hours to beat.
3 Paradise Killer
Another game released on Steam in 2020, Paradise Killer is a game with a unique setting and colorful characters. The main character, Lady Love Dies, is investigating a killer in what can be best described as a cryptic alternate future with a ton of lore.
What makes the game stand out from Ace Attorney, and many others, is that the game is non-linear and open-world. It is up to players to case whatever leads they come across and in what order.
2 Return Of The Obra Dinn
Released in 2018, this first-person mystery adventure game is about a ship that was lost at sea and reappeared with no crew four years later. The player takes the role of an insurance investigator to prepare an assessment of damages.
The game has overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam. It is loved for its logic puzzles, compelling story, unique visuals, and music. The game was made by a small team of people, making its high quality all the sweeter.
1 The Professor Layton Series
The Professor Layton series has been releasing games for a while, with its earliest release in 2007 and its latest in 2017. It’s been compared to Ace Attorney enough that it even spawn a crossover game between the two franchises in 2012 — Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.
Like in Ace Attorney, the goal is to solve mysteries. These games have various kinds of gameplay from point-and-click, to mazes, logic puzzles, and math puzzles.
NEXT: The Most Popular Point & Click Games On Steam
