Ace Attorney
A courtroom game series built on catching witnesses in lies.
Where Ace Attorney comes up1 episode or test
Ace Attorney is built on the contradiction style: players catch witnesses in lies by checking their statements against known facts. Game Maker's Toolkit names it alongside Lucifer Within Us and L.A. Noire as a model for this approach. The sources give no numbers. The caution is that letting players present every item on every statement invites trial and error, so limit or guide what can be presented.
- 1Hear witness claimWitness makes a statement
- 2Recall known factsPlayer already knows the facts
- 3Spot the differenceCheck each claim against the facts
- 4Present evidenceAny item can go on any statement
From Mark Brown on contradiction-style games
What was said about Ace Attorney
Ace Attorney cross-examination works by catching lies against known facts. The player checks each witness claim against facts they already know, which Mark Brown compares to playing spot the difference. The style needs a keen eye and deep knowledge of the facts.
Brown groups it with L.A. Noire and Papers, Please as contradiction-style games. Quote: "it's more like playing spot the difference."
Letting players present any item on any statement invites brute force. Contradiction is Brown's least favourite of the three detective styles, because players can try every piece of evidence on every statement until all the lies surface. The player then does not need to think like a detective.
He lists Ace Attorney style cross examination among the games with this weakness. Quote: "you often can just tediously try every piece of evidence on every single statement"
The 3 Types of Detective Game
It uses the contradiction style, checking statements against known facts, and shares the weakness of letting players try every item on every statement.
Ace Attorney cross-examination works by catching lies against known facts. The player checks each witness claim against facts they already know, which Mark Brown compares to playing spot the difference. The style needs a keen eye and deep knowledge of the facts.
Brown groups it with L.A. Noire and Papers, Please as contradiction-style games. Quote: "it's more like playing spot the difference."
Letting players present any item on any statement invites brute force. Contradiction is Brown's least favourite of the three detective styles, because players can try every piece of evidence on every statement until all the lies surface. The player then does not need to think like a detective.
He lists Ace Attorney style cross examination among the games with this weakness. Quote: "you often can just tediously try every piece of evidence on every single statement"
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