Gyakuten Kenji 2 Blog Entry 2: Gyakuten Kenji Returns!

 Title: Gyakuten Kenji Returns! /「逆転検事、ふたたび！」
Source: Gyakuten Kenji 2 official site

Summary: In this blog post published on September 16, 2010 on the Gyakuten Kenji 2 (Ace Attorney Investigations 2 - Prosecutor's Gambit) blog, director Yamazaki talks about the special demo they made for the Capcom booth at the Tokyo Game Show, which was going on at the time this article was posted. He then decides to talk a bit more about the contents of that demo, which is a slightly altered version of the first episode of the upcoming game. Yamazaki explains how he came up with the idea of the story of this first episode and even reveals an alternate idea he had, but which ultimately got discarded.

Gyakuten Kenji Returns!

Hello everyone, it’s been a while! This is Yamazaki, director of Gyakuten Kenji 2 (Ace Attorney Investigations 2 - Prosecutor's Gambit). I am happy we’re able to meet again like this!

Tokyo Game Show 2010 starts today (September 16). And can you believe it!? You can play a demo of Gyakuten Kenji 2 at the Capcom booth there! The demo is a special version of the first part of the first episode, with some adjustments and new text. It’s like a focused version, showing off what makes Gyakuten Kenji 2 so great, so please swing by our booth!

Today I wanted to tell you about how the first episode of the game (upon which the demo is based) was born. In the first episode, an incident occurs at Gourd Lake Park. When writing the scenario, the first thing you have to think about is the setting of the case.
 

The location and situation of a case have to make an impression!
 

You can’t get started without that. There were two more conditions that the location of the first episode needed to meet.
 

1. I wanted it to be a location that had a connection with the protagonist Mitsurugi (Miles Edgeworth).
2. I wanted it to be place fans of the series would recognize.
 

So the first idea that came to mind was Gourd Lake Park. You could be sure that Mitsurugi will never ever forget that lake.
 

…But there was one weak point to this idea. Gourd Lake Park was slightly too big for the location of the first episode. The first episode has to allow players to get used to the controls of a game. If the location was too large, some people might get lost before they ever get used to the controls.
 

“Hmm, can I think of another place…?”
 

So the second idea that came to mind was…  Inside Mitsurugi’s red car.
 

The story would begin with Mitsurugi’s sports car getting wrecked in a traffic accident. Would Mitsurugi be alright? But then it turns out that a completely different person dressed like Mitsurugi was behind the wheel. And there’s a knife planted deep inside their chest!

That would’ve been a shocking introduction. I got all excited. This wasn’t bad at all! But as I got all pumped up and started thinking about the trick, I realized my mistake.
 

“…Inside a sports car…?”
“That’s too cramped!! There was no place to walk around!!!”

It was shocking how I hadn’t realized that right away. So that idea was canned. What was I going to do now.

“If only I could somehow figure out something about the Gourd Lake Park being too big. Then it would be the perfect place…”

“Perhaps I could limit where Mitsurugi could go?”
“How about having something happen on a boat floating in the lake… No, I think I know that one already.”

After agonizing myself for a long time, I finally decided to turn my thoughts around.

“So what if it’s a large location?”
“I might as well start off with a big case…”

That split second where I decided to go against the rules changed everything! The face of a certain character suddenly appeared in my mind.
 

“That’ s it! I’m going to use him right away, in the first episode!”
 

And that was the fun idea that formed the basis upon which the case was built. At the same time, I also thought of an idea that would solve the problem of the location being too big.
 

“What if there's a stage at the lake and the investigation occurs there?”

“If I can make a place that’s surrounded by a crowd, making it impossible to wander off too far…!”

And then I yelled (internally):

“What if the first episode of 2 starts off being as exciting like it's the final episode already!!”
 

That was the moment the concept of the first episode was decided.

So who is that character I mentioned? And what will the story be of the first episode that’s going to be as exciting like a final episode?

…You’ll have to see for yourself at the Tokyo Game Show! (People who check out every single corner of the official website might have guessed it already though).

Anyway, next time we’ll have Iwamoto Tatsurō, the character designer here! He’ll be talking about his thoughts on  working on Gyakuten Kenji 2, the characters and more! And don’t forget to check his 4-panel comics!

 
That’s it for me today. I’ll see you later again!