The 20th Anniversary vinyl box set does the series justice
Capcom’s beloved Ace Attorney series has received a 121-track deluxe vinyl soundtrack to celebrate its 20th anniversary! The quintessential visual novel and legal drama series originally left its mark in Japan on the Nintendo Gameboy Advance as Gyakuten Saiban (‘Turnabout Trial’), years before the West would be introduced to the series with the updated re-release on the DS in 2005. The games captured the hearts of many with their larger-than-life characters, wacky antics, complete disregard for courtroom decorum (and anything else remotely resembling American or Japanese legal practice), heartwrenching tragedy, and sincere passion for the pursuit of justice.
Since the original trilogy, AA has produced no shortage of worthy sequels, with the latest being the prequel The Great Ace Attorney: Chronicles (available now on Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Steam). The original main character, Phoenix Wright, has collaborated with Professor Layton in Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, as well as fighting with and against other Capcom mainstays and superheroes in Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3. It also had an anime adaptation, a live-action movie, stage-plays, several manga series, and even escape rooms.
The well-deserved success may not have been possible if it wasn’t for another key component of the series’ character: its music. The Ace Attorney franchise has an eclectic score that elevates every moment of gameplay and makes you feel as if you’re playing a lavishly produced TV show. There are very few genres that have gone unexplored: the legal soundscape has pop, rock, chanting, funk, jazz, synth, electro, and grand displays of classical virtuosity. The music in the games even proved popular enough to justify live orchestral performances. My favourite tracks from the mainline games are the moody saxophone leitmotif of the hardboiled prosecutor Godot (‘The Fragrance of Dark Coffee’) and two of the ‘Pursuit’ themes that always accompanied a moment of triumph during a trial: the iconic ‘Cornered’ from the original game and the more modern ‘Keep Pressing On’ from Dual Destinies.
This deluxe collection has a selection of music from the six mainline games: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Justice for All, Trials and Tribulations, Apollo Justice, Dual Destinies, and Spirit of Justice. These have all been specially remastered, ensuring only the finest sound quality.
Preorders are open for the limited edition, which is exclusive to Laced Records and features six heavyweight gold vinyl LPs designed to look like an attorney’s badge (You can get basic ones from third-party sellers). The LPs slide into spined, printed inner sleeves that fit into a deluxe rigid board slipcase. All of this showcases artwork by the incredible artist ultimatemaverickx. The inner sleeves depict reimagined scenes from the games, the front cover of the collection shows the heroic attorneys and their companions, and the back displays the smug prosecutors in all their haughty glory.
Closing Argument:
- Deluxe physical music release celebrates two decades of dramatic turnabout trials
- Pre-orders open for 6LP collection featuring music from mainline Phoenix Wright and Apollo Justice series
- 121 remastered tracks from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Justice for All, Trials and Tribulations, Apollo Justice, Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice
- Music by Masakazu Sugimori (Viewtiful Joe) , Naoto Tanaka aka Akemi Kimura, Noriyuki Iwadare, Toshihiko Horiyama (Mega Man series, Onimusha), Hideki Okugawa, Shu Takami and Masami Onodera
- Limited Edition with ‘attorney’s badge gold’ discs exclusive to Laced Records
- Brand new sleeve artwork by superfan illustrator ultimatemaverickx
You can preorder the records here, or if you live in the USA or Canada, here. Thank you, readers, for your service today. The article is adjourned.
He/Him
A flamboyant ultra nerd, Dave participates in the Underlevelled Tournament both for the thrill of the fight, and to avenge the orphans lost in the climax of the previous tournament.
Born: London
Height: ???
Weight: ???
Hobbies: street dance, collecting manga volumes, reading, editing
Likes: short-to-medium walks on the beach, pointing out how things can and will be misconstrued as racism, fighting games, RPGs, anime, Hades, alternative hip hop, conscious hip hop, Mara Wilson, overly long bios, ice-cream
Dislikes: insincere media, his own uncanny resemblance to Richard Ayoade, mayonnaise
