The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles review – an open and shut case of gaming brilliance

Switch/PS4/PC; Capcom
With one Herlock Sholmes as your companion, the latest in the witty legal-mystery series sends you back to a sublimely realised Victorian London

I'll be the first to admit my bias when it comes to the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney games - the legal-themed mystery series that partly inspired me to become a qualified (though not practising) lawyer - so the fact that I like The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is no surprise. The real twist is that what might have been a mere spin-off tale about Phoenix Wright's ancestor in Victorian London has turned out to be perhaps my favourite game in the series, thanks to series creator Shu Takumi's return to the writer-director's seat.

Despite the different setting, the basics of video-game lawyering remain largely unchanged: investigate, gather evidence, scrutinise testimony and present your undeniable proof that witnesses are mistaken, ignorant, or straight up lying. Though there are some additions that make for even livelier trials, including group testimonies with clashing witnesses, or the need to appeal to a surly and arbitrary jury, the core thrill - of presenting that key piece of evidence that reduces a smug, preening culprit to a snivelling mess - remains.