157-396: Ace Attorney is a visual novel adventure video game franchise developed by Capcom . With storytelling fashioned after legal dramas, the first entry in the series, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney , was released in 2001; since then five further main series games, as well as various spin-offs, prequels, and high-definition remasters for newer game consoles have been released. Additionally,
314-462: A kofun from the final phase of the Kofun period, and is possibly from a ruler associated with the imperial family. The kofun is 25 metres (82 ft) high and shows evidence of being surrounded by a moat . Among the very large number of funerary objects were high-quality weapons, including swords, 10 mirrors, and a necklace of jadeite magatama , agate cylinders, and glass beads used to make
471-634: A magatama was discovered in its stomach. This magatama was presented to Suinin, who enshrined it at Isonokami Shrine, where it is said to presently reside. A similar practice is described again in the Nihon Shoki during the reign of the Emperor Chūai . Chūai made an inspection trip to the Tsukushi, or Kyūshū , and was presented with an enormous sakaki tree hung with magatama as well as other sacred objects. A noted magatama
628-415: A magatama -style necklace. Archaeologists and historians are unable yet to explain what the origins of magatama forms are, or whether these forms can be traced back to one convergent source. A number of explanations have been suggested, including: The Kojiki and Nihon Shoki , completed in the 8th century, have numerous references to magatama . They appear in the first chapter of
785-469: A cult following . Following Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake , Kojima produced his next graphic adventure, Policenauts (1994), a point-and-click adventure notable for being an early example of extensive voice recording in video games. It also featured a hard science fiction setting, a theme revolving around space exploration, a plot inspired by the ancient Japanese tale of Urashima Taro , and some occasional full-motion video cut scenes. The gameplay
942-449: A day-night cycle with a time scheduling system that provides context and relevance to character interactions, allowing players to choose when and if to interact with certain characters, which in turn influences their responses during later conversations. It is not uncommon for visual novels to have morality systems. A well-known example is the 2005 title School Days , an animated visual novel that Kotaku describes as going well beyond
1099-519: A guild , the Tamatsukuri-be, was active from the Yayoi period. An existing jewel at the shrine is said to have great spiritual power. Magatama appear on all sorts of implements of the present-day temple, including amulets , roof tiles , and lanterns. The inari female fox at the gate of a subshrine of Tamatsukuri Inari Shrine wears a necklace of magatama . The shrine has an exhibit on
1256-480: A hentai anime. Traditionally, PC-based visual novels have contained risque scenes even if the overall focus is not erotic (similar to the " obligatory sex scene " in Hollywood action films ). However, the vast majority of console ports do not contain adult material, and a number of recent PC games have also been targeted at the all-age market; for example, all of Key 's titles come in censored versions, although
1413-610: A point-and-click interface for a console, like The Portopia Serial Murder Case , but making use of visual icons rather than text-based ones to represent various actions. Like the NES version of Portopia Serial Murder Case , it featured a cursor that could be moved around the screen using the D-pad to examine the scenery, though the cursor in Suishō no Dragon was also used to click on the action icons. Hideo Kojima (of Metal Gear fame)
1570-544: A post-apocalyptic science fiction setting, an amnesiac protagonist, and some light gun shooter segments. It was praised for its graphics, soundtrack, high quality writing comparable to a novel, voice acting comparable to a film or radio drama , and in-game computer database with optional documents that flesh out the game world. The Sega CD version of Snatcher was for a long time the only major visual novel game to be released in America, where it, despite low sales, gained
1727-415: A real-time branching choice system where, during an event or conversation, the player must choose an action or dialogue choice within a time limit, or to not respond at all within that time. The player's choice, or lack thereof, affects the player character 's relationship with other characters and in turn the characters' performance in battle, the direction of the storyline, and the ending. Later games in
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#17327728692731884-591: A Little Planet . There are role-playing video games that feature visual novel-style elements. A well-known example in the West is Mistwalker 's Lost Odyssey , an RPG that features a series of visual novel-style flashback sequences called "A Thousand Years of Dreams". These sequences were penned by an award-winning Japanese short story writer, Kiyoshi Shigematsu. Another title is the Arc System Works fighting game series BlazBlue , which plays off of
2041-716: A Phoenix transformation is available for a companion character in Monster Hunter XX . Music from the Ace Attorney series is featured in Taiko Drum Master: Doko Don! Mystery Adventure , with Phoenix making an appearance in the game's story. In April 2021, Ace Attorney was introduced to Teppen alongside the Dead Rising franchise with the "Ace vs. The People" expansion. In 2015, GamesRadar+ named Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney as
2198-405: A big impact on him and was a major influence on the game. He was inspired by stories from another Japanese author, Shinichi Hoshi , saying that he was pursuing his "element of surprise and unexpectedness." Takumi felt that the best way to write a mystery with a good climax is to reveal various clues, and then pull them together into one conclusion, and not have multiple possible endings. He said that
2355-435: A branching path structure, and allowing them to focus on complex stories with mature themes and consistent plots in a way which Choose Your Own Adventure books were unable to do due to their physical limitations. Many visual novels often revolve almost entirely around character interactions and dialogue choices usually featuring complex branching dialogues and often presenting the player's possible responses word-for-word as
2512-597: A cameo appearance in She-Hulk 's ending in the fighting game Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds ; in the game's update, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 , Phoenix appears as a playable character . Phoenix and Maya are playable characters in Project X Zone 2 , while Edgeworth makes a non-player appearance. Phoenix, Maya, Edgeworth and Franziska were all playable in the mobile game Monster Hunter Explore in 2017, as part of one of its temporary crossover events, and
2669-452: A class of magical Relics with the ability to store magic sequences. In Blue Seed , magatama are used as vessels to contain mitama which bestow power to those implanted with them. The series' plot is based on the Izumo cycle from Japanese mythology. In Sailor Moon , Sailor Uranus' Space Sword, Sailor Neptune's Deep Aqua Mirror, and Sailor Pluto's Garnet Orb are based on each item. In
2826-419: A common trend in visual novels, which frequently use multiple branching storylines to achieve multiple different endings , allowing non-linear freedom of choice along the way, similar to a choose-your-own-adventure novel. Decision points within a visual novel often present players with the option of altering the course of events during the game, leading to many different possible outcomes. An acclaimed example
2983-509: A complex fantasy setting where a one-hundred-year period is reset indefinitely with many variables. The many branching storylines in Story Mode can serve as stand-alone stories, but players must consider them together along with Arcade Mode stories to be able to fully understand the universe. Another successful example is Sega 's Sakura Wars series, which combined tactical role-playing game combat with visual novel elements, introducing
3140-545: A decorative function, and have no relationship to magatama . Magatama in the Jōmon period appear to have moved from the purely decorative to having a status and ceremonial function by the end of the period. A "middle Jōmon exchange network" may have existed, whereby magatama were produced in regions where materials for their manufacture were readily plentiful. Jade and talc examples produced in bead-making villages located in present-day Itoigawa, Niigata have been found at
3297-511: A distinction is often made between visual novels (NVL, from "novel"), which consist primarily of narration and have very few interactive elements, and adventure games (AVG or ADV, from "adventure"), which incorporate problem-solving and other types of gameplay. This distinction is normally lost outside Japan, as both visual novels and adventure games are commonly referred to as "visual novels" by international fans. Visual novels are rarely produced exclusively for dedicated video game consoles , but
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#17327728692733454-455: A generally open world , a branching dialogue conversation system where the story develops through entering commands and receiving responses from other characters, and making choices that determine the dialogues and order of events as well as alternate outcomes, though there is only one true culprit while the others are red herrings . It also features a phone that could be used to dial any number to contact several non-player characters . The game
3611-620: A large number of sites along the northern coast, in the central mountains, and in Kantō region . Examples of magatama from the Jōmon period have been discovered in large numbers at the Kamegaoka site in Tsugaru , Aomori Prefecture . The Kamegaoka remains are among the largest known Jōmon settlement in Japan, and the magatama , among other decorative objects found, may be an indicator of
3768-428: A larger work; he avoided having a lot of changes between games: art from the first game for main characters such as Phoenix, Maya, and Edgeworth was reused to avoid having the previous games look outdated in comparison to newer games in the series. No new gameplay mechanics were added for Trials and Tribulations , as Takumi was happy with the gameplay after having added the psyche-lock mechanic for Justice for All . For
3925-425: A live-action television drama, but allowing players to explore multiple character perspectives and affect the outcomes. Another successful example is 428: Shibuya Scramble , which received a perfect score of 40 out of 40 from Famitsu magazine. The history of visual novels dates back to The Portopia Serial Murder Case (1983). It featured non-linear elements, which include traveling between different areas in
4082-432: A page (many recent games offer "play" or "fast-forward" toggles that make this unnecessary), while making narrative choices along the way. Another main characteristic of visual novels is their strong emphasis on the prose, as the narration in visual novels is delivered through text. This characteristic makes playing visual novels similar to reading a book. Most visual novels have multiple storylines and more than one ending;
4239-474: A portmanteau of ero tic ga me ( エロチックゲーム )). Many visual novels also qualify as eroge , an abbreviation of 'erotic game'. These games feature sexually explicit imagery that is accessed by completing certain routes in the game, most often depicting the game's protagonist having sex with one of the game's other characters. Like other pornographic media in Japan, scenes depicting genitalia are censored in their original Japanese releases, only becoming uncensored if
4396-523: A problem with it. Several reviewers praised the series' music. Thew said that the greatest aspect of the series is its audio design, with the first three games using the Game Boy Advance sound chip better than any other game for that platform; he called the music phenomenal, with the exception of that in Justice for All , but said the sound effects are what "steals the show". Mackey commented that
4553-675: A reference and analyzed them to try to determine why they were so popular. He decided that the secret was that the stories would start with ordinary, enjoyable days, but then a sudden event would occur leading the player to cry from shock. He used a similar model as the basis for Higurashi but instead of leading the player to cry, Ryukishi07 wanted to scare the player with the addition of horror elements. Other examples of horror-themed visual novels include: Animamundi: Dark Alchemist , Higanbana no Saku Yoru ni , Umineko no Naku Koro ni , Ookami Kakushi , Imabikisou , Saya no Uta , Doki Doki Literature Club! , and Corpse Party . Prior to
4710-1216: A resurgence in the adventure game genre outside Japan. GameSpot has credited Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney in particular for revitalizing the adventure game genre. The success of the Ace Attorney series was followed soon after by the even greater success of Level-5 's Professor Layton in 2007. Both have since become some of the best selling adventure game franchises, with Ace Attorney selling over 3.9 million units worldwide and Professor Layton selling over 9.5 million units worldwide by 2010. Their success has led to an increase in Japanese visual novels being localized for release outside Japan, including: KID 's Ever 17: The Out of Infinity (2002), Cing's Another Code series (2005 onwards), Marvelous Entertainment 's Lux-Pain (2008), Chunsoft 's 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (2010), and Capcom's Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (2010). In more recent years, several modern Western narrative adventure games have drawn comparisons to visual novels, including Telltale Games titles such as The Walking Dead (2012), and Dontnod Entertainment 's Life Is Strange (2015);
4867-577: A save file of Konami's dating sim Tokimeki Memorial is present, a technique Kojima would also later use in Metal Gear Solid . From 1997 to 1999, Kojima developed the three Tokimeki Memorial Drama Series titles, which were adaptations of Tokimeki Memorial in a visual novel adventure game format. Other acclaimed examples of science fiction visual novels include ELF 's Yu-No (1996) and 5pb. 's Chaos;Head (2008) and Steins;Gate (2009). Popular subgenres of visual novels include
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5024-518: A story. Another improvement is having hidden decision points that are automatically determined based on the player's past decisions. In Fate/stay night , for example, the way the player character behaved towards non-player characters during the course of the game affects the way they react to the player character in later scenes, such as whether or not they choose to help in life-or-death situations. This would be far more difficult to track with physical books. More importantly, visual novels do not face
5181-523: A textual narrative with static or animated illustrations and a varying degree of interactivity . The format is more rarely referred to as novel game , a retranscription of the wasei-eigo term noberu gēmu ( ノベルゲーム ) , which is more often used in Japanese. Visual novels originated in and are especially prevalent in Japan , where they made up nearly 70% of the PC game titles released in 2006. In Japanese,
5338-897: Is Fate/stay night (2004). Many visual novels are centered on drama , particularly themes involving romance or family, but visual novels centered on science fiction , fantasy fiction , erotic fiction and horror fiction are not uncommon. Dōjinshi ( 同人誌 , often transliterated as doujinshi ) is the Japanese term for self-published (fan-made) works. This includes (but is not limited to) dōjin games ( 同人ゲーム ), also sometimes called dōjin soft ( 同人ソフト ). These visual novel-style games are created as fan-made works based on pre-existing fandoms (usually anime and manga , but also for TV shows or even other pre-existing games and visual novels). Dōjinshi games are often based on romance (or shipping ) between two characters, known as an otome game ( 乙女ゲーム ) or dating sim ; sometimes becoming sexual (or hentai ), known as an eroge ( エロゲ ,
5495-471: Is Symphonic Rain , where the player is required to play a musical instrument of some sort, and attain a good score in order to advance. Usually such an element is related as a plot device in the game. Fan-created novel games are reasonably popular; there are a number of free game engines and construction kits aimed at making them easy to construct, most notably NScripter , KiriKiri and Ren'Py . Many visual novels use voice actors to provide voices for
5652-538: Is Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward , where nearly every action and dialogue choice can lead to entirely new branching paths and endings. Each path only reveals certain aspects of the overall storyline and it is only after uncovering all the possible different paths and outcomes, through multiple playthroughs, that every component comes together to form a coherent, well-written story. The digital medium in visual novels allow for significant improvements, such as being able to fully explore multiple aspects and perspectives of
5809-664: Is a Designated Historical Spot of the city of Kishiwada. Ceremonial offerings from a burial from the Kisami-Araida area of Shimoda, Shizuoka also revealed clay reproductions of magatama used as effigies. The excavation of the Ubusuna Kofun in Kyōtango , Kyoto yielded two fully intact magatama necklaces of jade and agate, with segments between 1.7 and 5.1 centimetres (0.67 and 2.01 in) in length. The large Muro Miyayama Kofun of Katsuragi, Nara , on
5966-508: Is a playable character in one chapter. Phoenix's childhood friend Miles Edgeworth , who is the protagonist of the Ace Attorney Investigations games, is a recurring rival prosecutor character; in addition to him, each new game in the series introduces a new rival: Franziska von Karma is introduced in the second game, Godot in the third, Klavier Gavin in the fourth, Simon Blackquill in the fifth, Nahyuta Sahdmadhi in
6123-412: Is also all-ages, its spinoff Tomoyo After: It's a Wonderful Life is not. Often, the beginning of the eroge will be dedicated to introducing the characters and developing the protagonist's relationship with them, before the protagonist sexually interacts with other characters, for example, Lump of Sugar games such as Tayutama: Kiss on my Deity and Everlasting Summer do this. The effect it has on
6280-526: Is based on the anime, was published in V Jump in 2016. A novel based on the series, Gyakuten Saiban: Turnabout Idol , was released in June 2016. Ace Attorney drama CDs , soundtrack albums , and figurines have also been released. Ace Attorney characters have made crossover appearances in other video games. Some Ace Attorney characters appear in SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters DS . Phoenix and Edgeworth make
6437-467: Is based on the final episode of the second game; and 2013's Ace Attorney 3: Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth , which is set before the events of The Truth Reborn, Again... In 2023, the Takarazuka Revue wrote and performed a musical based on The Great Ace Attorney , titled The Great Ace Attorney: New Truth Reborn . A stage play based on the series, titled Gyakuten no Spotlight , ran in 2013, and
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6594-459: Is considered to be some of the best pixel art in the history of video games , with a popular example being Policenauts in 1994. There have also been visual novels that use live-action stills or video footage, such as several Sound Novel games by Chunsoft . The most successful example is Machi , one of the most celebrated games in Japan, where it was voted No. 5 in a 2006 Famitsu reader poll of top 100 games of all time. The game resembled
6751-426: Is marked by the formation of power centers that came to be individual states. The development of weapons increased in this period to protect increasingly developed rice fields and fishing rights. Trade greatly increased in this period, as did the specialization of production of certain items, including magatama . Magatama producing areas exchanged their product with other products, specifically rice , leading to
6908-483: Is small, though a number of anime based on visual novels are popular among anime fans in the Western world; examples include Clannad , Danganronpa , Steins;Gate , and Fate/stay night . Visual novels are distinguished from other game types by their generally minimal gameplay. Typically the majority of player interaction is limited to clicking to keep the text, graphics and sound moving as if they were turning
7065-534: Is the Yasakani no Magatama ( 八尺瓊勾玉 , also 八尺瓊曲玉 and 八坂瓊曲玉 ) , one of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan . Swords, mirrors, and jewels were common objects of status for regional rulers in Japan as early as the Yayoi period, and were further widespread in the Kofun period, as shown by their ubiquitous presence in kofun tumuli. The Yasakani no Magatama is stored at the Kashiko-dokoro ( 賢所 ) ,
7222-404: Is the games' linearity, as well as how the player sometimes has to resort to a trial-and-error method because the games only accept specific pieces of evidence, and how testimony statements sometimes need to be pressed in a specific order. Some reviewers have criticized the lack of changes to the gameplay and presentation throughout the series, other have said that fans of the series would not have
7379-437: The Nihon Shoki , which largely describes the mythology of Japan. Susanoo , god of the sea and storms, received five hundred magatama from Tamanoya no mikoto , or Ame-no-Futodama-no-mikoto , the jewel-making deity. Susanoo went to heaven and presented them to his sister, the sun goddess Amaterasu , who bit off successive parts of the magatama , and blew them away to create other deities. Tamanoya no mikoto remains
7536-593: The nakige ( 泣きゲー , crying game) , which still usually has a happy ending, and the utsuge ( 鬱ゲー , depressing game) , which may not. The genres are somewhat fluid and were largely pioneered in parallel during the late 1990s through the early 2000s by the works of Key co-founder, scenario writer, lyricist, and composer Jun Maeda ; and through the works of Hirohiko Yoshida [ ja ] through his affiliated company Âge , particularly Kimi ga Nozomu Eien and its successors, notably Muv-Luv . The ultimate goal of nakige and utsuge are emotional connection with
7693-470: The Memories Off series (1999 onwards) by KID , D.C.: Da Capo (2002) by Circus , Wind: A Breath of Heart (2002) by Minori , and Snow (2003) by Studio Mebius (under Visual Art's ). One of the most acclaimed visual novels of this subgenre was Key's Clannad , written by Jun Maeda, Yūichi Suzumoto , and Kai and Tōya Okano. Released in 2004, its story revolved around the central theme of
7850-497: The Ace Attorney series. The 2023 visual novel Tyrion Cuthbert: Attorney of the Arcane also parodies the franchise, following a lawyer who defends clients in a supernatural setting. Ace Attorney is referenced in several anime shows. In a murder mystery arc of the 2006 anime series Haruhi Suzumiya , the show's titular character mimics Phoenix Wright during an episode. The 2014 anime series No Game No Life also pays homage to
8007-684: The California Alien Land Law of 1913 have not been passed, anti-Japanese sentiments were not powerful, and where Japanese culture flourished. That dictated the elements which should be localized and what should be kept as Japanese. Things relating to the Fey clan and the Kurain channeling technique were kept Japanese, as that was Maya's heritage; Japanese foods which were not widely known in the West were changed, such as changing Maya's favorite food from ramen to burgers. That particular change
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#17327728692738164-536: The Nintendo 3DS could easily support 3D. Dual Destinies was developed around the use of 3D graphics, which remained a staple for future games in the series. Similarly, Level-5 , the developers of the Professor Layton series, also started using 3D graphics after the crossover title. The localization of the first game was outsourced to Bowne Global; it was handled by the writer Alexander O. Smith and
8321-544: The PSP version of Tactics Ogre (2010). Chunsoft sound novels such as Machi (1998) and 428: Shibuya Scramble (2008) developed the multiple-perspective concept further. They allow the player to alternate between the perspectives of several or more different characters, making choices with one character that have consequences for other characters. 428 in particular features up to 85 different possible endings. Another popular visual novel featuring multiple perspectives
8478-654: The Record likely describes a tribute of two jade magatama . The large-scale Yayoi period remains at the Yoshinogari site , Yoshinogari and Kanzaki in Saga Prefecture revealed examples of lead glass magatama typical of the Yayoi period. In 2003, the excavation of a large Yayoi period settlement in Tawaramoto, Nara also revealed two large jade magatama , one 4.64 centimetres (1.83 in),
8635-596: The Wa people , an ancient country of Yamatai , and its queen, Himiko . The Record indicates that when Himiko died, her relative Iyo, a girl of 13, was made queen and sent a delegation of twenty officials under Yazuku, an imperial general, to offer tribute to the Northern Wei court. "The delegation visited the capital and offered to the court five thousand white gems and two pieces of carved jade, as well as twenty pieces of brocade with variegated designs." The carved jade in
8792-453: The Yayoi period (300 BCE – 300 CE) are notably different from Jōmon-period magatama . The jewels moved from a primitive, non-standard form towards more polished and uniform form in this period. The technology to cut large gemstones and polish jewels notably advanced in the Yayoi period. Refined materials such as jadeite, serpentinite, and glass replaced the less sophisticated materials of
8949-430: The animated series , shares many elements with the Ace Attorney series. The 2013 title Socrates Jones: Pro Philosopher keeps the Ace Attorney format but swaps law for philosophical argument, and the 2015 adventure game Aviary Attorney features similar gameplay but with an all-bird cast of characters. The 2016 video game Detective Pikachu , which received a 2019 film adaptation , has also drawn comparisons to
9106-402: The clove tree and have a hole suitable to attach to a string. These first appear in the Kofun period. Also in the Kofun period, magatama appear on necklaces, with several magatama set between bored cylinders . Archeological remains show evidence of similar ankle bracelets, but they are less common. Clay haniwa funerary objects of the Kofun period commonly depict people wearing
9263-476: The god of magatama , glasses, and cameras. In the legend Amaterasu later shuts herself in a cave. Ama-no-Koyane-no-mikoto hung magatama , among other objects, on a five hundred-branch sakaki tree, to successfully lure Amaterasu from the cave. In the year 58, in the reign of the Emperor Suinin , the Nihon Shoki records that a dog killed and disemboweled a mujina ( badger ), and
9420-448: The non-player characters in the game. Often, the protagonist (that is, the player character ) is left unvoiced, even when the rest of the characters are fully voiced. This choice is meant to aid the player in identifying with the protagonist and to avoid having to record large amounts of dialogue, as the main character typically has the most speaking lines due to the branching nature of visual novels. Non-linear branching storylines are
9577-425: The "logic" system to connect two such thoughts to gain access to new information. At some points, the player can create hologram reproductions of the crime scene, through which they can discover new information that would otherwise be hidden. Prosecutor's Gambit introduces "Mind Chess", where the player interrogates witnesses in a timed sequence that is visualized as a game of chess, with the player aiming to destroy
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#17327728692739734-617: The 16th installment, Hidden Star in Four Seasons , has her ears designed in the shape of magatama. In Blue Eye Samurai , the main character Mizu wore a blue magatama on her katana. In Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir , the Kwagatama charms named after the magatama serve as a symbol of a bond between the kwami and their holder. In Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne , magatamas appear in
9891-509: The 55th-best video game of all time. In 2016, Famitsu readers voted the original Gyakuten Saiban as the second-most memorable Game Boy Advance title (behind only Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire ) and Gyakuten Saiban 123 as the tenth-best Nintendo 3DS game. In 2017, Famitsu readers voted Gyakuten Saiban the third-best adventure game of all time, behind only Steins;Gate and 428: Shibuya Scramble . The Ace Attorney series has been credited with helping to popularise visual novels in
10048-650: The Amataki site, Ninohe , Iwate Prefecture , Osagata site, Ibaraki Prefecture , and the Kou site , Fujiidera , Osaka Prefecture . Numerous magatama at the Ōishi site, Bungo-ōno , Ōita Prefecture , Kyushu show signs of being used for ceremonial, rather than decorative, purposes. The Sannai-Maruyama Site , excavated 1992 in Aomori , Aomori Prefecture , yielded three large jade beads measuring 5.5 by 6.5 centimetres (2.2 in × 2.6 in). Magatama in
10205-562: The Condominium Wife ), which was an early adventure game with colour graphics, owing to the eight-color palette of the NEC PC-8001 computer. It became a hit, helping Koei become a major software company. Other now-famous companies such as Enix , Square and Nihon Falcom also produced similar erotic games in the early 1980s before they became famous for their role-playing video games . While some early erotic games integrate
10362-596: The Inland Sea, wood, and bronze. In this period the use of the mirror , sword , and jewels as status symbols for village, and later regional leaders of all kinds, emerged in the Yayoi period, and point to the origin of the mirror, sword, and magatama as the Imperial Regalia of Japan . The Records of the Three Kingdoms , the earliest historical document with a reference to Japan, describes
10519-409: The Jōmon period were irregularly shaped, lacked continuity in form from region to region, and have been called " Stone Age magatama " for this reason. Magatama are thought to be an imitation of the teeth of large animals, pierced with a hole, which are found in earlier Jōmon remains. These resemble magatama , but more recent scholarship indicates that these early Jōmon may have simply had
10676-424: The Jōmon period. Yayoi period magatama are noted for their reverse C-shaped form, which by the end of the period had become an almost squared shape. From the Yayoi period onwards, magatama uniformly feature a bored hole that allowed the jewels to be held on a string. The Yayoi period is marked by specific geographic centers specializing in magatama and the widespread trade of magatama . The period
10833-585: The Kingdom , the Amber Relics, Dusk Relics, and Secret Stones are all based on the magatama. In the Ace Attorney series, a magatama is frequently cited as the source of an ability that lets its wearer determine people's true intentions. In Unconnected Marketeers , the 18th installment of Touhou Project , the character Misumaru Tamatsukuri is able to craft magatama. Aunn Komano, introduced in
10990-483: The PC-8801 and FM Towns computers in 1990; it featured a branching narrative, multiple endings, and audio CD music. A common feature used in visual novels is having multiple protagonists giving different perspectives on the story. EVE Burst Error (1995), developed by Hiroyuki Kanno and C's Ware, introduced a unique twist to the system by allowing the player to switch between both protagonists at any time during
11147-418: The West since the release of a Nintendo DS port in 2005. The series currently consists of six main series games and five spin-offs. The Ace Attorney games are visual novel adventure games in which the player controls defense attorneys and defends their clients in several different episodes. The gameplay is split into two types of sections, investigations and courtroom trials. During the investigations,
11304-752: The Western world. Vice magazine credits the Ace Attorney series with popularizing the visual novel mystery format and noted that its success anticipated the resurgence of point-and-click adventure games as well as the international success of Japanese visual novels. According to Danganronpa director Kazutaka Kodaka , Ace Attorney ' s success in North America was due to how it distinguished itself from most visual novels with its gameplay mechanics, which Danganronpa later built upon and helped it also find success in North America. The Ace Attorney series has also inspired many video games. The 2008 Capcom title Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law , based on
11461-833: The Yamato Plain, 238 millimetres (9.4 in) in length, was plundered long before its excavation, but revealed 600 talc ceremonial magatama among other funerary objects, which also included 10 bronze Han Chinese mirrors. The Hiraide remains of Shiojiri, Nagano , one of the three largest prehistoric sites in Japan, and far from any regional power center, includes typical Kofun period remains, but also objects associated with modern Shinto ceremonial practice. Nevertheless, kofun in Hiraide reveal both plain and elaborate magatama among other funerary objects. The Sakurai Kofun in Sakurai, Nara , excavated in 1949, represents
11618-638: The all-ages market in recent years, with titles such as Steins;Gate and Higurashi no Naku Koro ni respectively. In addition to official commercial translations, a vibrant fan translation scene exists, which has translated many free visual novels (such as Narcissu and True Remembrance ) and a few commercial works (such as Umineko no Naku Koro ni and Policenauts ) into English. Fan translations of Japanese visual novels into languages other than English such as Chinese, French, German, and Russian are commonplace as well. English translations of Japanese visual novels on video game consoles were rare until
11775-477: The art and gameplay. In 2020, Yamazaki left Capcom. The games developed for the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS were created using 2D sprites , initially due to the limitations of the hardware. The developers had discussed switching to 3D models ahead of the development of Apollo Justice , but it was not until the Professor Layton crossover, which used 3D to a limited extent, that they realized
11932-422: The biggest challenge with that was to make the gameplay and story work together. The goal was to make the player feel like they have driven the story forward themselves, with their own choices, even though the game is linear. He did not spend much time writing a backstory for Phoenix before writing the first game's story; instead he made up dialogue and developed Phoenix's personality as he went along. He came up with
12089-428: The cases entertaining, but also that it "resonates on a deeper level" due to its connection to the real Japanese legal system , making the setting still feel relevant in 2014. Bob Mackey at USgamer said that the Ace Attorney games were among the best written games of all time, and that the series' strength is how each game builds up to a "stunning and satisfying finale". Thomas Whitehead at Nintendo Life also liked
12246-665: The central shrine of the Three Palace Sanctuaries at the Tokyo Imperial Palace , and is used in the enthronement ceremony of the Emperor of Japan . Daniel Clarence Holtom stated in 1928 in Japanese enthronement ceremonies; with an account of the imperial regalia that the Yasakani no Magatama is the only one of the three regalia that is used in its original form for ceremonies, preferring
12403-490: The characters, story, and the finding of contradictions; it has also performed well commercially, with Capcom regarding it as one of their strongest intellectual properties. The series has been credited with helping to popularize visual novels in the Western world. As of June 30, 2024, the game series has sold 12 million copies worldwide. The Ace Attorney series launched in Japan with the Game Boy Advance game Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney in 2001, and has been published in
12560-484: The characters, through exploration of their personalities and evolving interrelationships through the drama of the game's storyline, and to emotionally resonate with the player; repeated playthroughs across a rich cast of characters offers a multi-layered narrative. Games from publisher Key often follow a similar formula: a comedic first half, with a heart-warming romantic middle, followed by a tragic separation, and finally (though not always) an emotional reunion. This formula
12717-484: The content might still not be appropriate for children, and three have never contained erotic content at all. Also, all of KID 's titles are made with general audiences in mind. However, some of these games are later re-released with the addition of erotic scenes, or have a sequel with such. For example, Little Busters! was first released as an all-ages visual novel, but a version with erotic scenes titled Little Busters! Ecstasy came out later, and though Clannad
12874-409: The different statements in the testimony, and can press the witness for more details on a statement. When the player finds an inconsistency, they can present a piece of evidence that contradicts the statement. If the player is correct, the game presents a sequence that often starts with the protagonist shouting "Objection!" and pointing at the witness along with a shift in music before they begin to grill
13031-569: The early period, but by the end of the Kofun period were made almost exclusively of jade . Magatama originally served as decorative jewelry, but by the end of the Kofun period functioned as ceremonial and religious objects. Magatama first appeared in Japan in the Final Jōmon period (1000–300 BCE), and in this period were made from relatively simple, naturally occurring materials, including clay , talc , slate , quartz , gneiss , jadeite , nephrite , and serpentinite . Magatama from
13188-477: The editor Steve Anderson. While the Japanese version takes place in Japan, the localized version is set in the United States; because one of the episodes involves time zones, it had to be specified where the game takes place and the United States was selected without thinking a lot about it. The Japanese justice system of the original still remained intact in the localization, as changing it would have altered
13345-401: The end of the period. Large magatama made of talc , imitations of smaller ones made of more precious materials, were used as grave goods . Magatama are found in kofun tumuli across Japan from the period. Their use went from merely decorative to sacred and ceremonial grave goods. Chōjigashira magatama ( 丁字頭勾玉 ) are magatama with inscriptions that look like flowers of
13502-523: The entire game structure. The change in the series' setting became important in later games and the Japanese setting is more obvious. Beginning with the second game, the series localization direction has been handled by Janet Hsu; One of their first decisions was how to localize Maya's hometown and the mysticism of the Fey clan. The localized versions of the Ace Attorney games happen in Los Angeles in an alternative universe where anti-Japanese laws like
13659-411: The erotic content into a thoughtful and nuanced storylines, others often used it as a simplistic vehicle for fetishism, pleasure, an aid of the lightheaded themes that encourage stress relief or to portray nuances of sexuality. The Japanese game Pai Touch! involves the protagonist gaining the ability to change the size of girls' breasts, and the adventures that ensue in trying to choose which girl to use
13816-408: The first game was inspired by quite a bit of fanwork which features same-sex pairings , developers in turn took inspiration from Yaoi (boys' love) in writing the sequels' characters. Visual novel A visual novel ( VN ) is a form of digital interactive fiction . Visual novels are often associated with the medium of video games , but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine
13973-456: The focus in visual novels, including Spanish, French, Russian and Mandarin, which have seen increased success due to the popularity of the genre. Sales data for visual novels is frequently unavailable; the sales listed below can be significantly outdated as some of the sources are over a decade old, and series qualified for an entry could be missing. These lists should be referenced carefully. Free visual novels do not appear in these lists due to
14130-448: The form of parasitic, insect-like creatures that grant their human hosts special, demonic powers. In Ghostwire: Tokyo , magatamas are made of jade and are used for upgrading Akito's abilities. They can be obtained through side missions (37), and street stalls (three). In Ōkami and its sequel Ōkamiden , one of the weapon options (rosaries) are based on Amaterasu's magatama. In The Irregular at Magic High School , magatama are
14287-403: The fourth game, Takumi wrote the scenario and took on a supervisory role. He had wanted the series to end with the third game, as he felt Phoenix's character had been fully explored and that his story had been told; he said that it is important to know when to end a story, that he did not want the series to become a shadow of its former self, and that he did not see any reason to continue it. Still,
14444-512: The fourth game, the protagonist is the defense attorney Apollo Justice; in the fifth, Phoenix, Apollo and the new defense attorney Athena Cykes are all protagonists; and in the sixth, Phoenix and Apollo are the main protagonists, while Athena is playable in one case. The spin-off The Great Ace Attorney is set in England near the end of the 19th century, and follows Phoenix's ancestor Ryunosuke Naruhodo. Susato Mikotoba, Naruhodo's judicial assistant,
14601-479: The game during an episode. In early 2021, a user on Reddit created a bot which took selected Reddit forum arguments into short movies fashioned after Ace Attorney courtroom battles between the games' various characters. A similar bot was later created for the platform X (commonly known as Twitter). Later in the year, the San Francisco Chronicle noted its queer inspiration and influence:
14758-436: The game is licensed outside Japan with all art assets intact. Certain eroge titles receive re-releases which exclude explicit content in order to be sold to a younger audience, such as ports to consoles or handheld systems where sexually explicit content is not allowed, and storylines referring to aforementioned sex scenes are often omitted from adaptations into other media, unless that media is also pornographic in nature, such as
14915-435: The game), with character sprites ( 立ち絵 , tachi-e ) superimposed onto these; the perspective is usually first-person, with the protagonist remaining unseen. At certain key moments in the plot, special event CG computer graphics are displayed instead; these are more detailed images, drawn specially for that scene rather than being composed from predefined elements, which often use more cinematic camera angles and include
15072-454: The game, instead of finishing one protagonist's scenario before playing the other. EVE Burst Error often requires the player to have both protagonists co-operate with each other at various points during the game, with choices in one scenario affecting the other. An important milestone in the history of visual novels was YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World (1996), which
15229-402: The games' small amounts of animations for each character are used well for their characterization. The Takarazuka Revue , an all-female theater troupe, has adapted the series into stage musicals: 2009's Ace Attorney: The Truth Reborn , which is based on the last episode of the first game; 2010's Ace Attorney 2: The Truth Reborn, Again... , whose first act is an original story, and whose second
15386-521: The health bar reaches zero, the player loses the game and their client is found guilty. Several Ace Attorney games introduce new gameplay mechanics to the series. Justice for All introduces "psyche-locks", which are shown over a witness when the player asks them about a topic they do not want to discuss; using a magatama , the player can start breaking the psyche-locks by showing the witness evidence or character profiles that proves they are hiding something. The number of psyche-locks depends on how deep
15543-810: The high social status of the settlement. Other sites associated with the Kamegaoka settlement have yielded magatama , including the Ōboriya shell mound , in the northwest corner of Ōfunato Bay , which yielded a huge number of beads, as well as the Korekawa site , near Hachinohe , Aomori Prefecture . Remains from the Korekawa site can be seen at the Korekawa Archaeological Museum in Hachinohe. Stone and clay magatama and magatama -like beads have also been discovered at
15700-531: The history and production of magatama . Magatama became very common in the Kofun period (250–536 CE), and by the end of the period almost all kofun tumuli contained magatama . In the early Kofun period, magatama were made from jadeite as in earlier periods, but by the middle of the period were made from jasper , and by the end of the period, almost exclusively of agate and jade . Magatama capped by silver or gold also appear towards
15857-558: The latter's creative director cited visual novels such as Danganronpa (2010) as an influence. Additionally, there have been some visual novels developed mainly in English, and intended for an English-speaking audience; one of the earliest commercially-available examples on a mainstream platform is 2004's Sprung , and in more recent times, the availability of the genre has increased, with notable examples being Doki Doki Literature Club! and VA-11 HALL-A . Other languages have been
16014-417: The main protagonist does not advance towards the flow of the story. Kinetic novels are visual novels with non-branching plots, similar to a conventional novel or a graphic novel in multimedia form. Examples of kinetic novels include Higurashi When They Cry , Muv-Luv Alternative , and Digital: A Love Story . The term was first used by the publisher Key for their title Planetarian: The Reverie of
16171-578: The market thrived with the excitement and the risks that were being taken, and became a hotbed of creativity". The branching timeline system was influential, opening "the door for visual novels to become more elaborate and have a greater range of narrative arcs, without requiring the player to replay the game over and over again". According to Nintendo Life , "the modern visual novel genre would simply not exist without" YU-NO . Branching timeline systems similar to YU-NO also later appeared in role-playing video games such as Radiant Historia (2010) and
16328-612: The mechanic in these cases typically consists of intermittent multiple-choice decision points, where the player selects a direction in which to take the game. For example, in a dating simulator -themed visual novel, the player is prompted to pick different characters to date which, in turn, leads to a different ending. This style of gameplay is similar to story-driven interactive fiction , or the shorter and less detailed real-life gamebook books. Some visual novels do not limit themselves into merely interactive fictions, but also incorporate other elements into them. An example of this approach
16485-515: The more popular games have occasionally been ported from PC (or a hardware equivalent) to systems such as the Sega Saturn , Dreamcast , PlayStation Portable , or Xbox 360 . The more famous visual novels are also often adapted into light novels , manga , or anime , and are sometimes succeeded or complemented by video games such as role-playing games or action games set in the same universe. The market for visual novels outside of East Asia
16642-404: The names had to be altered heavily compared to the Japanese versions. Smith and Anderson had a lot of freedom when localizing the names of minor characters in the first game, but discussed the names of the main cast with Capcom. Phoenix's English surname, "Wright", was chosen as his Japanese name, "Naruhodō"—meaning "I see" or "I understand"—is frequently used as a joke in the script. Dual Destinies
16799-399: The narrative style of literature , visual novels have evolved a style somewhat different from print novels. In general, visual novels are more likely to be narrated in the first person than the third, and typically present events from the point of view of only one character. In the typical visual novel, the graphics comprise a set of generic backgrounds (normally just one for each location in
16956-484: The necklaces and ankle bracelets. Examples of stone magatama from the Kofun period are especially numerous. An excavation of the Kamegaoka Kofun , Kishiwada, Osaka , revealed a local who had been buried with a jade, jasper, and alabaster magatama necklace, as well as magatama placed near the feet. A bronze mirror imported from China accompanying the burial was dated to 239 CE. The kofun
17113-406: The other character's chess pieces. To do this, they need to build up their advantage in the discussion by alternating between speaking and listening, and then choose to go on the offensive. The protagonist of the first three games is the defense attorney Phoenix Wright , who is assisted by the spirit medium Maya Fey ; in the third game, Phoenix's mentor Mia Fey is also a playable character. In
17270-422: The partner character Maya because he thought it would be more fun for players to have another character with them, giving them advice, than investigating on their own. After the first game's development was finished, Mikami told Takumi that they should make an Ace Attorney trilogy, with a grand finale in the third game's last case. Takumi had originally planned to let Edgeworth be the prosecutor in all episodes in
17427-439: The player character would say them. Such titles revolving around relationship-building, including visual novels as well as dating simulations , such as Tokimeki Memorial , and some role-playing video games , such as Persona , often give choices that have a different number of associated "mood points" that influence a player character's relationship, and future conversations, with a non-player character. These games often feature
17584-467: The player notices a contradictory emotional response during testimony, they can point out the discrepancy and press the witness for more information. Dual Destinies also introduces "revisualization", where the player reviews vital facts and forms links between evidence to reach new conclusions. Spirit of Justice introduces "divination séances ", in which the player is shown the memories of victims moments before their deaths, and must find contradictions in
17741-446: The player searches the environments, gathers information and evidence, and talks to characters such as their client, witnesses, and the police. After enough evidence has been collected, the game moves on to a courtroom trial. In the courtroom trials, the player aims to have their client declared "not guilty". They cross-examine witnesses, aiming to find lies and inconsistencies in the testimonies. They are able to go back and forth between
17898-461: The power on the most. Another subgenre is called "nukige" ( 抜きゲー ) , in which sexual gratification of the player is the main focus of the game. In 1986, Square released the science fiction adventure game Suishō no Dragon for the NES console . The game featured several innovations, including the use of animation in many of the scenes rather than still images, and an interface resembling that of
18055-411: The prosecutors in the series often directly oversee investigations, issuing orders to the police. Japanese attitudes towards the police force are reflected in the series, with the police being represented by incompetent characters such as Dick Gumshoe, Maggey Byrde, and Mike Meekins. In the world of Ace Attorney , trials only last three days, and usually end with a "guilty" verdict, with trials taken up by
18212-498: The protagonist. These event CGs can usually be viewed at any time once they have been "unlocked" by finding them in-game; this provides a motivation to replay the game and try making different decisions, as it is normally impossible to view all special events on a single play-through. Up until the 1990s, the majority of visual novels utilized pixel art . This was particularly common on the NEC PC-9801 format, which showcased what
18369-438: The protagonists of the games being rare exceptions. The outcomes of cases are decided by a judge, based on evidence provided by the defense attorney and the prosecutor. In the original Japanese, the series takes place in Japan, while in the English localization, it takes place in an alternative version of Los Angeles in which Japanese culture is far more prevalent due to a lack of historic anti-Japanese policy. In other versions,
18526-509: The reader is the H-scenes (sex scenes) will have a stronger emotional impact for the two (or possibly more) characters. Some of Japan's earliest adventure games were erotic bishōjo games developed by Koei . In 1982, they released Night Life , the first commercial erotic computer game . It was a graphic adventure , with sexually explicit images. That same year, they released another erotic title, Danchi Tsuma no Yūwaku ( Seduction of
18683-676: The release of the Nintendo DS , though some games with visual novel elements had been published in the Western world before then, such as Hideo Kojima 's Snatcher . Following the success of mystery titles for the Nintendo DS such as Capcom 's Ace Attorney series (which began on the Game Boy Advance in 2001), Cing's Hotel Dusk series (beginning in 2006), and Level-5 's Professor Layton series (beginning in 2007), Japanese visual novels have been published in other countries more frequently. The success of these games has sparked
18840-452: The same length restrictions as a physical book. For example, the total word count of the English fan translation of Fate/stay night , taking all the branching paths into account, exceeds that of The Lord of the Rings by almost 80%. This significant increase in length allows visual novels to tell stories as long and complex as those often found in traditional novels, while still maintaining
18997-527: The second 3.63 centimetres (1.43 in) in length. The larger Tawaramoto magatama is the 10th-largest example found to date in Japan. Both jade magatama from the site are of unusually high-quality brilliant green jade. One known center of Yayoi magatama production was in the area of the Tamatsukuri Inari Shrine in Osaka . Tamatsukuri literally means "jewel making", and
19154-430: The second game, but during the production the development team learned of the character's popularity which led to Takumi feeling that he had to use the character more carefully and sparingly; he created the new prosecutor character Franziska von Karma, to save Edgeworth for the game's last case and avoid a situation where he—a supposed prodigy—loses every case. Takumi wanted the three first Ace Attorney games to be parts of
19311-450: The secret is; when all locks are broken, the topic becomes available, giving the player access to new information. Apollo Justice introduces the "perceive" system, where the player looks for motions or actions made by witnesses that show nervousness, similar to a tell in poker . Dual Destinies introduces the "mood matrix", through which the player can gauge the emotions of a witness, such as tones of anger when mentioning certain topics; if
19468-422: The series added several variations, including an action gauge that can be raised up or down depending on the situation, and a gauge that the player can manipulate using the analog stick depending on the situation. The success of Sakura Wars led to a wave of games that combine role-playing and visual novel elements, including Thousand Arms , Riviera: The Promised Land , and Luminous Arc . Despite using
19625-418: The series being developed by other Capcom staff, comparing it to a parent sending their child to their first day in school. Yamazaki and Eshiro directed and produced the main series entries Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice . Due to being exhausted after working on Dual Destinies , Yamazaki split direction responsibilities with Takuro Fuse for Spirit of Justice; Yamazaki worked on the scenario and Fuse on
19782-401: The series had sold over 5 million units. In the United States, the first game became surprisingly successful, forcing Capcom to prepare at least three additional runs to meet the demand. By June 2018, the series had sold over 6.7 million units. As of June 30, 2024, the game series has sold 12 million copies worldwide. Geoff Thew at Hardcore Gamer said that the "craziness" of the game world makes
19939-470: The series has been adapted in the form of a live-action film and an anime ; it is the base for manga series, drama CDs , musicals and stage plays . The player takes the roles of various defense attorneys, including Phoenix Wright , his mentor Mia Fey , as well as his understudies Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes who investigate cases and defend their clients in court. They find the truth by cross-examining witnesses and finding inconsistencies between
20096-531: The setting depends on region, with Asian languages such as Chinese and Korean following the Japanese version and European languages such as German and Spanish following the English version. The only official exception is the French version, which takes place in Paris . The series was created by Shu Takumi , who wrote and directed the first three games. The first game was conceived in 2000 when Takumi's boss at
20253-567: The sixth, Barok van Zieks in Adventures , and Kazuma Asogi in Resolve . Most of the prosecutor characters are portrayed as powerful and arrogant characters of high social status and who care about keeping perfect-win records in court, and even may favor convictions over finding the truth, although most have secret motivations and sympathetic backstories and typically help the protagonist at the game's climax. Similarly to real Japanese prosecutors,
20410-615: The spin-off series Ace Attorney Investigations , the player takes the role of prosecutor Miles Edgeworth and in the prequel series, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles , they play Phoenix's ancestor Ryunosuke Naruhodo . The series was created by the writer and director Shu Takumi . He wanted the series to end after the third game, but it continued with Takeshi Yamazaki taking over as writer and director starting with Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth (2009). Takumi has since returned to write and direct some spin-off titles. The series has been well received, with reviewers liking
20567-435: The spin-off series Ace Attorney Investigations was created, directed by Takeshi Yamazaki, and produced by Motohide Eshiro; Takumi returned to the series to write the crossover Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney . He also directed and wrote the spinoff series The Great Ace Attorney , the first of which was described as being the first entry in a new Ace Attorney series. He said that he has mixed feelings about
20724-399: The testimonies and the evidence they have collected. The cases last a maximum of three days; the judge determines the outcome based on evidence presented by the defense attorney and the prosecutor. While the original Japanese versions of the games are set in Japan, the series' localizations are set in the United States (primarily Los Angeles ) though retaining Japanese cultural elements. In
20881-686: The time they have used a Reflector stone. The game also implemented an original system called Automatic Diverge Mapping System (ADMS), which displays a screen that the player can check at any time to see the direction in which they are heading along the branching plot lines. YU-NO revolutionized the visual novel industry, particularly with its ADMS system. Audiences soon began demanding large-scope plotlines and musical scores of similar quality and ambition to that of YU-NO , and that responded by hiring talent. According to Gamasutra : "The genre became an all-new arena for young artists and musicians once again, with companies willing to take chances on fresh blood;
21038-403: The time, Shinji Mikami , gave him six months to create any type of game he wanted to; Takumi had originally joined Capcom wanting to make mystery and adventure games, and felt that this was a big chance for him to make a mark as a creator. The game was designed to be simple, as Takumi wanted it to be easy enough for even his mother to play. Originally it was going to be a detective game and Phoenix
21195-475: The title after showing his work on the Dragon Quest role-playing video games to a girl he was dating. On finding she did not enjoy them, he was encouraged to make a video game that he described as "for people who haven't played games before." Influenced by the early survival horror game Sweet Home , he developed it into a horror-themed interactive story. Chunsoft's next release, Kamaitachi no Yoru ,
21352-410: The truth". The Ace Attorney Investigations spin-off series splits the gameplay into investigation phases and rebuttal phases, the latter of which is similar to the courtroom trials of the main series. During the investigation phases, the player searches for evidence and talks to witnesses and suspects. Things which the player character notice in the environment are saved as thoughts; the player can use
21509-426: The unreliability of download numbers and for consistency with other best-selling lists. Magatama Magatama ( 勾玉 , less frequently 曲玉 ) are curved, comma -shaped beads that appeared in prehistoric Japan from the Final Jōmon period through the Kofun period , approximately 1000 BCE to the 6th century CE. The beads, also described as "jewels", were made of primitive stone and earthen materials in
21666-558: The use of replicas for the sword and mirror due to its delicate fragility. Replicas of the sword and mirror were made as early as the 9th century, and the originals were entrusted to other shrines. D. C. Holtom stated that noro priestesses ( Okinawan : nūru ) of the Ryukyu Kingdom wore magatama necklaces early in the 20th century for ceremonial purposes, but provides no other details. In The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of
21823-410: The usual "black and white choice systems" (referring to video games such as Mass Effect , Fallout 3 and BioShock ) where you "pick a side and stick with it" while leaving "the expansive middle area between unexplored". School Days instead encourages players to explore the grey, neutral middle-ground in order to view the more interesting, "bad" endings, e. g. an ending where a character dies or
21980-982: The value of having a family. It was voted the best bishōjo game of all time in a poll held by Dengeki G's Magazine . It served as the basis for a media franchise, with successful adaptations into a light novel , manga , animated film , and acclaimed anime series . In 2008, several of Key's visual novels were voted in the Dengeki poll of the ten most tear-inducing games of all time, including Clannad at No. 2, Kanon at No. 4, Air at No. 7, and Little Busters! at No. 10. In 2011, several visual novels were also voted in Famitsu ' s poll of 20 most tear-inducing games of all time, with Clannad at No. 4, Steins;Gate at No. 6, Air at No. 7, Little Busters! at No. 10, and 428: Shibuya Scramble at No. 14. After developing The Portopia Serial Murder Case , Chunsoft released Otogiriso in 1992. Koichi Nakamura conceived
22137-505: The victim's five senses to determine what has happened. Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney introduces simultaneous cross-examinations of multiple witnesses, with the player being able to see and hear reactions from the different witnesses to the testimony and using this to find contradictions. The Great Ace Attorney introduces "joint reasoning", where the player finds out the truth by pointing out when their investigative partner Herlock Sholmes takes his reasoning "further than
22294-423: The widespread distribution of magatama across Japan. Magatama were commonly used to create necklaces and bracelets worn on the wrists or ankles. The necklace was typically constructed of jadeite magatama separated by cylindrical bored-holed pieces of jasper. Small beads of dark-blue glass are also not uncommon on the necklace. The bracelet typically also used shells from the coastal areas of Shikoku and
22451-457: The witness with the inconsistency, which has become an iconic aspect of the series. The player is penalized if they present incorrect evidence: in the first game, a number of exclamation marks are shown, with one disappearing after each mistake the player makes; in later games, a health bar that represents the judge's patience is used instead; and in 3DS games, the character's lawyer badge is used. If all exclamation marks or lawyer badges are lost, or
22608-400: The writing, praising its balance between "light-hearted nonsense" and darker, more serious scenarios. Several reviewers have appreciated the series' characters; Thew felt that Phoenix and Maya's banter is among the best in video games, and that Edgeworth's character arc is one of the most compelling parts of the stories. Reviewers have liked finding contradictions; a common complaint however,
22765-485: The year 2000, few Japanese visual novels were translated into other languages. As with the visual novel genre in general, a majority of titles released for the PC have been eroge , with Hirameki 's now-discontinued AnimePlay series a notable exception. As of 2014, JAST USA and MangaGamer are the two most prolific publishers of translated visual novels for the PC; both primarily release eroge, but have begun to diversify into
22922-577: Was "heavily hyped [and] had gamers impatient until its release. It was only one game released by Key so far, and yet [it] had already sent major shockwaves around the industry. And yet another game [ Air ], two years later, sent even more shockwaves. Air was equally hyped and well received." Key's "crying game" formula used successfully in One and Kanon was later adopted by other visual novel companies to create their own "crying games". Examples of this include: Kana: Little Sister (1999) by Digital Object,
23079-435: Was a private investigator , but at one point Takumi realized that finding and taking apart contradictions was not related to detective work; he felt that the main setting of the game should be in courtrooms. Takumi cited Japanese mystery author Edogawa Ranpo as being an inspiration, particularly The Psychological Test , a short story which involves a crime that "unravels due to the criminal's contradictory testimony." It had
23236-434: Was also a best seller and would prove to be highly influential. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni ( When They Cry ) was a 2002 horror-themed visual novel by 07th Expansion , influenced by the "crying game" subgenre. Ryukishi07 of 07th Expansion mentioned in 2004 how he was influenced by Key 's works and Tsukihime during the planning of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni . He played their games, as well as other visual novels, as
23393-451: Was developed by Hiroyuki Kanno and is ELF 's most famous visual novel. It featured non-linear storytelling, with a science fiction plot revolving around time travel and parallel universes . The player travels between parallel worlds using a Reflector device, which employs a limited number of stones to mark a certain position as a returning location, so that if the player decides to retrace their steps, they can go to an alternate universe to
23550-464: Was given a digital-only release in the West to release the English version as close to the Japanese release date as possible and maintain a tight development schedule. Its follow-up, Spirit of Justice , was released in the same manner. Both The Great Ace Attorney games were released in the West with English localization in July 2021 as part of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, while Prosecutor's Gambit
23707-527: Was influenced primarily by Hiroyuki Kanno 's YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World (1996) and Leaf's To Heart (1997), and was further developed in One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e (1998) by Tactics . After One was complete, the development team quit Tactics to form Key where they developed their first title Kanon , also based upon this formula. According to Satoshi Todome in his book, A History of Adult Games , Kanon
23864-493: Was inspired by The Portopia Serial Murder Case to enter the video game industry, and later produced his own adventure games . After completing the stealth game Metal Gear , his first graphic adventure was released by Konami the following year: Snatcher (1988), an ambitious cyberpunk detective novel, graphic adventure, that was highly regarded at the time for pushing the boundaries of video game storytelling, cinematic cut scenes , and mature content. It also featured
24021-508: Was largely similar to Snatcher , but with the addition of a point-and-click interface and some first-person shooter segments. Policenauts also introduced summary screens, which act to refresh the player's memory of the plot upon reloading a saved game (save), an element Kojima would later use in Metal Gear Solid . The PlayStation version of Policenauts could also read the memory card and give some easter egg dialogues if
24178-471: Was mocked by players as the dish later became more well known in the West, and was lampshaded in the English release of Spirit of Justice , where Maya is described as liking both ramen and burgers. Character names were localized using double meanings similarly to the Japanese names; the name puns were based on the characters' personalities or backgrounds, or were visual gags. Several English names were based on their Japanese counterparts, but for some characters
24335-691: Was not localized until its inclusion in the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection in September 2024. The Ace Attorney series has been well received by critics, and has performed well commercially: in December 2009, it was Capcom's 9th-best-selling series of all time, and in October 2010, they called it one of their "strongest intellectual properties", with more than 3.9 million units sold worldwide. By December 2013,
24492-406: Was well received in Japan for its well-told storyline and surprising twist ending , and for allowing multiple ways to achieve objectives. Shortly after, in 1988, Snatcher appeared, developed by Hideo Kojima and released for the PC-8801 and MSX2 in 1988, in which a cyberpunk detective hunts down a serial killer. Another more non-linear early example was Mirrors , released by Soft Studio Wing for
24649-773: Was written by Eisaku Saito. A 2012 live-action film adaptation of the first game, titled Ace Attorney , was produced at the film studio Toei and directed by Takashi Miike . A 2016 TV anime adaptation of the series, Ace Attorney , was produced at A-1 Pictures and directed by Ayumu Watanabe . Kodansha has published several manga based on the series: a short story anthology was published in Bessatsu Young Magazine in 2006; Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth were serialized in Weekly Young Magazine in 2007 and 2009, respectively; and another manga, which
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