No objections to Capcom insight? Thought not.

Coinciding with Friday's European launch of the fifth game in the series, a recent ONM Asks session saw Shu Takumi (Creative Director of the Ace Attorney series) and Motohide Eshiro (Producer of Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth) answering some questions on the popular quirky courtroom puzzle games.

It's always interesting see when initially standalone titles go on to spawn popular sequels, and Takumi was pleasantly surprised by how the story grew from its initial conception. For a puzzle series that's set in a courtroom, it's no surprise that influence was drawn from classic mystery novels.

I think a good mystery game should allow the player to feel the sensation of solving the veiled mystery little by little, with a dramatic build-up of logic and evidence.

Along with a strong narrative to serve as a backbone, the series also features an eclectic mix of characters and it was important to have them stand out from each other in order make them unforgettable. Such is the problem of losing track of characters that are introduced in mystery novels, Takumi wanted to avoid this issue with the series.

Amongst other talking points was the popular character of Mia Fey. Takumi expresses his hopes to further explore her side of the story, especially how the rookie attorney that appeared in Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations goes on to become Phoenix Wright's mentor.

In contrast to the meticulous work that goes into each of the episodes that generally take three to four months to make, the developers' approach to the evolution of the characters seems relatively relaxed and almost free-form. Careful to keep possibilities as plentiful as he can, Takumi leaves the option of Maya Fey returning firmly open. Eshiro also reveals that the return of Phoenix as a lawyer hasn't been decided yet, so don't give up hope.

From the gist of the interview, it seems likely that Capcom will be making more Ace Attorney games, and we might even get to see Dick Gumshoe in his own spin-off title. Be sure to check out the interview in its entirety over at ONM.

[source officialnintendomagazine.co.uk]