The game carries on the courtroom style gameplay of previous installments in the Ace Attorney series, including the fully 3D environments and character models previously featured in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies. Like previous titles, the game is divided between investigation, in which players explore areas to gather evidence and testimonies, and courtroom battles, in which players must find contradictions in witness testimonies to find the truth behind a case. Similarly to director Shu Takumi's previous game, Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, the player sometimes has to cross-examine multiple witnesses at the same time.
Trials[edit]
Trials in the game feature a jury, not just one judge, which directly influences the trial. The jurors are able to interrupt the trial at any time to enter their vote of either "guilty" or "not guilty" if they feel the defendant's guilt or innocence, respectively, has been conclusively demonstrated. If every juror has entered a vote of "guilty", then the defendant is given a guilty verdict. However, the player is able to present a "summation examination" after the verdict during which they interview the jurors, attempting to change their minds. If after the closing argument the player has persuaded at least a majority (four out of six) of the jurors to withdraw their votes of guilty, the court acknowledges the misalignment of the verdict, and the trial continues. If they fail, then the verdict stays as is and the trial is adjourned.
Investigation[edit]
New to this game is the "Dance of Deduction", which takes place during investigations alongside Herlock Sholmes. In these segments, Sholmes makes quick deductions about a witness, and it is up to the player to point out contradictions in his theories. This will occasionally require the player to inspect the witness from various angles, similar to how certain bits of evidence could be examined in previous installments, in order to find hidden clues that can help lead Sholmes to the proper conclusion.
Certain investigation mechanics are also adopted from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy. Items that can be examined are identified with a highlighted cursor, and once an item has been examined, it will be marked with a check, minimizing the frustration of repeating examinations.