Gyakuten Kenji 2/Gameplay

Unlike in the main series Ace Attorney games, the main focus in Gyakuten Kenji 2 is on the investigation of crimes. You must investigate crime scenes to gather evidence, confront witnesses to build up information, and use logic to uncover the truth behind each case.

Investigations

During investigations, you must navigate the location, examining objects of interest to find clues, and talking to witnesses to gather information.

Examine

Approach an object of interest and press the A button to examine it (調べる shiraberu). Usually, examining objects will open a close-up view of the object, allowing you to examine it in further detail. Use the cursor to pinpoint areas you want to look at in detail, and press the A button to examine them. This is the main method of finding evidence to add to the Organizer, or finding logic which may connect to other information known about the case.

Sometimes, you will notice that something regarding an object or scene will contradict some part of the evidence you hold in your Organizer. When this happens, highlight the offending area with the cursor, and press the X button to deduce (推理 suiri) the contradiction. You must then present evidence that displays the contradiction (note that presenting the wrong evidence, or attempting to deduce contradictions based on the wrong object, will result in a penalty to your health bar).

Certain objects are examined in 3D space, instead of the standard flat 2D view. In the 3D viewer, use the D-Pad while holding the R button to rotate the object, and use the X button and the Y button to zoom in and out, respectively. Move the cursor with the D-Pad, and examine various parts of the object with the A button. The 3D viewer is usually used with items like weapons and containers.

Talk

Approach other characters and press the A button to talk to them (話す hanasu), or press the Y button to talk to your current partner. Talking to other characters will produce a choice of topics to discuss. Talk to as many people as you can, in order to obtain as many details as possible about the case. As your investigation in a given area progresses, new topics for discussion may become available. Topics that have been fully discussed will have a red tick mark beside them. You can also present evidence to people in order to hear their thoughts on it - this is sometimes necessary to advance the investigation. Unlike during rebuttals, there is no penalty for presenting irrelevant evidence here, so present as many things as you want to people.

Logic

During investigations, you will often uncover information which connects to other information known about the case. This information is known as Logic (ロジック Rojikku), and finding the connections between individual pieces of logic is vital to finding the truth behind each case. Press the L button to open the Logic menu, select two pieces of logic that you believe are connected to each other, and press the X button to try and connect them (まとめる matomeru). Finding the connections will uncover new evidence, or produce more pieces of logic that may connect to other information you know about the case. If there is no clear connection between the chosen pieces of logic, however, you will lose a small portion of your health bar, so think carefully before trying to connect information.

Testimonies, arguments and rebuttals

Testimonies, arguments, and rebuttals function much like testimonies and cross-examinations in standard Ace Attorney games. Press witnesses on dubious or unclear information, and present evidence whenever a testimony contradicts the evidence you hold in your Organizer.

Press

Press the L button to press (ゆさぶる yusaburu) a statement which you want more information on. Often, you must press certain statements in order to uncover new information that is required to proceed, and sometimes to make witnesses provide additional statements to supplement their original testimonies. There are generally no risks in pressing statements, so feel free to press as often as you feel is needed.

Sometimes, pressing statements will produce a multiple-choice question, which you must answer correctly in order to reveal the necessary information. More often than not, choosing the incorrect response will result in a penalty to your health meter, so think carefully before responding.

Present

Whenever you find that the information in a witness' testimony contradicts the facts, press the R button to open the Organiser, select the contradictory piece of evidence, and press the X button to present it (つきつける tsukitsukeru). Point out the contradictions in your witness' reasoning to advance your case and come closer to uncovering the truth. Presenting the wrong evidence, or presenting evidence on the wrong statement, will result in a penalty to your health meter. Occasionally, you will be required to present further pieces of evidence to back up claims made by presenting other evidence. Again, choose carefully, as presenting wrong evidence will result in losing a portion of your health meter.

Logic Chess

Logic Chess (ロジックチェス) is a new form of interrogating un-cooperative witnesses, based on the visual metaphor of a chess game. There are two Logic Chess sections in each chapter, and completing them is required to obtain new information relevant to the investigation.

During a Logic Chess section, you will usually be presented with a choice of questions about a topic pertaining to the current investigation. Evaluate whatever you already know about the topic at hand, and choose the correct question to proceed. Your "opponent" will then respond to your question. Based on their response, you can either press ahead with your attack (represented by playing one of your chess pieces), or choose to wait and see if they will respond further (まだ様子を見る mada yosu o miru). In general, when your opponent is being aggressive or un-cooperative, you should wait for them to cool off, and if they show an opening or weak point, jump on it and attack. Playing the correct moves will either defeat one of the opponent's pieces, thus weakening their resistance to your questioning, or unlock valuable clues, which will enable you to further your attack from a different angle. Defeat all of your opponent's chess pieces to "win", and convince them to tell you whatever information you need to know.

In Logic Chess, instead of the health bar, you will have a time limit, within which you must respond. Choosing to attack an aggressive opponent, or failing to strike at an opening, will result in a penalty to your time limit. If the time limit runs out, you will lose a small portion of your health bar, and must begin the Logic Chess section again. Defeat one of your opponent's chess pieces to refill the time limit.

Often, at the end of a given line of questioning, you will obtain clues that will be required to proceed with different topics. Whenever a clue must be used, Edgeworth will tell you. The "clue" answer will be marked by red writing and a higher-ranked chess piece (such as a knight or bishop), and is always the correct answer whenever it is available.

Organizer

The Organizer (捜査手帳 sōsa techō) contains information on all the evidence you've collected, and people you've met, while investigating a case. You can browse this information as often as you like - it's especially important to keep track of your evidence while listening to a witness' testimony or argument. Browse the stored information with the D-Pad, and press the A button to open a description of the selected object or person. When viewing certain pieces of evidence, you can also press the A button to examine them in closer detail - this includes looking at objects in the 3D viewer, or reading the contents of case files or notes.

Saving

You can press the Start button at any point during the game to save. You can also save at the end of a chapter or sub-chapter. When loading the game, you can start from your save point (中断したところから chūdan shita tokoro kara), or the beginning of the chapter (この章のはじめから kono shō no hajime kara).