It seems that Capcom is paying for their Ace Attorneys to go around the world, with the previous game set in England, Ace Attorney 6 looks like it’ll be set in China or at least have a case there. Phoenix Wright makes his return with a brand new cast of characters including a new assistant and judge. Judging by the aesthetics of of the spirit icon in the trailer, it might have some link to the Magatama: an iconic trinket that made its debut in Ace Attorney 2.
The court case returns in a very Chinese aesthetic with paper lanterns, lotus flowers and big red pillars. The lotus flower in the center of the courtroom looks to have a significant part in the proceedings. They seem to show moments of the incident visually during the court hearing.
Other features hidden within the trailer include dynamic cutscenes during the courtroom instead of a different animation altogether and a familiar lineage of ‘rookie killers’ the Payne family’s return as the prosecutor for the case.
I would believe that the entire game or at least the majority of the game is set in this Chinese aesthetic since the assets for the environment are incredibly detailed it would be expensive to just use for merely one case. That said, it’s looking great, and with the introduction of more ‘spirit’ motifs, there’s great hope that grown up Maya will make a return! Ace Attorney 6 is to be released on the Nintendo 3DS in Japan sometime in 2016.