Hosted by Samallama and DeathByAutoscroll

Art by Samallama (credit to BMatSantos for the base bubble font).
THE REINCARNATED DUO IS BACK BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ace Attorney is a game franchise we all know and love (or love to hate…), but what if it was… different?
As some of our fellow Ace Attorney nerds may know; the creator Shu Takumi originally wanted to make a mystery game where you play as a private investigator, so in an alternate reality, our beloved Ace Attorney could’ve been Doyen Detective instead!
Or maybe we’re being a little silly… Perhaps in this alternate reality, Ace Attorney is still a thing, but Shu Takumi made Edgeworth a grumpy old guy, and gave Phoenix green hair instead

Task:
Of course, you guys can come up with more original ideas, but the point is that we want you to explore the idea of AA being made in a different reality to our own.
With this theme, you could go absolutely batsh*t and have an entirely different cast of characters! Perhaps the protagonist isn’t even a professional, maybe they’re a vigilante who wants to take the law into their own hands… it’s up to you, really

But as this is an alternate reality, if you decide to use canon characters you must change either their personality or their profession/role in the story. This can be as extreme or as subtle as you want, but when playing the entries we don’t want to think “This is just a portrayal of canon Klavier!”(Which honestly has room for improvement anyways…) We want to encourage you to write your own characters with their own stories, but if you’re not confident in making an entirely new OC, you can base them on existing characters.
Of course, you can change the canon characters' names and professions, and make edits to their sprites (or not if you don’t want to), but their personality/role in the story must also be different in some way, whilst still being recognisable. Convince us that this is the same canon character… but from a different reality!! (A good example of this is Detective Gumshoe from “Apollo Justice: Appeal to Truth” by MasqueradeDemure

We will make an exception for unchanged canon characters, if it is appropriate for your case and in a situation where it would feel unnecessary to change them. It is possible that even in an alternate reality, some characters would be the exact same, after all (Especially if that character isn't originally from that reality....). But do not abuse this! We will still expect most of the characters in your entry to be non-canon.
Now, those of you who tend to focus on making OC stories may be thinking that this theme will be a walk in the park, but oh no no no! Considering that even in different realities, some things stay the same, we’re actually making it a rule that you must use at least one altered canon character in your entry (following the same criteria that was stated before).
So, in this different reality, there are different characters, but Ace Attorney isn’t just a manga or an anime that we passively consume, it’s a video game with game mechanics that the player interacts with. Therefore, we’re not only tasking you to change the classic characters of Ace Attorney, but to also change the core gameplay! Again, this can be as much or little as you like. For example, you could keep the normal press and present gameplay, but when you press statements, the player could choose which question to ask, as one of Samallamas’ pet peeves is when Phoenix asks the DUMBEST QUESTIONS!!!! On the other end of the spectrum, if you’re feeling confident, you could make up a whole new game mechanic like Logic Chess from AAI2! :3
TL;DR We don’t want to see the adventures of Detective Dick Gumshoe, we want to see the adventures of Defence Attorney Richard Gumshoe, or Mobster Dick Gunshoe, or pretty much anything that isn’t completely canon!

If you want to run an idea past us if you're not sure, feel free to DM us on here or Discord.
Judging:
Standard rules apply for the judging of this comp (PLAGIARISM!!). *Ahem*, we’ll be reviewing based on the following criteria:
- Story: A gripping narrative will be one of the most important attributes of a successful entry. But we’re also looking for a good amount of fluff and comedy in proportion to the plot!! If you decide to go with a more AU style we’re excited to see how your story will differ from the canon games, and if you're writing a completely original thing, we look forward to seeing what you’ll come up with. THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER!!
- Characters: How well do your characters fit the theme as well as your story? Will there be romance? Friendships? Rivalries? ENEMIES TO LOVERS?!? Is your cast a diverse range of characters who are memorable in their own right? If you choose to use multiple AU versions of canon characters, their different dynamics and personalities compared to the canon games could be interesting!(Extra points if we like your characters better than their canon counterparts ehehehe) BLORB THOSE BLORBOSSSSSS!!!!!! :3
- Presentation: WE LOVE CUSTOM ASSETS! There are so many creative people in this community who have created a whole host of custom music, OCs and backgrounds that we’d love to see receive more love! Using custom assets is a great way of setting your case apart from the rest and will definitely put you in our good books. Other presentation aspects such as timing, fading, shakes, flashes, music, sound effects, and correct spelling and grammar are also really important (If you are entering solo, we recommend getting a playtester to proofread your case as if you’re like Samallama and can easily miss obvious mistakes :,3).
- Gameplay: We’re huge AA nerds, so we don’t mind the standard gameplay, but it’s always fun when people mix it up! It’s also a requirement of this case comp anyway so you don’t really have a choice…
- Theme Relevance: Does your case tick all the metaphorical boxes of the "Task" outlined above? We think we’ve set out the theme pretty clearly, however it isn’t just about following a black-and-white criteria, it’s about using it as a base to spark your creativity! Be like Rudolph and see the red amongst the black and white
Just to clear up any confusion, this theme is NOT the same as Butterfly Effect! Your case should be set in a completely alternate reality to canon AA and not just be a result of something happening differently in the canon timelines e.g. Turnabout Divergence by skyem.
Rules:
- Entries must have been created between 1st of August 2023 and November 3rd 2023 1:59AM GMT + 1 (UTC Nov 3rd 00:59). Please submit your entry and a walkthrough to both Samallama and DeathByAutoscroll before the deadline via Private Message.
- Entries must not be showcased until it is both after the deadline and they have been reviewed, but can be shown before the ceremony.
- Entries must not be edited after submission until all reviews have been published (except for fixing any game-breaking bugs).
- Entries can spoil mainline and spin-off Ace Attorney games. Just put a warning at the beginning of the case if the spoilers are major. If your case contains spoilers for games outside the AA franchise, please also include spoiler warnings for these properties.
- Entries may be an Investigation, Trial, Comedy, or Miscellaneous as long as they follow the comp rules.
- Entries must be in British English, as it’s unfortunately the only language we speak
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- Entries must not be a sequel to an existing thing unless you don’t need to have played the original to understand what’s going on.
- Entries can be made in PyWright or on Ace Attorney Online, but if you really want to make it in a different engine, let us know in advance.
- Entries may be incomplete… but no fewer than 100 frames, please…
- You must post your desire to enter the competition on THIS FORUM, as it will be easier for us to keep track of all the entrants that way.
- Entries may be a collaboration between a maximum of 3 people, and all collaborators must CLEARLY make it known that they are collaborating and entering together.
- PLAY DETECTIVE NOIR AND ERINACEIDAE GRIMINANCE!! Jk… unless?
Deadline:
Please send your entry and walkthrough to both Samallama and DeathByAutoscroll, by November 3rd at 1:59 AM GMT +1 (UTC Nov 3rd 00:59) 2023 via private message on AAO or via Discord. There will be a 24-hour grace period for any last-minute submissions.
Good luck everyone and make sure to enjoy yourselves. May the best case win! :3c
Entrants:
- DylanDog & Trybien submitted. We don't think we're ready for this, but there probably isn't a reality that exists in which we would be...
- TimeAxis submitted. Unfortunately, their funny submission message got lost in translation... and there won't be a translation patch any time soon
- eerew & applekitty & pinkcocoapowder created a rip in realities with a... DS cartridge pink found on the bus?! What the scallop...
- Madoc & Bannedfrom7 submitted their entry... but they know this is Ace Attorney Online, not Offline, right?
- Super legenda flipped dimensional realities and submitted their entry
- MasqueradeDemure & risefromtheashes finally finished cooking and presented us with a new reality to solve! Better Layton than never...
- XavierWright demanded the manager of realities to give them another chance at an entry and succeeded. Poor guy just wanted to finish their shift on time...
- CodingAnt hacked into the Takumi-Verse, sidelined AAO bugs and created a future where their entry is submitted B)
- SuperAj3 & The Fury Wraith were sabotaged by their evil, but kinda sexy parallel selves :0
- ikuzonos' entry wasn't meant for this reality...
- GuardianDreamer is first to submit, crowning her 'Queen of the Minion Universe'
- BadJoe was finally able to submit after beating GoodJoe in a fight!! :0
- skyem managed to beat the stresses of reality and submitted with 5 seconds to spare, giving us a snippet of their entry
- Ryusa heroically left the comp the same way they joined it... by breaking the 13 entrants curse. We are lucky to have you in our reality o7
- Sonnie Celanna had to return to the weird but wonderful reality she came from.
- Sleuth touched grass and decided to focus on their own reality o7
- Doechano got stuck in the void between realities. Hopefully they'll get out in time for next comp :3c
- CorruptedFlame cOMpleted their OMnipotent submission... OM time?
- SpongeSonic finally gave Samallama a reason to hold a vendetta against all three Red Truth case comp hosts. You may want to keep one eye open...
Alright losers, the ceremony is out and you can watch it here. We hope you enjoy! :3
Spoiler : Awards :Spoiler : Judge awards :Spoiler : 2nd Place :Spoiler : 1st Place :Spoiler : Ceremony Credits: :