Capcom’sAce Attorneyseries is known for its iconic characters. From Phoenix Wright’s memorable pointy hairstyle to Miles Edgeworth’s mauve suit and frilly cravat combo, the series' cast of lawyers, victims, judges, witnesses, and more have made long-lasting impressions on the series' fans. Much of this is thanks to Tatsuro Iwamoto, the art director and character designer for the series. Iwamoto now brings his legendary character design skills to another property—the new mobile fighting gameTAT Rumble.However, according to Iwamoto, designing the TAT Masters doing battle inTAT Rumblewas a very different experience from creating theAce Attorneycast.
TAT Rumbleis the tale of the Twelve Anonymous Tournament, an epic, no-rules martial arts tournament attracting participants from around the world. Players are able to use the newly invented Martial Byte technology to download and absorb the abilities of existing TAT Masters. The TAT Masters, designed by Iwamoto, include the muscular Dorgi, the fashionable Eva, the returning champion King, and more. In an interview with Game Rant, Iwamoto discussed the creative process behind makingTAT Rumble’s characters and how it was both similar and different to developingAce Attorney’s prosecutors, defense attorneys, and suspects.
Iwamoto Focused On Recognizable Silhouettes And Colors
While there are memorable character and color pairings inAce Attorney,such asPhoenix Wrightand his iconic blue jacket,TAT Rumbledoubles down on this by giving each character an associated color or two. Eva, for example, is heavily associated with purple; her entire outfit is purple, and the energy she gives off when she uses her super moves in battle also appears as a purple color. Iwamoto explained that this was a key element of character design when creatingTAT Rumble:
“Giving characters a personal color and distinct silhouettes is important, but this is something entirely different. It’s fun to fully do the things I couldn’t do inAce Attorney.”
Recognizable character silhouettes were an element that had appeared in theAce Attorneygames that Iwamoto was once again able to use to great effect inTAT Rumble.Ace Attorney’slawyer characters are known for pointing their fingers dramatically while shouting “Objection!,” a pose and image that has become closely associated with the series.
When Phoenix Wright even got to appear in a fighting game himself—in aMarvel vs. Capcomtitle no less—he was portrayed making the famous finger-pointing pose.TAT Rumble’scharacters adopt similar poses as they go into battle as part of the Twelve Anonymous Tournament.
Working With A Pixel Art Style Was Very Different For Iwamoto
One major way in whichTAT Rumblediffers fromAce Attorneyis its use of a classic pixel art style, reminiscent of earlyfighting games such as the very firstStreet Fighter.While designing characters with this pixelated style was new to Iwamoto, he did have experience creating characters designed to read clearly on a small screen. The originalAce Attorneygames were released for the GameBoy Advance, and later for the Nintendo DS (both small-screened handheld devices).
When choosing the design aesthetics forTAT Rumble,Iwamoto and the team chose the classic pixel art style not just for the feelings of nostalgia it evoked, but because it could “ensure clear expression even on small screens.” The result is a cast of compelling, instantly memorable characters who will certainly join the roster of fighting game greats. WithTAT Rumblenow available foriOS and Androidand theAce Attorney Investigations Collectionmaking its way to the West later in 2024, gamers now have even more options to experience Iwamoto’s stunning character work than ever before.
