Tatsuro Iwamoto Talks Designing Characters For TAT Rumble, Ace Attorney

Tatsuro Iwamoto Talks Designing Characters For TAT Rumble, Ace Attorney

As a longtime fan of both Capcom and Tatsuro Iwamoto‘s iconic character designs, I was thrilled to learn that the art director behind Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth was now working on a new mobile fighting game called TAT Rumble. Having grown up playing Ace Attorney games on various handheld consoles, I was intimately familiar with Iwamoto’s ability to create instantly recognizable characters with memorable silhouettes and color schemes.


Capcom’s Ace Attorney series is famous for its distinctive characters, such as Phoenix Wright with his distinctive pointy hairstyle and Miles Edgeworth in his mauve suit and frilly cravat. The lawyers, victims, judges, witnesses, and other characters in the series have left a lasting impression on fans. A significant contribution to this comes from Tatsuro Iwamoto, the art director and character designer for the series. Now, Iwamoto is employing his renowned character design abilities to another project—the new mobile fighting game TAT Rumble. However, Iwamoto mentioned that designing the TAT Masters for TAT Rumble was a unique challenge compared to creating the Ace Attorney cast.

The thrilling saga of TAT Rumble unfolds as the Twelve Anonymous Tournament, an international martial arts competition with no rules, where contestants hailing from every corner of the globe engage. With the groundbreaking Martial Byte technology at their disposal, players can acquire and assimilate the combat skills of previous TAT Masters. The cast of characters, brainchild of Iwamoto, comprises powerhouse Dorgi with his bulging muscles, trendy Eva, and the reining champion King, among others. In an exclusive chat with Game Rant, Iwamoto shared insights on the character creation process for TAT Rumble and compared it to developing the prosecutors, defense attorneys, and suspects for Ace Attorney.

Iwamoto Focused On Recognizable Silhouettes And Colors

Tatsuro Iwamoto Talks Designing Characters For TAT Rumble, Ace Attorney

In Ace Attorney, iconic characters like Phoenix Wright with his blue jacket are distinctly remembered. TAT Rumble takes this a step further by assigning unique colors to each character. For instance, Eva is strongly linked with the color purple; her attire is entirely purple, and the hue manifests during her powerful moves in combat. While designing TAT Rumble, Iwamoto emphasized that this color association was an essential aspect of character creation.

As someone who spent countless hours immersed in the intricate world of “Ace Attorney,” I can certainly appreciate the significance of creating unique and identifiable characters with distinct colors and silhouettes. However, I must confess that there’s a thrill to exploring new creative territories beyond what was possible within that beloved series. It’s an exhilarating feeling, like a seasoned chef finally getting the chance to experiment with exotic ingredients in their kitchen after years of mastering classic recipes. The sense of discovery and freedom is truly invigorating!

In the game “TAT Rumble,” Iwamoto effectively employed the use of identifiable lawyer silhouettes, a characteristic seen in previous “Ace Attorney” games. The iconic poses of “Ace Attorney” lawyers, such as fiercely pointing fingers and shouting “Objection!”, have become synonymous with the series.

As a passionate gamer, I can’t help but feel excited when I see my favorite characters from different universes collide in a fighting game. And what could be more thrilling than seeing Phoenix Wright, the legendary lawyer from the Ace Attorney series, joining the fray? In the Marvel vs. Capcom title, they didn’t hold back – they let him showcase his iconic finger-pointing pose as he prepared to enter battle. Now, in TAT Rumble, I see characters adopting similar poses before they engage in the Twelve Anonymous Tournament. It’s a small detail, but it adds so much to the experience for fans like me.

Working With A Pixel Art Style Was Very Different For Iwamoto

Tatsuro Iwamoto Talks Designing Characters For TAT Rumble, Ace Attorney

An essential distinction between TAT Rumble and Ace Attorney lies in their visual styles. TAT Rumble employs a classic pixel art design, evoking memories of early fighting games like the original Street Fighter. For Iwamoto, creating characters using this pixelated look was a novelty. However, he had previous experience in designing characters that could be easily distinguished on compact screens. Both Ace Attorney series were initially launched on GameBoy Advance and later on Nintendo DS, handheld consoles with small displays.

In selecting the visual design for “TAT Rumble,” Iwamoto and his team opted for the timeless pixel art style. This choice wasn’t only fueled by the sense of nostalgia it brought, but also due to its ability to maintain clarity on smaller screens. The outcome is a captivating cast of characters with an instant appeal, destined to leave their mark in the annals of fighting game legends. With “TAT Rumble” now accessible on iOS and Android devices, and the “Ace Attorney Investigations Collection” slated for release in the Western market towards the end of 2024, gaming enthusiasts have been presented with an increased array of opportunities to immerse themselves in Iwamoto’s brilliant character creations.

TAT Rumble is available now on mobile devices.

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2024-07-17 12:54