After five long
years, the dark age of no Phoenix Wright games comes to an end.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney- Dual Destinies is a game
rather similar to those before it. However, the great part about it is that
despite the similarities, the game manages to still feel fresh, and the changes
to it are all for the better. The game follows a similar style to the past Ace
Attorney games: you play as a defense lawyer, go to trial to defend your
client, investigate crime scenes and talk to people related to the crime, and
eventually the case you’re in culminates into you finding the real culprit and
proving your client innocent. While the game may sound rather simple or
potentially not even that interesting, this is definitely not the case for Dual
Destinies; the adventure game bits have turned from pixel hunts into being much
more manageable to find the evidence you need, the dialogue is sharp, witty,
and even enough to make you laugh out loud every so often, and the logic and
deduction of the courtroom cases is definitely enough to keep one entertained.
The music too, is absolutely phenomenal; the character themes are all great,
and the Objection themes between the three main characters also sound great.
The switch from more MIDI-ish GBA sounds to a more realistic sounding OST
absolutely works in this game, and has some of the best tracks I’ve heard in a
Phoenix Wright game.
Unlike past Ace Attorney games, instead of just keeping to
Phoenix Wright or Apollo Justice only, throughout the course of the game, you
end up playing three different characters a number of times: Phoenix Wright,
Apollo Justice, and Ace Attorney newcomer Athena Cykes. While Phoenix Wright is
the experienced boss, and Apollo Justice considered more experience now than
compared to his debut game, Athena Cykes is new to the lawyering world, and
like her companions, she too has a special ability that is frequently used to
help seize the truth: analytical psychology. Paired with her tiny gadget necklace
Widget, Athena is able to hear the voices of people’s hearts and discern
through emotions to help the pursuit of the truth. The main characters all get
their time to shine throughout the game, and plenty of characters, from
characters already introduced like Trucy Wright, to completely new characters;
also get their moments in the spotlight as well. And just about every character
is great and memorable in their own ways. Each has their quirks, each has their
ticks, each has those little bits of personality that really make them shine,
attributed to some great writing as well.
The game’s transition from 2D sprites to 3D models worked
surprisingly well. While a lot of games in recent times haven’t had a great
transition from 2D to 3D; Capcom really knocked it out of the park with giving
the 3D models the sheer character and quirk in their actions and the game
overall looks great graphically. Although I, and I’m sure plenty of others, will
miss the way that the sprites looked, Capcom already shows that they know what
they’re doing with 3D models, and even show a fun use of the 3DS’s 3D effects
in the trial sequences, such as Phoenix pointing to the camera with his finger
after an Objection. It’s a small touch that, like every other use of 3D thus
far, doesn’t affect gameplay, but it’s still such a nice addition to have after
the first four games.
The game has five cases, with a sixth one coming along the
way via DLC, and while, by the end of the game it feels like it’s been a long
time (I ended up clocking in around 27 hours by the time I finished the game)
the game doesn’t feel that long in the slightest. As noted, the pacing is very
well done for each case, even the amount of time to complete each case feels
right as you finish it up. One of the most egregious errors that Dual Destinies
has is a bit of a messy translation job. While the localization is great, there
are many, many spelling mistakes that are really bothersome. In reality, they
aren’t too bad, but a bit of a pet peeve of mine, as well as showing a bit of a
lack of care and a potential rush job in the localization.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies is a really
similar take on past Ace Attorney games, but also a really fresh take on it. It
does a lot right with the games, and is, overall, an incredibly enjoyable game,
and without a doubt not only one of my favorite 3DS games I’ve played this
year, but one of the best 3DS games I’ve played this year, and overall, one of
the best games I’ve played this year as well.
4/5
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