Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies
As the direct follow-up to Apollo Justice's breakout title, with a name like "Dual Destinies" that highlights the two major attorneys, I thought I knew exactly what I was getting into. It didn't take long for me to realize how wrong I was. Even though the previous game served as a soft reboot for the series by introducing new features and beginning the next major story arc, it seemed like Dual Destinies was attempting the reboot route too. This is seen most obviously with the introduction of Athena Cykes, another novice defense attorney who becomes the main focus of the game's story.
I knew that Athena was going to be in this game based on all of the artwork and promotional material, but I figured she was going to be in more of a supporting role, like Maya or Trucy. It quickly became clear that she was actually a third main character alongside Phoenix and Apollo. In fact, she was so central to the story that any major advancements in the narrative from the previous game were put on hold. Instead, we essentially got a full origin story for Athena. Thankfully, it was incredibly well-executed and left me feeling a little emotional during the final chapter, leaving me just as excited about seeing more Athena in the next game as I am about Phoenix and Apollo. The strange decision to reboot the series again wasn't just realized through the story, though. It seemed like the idea with Apollo Justice was to make the game more exciting by introducing new features and getting players to be more hands-on with the investigations and trials, while the idea for this game was exactly the opposite.
Dual Destinies took many steps to streamline the formula compared to its predecessors. The advancements in evidence examination and investigative techniques from Apollo Justice were almost entirely scrubbed, with no dusting for fingerprints, no molding shoeprints, and, save for one time at the very end of the game, no 3d evidence to inspect. Even the investigation phase itself has been streamlined. Instead of allowing you to investigate at any time and at every location, you can now only check out certain places at specific times in the story. Once you've found everything necessary to advance, even if there's some flavor text left to discover, you're automatically funneled out of the investigation screen. These limitations aren't all disappointing though, as they remove a lot of the guesswork that was necessary in the previous games while fleshing out the locations you investigate. Now, replacing the static screens from previous games, you have a three-dimensional environment that you can examine from different angles and occasionally even interact with to discover new locations and evidence. I was a little disappointed to lose some of my agency when in the investigation phase, but I only had to open a guide twice for the entire game, so I think the changes were a net positive.
Beyond all of the changes it makes when compared to its predecessors, Dual Destinies also has an appropriate addition that it leans on a lot during the trial phases. Where Phoenix has a magatama that helps him unearth secrets and Apollo has a bracelet that allows him to discover lies, Athena has her AI companion, Widget, who helps her read emotions. While they weren't always my favorite moments gameplay-wise, examining someone's emotions while they testify fit right on with the Ace Attorney experience, in my opinion. I especially enjoyed all of the illustrations that would accompany testimonies when using Widget, adding a touch of vibrancy to a game that is otherwise heavily text-focused.
While I was genuinely surprised by how much Dual Destinies pulled away from its predecessor, I wasn't upset by it. It may have gone a bit too far in the streamlining, often leaving very little decision-making or discovery to me as the player, but I still think it was a step in the right direction. The obtuse or confusing sections that would kill my momentum in the previous games have been almost entirely eliminated here so that something was always happening. Aided by this improved pacing, Athena's story kept me engaged and makes me excited to see what she has in store, but I'm also hoping for another trilogy-spanning story conclusion in Spirit of Justice like we saw in Trials and Tribulations. Despite such minor imperfections, Dual Destinies only provides more reason for me to adore this series.
I knew that Athena was going to be in this game based on all of the artwork and promotional material, but I figured she was going to be in more of a supporting role, like Maya or Trucy. It quickly became clear that she was actually a third main character alongside Phoenix and Apollo. In fact, she was so central to the story that any major advancements in the narrative from the previous game were put on hold. Instead, we essentially got a full origin story for Athena. Thankfully, it was incredibly well-executed and left me feeling a little emotional during the final chapter, leaving me just as excited about seeing more Athena in the next game as I am about Phoenix and Apollo. The strange decision to reboot the series again wasn't just realized through the story, though. It seemed like the idea with Apollo Justice was to make the game more exciting by introducing new features and getting players to be more hands-on with the investigations and trials, while the idea for this game was exactly the opposite.
Dual Destinies took many steps to streamline the formula compared to its predecessors. The advancements in evidence examination and investigative techniques from Apollo Justice were almost entirely scrubbed, with no dusting for fingerprints, no molding shoeprints, and, save for one time at the very end of the game, no 3d evidence to inspect. Even the investigation phase itself has been streamlined. Instead of allowing you to investigate at any time and at every location, you can now only check out certain places at specific times in the story. Once you've found everything necessary to advance, even if there's some flavor text left to discover, you're automatically funneled out of the investigation screen. These limitations aren't all disappointing though, as they remove a lot of the guesswork that was necessary in the previous games while fleshing out the locations you investigate. Now, replacing the static screens from previous games, you have a three-dimensional environment that you can examine from different angles and occasionally even interact with to discover new locations and evidence. I was a little disappointed to lose some of my agency when in the investigation phase, but I only had to open a guide twice for the entire game, so I think the changes were a net positive.
Beyond all of the changes it makes when compared to its predecessors, Dual Destinies also has an appropriate addition that it leans on a lot during the trial phases. Where Phoenix has a magatama that helps him unearth secrets and Apollo has a bracelet that allows him to discover lies, Athena has her AI companion, Widget, who helps her read emotions. While they weren't always my favorite moments gameplay-wise, examining someone's emotions while they testify fit right on with the Ace Attorney experience, in my opinion. I especially enjoyed all of the illustrations that would accompany testimonies when using Widget, adding a touch of vibrancy to a game that is otherwise heavily text-focused.
While I was genuinely surprised by how much Dual Destinies pulled away from its predecessor, I wasn't upset by it. It may have gone a bit too far in the streamlining, often leaving very little decision-making or discovery to me as the player, but I still think it was a step in the right direction. The obtuse or confusing sections that would kill my momentum in the previous games have been almost entirely eliminated here so that something was always happening. Aided by this improved pacing, Athena's story kept me engaged and makes me excited to see what she has in store, but I'm also hoping for another trilogy-spanning story conclusion in Spirit of Justice like we saw in Trials and Tribulations. Despite such minor imperfections, Dual Destinies only provides more reason for me to adore this series.
The game is available for Steam here (as of 8/4/24): https://store.steampowered.com/app/2187220/Apollo_Justice_Ace_Attorney_Trilogy/
The game is available for Switch here (as of 8/4/24): https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/apollo-justice-ace-attorney-trilogy-switch/
The game is available for Switch here (as of 8/4/24): https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/apollo-justice-ace-attorney-trilogy-switch/
The game is available for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S here (as of 8/4/24): https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/apollo-justice-ace-attorney-trilogy/9p5l65vntwcv
The game is available for PS4 and PS5 here (as of 8/4/24): https://store.playstation.com/en-us/concept/10006390
The game is available for Android here (as of 8/4/24): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.co.capcom.gyakusai5en&hl=en_US
The game is available for iOS here (as of 8/4/24): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ace-attorney-dual-destinies/id882362024
The game is available for iOS here (as of 8/4/24): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ace-attorney-dual-destinies/id882362024
