One of the many reasons I got myself a 3DS was the announcement of new Ace Attorney game for the 3DS at the Tokyo Game Show at 2012. As a fan of the series, I really hoped that game received localization since Ace Attorney Investigations 2 (aka Gyakuten Kenji 2 in Japan) did not receive localizations at all.
Fortunately, Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies (AA5) did. While the game was only released as a digital format downloaded from the 3DS eShop (which annoys me since I can't sell it), the decision by Capcom makes a bit of sense, as the Ace Attorney series, as a whole isn't that popular around the world as it is in Japan, where musicals, movies, and orchestral arrangements of the tracks can be found for this series. The decision was cost effective, since there will not be cost put into making the physical copy and the fact that the risks that comes with making a physical copy will not exist (having extra copies that no one will buy).
At first, the 30$ price tag on the game seems rather hefty to me (even though a normal 3DS game usually cost 40$ at retail), and I thought that it should be cheaper. I still bought and downloaded the game on Day 1, and after playing it, I can say that this game is indeed worth the price.
Story:
The story takes place where Apollo Justice (AA4) left off, with Phoenix now getting is lawyer badge back and being a lawyer once more. Depending on which case, you'll be playing in the perspectives of one of three characters - Phoenix, Apollo, or the newest member of the Wright Anything Agency, Athena Cykes.
The game's story is pretty amazing, with each case giving some sort of significance to the overarching main plot of the game. There are five cases total (not counting DLC), and among the five case I would say Case 2 is the weakest among the five. That being said, the case isn't bad (it does have its merits), it just pales in comparison to the rest.
Graphics:
This game looks amazing. I was a bit skeptical at first with the use of 3D models in the game compared to the sprites of previous games. My main concern at first was the way the mouth moved as it didn't seem natural looking to me (this is my first impression when I saw the trailer, at least), but when playing the game, I never seem to notice it all (they were fine).
The use of 3D models also helped make characters more lively. I felt that several characters in this game were designed such that to take advantage of the things they can do with 3D models that they can't with 2D sprites. Each character appears to have several kinds of animation, and the animation is extremely fluid (like Klavier's finger snapping, it looked really natural). The 3D models also enable them to alter the appearance of certain characters (like a pickpocket who stole and wore someone's item will be seen wearing that item, when he wasn't wearing it at all a few minutes ago), and this also gave us one of the most surprising villains in an Ace Attorney game ever.
Another cool thing in this game is the Thought Route sequence. Why is this in the graphics section? Because before and after this sequence, you'll be zoomed in and out of Phoenix/Apollo/Athena. when zoomed in, you can see that the character models were outlined such that they looked like they were from an anime/manga, showing us the kind of artstyle that the game is using, which I liked a lot.
Sound:
You can't deny that Capcom games have some of the best musics in video games ever. The Ace Attorney series is no different. Each game has it's own awesome song. This game is no different. The music is awesome as always, and certain tracks are throwbacks to songs from the previous games. Take the 'Objection' theme for example, it heavily resembles the 'Objection' theme from Trials and Tribulations.
Most of the songs have an orchestral feel to it, and they sound good. The orchestral songs in this game could be due to the person in charge of the music being the same person in charge of the Ace Attorney orchestral album. While I didn't like the orchestral remixes of the Ace Attorney orchestral soundtrack (as they were inferior to the Ace Attorney Jazz soundtrack) I enjoyed the orchestral feel of the music a lot in this game.
Gameplay:
Gameplay is divided into two portions - Investigation and Court. Many argued that the Investigation part of the game is easier than in previous games, and I do agree, but it's probably because it's streamlined. This game is designed to have a linear gameplay experience (like in the older games of the series), but the problem with older games was that because it is linear, you have to present 'that one evidence' to 'that one person' in order to move on, and sometimes, you don't know who are you supposed to talk to or present evidence to. Some people get stumped because of this and stopped playing the game, so the streamlining of gameplay in this game is indeed a plus.
Older game mechanics like the Psyche-Lock and Apollo's bracelet makes a return in the game, accompanied by the new courtroom-only mechanic, the Mood Matrix. Personally, this game mechanic is a hit-or-miss. Sometimes, solving problems with the Mood Matrix is satisfying. But there's also times where a mechanic of the Mood Matrix appears due to the person's disturbed emotions, and that part is more lucked based in my opinion.
Oh, another thing I forgot is that if you get a game over in court, you can consult your partner should you choose to continue (as a hinting method to the gamer should you get stuck in court), which is somewhat nice.
A problem with the game (which is somewhat prevalent in older games) is the lack of grammar and spell-check for some of the cases (this usually happens in the 2nd or 3rd case, and hardly happens in the final case).
Another minor bug I found was the 'missing text'. In this game (as well as older games of the series), in case you clicked next too fast and missed out on a dialogue, the game lets you re-read the dialogue by viewing the activity log. The problem is that sometimes, the conversations and actions are missing from the activity log, hence the text is 'missing'. Though this problem can be solved by saving your game and loading it once more from the title select screen, but it is somewhat annoying.
Characters:
I would say that the characters in this game are rather likable. Every character in this game have some sort of quality that makes them stand out (even the side characters). The design of some of the characters, as mentioned earlier, felt like it was meant to show off the power of 3D models in this game.
Our newcomer prosecutor, Athena is an alright character. At least she turns out to be more likable in her debut game compared to Apollo Ace Attorney 4. The story of this game is much more focused on her, so it's natural that she gets more attention in certain episodes. My main problem with her is not in her personality, but her voice actress in the animated cutscenes. I'm not saying that Wendee Lee is a bad voice actress (she did a fine job as Faye Valentine in Cowboy Bebop), it's just that the voice acting didn't feel right, for me, and I think that if Athena was voiced by another VA it might have been better.
Simon Blackquil, the Twisted Samurai, and the main prosecutor for this game, is also really likable with his awesome pet bird Taka, and his quotes of his fellow prisoner inmates. Compared to the prosecutors of older games, he is a pretty competent one. By playing more of the game, I realized unlike Franziska and Manfred (and at one point, Edgeworth), he does not aim for a perfect win streak, he's just doing some fine prosecuting with his abilities. I would say that his prosecuting skill is slightly below Edgeworth's and I would rank him in my top 3 prosecutors of the series.
The third new character of the main crew is Detective Bobby Fulbright. He's considered the likable/unlikable character. Some may like his hot blooded personality and his sense of justice, some may not like the fact that he replaces Gumshoe as the detective for this game. As for me, I think he has a catchy theme, though the theme is somewhat annoying when you hear it almost on repeat on the later cases. Also, if you're a player reading this review and have not completed this game, Fulbright's may become increasingly likable or hated as the game progresses (not spoiling anything there).
Now, a special mention to Apollo Justice, as he's much more likable and has more personality in this game compared to Ace Attorney 4. The awesome thing of Ace Attorney 5 is that while you do control 3 attorneys, they do give each attorney almost equal amount of screen time for them to develop their personalities. And while Phoenix didn't need much development, Apollo needed it, and they did a fine job making Apollo a likable guy.
Animated cutscenes and voice acting:
Personally, I thought it was awesome that Capcom managed to hire Bones studios (the guys who animated both adaptations of Full Metal Alchemist) to be in charge of their animated cutscenes. So the animation and quality is there.
What I didn't like about those cutscenes was there isn't an option to switch between English to Japanese dubbing (with added subtitles), it's not because I prefer Japanese audio over the English one, but there are certain cutscenes I find to be cringe-worthy (there is one in the 3rd case, so keep in mind that).
As for the voice acting, it's decent, but could be better. There's only one person whom I felt has the perfect voice actor for the job (and that's Phoenix Wright). There were a few moments where Apollo's voice acting sounded very cliche. Also, I didn't really like Edgeworth's voice as it did not suit him. I thought he was an American, why does he sound like he's trying to imitate Professor Layton? (Unless they're trying for that regal feel since he looks so formal and stuff, so they thought a British accent would suit him)
Is the DLC worth it:
Yes (for the DLC case), and no (for the DLC outfits). If you're reading this and decide to buy the game, you won't be able to get the free costumes for Phoenix, Apollo, and Athena (those costumes are buy-the-game-early bonus). And while it's nice to see Phoenix in his old suit, it's not much different from his new one. Apollo's and Athena's outfits are different though, but I don't think it's worth paying for it (unless you're really a fan of the game, but if you were a fan of the game, you would have gotten the game earlier, and would get these costumes for free, so I dunno...).
As for the DLC case (Special Episode Turnabout Reclaimed), that is definitely worth it. The case is pretty good, and this DLC doesn't seem like a half-baked one, as the case is as long as or even longer than the 3rd case. It is rather well written and somewhat tragic. There were also more cutscenes in this case than the usual cases, and it has as much evidence as the 4th and final case. The best part of the case was how it shows an epilogue, taking place a few months after the courtroom trial, and seeing how the characters in the case are doing. A minor problem you'll face in this case is the tutorials for Investigation mode appearing once more (which is justified because Case 2 introduces you to Investigation mode, and you can only face this DLC case after Case 1).
Final Verdict:
Overall, Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies is a well polished game for the series, and is a huge step-up from the rather disappointing Apollo Justice game. While the gameplay is linear as always, it makes up for it with it's amazing story and well-written characters. The game is far from perfect, and it has yet to beat the amazing game that is Trials and Tribulations, but it is certainly up there as one of the better Ace Attorney games of the series.
Pro's:
Amazing Story
Well-Written Characters
Fluid 3D Model Animation
Cons:
Some Voice Acting Were Cringe-Worthy
Grammatical & Spelling Mistakes In Some Cases
'Missing Text' Bug
Score:
9/10 Without DLC Episode
9.5/10 With DLC Episode
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