


The detective sections include investigating crime scenes, speaking with witnesses/suspects, and slowly unraveling the series of events surrounding the crime. Phoenix Wright is a puzzler at heart, and the gameplay is split between doing detective work and defeating your opponents’ arguments in the courtroom. It’s all in line with the larger-than-life setting and helps make the dialogue-heavy game a lot more bearable. Characters range from robotic madmen, to demonic mayors, and even one particularly ridiculous convicted murderer/samurai prosecutor. The writing is intentionally silly, and while it isn’t hilarious, it has a certain charm that kept me interested in the story and playing. Prosecutors are snarky, patronizing villains that assault the player with an endless barrage of insults and do just about everything to ensure the player doesn’t have an easy time earning a not guilty verdict for their client, while the judge is juvenile, clueless, and probably the last person who should have the power to imprison someone for life. It’s a wacky, high-energy game with an anime aesthetic and the courtroom it’s set in is about as tame as The Jerry Springer Show. You take on the role of several public defendants working for the “Wright Anything” law firm and play a central role in the investigation and legal proceedings of various court cases. Every bit of the game’s original charm has made it into Dual Destinies with a host of memorable characters, wacky cases, and good, old fashioned legal brawling. Every part of Phoenix Wright that players have come to enjoy are accounted for, with a few minute tweaks and improvements. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies is the fifth game in the series, and more importantly, the debut of the franchise on the 3DS.
