Developer/Publisher: Capcom Released: October 2013

Played on: 3DS

There is a case you need to solve in Dual Destinies that involves ancient Japanese spirits haunting an old town. Normally this is the fun kind of nonsense one expects from a light-hearted mystery or an episode of Scooby-Doo. The problem here is that the English versions of Phoenix Wright have previously been set in North America, because clearly Westerners can’t deal with crime investigations and court battles set in Japan. So the localisation team clumsily create a “Japantown” in the USA which feels intolerably insincere and stupid, particularly when the rest of the game is filled with Japanese design, weapons and food. Condescending localisation decisions don’t break Dual Destinies by any means, but illustrate just how problematic poor decisions made 8 years ago can become, distracting from the story and characters with unnecessary nonsense. I really need to learn Japanese.

As a big fan of the previous Phoenix Wright titles on the DS, I was super-excited for this release. The Phoenix Wright series are simple adventure games, some have referred to them as visual novels, where you play as a defence attorney who needs to investigate crime scenes and interrogate suspects and witnesses, then take those learnings and put them to the test in the courtroom, listening to testimony and pointing out contradictions and tearing the Prosecutor’s case apart. This might sound like serious fare but it is nestled in a cast of off-beat quirky characters and some occasionally ingenious logic. Oh and there is lots and lots of cartoonish dialogue. If you don’t like reading endless reams of dialogue, do not play Phoenix Wright games!

Dual Destinies does not diverge from its predecessors’ formula too much, sticking with the tried structure of 5 major cases with recurring characters and an overarching narrative that warns of the “Dark Age of the Law.” The cases and stories tend towards the absurd end of the spectrum, but remain totally compelling by an incessant cartoonish charm and insane characters like this dude with mobile phone shoulder pads:

You get to play as Phoenix Wright and two of his proteges, Apollo Justice and Athena Sykes, both who have unique abilities that mix up the traditional courtroom gameplay. Apollo Justice can “perceive” when someone is lying if you can point out a nervous tick while a witness delivers their testimony, and Athena has a complicated but interesting “mood matrix” where she utilises a friendly AI to assess a witnesses’ mood and to point out where it contradicts with what they are saying. Yeah, if you haven’t played a Phoenix Wright game before this must sound like crazy shit.

While I love sinking into the stories and solving the mysteries of each case, Dual Destinies does little to distinguish itself from the previous titles in the series. The 3D model designs are nice, but mostly you’ll play with the 3D slider down so it’s easier to read. There are some nice and desperately needed improvements like adding a “tick” to sections of the screen you’ve already searched where there aren’t anymore clues to be found. The linear nature of the game still makes it frustrating when you’ve put clues together in your head and want to act on them, but the game makes you wait until the right point in the narrative, which could be a few hours later, diminishing the excitement of your theory. The pacing of the game is sloppy, and weighing in for me at 33 hours it certainly could have been tighter.

If you’ve made your way through a few cases and can deal with the occasionally excruciatingly slow pace, it is well worth persevering through to the final chapter which is absolutely thrilling and a hugely satisfying climax with diabolical plot twists.

Verdict: A genuinely funny and engaging investigation and courtroom adventure. A good addition to the series which should appease established fans, but might not be strong enough to make any new ones.

Should Bradley play this: No.