On the whole, Dual Destinies is an extremely strong addition to the series, and my favorite Ace Attorney game so far. The cohesive themes and narrative tie the game's cases together more strongly than any previous title, and I think the final case just barely beats the Case 5 of Trials and Tribulations in terms of drama and surprise. New prosecutor Simon Blackquill is a solid addition to the series, although I don't think he can stand up to Godot or Edgeworth.

The best Ace Attorney so far, with a wonderfully entertaining series of mysteries that showcase the series’ oddball characters to their very best – and make some subtle but welcome improvements to the gameplay.

YOU'LL LOVE

+ Fantastic characters and storytelling

+ Brilliant transition to 3D

+ Yelling “Objection!” into the mic

YOU'LL HATE

- An unfortunate number of typos

- Removal of some past features

- Occasionally questionable logic

Concept:

Bring the courtroom drama to life with fully animated 3D characters
Graphics:

The characters and backgrounds look better than ever
Sound:

As usual, the soundtrack is excellent. Drums and bass in particular sound more realistic and funky than in previous titles
Playability:

Like most adventure games, the simple inputs are not the focus
Entertainment:

The charm is still there, but the reused story structure is getting stale

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies is aggressively oddball, but it's also sharply written and cleverly constructed. It trades the typical staid approach to murder mysteries and puts a pair of magic panties on its head (yes, there are magic panties), spinning a clever mystery that will please your crime-solving brain.

Dual Destinies dives deep within the psyches of those involved in crimes--from the attorneys to the perpetrators and everyone else associated with the events--and such ruminations give you a better understanding of human motivations. The manner in which you investigate and argue is unchanged from previous iterations, and the exaggerated personalities of the characters hit the same notes as before, which does lessen the mysterious appeal of a courtroom drama. However, Dual Destines is more than just another retread.

Dual Destinies proves that vanquishing foes with truth and justice can be just as exciting as using a gun or a sword, and that even the most unusual subject matter can lead to fun, compelling entertainment. And don’t be concerned about the M-rating (there’s very little, ahem, objectionable content) or think that this is any less of an experience just because it’s an eShop exclusive; in fact, it’s arguably the biggest Ace Attorney game yet. Phoenix Wright is known for uncovering facts and exposing secrets, but there’s no mystery here: Dual Destinies is an excellent title that’s well worth your attention.

It's somewhat guilty with its English-only and download-only launch. These factors hurt the title for those who want to enter the series nowadays in Spain, but we cannot condemn author and his team, and we have enough evidence of this fifth chapter's great quality (in humor, characters, story or presentation).

Gametrailers - 7.3/10

IGN - 7.2/10 (Video Review)

+ Great Visuals

+ Wacky Writing

- Too Linear

- Little Gameplay

The Good - The writing is generally excellent; a couple of the cases are brilliant and really keep you guessing; the 3D presentation adds a lot to this point-and-click adventure.

The Bad - The second and third cases d–r–a–g; Phoenix Wright himself is MIA for large portions of the game.

The Ugly - Dual Destinies’ laughable “M” rating proves the ESRB is absurdly broken.

However, like previous games, this is very wordy experience, and there often isn't any gameplay to interrupt the massive walls of text. It's not difficult to feel disengaged, having to read through dozens of lines of minutiae and inconsequential anecdotes. However, there are select moments where this works, particularly towards the end of each case. Each case's resolution is filled with enough valuable exposition and clever bits of comedy that I didn't mind having to go several minutes without a gameplay instance.