Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies Review (iOS)

The Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney series has managed to become quite successful over the series, despite Capcom not really believing in the potential of it until recently, with the release of the DS remakes of the first entries of the series. Since then many titles have been released, with the series also debuting on iOS devices with the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy HD, a port that’s been well received despite some graphical issues and lack of support for devices with bigger displays. These issues mattered very little since the gameplay experience was just as good as on the original releases.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies is the latest entry of the series, released last year on Nintendo 3DS. Unlike the Trilogy, the iOS port of the new game doesn’t suffer from any graphical issue, with the game looking even better than on Nintendo portable console. Unfortunately the game still suffers from other issues that couldn’t be fixed with a simple port.

Gamers that have only played the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy HD may not know that Capcom tried to continue the series following the first three games with a new main character, Apollo Justice, forcing everyone’s favorite attorney Phoenix Wright to take a smaller role. The decision obviously wasn’t well received by fans, prompting Capcom to bring back Phoenix Wright as the main character of the fifth entry of the series. Despite not being the main character any longer, Apollo Justice still has a significant role in the new game as do other side characters who aren’t all that likeable. The main problem of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies is that the story is quite disjointed, with only a few cases actually developing it. The “middle” cases are incredibly dull and add nothing to the overall narrative. Luckily, those who manage to complete them will be rewarded with an excellent final case, in true Phoenix Wright tradition.

The mediocre story doesn’t impact the gameplay experience too much, as it’s still the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney experience that all fans of the series love. During the game players will be controlling the attorney Phoenix Wright as he tries to defend his clients during trials. The gameplay experience also involves collecting evidence and present it to witness during the actual trial in two separate phases called Investigation and Courtroom sessions. The overall gameplay experience hasn’t changed much but it’s still as solid as ever.

One area where the game truly shines is the graphics department. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies looks incredible on modern iOS devices, with the polygonal models used in the game looking even better than they did on 3DS. Capcom definitely made the right choice when using the MT Framework Mobile Engine when developing the game, as it resulted in a perfect iOS port that’s even better than the original, not counting the missing 3D effect.