Introduction
I purchased this game around the same time when it came out in the US in 2013.
I’ll assume that you are familiar with what AceAttorney (AA) is if you’re reading this, and that you’ve played and beaten this game. May be spoilers.
Impressions (2016)
Dual Destinies (henceforth abbreviated as DD) is the first 3DS title in the franchise, but apart from the 3D models, the gameplay has not changed much compared to its Nintendo DS predecessors. The story follows defense attorneys Athena Cykes (them puns), Apollo Justice and Phoenix Wright, as they take on cases to free their clients from guilty verdicts and imprisonment.
Every new game presents a new prosecutor to serve as the antagonist. A lot of the times the prosecution side has the upper hand through some evidence that they have yet to present, or through some information they have yet to share, and the defense is struggling to come up with some evidence right there on the spot (pulled out of their ass) in order to avoid a guilty verdict. It’s unrealistic, but funny as hell to watch the defense for the most part struggling to keep up – really makes the court cases so fun to play. The transition to 3D models doesn’t change much; the animations are comical and well-done as always.
How good / intimidating the prosecutor is in each game tends to always be a relevant topic of discussion for each game. If the prosecutor does a ‘bad job’, it’s gonna drag down the court trials. I think they did a good job with Simon Blackquill. Comparatively speaking, I think he’s better than Klavier, as far as my memory goes. For the most part, he gives off the aura that he’s always ahead of the defense team, a dominant force in court. 
So back to the 3D models. The livid animations help bringing the character cast alive a bit more, I like it. Pure conjecture as a layman, but perhaps it’s also easier to create complicated animations in 3D compared to using 2D sprites?
I’ve played my share of visual novels before, and I definitely prefer to see well-animated characters and camera-panning together with dialogue instead of mostly static portraits who just move their lips while talking and blinking with their eyes.
Story Chapters
The first chapter (based on experience from 2013) always serves as the introduction to the game.
The game shows off Athena’s special ability, psychoanalysis. It’s literally fucking magic. All the defense attorneys have special abilities to aid them in court, and they would probably be screwed without them. I think she’s a fine addition to the series; she stumbles just as much as PW and Apollo, lol. I really like the new look of the character models!
Second chapter (exp from 2013 and 2016), the story starts to get real. … Is what I’d like to say. It was the least interesting story, and perhaps related to that, for ‘unknown’ reasons I put the game down in 2013 and picked it up again a few months ago and finished it.
What’s honestly astonishing is how crazy the story writing is in this game. Sometimes I can have a hard time figuring out what evidence to present, or trying to imagine what the real answer is. At the same time, I’m also kind of in it for the outlandish story writing. The game starts for real from chapter 2 and onward, but 2’s story just didn’t interest me that much…
I also notice that this game is more lenient than its predecessors. There are the usual mini-games during trials, but some of them, you can screw up as many times as you like until you get it right. Some people seem to think that this is a bad thing. For myself, I don’t mind… I always mess up during the cross-examinations anyway, and they are the same as always. Make a mistake and get punished. Get a guilty verdict if you mess up too many times.
The third chapter (2016) is actually good. It keeps my attention, and the characters are likeable. The initial cutscene is kind of confusing though, it honestly makes me doubt the client I’m supposed to protect. But the story is all over the place, and everything comes together at the end. Wow, things are getting good/crazy! I’m actually starting to care for the characters and story this time. Blackquill’s comeback’s in court starts to feel like commonplace now; I expect him to have the upper hand as always. I feel like a baby when confronting him. This chapter is a good example of what I expect from an AA game.
Fourth chapter (2016) is my favorite chapter. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaghh… The heavy sighing aside, my positive impression is maintained in this chapter as well. What is wrong with these people?! So much lying and re-submission of witness accounts. The turnabout conclusion blew my mind…
The follow-through into chapter 5 (2016) is good! Chapter 4 and 5 marks a worthy finale to this game. Damn blew my mind…
A certain scene related to Athena’s childhood and her mother plays out. It creeped me out, and I was surprised that the story went that far. I’ve never seen the story turn so dark. Everything eventually fits together nicely, though. I was at first disappointed at the ending in regards to the perpetrator, but after thinking about it for a while, I’m fine with it. Some mysteries are better left unsolved. I’m just not sure if this supposed to have a follow-up in a sequel or something; it feels like it ended on an early note…
Some closing comments…(2016) The last chapters haven’t been this good ever since the third game, Trials and Tribulations. Twists and surprises is a big thing for me. I consciously try to not guess ahead too much, it ruins the surprise if I could see it coming. It’s the kind of storytelling which works so well in specifically visual-novel games who has such focus on the story and the characters.
In contrast, when animation studios try to make an anime out of a visual novel game, it usually doesn’t go very well. The pacing and how the story moves forward just doesn’t transition well into TV media. But this is a whole different topic….
So… coming from both AAI: Miles Edgeworth and Apollo Justice, I made sure to not have too high expectations when buying this game. I was silently hoping for a good story and something ‘new’ to make the series feel ‘fresh’. I think it delivered well enough, both in terms of characters and the storyline.
If we flip the chess table around, one could argue that the gameplay hasn’t changed that much since the first game. You have to appreciate the smaller improvements added in sequels, but it’s most likely going to be ‘more of the same’ you’ve all seen before.
Perhaps because of this, the second chapter wasn’t really catching my attention back in 2013, which might’ve been why I put the game down for so long until this year. But it was worth it in the end. I know I repeat myself, but the last chapters gave me Trials and Tribulations feels, which is a good score by my standards. Take anything for granted, and the game slaps you in the face.
I really like the characters from the trilogy and the new ones we’ve seen from AJ, and it was a nice touch to see some older characters return. I’m not bothered that some characters didn’t show up this time, but I was happy with what I got. Almost all of the main characters are likeable.
Some extra ranting
So when it comes down to it… if the characters and the story falls flat, then the game is going to be crap. I’m not sure how much more Capcom can innovate with this franchise. This is the kind of game where the story could go on forever and ever, but will it stay interesting? And when, if ever, will they release Dai Gyakuten Saiban 1&2 in the west?
Lemme know what you think.