note: I played the Nintendo Switch version of this game on the trilogy collection, though I am logging it as this since I am exclusively talking about this second title
If you want to hear my opinions on the previous Ace Attorney games up until this point, I have reviews from the original Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney up until Apollo Justice. As these games tend to be pretty similar in terms of their mechanics and ideas, I don’t feel the need to repeat myself every time- especially given I have yet to reach a point where I feel negatively towards these wonderful games.
With that being said, I am just going to outline my thoughts on the game rather than weave them into a more essay-esque review. The TLDR is that I thought this game was fantastic, but if you want to know why..
- Once again, the main cast is outstanding and so much fun. Seeing Phoenix return to his Attorney position after his role in Apollo Justice was so exciting. As much as I love the guy, I truthfully didn’t need him to be playable again since I thought it was an interesting idea to have him step down, but I can’t deny the fun of him being back. Apollo was also a blast this time, too. I think they chose some bold and interesting choices for his character following the previous game, but all of the decisions made here either provided with more of what I loved from before or a new opportunity to see him grow. Athena was, at first, a little bit of a letdown conceptually since I felt she might take away focus from Phoenix and Apollo- the duo I really wanted to see bounce off each other- but it didn’t take long for me to really welcome her with arms open. I loved her personality and thought she was a ton of fun, and just added to the game by providing more fun dynamics and interactions. Love her.
- With the exception of the DLC case which shafts Apollo to the side, I thought they balanced the trio here phenomenally. Everyone gets their chance to shine, and it feels distributed very equally. It’s weird the game is subtitled Dual Destinies when it is clearly a trio, but at the very least the game itself does the three of them justice (no pun intended).
- The new side characters here were also excellent and a ton of fun. Simon is one of my favorite prosecutors in the entire series thus far, as his background, story, design, and personality were all incredibly unique and executed wonderfully. Detective Fulbright was goofy as hell and I thought he was just a silly dude to hang around with. I really loved each defendant, and all the antagonists were deliciously satisfying to bring down too.
- Bringing back returning characters is a cheap but effective move, and it worked here pretty well for me I must admit. Seeing Pearl, Edgeworth, and Klavier again made me incredibly happy since I love them all. My main complaint is that they are all very sparingly used, and not in a way that feels respectful of the new characters spotlights but instead as if they weren’t really intended to be in the game but were added for familiar faces. It works, and I really loved seeing Pearl again especially, but I could smell a bit of cynicism in their appearances despite eating it up. What I will say, however, is that they really give Trucy the short end of the stick here and it was very sad to see. With the exception of the last case in which she is given the role of hostage- meaning taken away from you- she gets next to no screen time despite being a vital character in Apollo Justice and just one of my personal favorites in the series. She feels like a huge afterthought and I am thoroughly disappointed by how little we get of her.
- I thought it was very interesting how the cases were presented out of chronological order here. Trials and Tribulations has cases in a non-chronological order, but in the sense that some are flashbacks from years ago. This time, they’re out of order in the sense you get some teases of what happens later in this story, and watch the events unfold before and then afterwards. I found that to be a really fun and fresh idea for this series and really highlighted some of the mysteries presented here.
- The cases themselves were great here. I think that it could be argued that some go on a little too long, and that most don’t quite reach the very top of the tier list- but for what they are, they are all a lot of fun, satisfying to unravel and experience, and and provide some really unique scenarios like a murder that follows a script, bombing incidents, or in the DLC cases case- defending an animal. Tons of fun all around.
- The presentation of this game is incredible. I was iffy on the idea of 3D models given how expressive the sprites of the past have been, but they clearly poured their hearts and souls into how this game looked. I was viewing the concept art and it’s insane to me how perfectly they translated the character designs and poses into 3D. It truly does feel like an evolution of the presentation of Ace Attorney, as it allowed for some outstanding animations during breakdowns and other events. The backgrounds are all animated in some noticeable and subtle ways, which is really neat, and allows for dynamic cameras in many instances that both boost presentation and gameplay by being able to, for example, rotate a crime scene and find new evidence. The nuances in the character animation gets a special shout out from me, too. Top that all off with one of my favorite soundtracks in the series thus far (which is a high bar to reach), and I think they nailed it from this angle.
And that about wraps my feelings here up. I don’t really have anything else negative to say, it is just an incredibly fun and solid time here. I think AA1 and especially Trials and Tribulations are untouchable in terms of a series ranking, but I would absolutely put this game in regards as high as something like Justice for All and Apollo Justice. I’m five games into this series and I have loved every second of it. I am surprised by how many dislike this game, but none of that matters because I certainly did. Great time here.
If you want to hear my opinions on the previous Ace Attorney games up until this point, I have reviews from the original Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney up until Apollo Justice. As these games tend to be pretty similar in terms of their mechanics and ideas, I don’t feel the need to repeat myself every time- especially given I have yet to reach a point where I feel negatively towards these wonderful games.
With that being said, I am just going to outline my thoughts on the game rather than weave them into a more essay-esque review. The TLDR is that I thought this game was fantastic, but if you want to know why..
- Once again, the main cast is outstanding and so much fun. Seeing Phoenix return to his Attorney position after his role in Apollo Justice was so exciting. As much as I love the guy, I truthfully didn’t need him to be playable again since I thought it was an interesting idea to have him step down, but I can’t deny the fun of him being back. Apollo was also a blast this time, too. I think they chose some bold and interesting choices for his character following the previous game, but all of the decisions made here either provided with more of what I loved from before or a new opportunity to see him grow. Athena was, at first, a little bit of a letdown conceptually since I felt she might take away focus from Phoenix and Apollo- the duo I really wanted to see bounce off each other- but it didn’t take long for me to really welcome her with arms open. I loved her personality and thought she was a ton of fun, and just added to the game by providing more fun dynamics and interactions. Love her.
- With the exception of the DLC case which shafts Apollo to the side, I thought they balanced the trio here phenomenally. Everyone gets their chance to shine, and it feels distributed very equally. It’s weird the game is subtitled Dual Destinies when it is clearly a trio, but at the very least the game itself does the three of them justice (no pun intended).
- The new side characters here were also excellent and a ton of fun. Simon is one of my favorite prosecutors in the entire series thus far, as his background, story, design, and personality were all incredibly unique and executed wonderfully. Detective Fulbright was goofy as hell and I thought he was just a silly dude to hang around with. I really loved each defendant, and all the antagonists were deliciously satisfying to bring down too.
- Bringing back returning characters is a cheap but effective move, and it worked here pretty well for me I must admit. Seeing Pearl, Edgeworth, and Klavier again made me incredibly happy since I love them all. My main complaint is that they are all very sparingly used, and not in a way that feels respectful of the new characters spotlights but instead as if they weren’t really intended to be in the game but were added for familiar faces. It works, and I really loved seeing Pearl again especially, but I could smell a bit of cynicism in their appearances despite eating it up. What I will say, however, is that they really give Trucy the short end of the stick here and it was very sad to see. With the exception of the last case in which she is given the role of hostage- meaning taken away from you- she gets next to no screen time despite being a vital character in Apollo Justice and just one of my personal favorites in the series. She feels like a huge afterthought and I am thoroughly disappointed by how little we get of her.
- I thought it was very interesting how the cases were presented out of chronological order here. Trials and Tribulations has cases in a non-chronological order, but in the sense that some are flashbacks from years ago. This time, they’re out of order in the sense you get some teases of what happens later in this story, and watch the events unfold before and then afterwards. I found that to be a really fun and fresh idea for this series and really highlighted some of the mysteries presented here.
- The cases themselves were great here. I think that it could be argued that some go on a little too long, and that most don’t quite reach the very top of the tier list- but for what they are, they are all a lot of fun, satisfying to unravel and experience, and and provide some really unique scenarios like a murder that follows a script, bombing incidents, or in the DLC cases case- defending an animal. Tons of fun all around.
- The presentation of this game is incredible. I was iffy on the idea of 3D models given how expressive the sprites of the past have been, but they clearly poured their hearts and souls into how this game looked. I was viewing the concept art and it’s insane to me how perfectly they translated the character designs and poses into 3D. It truly does feel like an evolution of the presentation of Ace Attorney, as it allowed for some outstanding animations during breakdowns and other events. The backgrounds are all animated in some noticeable and subtle ways, which is really neat, and allows for dynamic cameras in many instances that both boost presentation and gameplay by being able to, for example, rotate a crime scene and find new evidence. The nuances in the character animation gets a special shout out from me, too. Top that all off with one of my favorite soundtracks in the series thus far (which is a high bar to reach), and I think they nailed it from this angle.
And that about wraps my feelings here up. I don’t really have anything else negative to say, it is just an incredibly fun and solid time here. I think AA1 and especially Trials and Tribulations are untouchable in terms of a series ranking, but I would absolutely put this game in regards as high as something like Justice for All and Apollo Justice. I’m five games into this series and I have loved every second of it. I am surprised by how many dislike this game, but none of that matters because I certainly did. Great time here.