VisualNovel A Weclome Return to Form
Note: this review will try to be spoiler-free.
Overall: A pretty great entry in the series. Definately better than Apollo Justice, but not quite as good as Trials and Tribulations (then again, it's pretty hard to top that one). There's a good mix of old and new characters. Phoenix has been rerailed since the last game and is no longer a Spotlight-Stealing Squad. New character Athena is well-developed, funny and has a surprisingly deep backstory. Among the main cast though, Apollo is the real standout. After being seriously underdeveloped in his debut game, he manages to be much more fleshed out here.
Case 1: Not the best first case in the series, but not the worst either. There's a few good twists here and there, especially for those who played the demo, but overall pretty standard. Connections to later cases are also more subtle, unlike AJ's "made no sense until the finale" intro.
Case 2: A lot of people don't seem to like this one, but I really do. The plot is pretty good, the mysteries are interesting and the twists strike a perfect balance of shocking, but also reasonable to figure out ahead of time.
Case 3: To me, the weakest in terms of plot, but the best in terms of characters. Pretty much every character in this case is hilarously eccentric even by AA standards. The trials also get very, VERY weird at points, making this one of the most "out there" cases in the series, and that's saying something. Mood Whiplash warning though: the killer is downright terrifying.
Case 4: This is a strange one. I'll just say I can't rate it as a stand-alone case because it's more like "Case 5: Part 1" than "Case 4". So looking at it individually, it feels really weak and unfinished, but that's sort of the point.
Case 5: The structure of it is a little weird by last case standards, but I can't say much more due to spoilers. But between returning characters, the conclusions of game-long arcs and a REALLY interesting Big Bad, it proves to be a pretty great case.
DLC Case: I HIGHLY recommend getting the DLC, as this case was a highlight of the game to me. Great characters, great mysteries, fun trial segments... seriously, play this. There is one major flaw though: there's one testimony (you'll know it when you see it) that's near entirely pointless. It could be removed entirely and the plot wouldn't change.
VisualNovel The best game of the sequel trilogy
While people find the games in the Apollo Justice trilogy to be divisive, I personally find Dual Destinies to be the best game outside of the original trilogy, to the point of perhaps being better(or at least more consistent in quality) than Justice For All.
The plot deals with Phoenix, once again a defense attorney, fighting against the "Dark Age of the Law." He is joined by Apollo from the previous game, as well as Athena Cykes, a newcomer with an expertise in psychology and a traumatic past. The story's relatively engaging and stands on its own fairly well, albeit at the cost of dropping some plot points from the previous game.
The game makes better use of Phoenix than Apollo Justice did, since he plays a significant role, but doesn't quite steal the spotlight in what isn't supposed to be his game. He's also more similar to his original personality than in Apollo Justice, albeit Older and Wiser. Overall, the plot does a significantly better job of balancing the player characters than Apollo Justice or Spirit of Justice did.
The first case is decent, and has a number of ties to other cases that prove relevant later.
The second case is probably the weakest case, with one of the worst villains in the series, but overall, it's not quite as bad as Turnabout Big Top or Serenade.
The third case is relatively well-done, having some of the most interesting and well-written witnesses, who undergo Character Development and feel like characters in their own right.
The fourth case does a good job of upping the stakes and ends on a rather surprising note.
The last case isn't quite up to Farewell, My Turnabout" or Bridge To The Turnabout, but it's a solid conclusion to the game with a number of good twists that ties together the story elements thus far, and has a good twist villain.
The DLC case is one of the better cases, especially the twist behind the murder. Without spoiling too much, it works better as a tragedy caused by good intentions than Big Top did.
The new Mood Matrix is a nice mechanic in which you analyze witnesses' emotions and identify what's out of place. It's relatively simple and fun to use.
I've heard that people don't like how the game is easier than previous installments, but I don't mind it that much. Having a checklist of where to go in the investigation helps prevent you from feeling lost, especially when you're unable to proceed because you haven't found all the evidence in a given area yet. As for the hints given in the trials, perhaps the developers made it a bit easier because as the first AA game in years and the first on the 3DS, it might be many people's first game.
Speaking of the 3DS, not only are the 3D graphics more pleasant to look at, but they also make investigation easier, especially finding small bits of evidence. The animated cutscenes are also fun to watch.
Dual Destinies might not be the best AA game, but it's still worth your time if you own a 3DS.