Crossovers are difficult things to do. Even if two companies manage to come together to tell a joint story, the results can often be bland, underwhelming, and needlessly antagonistic. But there is a 100% official crossover that I hold as the gold goddamn standard - the proof it can be done!
Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney!
First thing’s first - this was a good match to begin with. Slamming together two entirely disparate things, like - i dunno just a random and entirely hypothetical example - Archie Comics and the goddamn Punisher is, put kindly, going to be an uphill battle. But these are both Nintendo-published game series with distinct characters, pleasant visual styles, and a focus on solving puzzles to untangle mysteries. It was a beautiful pairing.
Even still, crossovers take work to do right. That work was very obviously undertaken here, with the dedication to a middle ground. On a minor level, small tweaks were made to both art styles so they would mesh together more cleanly. More importantly, while both characters demonstrate their skills, neither is on their home turf. In creating an environment unfamiliar to both Phoenix and Layton, the narrative gives equal weight to both. This extends to the visual design as well, providing a backdrop that makes them both look distinct without seeming incongruous. Perfectly balanced.
Something I think works especially well is the fusion of gameplay. The real meat of an Ace Attorney game is of course the courtroom segments; some fans find the investigation halves to be a bit tedious. Similarly, Professor Layton games are fairly light on gameplay, consisting of little more than wandering around solving puzzles. Personally, I found that wholesale replacing Phoenix’s investigation gameplay with Layton’s was surprisingly effective for its simplicity, adding a refreshing pace and novelty to both. That, it was great to see Layton applying his mild-mannered but irrefutable logic to a tense courtroom setting.
Speaking of, what really makes this (and any) crossover work are the characters. There’s contrasts to be drawn between an unflappable British gentleman™ and a long-suffering big city lawyer, sure. But despite the needlessly antagonist title (getting that energy out of the way early??), this is a supremely chill meetup. Layton and Phoenix are both dependable Lawful Good types who just want to expose the truth and defend the innocent. The mutual respect is almost immediate. They even swap sidekicks! Maya follows Layton around for a bit while Luke gives Phoenix a hand. It’s a really fun four-person dynamic with almost no bickering or friction. That’s super wholesome to see.
And of course, the plot is… well, frankly, the plot is fucking absurd.
But the plots in both of these franchises are already absurd! So that’s actually full marks. If it wasn’t absurd it wouldn’t be accurate.
tl;dr This is the best crossover I’ve ever experienced in my life and I might’ve just talked myself into replaying it
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