Capcom’s Ace Attorney series made headlines in 2012 when Proefssor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney released and not just because of the unlikely crossover.
What made it a surprise is how the two franchises blended together so well, in part thanks to how malleable Ace Attorney’s core ideas are. Sorting out legal complexities and using clever deduction to solve problems are natural fits for any number of scenarios.
Yet it’s been 10 years since the gentleman professor and spiky-haired attorney crossed paths with no signs of any similar crossovers planned for the future. So we decided to make a few ourselves.
Pokemon In Court
Pokemon seized control of feudal Japan in Pokemon Conquest and solved missing persons cases in a film. Surely learning the legal system’s intricacies would fall just as easily under a Pikachu’s purview.
Much as I’d like to see Mr Mime in a suit eloquently trying to convince Ace Attorney’s notoriously foolish judges of his client’s innocence through mimery only, however, there’s a more practical approach for this crossover. Use Pokemon abilities to uncover clues.
Stoutland’s sniffer would help find evidence, Drowzee could peer into people’s subconscious, and Persian surely has underworld contacts that could be... persuaded... to cough up information for the right price.
A Civilization Lives and Dies by Its Laws
Ace Attorney meets Civilization is a drastic departure from both series’ formulas, and that’s why it would work so well.
Instead of focusing just on individual stories or building broad empires, you’re tasked with developing an empire’s legal system and figuring the best way to solve cases that could destroy your city or turn it into an international powerhouse.
There’s still room for quirky personalities, but on a different scale. Instead of bizarre NPCs, for example, the attorneys interact with Civilization’s equally bizarre rulers and offer advice for handling delicate negotiations or treaties.
Final Fantasy: An Attorney's Tale
Asking Phoenix Wright or Ryunoske Naruhodo to sort out the legal complexities of Shinra’s energy use or Alexandria’s impromptu bid for global takeover might be asking a bit too much even for the brightest ace attorney.
Sorting out the mishaps of a mischievous Moogle or a rogue cactuar syndicate taking advantage of innocent chocobos? That’s a completely different story.
Square Enix already showed it’s fine with taking a lighthearted approach to its storied series with the likes of Chocobo’s Dungeon and World of Final Fantasy. Throwing Ace Attorney’s heroes into the midst alongside cameos from Final Fantasy’s own legends is a natural next step, if only so Cloud and Phoenix can share hair care tips.
The Outer Worlds: The Board Wants You!(r Legal Advice)
Ace Attorney always follows a carefully formed narrative where there’s usually no doubt who’s right or wrong. The Outer Worlds is less concerned with figuring out who’s right, as long as they aren’t part of The Board, and the morally ambiguous Halcyon or something like it is a perfect place for the hotshot lawyer to step in.
This time, you’d have to choose who to support in court or whether to even be an honest lawyer. Relationships and choices you make determine what evidence is available and add an extra layer of decision making into how you interpret it.
Will such a crossover ever happen? Not likely, especially with The Outer Worlds 2 in development. But it would certainly be a fresh take on both series.
Animal Crossing x Ace Attorney
Animal Crossing is a peaceful game about cute fuzzy critters building their lives together. But when groups of people gather, trouble is always nearby. That Nintendo would sanction litigious and nasty versions of their beloved animals seems highly unlikely, but there is a way it could work.
If the village were afflicted by some kind of mysterious negative energy, something that only solving crimes and winning cases in court could reveal and reverse, then the game is suddenly just as viable as Mario+Rabbids. It’s a fresh take on Animal Crossing’s characters outside the daily grind .
And I’d really just like to see Tom Nook in court.
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