Nintendo is known for its exclusive titles, from Super Mario Bros. to The Legend Of Zelda sticking to their respective franchises, except for the famous Super Smash Bros. and its many entries. However, on occasion, Nintendo has experimented with more unorthodox crossovers.
Whether it is Nintendo characters appearing in other third-party titles or vice versa, they've tried some strange combos. Which Nintendo crossover games or projects did no one ever expect to exist, let alone be effective in the long run?
Pokemon Conquest
So, what do the RPG series of Pokemon and the real-time strategy game Nobunaga's Ambition have in common? Absolutely nothing, but somehow the two franchises received a crossover titled Pokemon Conquest for the Nintendo DS.
The result is a strange but fun strategy game in the same vein as Final Fantasy Tactics, with Pokemon and Warlords to play as and fight. This was one of several Nintendo games made in collaboration with Tecmo Koei. This partnership would soon lead to the Zelda spin-off Hyrule Warriors games.
Final Fantasy Characters In Mario Hoops: 3-On-3
There are a lot of Mario sports games out there, and Mario Hoops is definitely one of the more unusual entries. It features solid gameplay along with several classic Nintendo characters to play as. However, of all the franchises to crossover with for a basketball game, very few might expect Final Fantasy.
Yes, in Mario Hoops: 3-On-3, there is the option to play as Ninja, White Mage, Black Mage, Moogle, and a Cactuar from the retro Final Fantasy games. Despite the strangeness, Square Enix redesigned the characters to fit rather well into Mario's cartoonish art style.
Star Fox In Starlink: Battle For Atlas
Sadly, Nintendo fans have been deprived when it comes to Star Fox. There are several Star Fox games to enjoy, but the last true Star Fox title was released for the Nintendo Wii U. However, Star Fox fans were pleasantly surprised when there was exclusive Star Fox content for the Nintendo version of Starlink: Battle For Atlas.
Players could get an Arwing for the toys-to-life game and summon it into the game for Star Fox missions. The result is a fun mix of combat and exploration with the Arwing arguably playing better than ever, and seeing iconic characters such as Fox McCloud and his team return can put a smile on anyone's face.
Solid Snake In Super Smash Bros.
Some could argue that Super Smash Bros. games as a whole are weird, but at least they are a crossover game that makes some kind of sense and thrives off of unusual inclusions. The list of DLC characters from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is proof of that.
That being said, Solid Snake from the Metal Gear Solid franchise is not someone many expected to appear in Super Smash Bros. titles. He first appeared in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and has been a staple since. Considering the dark, cinematic, and mature experience that are Metal Gear Solid games, his inclusion in a child-friendly game is always a bit baffling.
Professor Layton VS Phoenix Wright
The oddest thing about this crossover is the drastically different art styles for characters interacting rather than trying to find a medium between both. Other than that, having two puzzle-solving protagonists work together to solve crimes is akin to mixing peanut butter and jelly.
Since Phoenix Wright mainly deals with cases set in reality, it makes sense for him to work with Professor Layton, who is used to the strange and fantastical from across the many Professor Layton games. So the two heroes work together to solve mysteries that deal with witchcraft leading to lots of intriguing stories and humor.
Bowser, Donkey Kong, and Diddy Kong In Skylanders
Skylanders are no stranger to crossovers with characters such as Spyro and Crash Bandicoot added, and these additions are logical because they're also properties of Activision. However, for the Nintendo version, gamers were able to get Skylanders figures for Bowser, Donkey Kong, and Diddy Kong as playable characters.
As weird as it is to see those three characters in an Activision title, they fit more than any other Nintendo character seeing as they are beast-like in design. The three are even given Skylanders-style armor and weapons, making them some of the best redesigns the characters have ever gotten.
Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
As a concept, Mario and the Rabbids having a crossover game is bizarre, but it's also a turn-based RPG tactics game in the same vein as XCOM or Final Fantasy Tactics. That entire setup should have been doomed from the start but much to the surprise of everyone, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle was a gem for the Switch.
The Rabbids is already a franchise from UbiSoft that is not often received well. However, they were implemented in humorous ways, creating stand-out characters such as Rabbid Peach and Rabbid Luigi.
Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games
Two of the biggest video game mascots of all time, Mario and Sonic going at it. It sounds like the perfect recipe for an epic combat game or even a new Super Smash Bros. clone. Instead, it's a game in the same vein as Wii Sports, but featuring Mario and Sonic characters facing off in the Olympics.
Seeing characters such as Bowser or Knuckles compete in different Olympic sports is not something that someone would expect to see when the two franchises fight. However, the result is still a fun party game (but not nearly as fun as some of the many Mario Party games out there).
Link In Soul Calibur 2
The second entry of the Soul Calibur franchise featured different guest stars depending on the console. GameCube owners were gifted with Link from The Legend Of Zelda, wielding his Master Sword, able to take on characters such as Ivy, Nightmare, and Siegfried.
In the end, Link is a master of weaponry, which does make him prime material for a Soul Calibur game, but his presence is equally as strange as Spawn was. Especially since the game retains the visual style of Ocarina Of Time for Link, so he awkwardly stands out from every other character.
Captain N: The Game Master
This is not a game, but it is an animated series about different Nintendo characters crossing over long before Super Smash Bros. ever was conceived. Captain N: The Game Master is about an alternate dimension where Nintendo franchises coexist. A team of Nintendo heroes is assembled along with a gamer from the real world who becomes the titular Captain N.
In concept, this seems like the perfect show for gamers but instead, characters such as Megaman, Kid Icarus, and Simon Belmont are portrayed as completely different from their game counterparts. Plus, the show is clearly nothing more than a poor attempt at selling more Nintendo products rather than telling good stories; even the animation is often rushed.