Some of the best fighting games are crossovers. Whether it’s King of Fighters, Marvel vs Capcom or even classics like Jump Ultimate Stars, there is no denying they work. With Arc System Works creating a number of different fighting games, at least two of which are fairly well known, a crossover was inevitable. Even if it doesn’t include Guilty Gear, the ability to play with BlazBlue, Under Night, Persona 4 and RWBY characters is certainly exciting. Between new moves, tag mechanics, a fun story to experience and an absurd amount of DLC, is BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle a hit or should it tag out?
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle’s story suffers from the usual problem with crossover games, which is explaining and correcting the situation. The main idea is every character is taken from their story and forced to fight others to collect stones from other characters that will allow them to return home. As much as this is the driving force, it doesn’t take long before the story focuses on character interactions. Even if it is in their best interest to work together, Rachel is still going to be cryptic and vague, Hazama will continue to be an ass, Ruby allows her inner fangirl out and you better believe Carmine and Gordeau still have no interest in working together.
Those looking for a little more will be delighted to know there are essentially five stories, one for each franchise, with BlazBlue having a collaborative ending, allowing each fanbase their own adventure to play through. These are also pretty short, with each being like eight fights, meaning it doesn’t overstay it’s welcome.
Since this is a fighting game, Arc System Works continues their efforts to make them as accessible as possible by including a fairly comprehensive tutorial. These cover mechanics, tips, basic commands, character combos and even challenges that force players to utilize these elements. This makes it far more accessible than a number of other fighting games, with those uninterested still having a couple preset combos.
Sadly, preset combos can make less skilled players a tad more predictable, with those who don’t realize it’s a set combo creating odd openings, but there is still plenty of skill involved. Whether it’s getting an astral finish or just throwing in your own special, mid to low tier players can have fun without too high of a learning curve.
Where BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle falls short is content. Offline players are limited to episode mode (story), training, VS, survival and tutorials, with online players gaining multiple different options based off skill. Also, for a game with so many potential characters, players are limited to 20, with the other two main RWBY girls being free DLC and the rest being paid DLC. This can be a little underwhelming, so keep it in mind before purchasing.
Verdict
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle might be rough around the edges and have some questionable DLC choices, though it doesn’t stop it from looking great or being fun. The number of tutorials are great, with there being an okay amount for players to do. Sure, it isn’t the most jam packed game Arc System Works has ever released but if you’re looking for a new fighting or just enjoy the series included, odds are you’ll get your moneys worth out of BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle.
[Editor’s Note: BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle was reviewed on PS4 platform. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]
