BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle

 PlayStation 4
User Score
6.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 81 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 81
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 81
  3. Negative: 22 out of 81
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  1. rmaddi
    Jun 6, 2018
    8
    So, in it's core, BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle is a great fighting game. The mechanics are solid, working for both a newcomer who knows nothing of fighting games in general - let alone anime fighting games - and a veteran with years of other blazBlue and Guilty Gear titles on their belt. That being said, the lack of content (principally the DLC characters that technically are in the game, asSo, in it's core, BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle is a great fighting game. The mechanics are solid, working for both a newcomer who knows nothing of fighting games in general - let alone anime fighting games - and a veteran with years of other blazBlue and Guilty Gear titles on their belt. That being said, the lack of content (principally the DLC characters that technically are in the game, as some of them appear in the game already, in the story mode) is quite apaling, principally coming from Arc Systems. Only Story, Survival and Versus Modes on single player available, if you're not into online gaming, you can keep this one down as it's appeal will dwindle quite easily on you. Another "problem" is it's roster; even though as it is of today it's already really diverse and there is lot's of fun and good or wacky combinations to be made, to have half of the roster to come on the base game and most of the rest as paid DLC feels like a cheap way to make money over the player. The meat of the game comes from online play. The lobbies where all quick and (mostly) lag free, at least for the first day. After around 50 matches on both casual and ranked lobbies, there were only two of them where lag was really existant (and still neither of them it was an issue that changed the outcome of the match).

    In summary, if we look only at it's fighting mechanics, BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle excels beautifully, bringing a lot of ways to play at a frantic pace; but as a whole, it leaves some to be desired. If you're really into any of the franchises, it's pretty much worth the purchase. If you're only partly interested, think some more before buying this one or you might regret it.    … Expand
  2. ShadowPeter
    Jun 20, 2018
    9
    More like 8.5/10 than 9/10.

    Although the series BlazBlue is not properly known in Portugal, it is a series that is almost 10 years old, and is also a series developed by Arc System Works, the same producer that brought us the excellent Dragon Ball FighterZ, but also series as the Persona 4 Arena and Under Night In-Birth. Some members of ASW had the idea of putting the series BlazBlue,    More like 8.5/10 than 9/10.

    Although the series BlazBlue is not properly known in Portugal, it is a series that is almost 10 years old, and is also a series developed by Arc System Works, the same producer that brought us the excellent Dragon Ball FighterZ, but also series as the Persona 4 Arena and Under Night In-Birth. Some members of ASW had the idea of putting the series BlazBlue, Persona 4 Arena, Under Night In-Birth and debutant RWBY, along with the 2 vs 2 matches, all in the same bag. And the result was this: BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle.

    A strange and mysterious voice decided to mix, through Phantom Field, four worlds into one and these members of each world were summoned without warning. Each group was advised, by such a mysterious voice, to maintain their Keystone and to take the Keystones from the other groups if they wish to return to their world. And although the story is just reasonable, it always have one or another hilarious moment (though it's simple) and, fortunately, unlike what happened in the Chronicles of Under Night In-Birth Exe: Late [st] and in the story mode of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax for example, which in which they had exaggeratedly long dialogues, in this BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle the dialogs are short. Of the four episodes, the episode BlazBlue is slightly different from the other three, since it has ways to lead to a different ending, depending on the responses we give to the characters.

    For those coming from BlazBlue, I tell you that in terms of gameplay is exactly the same. If you came from Persona 4 Arena or Under Night In-Birth Exe: Late [st], there have been a few minor changes here and there, not to mention that the gameplay is simpler. Since this would take a lot of work and require too much development time, the 2.5D visual style of the Guilty Gear Revelator and Dragon Ball FighterZ has been set aside in this BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle. However, just as in Under Night In-Birth Exe: Late [st], they are still very good and it is still delightful to see each frame of each character, whether it is moving or simply in their combat pose. The fights are more or less like Dragon Ball FighterZ, but instead of being 3 vs 3, it's 2 vs 2. This means that during combat, the player can make simpler combos with only one character or more difficult combos with both characters. Regardless, and although there is one character slightly stronger than desired, the more time passes, the more I enjoy the gameplay of this game.

    We have 20 characters available (22 if we count on Blake and Yang, which are free DLCs), including Ragna the Bloodedge, Jin Kisaragi and Rachel Alucard from BlazBlue, Yu, Yosuke and Chie from Persona 4 Arena, Hyde, Linne and Gordeau from Under Night In-Birth and Ruby, Weiss and Blake from RWBY. However, and this is one of the main negatives of the game, Arc System Works has left characters like Platinum the Trinity, Jubei, Hakumen, Kanji Tatsumi, Orie, Aegis and Naoto Shirogane as DLCs without any necessity. Despite tjey have put the DLC Pack 1 (Platinum, Orie and Kanji) as free for two weeks after launch. Already to say that these same fighters are opponents in story mode.

    Are you feeling familiar with the lobby menu of Dragon Ball FighterZ or the Guilty Gear Revelator? Then you will feel at home in BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, since the lobby menu is pratically identical, which is quite pleasant. In this same menu we can, for example, go to the store to buy Avatars, Icons and Plates, among other things. In terms of modes, we have three in the online: Casual Matches, Ranked Matches and Room matches, and in Casual and Ranked Matches we are taken to a different lobby menu, where we can see who is fighting, who is waiting for a battle. Sometimes we can also see each other's connections as well as communicate with players with emotes, stickers and messages. In terms of Lag, I had no reason to complain, we just have to be aware of the connection of the opponent. In Room matches, we can search or create room type, Match / Spectate Room or Free-for-All, as well as limit capacity (2-8 players) and connectivity (from 0 to 4 bars), among others options. There are no private matches and there is no way to invite our friends, with the alternative being to create Room matches with a password. The result is similar, but not so practical.

    In addition to Episode Mode, we have several usual offline modes, like V.S. Mode, Tactics and Training, but strange as it may seem, the game doesn't have Arcade mode. The soundtrack of each character already known is included in the package, which for me is very good. If we join the main soundtrack of the game and the songs of Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang, then you can take my words "very good" and put the word "excellent". If the BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle hadn't taken with the DLC's before the release, it would certainly be a near-perfect fighting game. Apart from that, it's impossible not to like BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle.    … Expand
  3. kingpin_steel
    Jun 27, 2018
    9
    Fun and deep despite being simplified in its mechanics, and honestly, online playing in this game is funnier than every BlazBlue I've ever played. Completely recommended.
  4. Kanakanako_Exia
    Jun 10, 2018
    10
    Amazing game. People who are dissing it are missing a lot. U really enjoy that the inputs are easier. No one wants to have hand pain once they get older (Want Arthritis? Play Naoto (BBCF)). Very accessible.
  5. Deflerhn
    Jun 6, 2018
    10
    I can wholeheartedly say that this game is worth picking up; it's the most fun I've had with a fighting game in years. In spite of its simplified fighting, its unique mechanics are what you end up learning more of. Also the story mode is incredibly intriguing; it's been split into different episodes pertaining to the roster's different IPs and each is a story based on a different outcome,I can wholeheartedly say that this game is worth picking up; it's the most fun I've had with a fighting game in years. In spite of its simplified fighting, its unique mechanics are what you end up learning more of. Also the story mode is incredibly intriguing; it's been split into different episodes pertaining to the roster's different IPs and each is a story based on a different outcome, with BlazBlue's world having multiple endings.
    THE GOOD:
    At launch, it is only 50$ with free DLC for the first bit of time after release.The game's combat has been simplified quite a lot to have more of a focus on its new mechanics and because of that, combos are based more off of how good you are with your team's synergy and adaptability than learning intense combos. Non-auto combos are still there and usually go into an assist or special move(or both); every IP's moves(L/H) and combo mechanics work a bit differently as well, so if you don't like the BlazBlue cast, try Under-Night's instead. The cast is somewhat diverse, with certain characters playing into archetypes(Like a basic sword user, a faster knife user, a fist user, etc.), but all of those archetypes play EXTREMELY differently and a much more diverse cast adding new(and expanding upon) those archetypes coming soon, so you will definitely be able to find a couple of characters that you'll want to learn more of. The tutorial is comprehensive, and the options of customization in terms of an online profile are somewhat detailed as well(with new things to unlock via a very quickly earned in-game currency). The story isn't incredibly short either and you have the option of skipping dialogue, so it works similarly to an arcade mode as well. Survival mode is fairly forgiving and addicting and the Netcode(as well as the mechanics) for online fights is fantastic as well. This game is incredibly comprehensive and well worth the time of casuals and hardcores for the fighting game genre.
    THE MEH: The starting cast is fairly small for a tag game and, despite being diverse, DOES have fan favorites from each franchise missing. The starting roster is 20(with 2 characters being free and a character pack being only free for the first bit of time after launch), with another 20 coming after launch(Half coming June 19th and the other half coming in packs of 3 every couple of weeks) priced altogether for another 20$; you're essentially paying 10 more dollars than a normal game for 10 more characters than a normal starting roster after all of those characters are out, so it's not actually a major rip-off or anything.
    THE BAD: After this DLC is out, there's pretty much guaranteed to be more afterwards, so more than likely you'll be paying another 20$. That being said, those aren't on-dics and they also aren't coming out ANY time soon.
    -------------------------
    TL;DR
    The game is fantastic and you really can't do better for 50$. The roster at launch is a bit small, but the DLC is cheap and the gameplay(while simplified) is better than any other fighter I've played.    … Expand
  6. itsbigpanda
    Jun 9, 2018
    9
    I was afraid of how "simplified" the game would be, however the complexity has just been moved over to the tag mechanic of the game. Yes, there are auto combos, but the actual game play is not as linear as negative reviews make it out to be. Mix-ups are still there and tag mechanics allow for many different combo routes that aren't just 5AAA > 5BBB. The complexity and fundamentals ofI was afraid of how "simplified" the game would be, however the complexity has just been moved over to the tag mechanic of the game. Yes, there are auto combos, but the actual game play is not as linear as negative reviews make it out to be. Mix-ups are still there and tag mechanics allow for many different combo routes that aren't just 5AAA > 5BBB. The complexity and fundamentals of fighting games are still there. Combining all this with the fast and fluid game with its DIVERSE cast equates to a very entertaining experience.

    I was also concerned about the DLC pricing. The game itself is cheaper than most games, being at around $50 (which lessened the blow a bit) on release with 20 characters already loaded in. There is an optional $20 "all-in-one" pack that will include the other 20 characters announced for the game. The RWBY characters are free and DLC pack 1 is free during the first two weeks of the game's release. So $70 for everything? I ended up realizing that I had spent over $100 getting into SFV with its season passes so this was nothing new to me.

    The story is alright. I wish they could've done more with CG art and characterization, but it's really just a fun little fanservice thing to play through. Nothing serious.

    The soundtrack, as usual with anime games, is outstanding. It brings in popular tracks from the various franchises represented in the game.

    Finally, the netplay. Netplay seems to be fine. 3+ connections are always to be preferred, however I noticed that if you just let the intros play out all the way, 2 bar or even 1 bar connections will play smoothly as well. So keep that in mind.

    Overall I would say that it's a great anime fighter that is an awesome gateway to introducing newcomers to fighting games, but it also has complexities that veterans such as myself can enjoy.    … Expand
  7. ironzombi
    Jun 25, 2018
    9
    This game works really well and has a serious amount of depth, if you like your anime fighting games this is a must play, if you like your tag fighting games this is also a game you need to check out.

    Anyone that cant see the depth in this game has not played it enough, yes, there is technically only 3 attack buttons(NOT 2!!!) but your partner button really acts as another attack    This game works really well and has a serious amount of depth, if you like your anime fighting games this is a must play, if you like your tag fighting games this is also a game you need to check out.

    Anyone that cant see the depth in this game has not played it enough, yes, there is technically only 3 attack buttons(NOT 2!!!) but your partner button really acts as another attack button, this is where the depth comes in and you can put a lot of creativity into the combos.

    The online has been mostly smooth for me and while I still have a lot to learn, Cross Tag Battle is a unique fighting game that is really fun to play.    … Expand
  8. Soured
    Jun 8, 2018
    9
    Really fun and solid game, can get a little competitive too, even though i wasnt trying to get competitive against my friends, me and my buddy's have been playing this game for hours and having a great time, i recommend it
  9. Phuz
    Jul 1, 2023
    10
    Wasn't sure what to make of this at first. Took a bit of getting used to but it's a beast. Very different to the likes of Centralfiction and the other older Blazblue's, yet still captures that Blazblue feel. It feels very experimental but a successful experiment. Shame it gets so overlooked. Blazblue fighters are seriously amazing games.

    Just a heads up, a couple of tutorial moves    Wasn't sure what to make of this at first. Took a bit of getting used to but it's a beast. Very different to the likes of Centralfiction and the other older Blazblue's, yet still captures that Blazblue feel. It feels very experimental but a successful experiment. Shame it gets so overlooked. Blazblue fighters are seriously amazing games.

    Just a heads up, a couple of tutorial moves are broken. Needs an update to fix those. Loving this game though.    … Expand
  10. BloodySorcerer
    Aug 8, 2018
    9
    The game is criminally underrated. One of the most complex games in the Tag Team 2D fighting game scene.

    With both auto combos for newer players and advanced tag mechanics and enough systems to keep Veteran players entertained. The few downsides being the lack of an arcade mode (The game was released directly on the console, which is the main reason for that) and something that can    The game is criminally underrated. One of the most complex games in the Tag Team 2D fighting game scene.

    With both auto combos for newer players and advanced tag mechanics and enough systems to keep Veteran players entertained.

    The few downsides being the lack of an arcade mode (The game was released directly on the console, which is the main reason for that) and something that can be counted as a problem with is the roster(I don't have any problem with it personally, but many people will find that their main characters in each respective game might be missing)

    Also don't feel discouraged about the DLC practices, the resulting price(all DLCs) is only 10 bucks higher than the usual price of a normal game(without any dlcs). Which actually means that this game is the cheapest one to invest your money into.

    Also, due to how the DLC works, you can get only the characters you're interested in and have a game that is actually cheaper than normal. Which defeats the argument that these DLC practices are there to rob your money.    … Expand
  11. shootingstars99
    Aug 11, 2019
    8
    A neat fighter for those new to the genre. This game does simple and accessible fairly well, and has a bit more depth to it than I originally gave it credit for during the beta. With a variety of unique franchises and characters in the roster, and more coming all the time, this is like a PS4 Mugen. The online is kind of dead, but most anime fighting games have that feel to the multiplayer.A neat fighter for those new to the genre. This game does simple and accessible fairly well, and has a bit more depth to it than I originally gave it credit for during the beta. With a variety of unique franchises and characters in the roster, and more coming all the time, this is like a PS4 Mugen. The online is kind of dead, but most anime fighting games have that feel to the multiplayer. There are tutorials to help you learn each character's strengths and a separate tutorial to learn the systems of the game. Aside from that there is only story and survival at this point for offline, and with the lack of players in online modes, the single player offerings seem a little lacking at this point in time. Overall, the systems of the game are great for beginners looking to get into 2D fighters, and the game can be fun for someone like me who has many years of fighting game knowledge, but the lack of modes and an online mode that in no fault to the game itself, is more or less dead, this game is solid, but not top tier.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

98
#98 Best PS4 Game of 2018
95
#95 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. Gamers Heroes
    Aug 26, 2018
    60
    BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle has got the fanservice down, but it feels more like a tribute to Arc System Works’ other games than its own unique beast. Its simplified fighting game mechanics, along with its reused assets, makes it only worth it for the most diehard of fans.
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  2. Worth Playing
    Jul 23, 2018
    75
    The fighting is solid both online and offline, and it's easy enough for players of all skill levels to enjoy. It really is the DLC plan that's a big decision point for players. With no timetable about when all of the fighters will be released, the smart move for the more casual set would be to wait until everything is out first and see if the company will release a more complete version later on. Otherwise, if you can't wait, you're in for a solid fighting experience.
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  3. Games Master UK
    Jul 14, 2018
    88
    Despite the dastardly DLC plan, a superb fighting game for all levels of experience with the genre. [Aug 2018, p.81]
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