BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is a 2D crossover fighting game developed and published by Arc System Works, first released for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Windows in 2018. Cross Tag Battle features characters from different series, including BlazBlue, Persona 4 Arena, Under Night In-Birth and RWBY. After the game was released, characters from Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Arcana Heart 3: Love Max Six Stars!!!!!, Senran Kagura: Estival Versus and Akatsuki Blitzkampf Ausf. Achse, were added as downloadable content. An arcade port was released in 2019 in Japan, a version for Amazon Luna was made available in 2021, and the Special Edition with all post-launch content was released for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S in 2023. The game received mostly positive reviews, with praise for the visuals, music, online functionality and mechanics. However, it was criticised for lack of overall content at launch and DLC practices.
Gameplay
BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle is a 2D fighting game that puts the focus on tag team mechanics. In its main modes players battle in 2-vs-2 matches: they control one of the two selected characters at a time, and are able to switch between them on command. In addition to the standard fighting game meter that is expended to perform special and EX moves, the game features another resource: the assist meter. If they have enough, players can also have the second character use assist attacks to extend combos, keep the opponent away, or alternatively use all meter on "Cross Burst" to escape from dangerous situations. Similar to Marvel vs. Capcom, even if one character on the team loses all of their health, the match continues until both are down.
To accommodate for the tag mechanics and make characters easier to learn, the controls were simplified compared to mainline BlazBlue games and other participating series. In addition, each character was given some universal options, such as an overhead with the heavy button, invincible reversal attack, and auto combos. Some series-specific mechanics were retained, but heavily reworked to fit the game. Examples include the Persona system for the Persona cast, Reverse Beat from games by French-Bread for the Under Night In-Birth cast, or Reflector for the Akatsuki Blitzkampf cast.
Plot
A singularity called the "Phantom Field" mixes reality with other universes. When the "Keystone" divides into four fragments, the female voice system known as "System XX" instructs one of the main characters to keep it away from others and reach the goal, gathering all characters to join the battle, who hope to separately return home to each universe. After all fragments merged into one, they prevent the system from changing the universe.
However, the next episode of the storyline ends with Hazama Honoka coming into possession of the primary keystone containing the system itself, and he attempts to use it to hijack the Takemagahara System. Takemagahara detects the remnants of late Yūki Terumi within him and copies his genes to create the clone of Terumi’s Susano’o form as a countermeasure, but indirectly leads to the destruction of multiverse. While System XX holds off the clone from being unleashed, a regretful Hazama took over the role as the multiversal tournament’s conductor at the former’s behest. As System XX cannot hold off the Susano’o clone much longer, Hazama changes the contest that was solely Tag Battle-themed keystone hunting into multiple-themed stamp collecting, in addition to bring characters in from three more universes, hoping for the winners to assist him and System to defeat the clone. Despite the fact that the Susano’o clone was defeated by Ragna the Bloodedge and Naoto Kurogane, System XX cannot return the characters to their respective universes, due to being critically weakened from holding off the clone. The storyline concludes with the characters participating in the endless Tag Team-based Battle Royale while waiting for System XX’s full recovery.