BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is like many Arc System Works fighters, in that its campaign has visual novel elements. That means multiple endings. Except, things are slightly different here. One campaign does take precedence over others, as the BlazBlue storyline is the only one with multiple outcomes. But even so, it still feels like each series present has a good resolution. Plus, the multiple outcomes for BlazBlue pay tribute to the series and systems the entire game is based upon.
First, let’s go through a little bit of an ending guide. BlazBlue has four endings in BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, while the other three series each have one default ending. Three of the BlazBlue endings can be accessed right away, and the fourth is a true ending that only unlocks after you have seen the ending for all four other storylines first.
The BlazBlue first three endings are based upon who you trust and result in different people joining you for the final battle. For the standard ending, you can not trust anyone and you have to tell Nu you are looking for her or Noel. For an ending with Rachel, you can only choose to trust Rachel and you must tell Nu you are looking for Rachel. For a Hazama ending, choosing to trust him will guarantee you his ending. The fourth ending involves getting through BlazBlue’s story once, then each of the other campaigns. When you go through the BlazBlue route again, choose to trust absolutely everyone except Hazama.
The big perk about the BlazBlue route happens to be the answers it provides. I really felt like this gives a great sense of fulfillment. Especially if you make sure to get the one where you trust Rachel. There’s this extra explanation that helps make the whole of BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle make more sense. And the true ending offers this sense of community. Seeing people come together for the greater good is a lot of fun. It lets us see how personalities play off of one another. Plus, it eventually offers us more choice and freedom.
What is nice is that I feel like some of the other series’ routes can feel like the goofy endings present in other Arc System Works games. In particular, the Persona and Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st] offer examples of whimsy and irony. In the former, we get this ending that has this fun twist to it. It did not make me laugh, but I had that sort of chuckle when I saw what happened when the Investigation Team managed to find their way out of the Phantom Field. With Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[st], the we get another kind of twist that makes sense and is delightful, whether or not you are familiar with the series. Even RWBY, with its more basic ending, makes sense, since it is the one series fighting game fans might have least experience with and does not rely on any kind of context.
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle’s endings have this way of possibly giving people exactly what you expect. The BlazBlue story, arguably the main route, offers these extra details it deserves, since this bears the BlazBlue name. It also gives you some answers and a true ending. The other series give us a chance to have some fun twists and see some resolution for other people. All told, they are worth seeing if you love the series, especially since the BlazBlue multiple endings are easy to earn.
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is available for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PC.
