We’ve enjoyed plenty of fresh BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, since the game has been showcased at several conventions as well as Anime Ascension, Aksys Games’ own tournament. On one hand, it’s easy to ogle the dynamic 2D action — however, in order to get the edge on opponents, it’s time to get studying. A couple of players who attended the Anime Ascension tournament took the time to write out their impressions, including the latest overview of the game’s mechanics.

Method|Flux, who is competitive in BlazBlue: Central Fiction, wrote out a BBTAG system mechanics primer. He goes over basic controls, noting the default stick control layout and explaining normal attacks. Interestingly, it seems like 5C, the Crush attack which is a universal overhead, seems to have some kind of additional input during it with specific timing that increases its damage. Flux goes over the Assist system as well. Another aspect worth pointing out is that Dragon Punch moves are completely unblockable for airborne characters, so such can work well as anti-airs. Pushblock, which is executed during blockstun, is done the same way as the DP.

As for his general opinion on the game, Flux wrote: “Neutral feels fairly grounded and focused on fundamentals/jockeying for screen real estate. It felt like while playing the game that anything I could think of in terms of setups and combos was achievable if I could execute it correctly. Offense feels strong with the potential to be outright cheap. I said to the people I was playing and myself many times: I wonder if I can do this? And the answer was almost always “yes.” I was able to find ways to exploit the games’ lack of cross-up protection fairly easily, but it isn’t without hope!”

If you’re curious about some character-specific impressions, Spectro wrote about playing Weiss and Es. Kuma wrote a detailed overview on Chie Satonaka.

For more on this game, check out BBTAG special intros and match footage from Anime Ascension.

Sources: Evernote (Flux); Spectro (Weiss and Es); Kuma (Chie)