Spoiler warning
While the Epic Battle Fantasy series is known for being a fairly linear RPG (with the first two games being absolutely linear), Epic Battle Fantasy 5 is noteworthy for having 3 potential endings (Bad Ending, Normal Ending and Good Ending). The ending you get on completing the game depends on how well the player characters get along with each other, which is tracked in the form of a Relationship Score between each of the six possible pairings of Matt, Natalie, Lance and Anna.
In the ending sequence, one will be shown one extra scene for each completed relationship, followed by a final scene that changes on whether one obtained the Bad, Normal or Good Ending.
Developing Relationships[]
To develop the relationship between a certain pair, they simply need to fight together in battle. If two characters are both alive on the front line at the end of a turn, they get 1 point added to their Relationship Score. While NoLegs doesn't have relationships per se, he triples Relationship Score gain if he's also alive in the front.
Relationships can only be developed once all playable characters join the party, before that no Relationship Score will be gained.
To complete or max out a relationship, it is necessary to reach a certain Relationship Score threshold. This threshold gets reduced depending on Medals obtained, Chests opened, Executed/Spared foe ratio and number of owned Summons. The initial threshold is 3000:
- Each Medal obtained reduces the threshold by 6, since there are 133 medals in the premium version, the threshold can be reduced by a max of 798 with medals (for the free version, there are 83 medals so it can be reduced by 498).
- Executed/Spared foe ratio reduces the threshold by the following formula:
Spared / (Executed + Spared + 1) * 200. - Each 3 chests opened reduces the threshold by 1, since there are 706 chests in the premium version (516 in the free version), the threshold can be reduced by a max of 235.(3) with chests, or 172 in the free version.
- Each foe owned as a summon reduces the threshold by 1, since there are 192 capturable foes in the premium version, the threshold can be reduced by a max of 192 (133 for the free version).
- If one owns the premium version, the threshold is increased by 600 to account for all the extra battles, medals, foes and chests.
- After the v2 update, obtaining the "Ultimate Hero" medal (ie, defeating the final boss on Epic difficulty), or playing in a 1/2 Player Custom Game will reduce the threshold by 5000, essentially automatically maxing all relationships and guaranteeing the Good Ending.
To check whether a relationship has been completed, you only need to talk to the Bard, an NPC that appears in the Warp Zone once you obtain the Stepladder. He'll have "gossip" regarding each of the pairings you haven't completed yet, and once you complete a relationship he'll stop mentioning them; once you complete all 6 relationships he'll just say that he can't detect any gossip among the party. That said, there's no way in-game to check the exact amount of Relationship Score a pair has.
The Bard's Quotes[]
These are the things that the Bard will say about each of the pairings if their relationship hasn't been completed yet.
Matt x Natalie[]
- "Matt seems to be oblivious to the feelings of others, especially girls. This isn't good for Natalie."
- ―Bard, Epic Battle Fantasy 5
Natalie x Lance[]
- "I can sense a lot of tension between Natalie and Lance - there's some bad blood there! Did something happen between them?"
- ―Bard, Epic Battle Fantasy 5
Lance x Anna[]
- "Anna and Lance don't seem to know each other very well, but they've got more in common than they realize. Maybe they should try fighting together sometime."
- ―Bard, Epic Battle Fantasy 5
Natalie x Anna[]
- "Natalie could be like a big sister to Anna, but for some reason they see each other as rivals."
- ―Bard, Epic Battle Fantasy 5
Matt x Anna[]
- "Matt and Anna have similar personalities, meaning that they're both childish and need to grow up."
- ―Bard, Epic Battle Fantasy 5
Matt x Lance[]
- "Lance feels threatened by Matt's popularity. Perhaps he should try learning from him instead."
- ―Bard, Epic Battle Fantasy 5
Extra Scenes[]
These are the extra scenes/dialogue for each pairing that can be seen if their relationship is completed.
Matt x Natalie[]
- "Matt and NoLegs would continue plundering dungeons for treasure, while gradually stealing less from innocent NPCs. Natalie's harsh judgements had lead them towards more ethical missions. She could see that Matt was beginning to take things more seriously, and Matt did his best to not let her down, despite a few setbacks. With the world at peace, they finally had some time to spend alone together - just like in the beginning of their epic quest. Natalie would have liked to settle down somewhere to live a peaceful life, but she figured Matt still needed a few years to grow up. So until then, they continued on smaller adventures together, before eventually coming out as an official couple."
- ―Matt x Natalie, Epic Battle Fantasy 5
Lance x Natalie[]
- "Lance seemingly developed a conscience, and began rebuilding the homes he had destroyed. He reprogrammed his robots to automatically fetch materials and assemble them into structures. Foes which were made of stone or wood often became collateral damage, and many gardens were also destroyed. A risk assessment was never carried out. But Lance's secret goal was to remain close to Natalie, and doing charity work seemed to be the best way. Even he could tell that she would probably never be romantically interested in him, but until someone better came along, a tiny chance was fine. Maybe she would come to her senses eventually, he thought. Maybe Matt would be slain in battle. It's a bit of a stretch, but it's nice to dream."
- ―Lance x Natalie, Epic Battle Fantasy 5
Anna x Natalie[]
- "Anna's parents decided that if she was old enough to save the world, she was also old enough to move out of their house. And thus, they kicked her out. Anna bought a small patch of land with a modest house sitting on it, and quickly filled it to the brim with plants and pots. The house became damp and mouldy, and infested with caterpillars. Anna's health suffered. Once Natalie finished university, she moved in with Anna so that she could perform an intervention. Natalie enforced a minimal level of cleanliness and organisation, and suggested that they start a garden centre, which would allow Anna to pursue her hobbies without becoming a hoarder. NoLegs functioned as their mascot, and the business went on to be very popular among local hippies and grannies."
- ―Anna x Natz, Epic Battle Fantasy 5
Matt x Anna[]
- "Matt and Anna grew up playing video games on completely different consoles, so now they're catching up on all of the games they've missed. In particular, they're both big fans of action and adventure games, especially if a co-op mode is available. Fighting games would often result in real life fights and smashed controllers though. Until recently, they were both too poor to afford the internet, or any official strategy guides. Now, with some hints available, they're finally revisiting many old games to find the secrets they've missed before. They're also tempted to try out this new thing called "online gaming" - but so far technical problems have prevented them from hooking their consoles up."
- ―Matt x Anna, Epic Battle Fantasy 5
Lance x Anna[]
- "Lance and Anna would go on to share many hunting trips together. They would responsibly hunt troublesome pests, such as slimes and penguins, which would often harass the livestock of small towns. Occasionally, they would even receive an exciting bounty on a rare and challenging beast, such as an adamantoise or a behemoth king. Anna's respect for the natural world and Lance's expertise of modern firearms meant that they had much to learn from each other - most importantly that destruction and conservation are vitally linked in a continuous cycle. Lance came to understand that carpet bombing was an unsustainable hobby, and Anna would learn many new swear words."
- ―Lance x Anna, Epic Battle Fantasy 5
Matt x Lance[]
- "In preparation for any future alien invasions, Matt and Lance researched new weapons. They managed to build the "Giga Sword Cannon 9000+", which is capable of penetrating 20 tanks lined up in a column. Other concepts included gunblades, sword-chucks, and remote-controlled swords. Lance shot down all of these ideas, because - in his words - they were idiotic. Lance's dream of world domination remained alive, but he would continue to pursue it through peaceful means. With the resources and technology he had amassed, he would kick start an industrial revolution, positioning himself as a market leader in an emerging capitalist system. Apparently it's more profitable to sell goods than to destroy them."
- ―Matt x Lance, Epic Battle Fantasy 5
List of Endings[]
Bad Ending[]
Obtained simply by having 3 or less relationships completed at the end of the game. There's technically 41 different variations of the Bad Ending depending on exactly how many and which relationships were completed.
- "The Epic Battle Fantasy team had completed their obligation to save the world, and more or less went their separate ways. They never overcame their differences, and were left holding grudges. They would meet up from time to time to have a beer, and to reminisce about their great adventure. But never again would they achieve something so great."
- ―Bad Ending, Epic Battle Fantasy 5
- Anna: Hey! That ending was a bit of a downer!
- Matt: I know, right? Were we really such a bad team?
- Natalie: Well some of us just sat on the bench for most of the adventure and didn't even get a chance to shine. I'm not referring to anybody in particular. but just saying.
- Na: Hmmm, maybe if we completed more quests, or tried to involve everyone in battle, we'd get a better ending...?
- M: What a cynical plot device! We cant find a happy ending unless we do more chores?
- Lance: At least the full ending isn't DLC.
- NoLegs: Meow...
Normal Ending[]
Obtained by having either 4 or 5 relationships completed at the end of the game. There's technically 21 different variations of the Normal Ending depending on exactly how many and which relationships were completed.
- "The Epic Battle Fantasy team had saved the world and earned the respect of many. They gathered a strong following of fans, but some people still condemned their reckless actions along the way. They were seen as dependable heroes in times of trouble, but in peaceful times they were a nuisance."
- ―Normal Ending, Epic Battle Fantasy 5
- Anna: Woop, we did it! We got a kind of decent ending!
- Natalie: I don't think that's all of it though - we didn't see everyone's story conclude. There must be a bit more to it than that.
- A: It looks like we also made some enemies... I guess that's what happens when you jerks keep stealing stuff!
- Na: Yeah... we've got some apologising to do, at the very least. It'll probably take a lot more than that for everyone to forgive us.
- A: Well, I'm prefectly happy to keep playing if y'all are. There's still secrets left for us to find!
- Matt: Hold on! I just received a telepathic message from the developer!
- M: He says that to get the full ending, you have to get lots of achievements, and use all of us in battle together! We gotta strengthen the bonds of friendship! And we should also talk to that Bard guy in the warp zone!
- Lance: That sounds exponentially lame. Are we in some sort of kid's cartoon?
- NoLegs: Meow!
Good Ending[]
Obtained by completing all relationships.
- "The Epic Battle Fantasy team had not only saved the world, but also worked hard to undo most of the damage they had caused along the way. They rebuilt villages, paid off their debts, and donated their captured monsters to local preservation projects. They had statues built in their honour, and remained good friends for many years to come."
- ―Good Ending, Epic Battle Fantasy 5
- Natalie: So uh, are me and Matt like, dating now? This is all a bit sudden!
- Matt: No we're not, not yet anyway! All of that stuff will happen in the future!
- Na: It's a bit weird seeing what's going to happen to us? Doesn't that violate some sort of time travel rules?
- M: I'm sure we'll find a way to mess everything up before it happens. There's still plenty of time for that!
- Lance: So this is the best possible ending? Bah! I'm not interested...
- Anna: I don't think anyone would enjoy your preferred ending, Lance. I really hope you turn out more like that future Lance we just saw.
- L: I'll need to program my own video game someday - one where I'm the main character and I always win! (That'll show 'em!)
- L: Excuse me while I go shoot some penguins.
- A: Hey, that sounds like fun! Let's get 'em back for what they did to NoLegs!
- NoLegs: Meow, meow!
Outro[]
Regardless of the ending, this conversation will always occur.
- Matt: Oh, by the way! I'm talking to YOU, the player now. If you really liked Epic Battle Fantasy 5, and think it's worth more than what you paid for it (maybe you got it in a sale?), please consider throwing some bucks at the developer to support updates and future games! Any amount of support on Patreon will get you some cool perks, and you can also follow news at the links above!
- Lance: Hey, stop shilling! People don't take kindly to that sort of thing. Anyone playing this is probably going to delete us now.
- Matt: Hmmm, oh well. It was a fun ride while it lasted. Big thanks for playing! We wouldn't have made it all the way to game 5 if it wasn't for the huge support of our fans!
If the full game has been purchased, this part of the ending occurs:
- Anna: What about the thing? You know... that SECRET thing!
- Matt: Oh yeah... I think it's called "New Game+". We can play through the game again, but we get to keep all of our equips and stats! Oh, and achievments that have to be done on Epic difficultly can't be unlocked on this mode...
- A: But what if we still have unfinished business in the current saved game?
- M: Gotta quit and load the game again, I guess. For some reason we can't save after beating the final boss.
- A: Oh... So uh... what about New Game+? Do we need to do something to start it? Or is it just going to-
Gallery[]
After defeating The Devourer
The Matt X Lance ending scene
The Matt X Anna ending scene
The Matt X Natalie ending scene
The Natalie X Anna ending scene
The Lance X Natalie ending scene
The Lance X Anna ending scene
Best ending final scene