Across the Obelisk

Developed by: Dreamsite Games
Published by: Paradox Interactive, Paradox Arc

Aug 16, 2022$19.99

Set forth in a co-op roguelite deckbuilder where every choice matters! Craft decks of breathtaking power. Journey alone or with up to three friends. Plot your party’s path to glory and face powerful enemies in deep tactical combat on your quest to save the kingdom of Senenthia in Across the Obelisk!

Consensus

B70.8/100

Steam players79.9% positiveMostly Positive13,164 reviews

Metacritic ↗Users: 7.1/10

VG Insights estimate ↗≈395K copies · ≈$5.5M gross

What creators say

PepperHead ↗

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Part 1 (Sep 2023) · #7 of 18 in that tierWatch the moment (0:02:13)

Tier list Part 1 (2023)

Across the Obelisk is a co-op-style deck-building roguelike where you control four characters at once. PepperHead uses it as the first deck builder of the list and talks about how the genre shares common gimmicks, so each game must build its own identity. He finds it complex and overwhelming for newcomers, but praises its engaging overworld and charming presentation. He rates it a solid A tier while cautioning that it is not for people new to deck builders.

Liked

Controlling four characters at once is its unique hook
Outside-of-combat world and exploration feel engaging and immersive, like a real adventure
Cute, fun art and animations, more lively than typical minimalistic deck-builder animations
Many characters, cards and build possibilities once you have played a few hours
Good balance between combat gameplay and the overworld/events layer
One of the best deck-building games in his view

Disliked

Pretty complicated with a lot of information, overwhelming for beginners
Managing four characters and their placement adds to the overload
Not recommended if you are not used to deck-building games

Dr. Incompetent ↗

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Ranked Jul 2026 · #9 of 9 in that tierWatch the moment (0:24:50)

What players say

A co-op (1-4 player) roguelite deckbuilder/RPG by Dreamsite Games where you run a party of four heroes through a branching campaign map, crafting decks and stacking buffs against tactical enemies.

Steam shows Mostly Positive (about 80% of roughly 13,000 reviews). The base game is widely loved for its depth, co-op and replayability, and critics who reviewed it were favourable (3.5/5 to 4/5, 7/10 to 8.5/10) but noted that it is a solid genre entry rather than a genre great. The dominant recent complaint, in the most helpful negative reviews, is not the gameplay but Paradox's DLC monetisation: pricey DLC, locked DLC nodes and cards appearing in the base game, plus ongoing bugs and desyncs. It is not abandoned (a DLC-heavy release cadence continues), but several long-time players say meaningful free content and fixes have dried up and there is no sequel or mod support.

Players love

Very deep deck and party customisation: 16 base heroes across four roles, 500+ cards and 300+ items, with card crafting/upgrading and traits that enable many builds
Co-op is a standout: each player controls a hero, which spreads the deck-building load and makes it a rare strong multiplayer deckbuilder; players report 250+ hours with friends
Huge replayability from branching map paths, events with hero-specific options, Madness difficulty levels, extra modes and sandbox
Distinctive art style and appealing original cast; lighthearted tone
Big amount of content in the base game (100+ hours to see it all per multiple reviewers), so the $20 base is considered good value
Meta-progression (unlocking cards, perks, heroes and their mini-quests) keeps runs feeling rewarding

Common complaints

Aggressive DLC monetisation since the Paradox takeover: some DLC costs as much as the base game for a small amount of content, and new characters/skins are priced separately; full set is often quoted around $90+
DLC content is baked into the map and card pools: flashing DLC-locked nodes that lead to a purchase prompt, and DLC cards offered as dead, unselectable rewards in the base game
Stability problems: long-standing random crashes, reset resolution, and desyncs in co-op (card dragging, boss tactics, shopping) reported after newer DLC
Balance is lopsided: buff/debuff stacking and scaling builds dominate, raw-damage and off-meta comps (e.g. 3 healers or 3 scouts) struggle, and some heroes have clearly optimal paths
Campaign acts are largely fixed, so it is only semi-random; some players feel it is easier than Slay the Spire and lacks true roguelite variance
Perceived lack of effort on the base game: no mod support and little substantial free content for years, with calls for a properly reworked sequel
Character select UI redesign seen as clunky, and attempts to push the Paradox launcher drew complaints
Recent DLC is criticised for heavy power creep, a clash in art style and arbitrary design that do not mesh with the base game, while the game is also described as having received no meaningful content for about 4 years
Paradox-era business practices beyond DLC price: an unnecessary launcher and complaints about data collection, cited by long-time players (hundreds of hours) as the reason they no longer recommend the game

Can feel tedious

Early-game grind: starting heroes are weak with limited deckbuilding until enough cards and heroes are unlocked, which one reviewer called a long and painful early game
Building a deck solo takes a long time; several players recommend at least 2 players
Constant reminders of missing DLC (flashing exclamation marks, locked characters) interrupting play
Runs can become stale after a long time since acts are fixed and buff stacking trivialises content
Bug-related interruptions such as crashes and desyncs, and the Paradox launcher push

What's unique

One of the first multiplayer roguelike deckbuilders, with every player piloting their own hero and deck
Party-of-four RPG structure with Darkest Dungeon-style hero roles (warrior, scout, mage, healer) combined with Slay the Spire-style card play
Energy carries over between turns (up to 10) rather than resetting, and heroes have equipment, traits and player-level perks
Card crafting and upgrading with shards at the start of each act, plus hero unlock mini-quests and Obelisk corruption challenges
Branching campaign map with persistent, semi-fixed content and Madness difficulty levels and sandbox modifiers

Players want

Bundle or cut prices of DLC, or make updates free, and stop promoting DLC inside the base game's map and card rewards
Stop showing unselectable DLC cards in reward screens for non-owners
Fix persistent crashes and co-op desyncs with proper testing before DLC releases
Rebalance so that more than buff-stacking builds are viable and early-game starting heroes are less limited
Add mod support and more free base-game content or a true sequel focused on core cards and classes
Improve the character-select UI so all hero info can be seen without scrolling

Summarised from Steam reviews and community discussion.