RoguedexPart 3 (Apr 2025) · #3 of 14 in that tierWatch the moment (0:37:14)
Cobalt Core
- Developed by
- Rocket Rat Games
- Published by
- Brace Yourself Games
$19.99
A sci-fi roguelike deckbuilder with a deep new single-axis spin on tactics games! Dodge missiles, line up your cannons, and blast 'em out of the sky... Then get to the bottom of these time loops, before it's too late!
Consensus
S81.1/100
Steam players96% positiveOverwhelmingly Positive4,401 reviews
Metacritic ↗94/100Users: 7.7/10
OpenCritic ↗89/100
VG Insights estimate ↗≈132K copies · ≈$1.9M gross
What creators say
Ranked Aug 2024 · #2 of 12 in that tierWatch the moment (0:53:42)
Ranked Jul 2026 · #7 of 9 in that tierWatch the moment (0:24:50)
Ranked Sep 2024 · #2 of 5 in that tierWatch the moment (0:15:01)
What players say
A sci-fi roguelike deckbuilder by Rocket Rat Games in which you pilot a spaceship with a three-character crew through a time loop, dodging enemy fire by moving left and right to line up cannons.
Cobalt Core is very well received by both critics and players: 96% positive on Steam (Overwhelmingly Positive, about 4,400 reviews), Metacritic 94 and an OpenCritic top critic average of 89 with 100% of critics recommending. Reviewers present it as a compact, tactical take on the Slay the Spire formula, with the lateral-movement mechanic, crew-mixing and charming writing as the standouts. The recurring caveats are content volume and difficulty: several players and critics say it is easy even on top difficulty, runs repeat the same events and bosses, and the unlock arc is short. It is not early access, and it got free updates after launch (1.1 added enemies and alternate bosses, 1.2 in Jan 2025), a Mac port in July 2025 and Linux support reported in Aug 2025. It was nominated for Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year at the 27th D.I.C.E. Awards.
Players love
- Movement is the core hook: dodging incoming missiles while lining up your own cannons adds a tactical puzzle layer absent from other deckbuilders (FTL / Into the Breach flavour).
- Crew mixing: picking three of the characters to form your starting card pool gives a lot of combinations and distinct archetypes (drones, heat, corrosion, shields, infinites).
- Characters and writing: crew members banter reactively based on cards played, damage taken and who is paired together; widely called charming, funny and endearing.
- Enemies telegraph their next shots, so outcomes feel driven by player choices and planning rather than pure luck.
- Snappy, polished feel: UI, sound design and animation make runs fast and satisfying.
- Time-loop story told through unlockable memories ties neatly into the roguelike structure and pays off; some reviewers say the story is better than typical for the genre.
- Multiple ships with their own rules and playstyles, none strictly better than the starter, plus daily challenges and a codex that encourages completionism.
- Minimal meta-progression: no grinding for power, you win by getting better; a small team (three people) delivered an unusually polished game.
Common complaints
- Limited content: the same events, enemies and bosses recur every run, card and artifact pools are smaller than Slay the Spire's, and players report seeing everything in roughly 10-20 hours.
- Too easy: multiple reviewers beat hard and harder difficulties within a few runs and say they must self-handicap with weaker crews or ships to be challenged.
- Same-y builds: all of a character's cards unlock immediately, so the best cards become obvious and runs converge.
- Map traversal and pathing are considered uninteresting compared with other genre entries.
- Shield feels underpowered relative to movement/dodging, narrowing viable defensive strategies.
- Critics noted boss fights lack randomness and the total unlock arc is short compared with peers.
- Some players find the core loop of shifting left or right with hit-or-miss draws unengaging and feel cards/effects are underwhelming.
Can feel tedious
- Repetition: seeing the same events and enemies every run becomes tedious after the first dozen runs.
- Feeling underpowered in fights and chipping away at enemies, with no Balatro/Monster Train-style moment of unlocking an overpowered build (one 16-hour reviewer).
- No undo for misclicks and having to inspect each card to see upgrade results.
- Some find the unlocks spaced both too far apart and too thin, and the story not compelling enough to motivate unlocking.
- RNG-driven draws can leave you without the movement or range card you need, which some reviewers find frustrating.
- Short playtime-to-content ratio: several negative reviewers (8-10 hours) beat hard or harder difficulty within a few runs and call it thin for the price, wanting a steep sale.
What's unique
- Single-axis tactical combat: you slide left or right to dodge and line up shots, rather than just playing cards against a health bar.
- Your deck is built from the three crew members you choose, making crew selection a pre-run strategic layer.
- Dynamic crew dialogue that reacts to specific game state, inspired by Star Trek and Reigns.
- Time-loop framing with story memories unlocked through runs, inspired in part by Inscryption's meta-awareness.
- Ships change the ruleset of the run (different meta rules), and the game is compact rather than sprawling.
- Distinct cobalt-blue pixel-art look with a light-hearted tone and serious undercurrents.
Players want
- Add much more content: players ask for roughly double or triple the cards, enemies, events, bosses and gimmicks (events and ship count were singled out in reviews).
- Offer harder difficulty tiers or modifiers so experienced players are challenged without self-handicapping.
- Add randomness or variation to boss encounters and more alternate bosses per zone.
- Make map traversal more meaningful (more interesting route decisions).
- Add an undo option and show card upgrade outcomes without having to click into every card.
- Rebalance shield versus movement and further distinguish the crew so fewer cards are obvious picks.
Summarised from Steam reviews and community discussion.
Steam tags
Roguelike DeckbuilderCard GameStrategyRogue-likeTurn-Based StrategySci-fiPixel GraphicsTurn-Based TacticsTactical RPGFunny
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Tier list Part 3 (2025)
Cobalt Core is a space-themed, turn-based deck-building roguelike where cards move your ship and fire its cannon, with each crew combination bringing its own mechanics. He loves it, calling out its soundtrack, story-driven encounters and vibe. He places it in high A for now, saying it sits between low S and high A, and keeps S for his all-time favorites. He may revisit whether it deserves S later.
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