Deckbuilders and roguelikes are both about the thrill of making new and exciting combinations from old parts. Learning from defeat and failed strategies can be even more important than winning, and with an army of monsters trying to bring the player down, there will certainly be some losses in the player's future.
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Across the Obelisk makes excellent use of both genres, offering players the chance to build a classic fantasy party and then use the unique decks offered by each character to fight their way across the land, earning and upgrading cards as they continue their quest. While much of this may seem familiar to fans of the genre, Across the Obelisk does a few things differently than other deckbuilder roguelikes. Here are some great tips to get beginners off to the right start.
7 Play To Each Class's Strengths
Across the Obelisk is a fusion of the deckbuilder and roguelike genres, so it naturally borrows some signature elements from both of them, including distinctions between characters, with some excelling in one area while offering little elsewhere. Each character and class has plenty of little nuances the player can pick up later, but when getting started it's enough to know the basics of each role.
The player starts with one character of each class unlocked by default: Magnus (Warrior), Andrin (Scout), Evelyn (Mage), and Reginald (Healer). This team composition will be familiar to players of most RPGs: the Warrior can focus on either melee or blocking, the Scout adds range, stealth, and poison to the mix, the Mage can deal elemental damage, and the Healer keeps everyone alive.
6 Mind The Madness
Most games offer variable difficulties of some kind, allowing the player to tailor the game to their experience, giving a warmer welcome to new players while allowing veterans of the game to challenge themselves with something harder. Roguelikes and roguelites often go a step further, offering numerous customization options to allow players to switch up their already randomized runs, increasing replay value that much more.
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Across the Obelisk follows suit, with a Madness Difficulty Scale that allows the player to buff monsters, nerf their own rewards, and otherwise make the game more of a challenge. It also offers players the chance to use Corruptors, optional variables that make runs both harder and more unique. These options are fantastic for players already familiar with the game, but new players should leave these alone until they're better acquainted with the mechanics and strategies.
5 Use It Or Lose It
Roguelikes differ in how much progress they allow the player to retain between runs. Some of the most punishing allows the player to bring nothing with them after death except the memory of their mistakes. Others feature elaborate benefit systems that allow the player to slowly gain in strength, even if they're dying over and over again.
Across the Obelisk rewards the player with a chest, redeemable in town, after each run. The resources offered by these chests can be quite helpful when first starting out, but the game only stores three rewards at a time. If the player doesn't cash in one of their chests by the time they've completed their fourth run, the newest chest will be lost. As a result, if the player already has three chests on hold, it's always good to claim one, even if they don't immediately need the resources it offers. That way no resource is wasted.
4 Have A Day On The Town
Because Across the Obelisk is a roguelike as well as a deckbuilder, the player isn't stuck with a playmat as their only setting. Instead, the player is able to travel around the countryside, facing threats and earning rewards as they build their deck and come ever closer to the end of the game. After a hard day's adventuring, they can also stop in town.
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Town offers a variety of important services, and it's good for new players to familiarize themselves with those services right away. The first is the Armory, a shop that sells a variety of cards, from weapons and armor to pets. The Altar allows the player to upgrade their cards. Each character starts with a deck of 15 cards, and by spending gems at the Altar, the player can improve these cards, giving them a better chance in battle. The Magic Forge allows the player to craft new cards, the Church removes cards, and the Cart grants other rewards.
3 Plot Your Course
Across the Obelisk is divided into four Acts, each of which sees the player traveling through an area, battling the monsters within, and dealing with random events that occur. Following in the footsteps of some of the best roguelikes, the player is able to see the journey ahead of them, so the player can make decisions about which activities they want to engage in or shy away from.
One of the most important decisions when plotting one's course is which character to unlock. By arriving at certain locations, the player can begin the quest associated with specific characters. If the player completes that quest, they'll unlock that character, even if the player dies afterward. Failing the run doesn't mean the player will leave with nothing as long as they accomplish the character's quest first.
2 Travel With Friends
Unlike many roguelike deckbuilders, Across the Obelisk can be played either solo or with friends accompanying one for the journey. Because of this multiplayer aspect, things can get interesting when it comes to plotting one's course across the map. After all, what happens if players disagree about where to go?
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If players disagree about where to go, the game uses a roll system to determine where the players move. If, on the other hand, the players are able to reach a consensus about where and how they should travel, they can carry on their merry way together without the intervention of the game. This system strikes an almost perfect balance between careful, cooperative strategizing and the hilarity and chaos that often comes with making team decisions in party games.
1 Track Initiative
Every great deckbuilding game needs a way of determining the order in which the various sides move. In Across the Obelisk, character actions are arranged according to their speed. The player is able to see the turn order at the top of the screen, showing at a glance which enemies and teammates will move when. Using the turn order to make decisions is extremely important, especially in the game's more difficult battles.
Tracking Initiative matters less early on when the player's deck is simpler, but as the deck grows in power and complexity, so will enemies, and it will become increasingly important for the player to time their actions well. Knowing that the player can squeeze one extra attack in and kill the enemy before they can strike, thus eliminating the need to heal and sparing the characters further harm, is just one example of the importance of this system.
Across the Obelisk is available now for PC.
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