The Verdict
“A genuinely brilliant co-op deckbuilder buried under Paradox's mandatory data-harvesting launcher and a $130+ DLC pile.”
Very Positive
This puts the game in the top 30% of all reviewed games on Steam.
Analysis by Ivan Z. Ganza · Methodology →
Quick Stats
9,393en
12,843 total (all languages)
1,996 analyzed
Current as of Apr 26, 2026
Aug 16, 2022
$9.99
Apr 23, 2026
5.5/day
Slowing
Metadata current as of May 3, 2026 · Source: Steam
Market Reach
≈470K
≈$9.3M
Based on 12,843 reviews (all languages)
Based on review count × genre/age/price-adjusted Boxleiter ratio. Gross revenue before Steam’s 30% cut, refunds, and regional pricing.
Design Strengths
- 1–4 player co-op is a genuine rarity in the deckbuilder genre and is consistently cited as the game's defining achievement
- Simultaneously managing four distinct character decks with cross-character synergies (e.g., rogue buffing mage fire damage) rewards deep theory-crafting and hundreds of hours of experimentation
- Exceptional replayability driven by branching map paths, 16 heroes, multiple difficulty tiers (Madness/ascension), draft mode, weekly challenges, and extensive unlockables
- Party-based tactical combat adds meaningful strategic depth beyond single-deck deckbuilders, with class combinations producing emergent gameplay
- Base game content is described as 'finished and polished' — 50–100+ hours of content across 16 characters, multiple acts, and three game modes without any DLC
- Addictive 'one more run' loop cited by players logging 100–3000+ hours across a range of skill levels
- Soundtrack praised as significantly above expectations for an indie title in this genre
Gameplay Friction
- DLC-locked map nodes, card reward slots, shop items, and events appear in base game runs without prior warning, creating wasted turns and dead choices that feel like in-game advertising
- Full runs take 5–10+ hours; late-game boss fights run 30–60+ minutes due to high enemy HP and healing — incompatible with casual or short play sessions, and no speed multiplier exists
- Steep learning curve from managing four decks simultaneously with dozens of status effects; inadequate in-game tutorial forces wiki dependency for new players
- Meta-progression gates basic town features (e.g., item selling) behind many hours of play, with currency grind required before individual runs feel competitive
- Balance is uneven: some hero/build combos are game-breakingly overpowered while others are non-viable; high Madness levels shift toward RNG over skill; update-introduced stat caps removed scaling build satisfaction for veteran players
- Newest DLC zone (Necropolis) introduces sleep mechanics with no meaningful counterplay, widely described as poorly balanced
Audience Profile
Ideal Player
A theory-crafting deckbuilder fan who has a regular group of 2–4 friends, can tolerate a steep 10-hour learning curve, and buys the base game on sale without touching the DLC catalog.
Casual Friendliness
low
Player Archetypes
Not For
Sentiment Trend
stable
Sentiment steady at ~57% positive over the last 180 days (370 reviews).
Genre Context
Party-based co-op deckbuilders are exceptionally rare — most genre entries are single-player or asynchronous — making Across the Obelisk's 1–4 player synchronous co-op a meaningful differentiator. However, the genre has matured significantly since 2022, and new entries with cleaner monetization are now capturing the audience that Across the Obelisk's publisher decisions are actively pushing away.
Promise Gap
Audience Match
The store page targets a broad fantasy RPG and co-op adventure audience with accessible language ('set forth,' 'quest to save the kingdom'), but the actual player base skews toward experienced deckbuilder and roguelike veterans who engage with complex multi-deck theory-crafting — casual players attracted by the store framing frequently bounce within the first few hours due to the steep learning curve and opaque meta-progression.
Player Wishlist
- Endless mode to continue pushing a completed deck against escalating difficulty
- PvP / versus mode for player-vs-player combat
- Additional map regions, enemies, and late-game boss encounters beyond the current act structure
- Cross-save character progression for co-op (so guest players retain unlocks)
- More story endings and branching narrative outcomes
Churn Triggers
- Within the first 1–4 hours, new players encounter dead DLC-locked map nodes and reward slots without prior warning, triggering immediate negative reviews and early exits
- After ~10 hours, players who cannot clear the meta-progression grind gate (unable to sell items in town, limited perk points) abandon before the game opens up
- Shortly after a major patch, recurring broken card effects and multi-second freeze spikes on curse-stacking builds cause veterans to uninstall, citing 'unplayable for months after every update'
- Players who had 100+ hours pre-Paradox acquisition return post-launcher-update, encounter the mandatory data-collection EULA, and permanently stop playing rather than accept new terms
Developer Priorities
Remove or make the Paradox launcher optional, and revoke the data-collection EULA — or provide a permanently documented, supported launch-option bypass
The mandatory launcher is the single highest-voted negative issue (189 mentions, avg 42 helpful votes per review) and is actively blocking players with 200+ hours from returning; it is also a legal and reputational liability
Filter DLC-locked content (nodes, card rewards, shop items, events) out of base-game runs entirely, or add clear pre-travel indicators before players commit to a locked path
98 mentions of DLC content appearing as dead slots in base-game runs; this is the friction most likely to generate immediate refund requests and early negative reviews from new players
Add a 1.5×–2× combat speed option and investigate reducing late-game boss HP/heal totals to shorten run length without removing depth
98 mentions of run length as a blocker; directly reduces casual and co-op session completion, capping the audience at players with 5–10 hour uninterrupted windows
Redesign meta-progression to unlock basic town features (item selling, core perk access) within the first 3–5 runs rather than gating them behind 10–15 hours of play
Players who hit the meta-progression wall within 10 hours leave before the game opens up; this is the primary early-dropout mechanism for players who survive the tutorial but not the grind
Establish and communicate a public balance patch cadence with a regression-testing commitment, specifically targeting new DLC zone balance (Necropolis sleep mechanics) and post-patch stability
68 technical/crash mentions and recurring balance complaints from veterans with 150–550 hours; each major update is described as causing months of unplayability, eroding trust in the live-service commitment
Competitive Context
Universal reference point; majority of reviewers describe Across the Obelisk as a deeper, party-based, co-op-enabled evolution — many explicitly prefer it. A minority favor Slay the Spire for tighter solo pacing and strategic clarity.
Recent reviewers (2025–2026) cite Slay the Spire 2 as solving the co-op deckbuilder problem without the DLC baggage, positioning it as a direct reason to skip Across the Obelisk.
Cited as a secondary design influence; players describe the game as a successful hybrid of Darkest Dungeon's party/rank system with deckbuilding mechanics.
Compared favorably on variety and fun factor; some prefer Monster Train for faster pacing and tighter design.
Recommended as an alternative by frustrated players specifically because of Balatro's clean pricing and absence of a DLC paywall — not a direct design comparison.
Cited as the cautionary template for Paradox's DLC trajectory ($520+ in DLC on a $54 base); players invoke it to predict where Across the Obelisk is heading.
Sentiment History
Sentiment over time
Playtime Sentiment
Sentiment by time invested
· 7,720 post-launch reviewsPlayers who invest more time rate this game significantly higher (+54pts) — a strong signal of a slow-burn experience that rewards patience.
Competitive Benchmark
Compared to 270 similar games in the Strategy genre released in 2022.
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