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Across the Obelisk capsule

Across the Obelisk

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!

$9.99Very Positive(44)
CasualAdventureTactical
Dreamsite GamesAug 16, 2022

Across the Obelisk scores 77/100 — better than 75% of Casual capsules (n=10,296).

Very Positive (44 reviews) · $9.99 · Released Aug 16, 2022 · By Dreamsite Games

Explore:Casual capsulesAdventure capsulesTactical capsulesSteam page optimisationCapsule design best practices

Quick text summary

Across the Obelisk scored 77/100 on Steam Analyzer — Good for a Casual capsule. Top priority fix: [uniqueness_polish] Elevate the obelisk as a visual centerpiece or motif—consider a more prominent background monument or architectural element that anchors the game's identity beyond the title separator

Capsule scores by dimension

  • Genre Clarity: 8/10 — Clear fantasy strategy RPG party vibes. The capsule immediately communicates a cooperative fantasy adventure with distinct character archetypes (warrior, mage, rogue, support) arranged in an iconic party formation. At TINY size, the colorful character silhouettes and fantasy equipment (sword, staff, bow) remain readable and clearly signal tactical RPG rather than action game. The purple mystical background with floating cards reinforces the deckbuilder mechanic without overwhelming the core fantasy-party identity.
  • Title Readability: 8/10 — Bold yellow title holds at small sizes. The title 'ACROSS THE OBELISK' uses a thick, warm golden-yellow font with strong black outline that maintains crisp legibility down to SMALL and TINY sizes. The obelisk graphic serves as a natural separator between words, adding visual interest while preserving readability. At TINY size, the outline strength and letter spacing prevent collapse, though individual letterforms become simplified.
  • Contrast & Color: 8/10 — Vibrant characters pop against dark purple. The warm skin tones, bright blues, golds, and greens of the character party create strong value separation from the dark purple background. The golden title has exceptional contrast and glows slightly, pulling focus immediately. In grayscale mental test, the character faces and equipment remain distinctly readable against the mid-tone purple, with clear silhouette edges that survive small size reduction.
  • Uniqueness & Polish: 7/10 — Charming character art with solid execution. The art style features appealing hand-drawn character designs with personality and distinct visual roles that feel intentional rather than templated. The composition of five diverse characters in a dynamic pose group suggests cooperation and adventure. However, the overall presentation is competent but not visually groundbreaking compared to top-tier indie capsules; it executes the party-based RPG formula well without a distinctive visual hook that transcends the genre.
  • Brand Consistency: 7/10 — Cohesive art direction with recognizable cast. The character designs show internal consistency in line weight, proportion style, and rendering approach, creating a unified artistic vision. The warm gold accents and purple mystical palette feel deliberate and would likely be recognizable across marketing materials. The specific character lineup (tank, mage, rogue, healer/support) forms a memorable party identity, though without an iconic singular mascot or symbol.
  • Composition: 8/10 — Balanced party arrangement with clear focus. The five-character lineup creates natural horizontal balance with the title anchored solidly below, establishing a clear visual hierarchy that reads from top (characters) to bottom (branding). The obelisk graphic in the title serves as a focal anchor without cluttering. At SMALL and TINY sizes, the arrangement maintains cohesion; characters remain distinguishable and the title stays readable, with safe margins that prevent critical element cropping.

What works

  • Title contrast and durability. Golden-yellow bold text with black outline survives small size reduction and pops distinctly against the dark background without requiring background masks.
  • Character diversity and silhouettes. Five distinct archetypes with varied poses, equipment, and colors create immediate visual interest and clearly communicate a party-based cooperative experience.
  • Cohesive art style. Consistent hand-drawn rendering, line weight, and proportion approach across all characters builds brand identity and premium feel.
  • Balanced composition at all sizes. Horizontal arrangement remains readable and well-distributed from full header down to tiny thumbnail without focal point collapse or awkward cropping.

What hurts the capsule

  • Generic fantasy RPG formula. While well-executed, the party-based character grouping follows a familiar template seen across many indie RPGs without a distinctive visual hook unique to Across the Obelisk.
  • Deckbuilder mechanic underemphasized. The floating cards in the background are small and subtle; the roguelite deckbuilder core identity is present but not as prominent as the party adventure aesthetic.
  • Obelisk branding secondary. The obelisk (the core mechanic) appears only as a title graphic separator and minor background element rather than as a dominant visual landmark that defines the game's unique identity.

Priority fixes

  1. [uniqueness_polish] Elevate the obelisk as a visual centerpiece or motif—consider a more prominent background monument or architectural element that anchors the game's identity beyond the title separator
  2. [genre_clarity] Reinforce the deckbuilder mechanic visibility—increase card visibility or integrate them more prominently into the composition to communicate the roguelite deckbuilding loop alongside the party combat

Store copy priority fixes

  1. [uniqueness] Replace 'roguelite deckbuilding like never before' with a specific differentiator such as: 'the only co-op roguelike deckbuilder with narrative branching based on party decisions' or 'designed for 2-4 player co-op with class synergy at its core, not a single-player game retrofitted for multiplayer.'
  2. [feature_communication] Add a brief pacing or difficulty expectation statement early in the detailed description, e.g., 'Each run lasts 1-2 hours. Three difficulty modes: story, standard, and obelisk (roguelike mastery).' This anchors playtime expectations.
  3. [hook_strength] In the short description, lead with the co-op value proposition before the single-player option. Rewrite to: 'Experience turn-based tactical deckbuilding designed for 1-4 players: journey solo or lead a party of friends through procedurally generated adventures where every card choice and decision reshapes Senenthia.' This foregrounding the co-op strength.
  4. [tone_match] Reduce narrative urgency language ('before she meets her end,' 'treacherous') when it appears alone; always pair it with a gameplay context so readers don't mistake this for a story-driven game when it is systems-driven. Example: 'Rescue the kingdom through strategic card play and cooperative decision-making, not cutscenes.'

Related guides

Steam app ID: 1385380 · Tags: Casual, Adventure, Tactical, Turn-Based Strategy, Roguelike Deckbuilder