Obsidian Prince

80%
Game Brain Score Based on 118 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • humor
Obsidian Prince Game Cover
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In "Obsidian Prince," a turn-based strategy game, engage in tactical combat where every move matters and outsmart enemies in increasingly challenging dungeons. Craft a deck of inspirations to enhance abilities and explore a vast, handcrafted world, unlocking new areas to build and expand your base. The roguelike mode offers additional challenges as you push back against the threat of the Obsidian Prince.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

80%
Audience ScoreBased on 118 reviews
gameplay22 positive mentions
grinding5 negative mentions
  • The game features charming graphics and a humorous writing style that adds to the overall enjoyment.
  • The tactical turn-based combat is engaging, with a unique card system that allows for strategic gameplay and character customization.
  • The developers are responsive to community feedback and actively work on updates and bug fixes, showing a commitment to improving the game.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs and performance issues, which can hinder the overall experience and lead to frustrating gameplay moments.
  • The procedural generation feels poorly implemented, resulting in repetitive and incoherent dungeon designs that detract from the fun.
  • The user interface can be confusing, making it difficult to track enemy actions and understand certain mechanics, leading to a steep learning curve.
  • gameplay38 mentions

    The gameplay of the game is characterized by a solid core loop that combines tactical turn-based combat with unique mechanics, such as a deck-building system and rogue-like elements. While many players appreciate the engaging mechanics and charming art style, some find the gameplay overwhelming or confusing, with issues like unclear mechanics and repetitive elements detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the game offers a mix of enjoyable and frustrating moments, with potential for fun but also room for improvement in clarity and variety.

    • “A quirky and charming dungeon crawler with good humor and varied gameplay.”
    • “The deck building progression system, the core mechanic of drawing a hand of passive bonuses each turn and then deciding how best to utilize them or whether to suffer some extra damage so you can hit harder that turn, is fun; the puzzle-esque combat is great.”
    • “Tactical turn-based combat, rogue-like mechanics, a truly unusual card system - this game has it all!”
    • “I like what the elements could be, but after a couple of hours playing it I just feel like the core gameplay loop is just not fun enough for me.”
    • “The frequency with which runs are lost due to unexplained mechanics, poorly telegraphed outcomes, messy graphics that are hard to read, or a simple lack of information, is remarkable.”
    • “The core gameplay has potential but the way the game starts is pretty damn overwhelming when within 20 minutes there's so much open on the map.”
  • graphics36 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the charming art style and colorful voxel graphics, which contribute to an engaging aesthetic. However, some players find the visuals confusing, particularly in combat scenarios, and criticize the pixel art for lacking refinement. Overall, while the graphics are often described as cute and appealing, they can sometimes hinder gameplay clarity and orientation.

    • “The art style is clean and the world itself is fantastic to look at.”
    • “Very well executed this game: pleasant voxel graphics, fresh and clever game design, cool soundtrack, cheeky but never annoying writing.”
    • “Graphics are amazing, and there are so many different ways to play.”
    • “The weak point of this game is the graphics and visual design.”
    • “The pixel art of this game doesn't have great visuals.”
    • “The 'retro' graphics are ugly.”
  • humor22 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its quirky charm and imaginative writing, featuring a mix of clever puns and light-hearted dialogue that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the balance of silliness and cleverness, with many finding the humor to be both entertaining and refreshing, even amidst the game's challenging elements. Overall, the humor contributes significantly to the game's appeal, making it a delightful experience for fans of the genre.

    • “A quirky and charming dungeon crawler with good humor and varied gameplay.”
    • “The dialogue and description writing is fresh and funny.”
    • “As many have already stated, the game is laden with quirky humor - both silly and clever - so most should be able to find funny elements.”
  • music20 mentions

    The music in "Obsidian Prince" is widely praised for its charm and quality, with many reviewers highlighting the engaging soundtrack that enhances the gameplay experience. While some noted issues with music transitions and looping, the overall consensus is that the soundtrack is a standout feature, complementing the game's humor and voxel art style effectively. Players appreciate the variety in musical themes, from heroic battle tracks to calming town melodies, which contribute to the game's immersive atmosphere.

    • “Few last things of note: the music in this game is absolutely fantastic, and I can never get bored of it.”
    • “Super charming, hilarious roguelike RPG with amazing music and a combat system that is really entertaining.”
    • “With a super cute, fun, and memorable main theme; the developers really nailed the music direction on Obsidian Prince.”
    • “Boring game, trash graphics, ok soundtrack, was expecting great gameplay at least, but it's boring and repetitive, what were they thinking...”
    • “Music looping improperly, abilities UI lagging, lag when there's lots of units/tile effects, inspiration deck cycling twice during bosses, multi-shot numbers not showing right/not mentioning a damage decrease in description, UI being vague or not bold or difficult to see, descriptions for abilities being vague, everything about the lich knight fight (curse effects lasting indefinitely, units indefinitely spawning at a large rate, intense lag, etc.), the wrong inspiration card showing on previewing equipment when holding the 'more info' button, and that's just to name a few, in my limited playtime.”
    • “Music is better than average but quite disjointed from the action and transitions badly into each other, randomly and abruptly.”
  • story14 mentions

    The game's story is described as charming and intentionally corny, providing a lighthearted narrative experience that doesn't take itself too seriously. While some players find the storyline incoherent and riddled with bugs, others appreciate the engaging campaign that allows for exploration and piecing together the narrative at their own pace. The game offers two difficulty modes, catering to both those who want to focus on the story and those seeking a more challenging tactical experience.

    • “I'm not that far into the story, but I can say it has been a blast so far.”
    • “All in all, very charming and corny-on-purpose storytelling; it definitely doesn't take itself seriously, but does it in a very good way.”
    • “The early access version of the game also comes with a campaign, where you explore the world, encounter challenges, and uncover little pieces of story to piece together as you go.”
    • “I wish so badly that this game was made better because the concept is so much fun, but it's just so hard to play with all the bugs and incoherent storyline.”
    • “Seems to be more of a 'choices matter' in that your characters can die if you play a turn wrong and less of a 'choices matter' in terms of which quests you choose to resolve since saying no just means you can go back and do them at any time.”
    • “The early access version of the game also comes with a campaign, where you explore the world, encounter challenges, and uncover little pieces of story to piece together as you go. If you want to, I have it on good authority that you don’t need to worry about the story if you just want to kill things.”
  • grinding5 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, with repetitive tasks and slow movement mechanics contributing to a frustrating experience. The complexity of the game increases the monotony, making it difficult to stay engaged as players are forced to repeat actions in a cumbersome interface. Overall, the grinding is seen as a significant drawback that detracts from the enjoyment of the game.

    • “And that means having to do like 30 rooms to get to the same place you're at doing the same tedious things.”
    • “However, the UI decisions made means that it's actually exceedingly tedious to determine just what's going on.”
    • “Once the game gets complicated enough to be interesting, repeating the above each and every turn gets really tedious.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with users reporting significant performance issues such as lag during ability selection and map loading, particularly when many enemies are present. Many players express frustration over these problems, indicating they cannot recommend the game until these issues are addressed.

    • “I will keep playing, and if the devs fix the balance problems and performance issues I mentioned in this review, I'd be happy to change my review.”
    • “My second big complaint is the abysmal performance.”
    • “There are performance issues, such as lag when hovering over different abilities and when maps load.”
    • “I will keep playing, and if the devs fix all the issues I complain about in this review (balance problems and performance issues), I'd be happy to change my review, but I don't think I can recommend the game for anyone looking for a finished product.”
    • “My second big complaint is that the performance is abysmal.”
    • “I find the performance of this game so abysmally bad when a lot of enemies are on the screen.”
  • stability3 mentions

    The game has been criticized for its significant stability issues, with users reporting numerous bugs and a lack of coherence due to poorly implemented procedural generation. Despite ongoing hotfixes and patches from the developers, many players feel that the game remains a frustrating experience weeks after its official launch.

    • “It's so buggy and feels soulless because they utilized procedural generation AI very poorly; it's random for the sake of being random.”
    • “I can see the developers pushing out hotfixes and patches, but I'm not going to be as forgiving of these experience-ruining issues when the game was in early access. I waited until it launched to buy, and now, three weeks after launch, it's still a buggy mess.”
    • “But holy heck, is this game buggy.”
  • atmosphere2 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is characterized by a blend of light humor that alleviates its challenging elements, creating an engaging experience. Players appreciate the smart combination of card battling and tactical roguelite mechanics, which contribute to a well-paced and enjoyable ambiance.

    • “A smart combination of card battler and tactical roguelite, with good pacing and a fun atmosphere.”
    • “The game is filled with light humor, which brightens the otherwise punishing atmosphere.”
    • “The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth needed to immerse players.”
    • “Despite the intriguing setting, the atmosphere fails to evoke any real sense of tension or excitement.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    The game offers excellent replayability typical of roguelikes, enhanced by a structured campaign that keeps players engaged. Many users express a strong desire to replay after each dungeon to improve their high scores, indicating a compelling incentive to return.

    • “There's the typical roguelike with infinite replayability, but what's great about the game is how there's an actual campaign.”
    • “The replayability is great, and after every dungeon, I just want to jump back in and play it again to try to beat my high score.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Reviews indicate that while the game offers a fun experience, many players feel it lacks depth in character development, leaving them wanting more complexity and growth in the characters.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

12hMedian play time
8hAverage play time
1-15hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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