Hello everyone!
In Across the Obelisk there has always been a debate as to whether or not the game required many runs (grinding) in order to have even the slightest chance of completing the game. In fact, some have gone so far as to argue that you need several runs just to have a chance of getting through the first act. In our efforts to make this progression less "grindy" we even included a change in the 0.8 patch, making all heroes gain the same amount of perks as the highest hero, so you would be able to include fresh unlocked heroes into your games without worrying about leveling them.
We have always considered the game as a "Roguelite", at least the Adventure mode, so making several runs means unlocking new cards, new heroes, upgrading your town and getting perks or other bonuses that will help you in the following games.
Even so, we have always firmly believed that the greatest asset to successfully complete a run is "knowledge of the game". This means understanding the game and its mechanics, understanding the concept that the four heroes are a team (and ideally need each other), and finally understanding what each enemy does.
So with the release of v.0.8.2 and the more balanced Act 4, we issued a challenge to our players in the Discord server.
Can you complete the game starting from 0 in your first run? that means a totally fresh game, with the initial game data, without hero ranks or perks and without anything to help you.
The answer, as we expected, was yes.
In the end, one of the biggest difficulties has been to record everything to be able to show it, since the games are long and more if you start from 0.
So, here we have the first 3 to complete the challenge.
Corydonn
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1454765584
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHJ6puAk244
Migeru & Icen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd5dAguJ-Ac
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3_SdK5hISs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RMblUFdE7g
Sheep & Tallgesse
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-RjMvpinFA
Congratulations to all! We know that there have been more who have completed it or have been close, but for one reason or another have not been able to record it well. Thank you all very much for participating.
Important
This game is a Roguelite and therefore we do not expect at any time that players play the game as shown in the videos and pass it at the first try. Completing the game on your first run is not an easy task, in fact, we could say that it is almost impossible as it requires extensive prior knowledge of the game and also some luck to obtain cards and items that make it possible. But that does not mean it can not be done, hence the challenge.
Moreover, we hope and wish that you all play at your own pace, experiencing the game, trying new paths, unlocking the new heroes and trying combinations between them, in short the game has many things to offer. And when you complete it for the first time there are more difficulty levels that open new options and challenges. In addition to the other game modes that we have and that we will keep improving.
That's all for now. Remember to leave a review on steam, if you like the game, it helps us a lot.
As always, thanks to all of you for your support, feedback and understanding.