First you must unlock Obelisk by getting 5 gold awards in the story mode on either Normal or Hard. If you have not done so already, then I suggest you check out the following achievement for more info.
The 5-Star Man achievement in Catherine worth 77 pointsUnlock the Obelisk by earning 5 Gold Prizes on Normal or Hard. ---------------
Obelisk is approximately 220 steps and consists of every type of block expect for the black hole. As with the other Babel stages there is no set solution as most of the puzzle is randomized. Practice is key however, as a lot of the segments are repeated and it helps to know how to quickly solve certain patterns. Here are some general strategies that can help you conquer this level.
- A strong foundation is a must with this stage. To further clarify, you are going to want to try to keep your steps as wide and level as possible. If you see that your tower is becoming unbalanced, attempt to fix it as soon as possible, otherwise it will quickly spiral out of control.
- Don't be afraid to collapse entire layers. If there are only one or two blocks supporting the tower and your having trouble seeing your next move, feel free to get rid of them. Just make sure that if you have to push multiple blocks to collapse, then do so as fast as possible, otherwise you risk throwing off your foundation. Also note that removing layers will deduct from your overall step count, if you care about that sort of thing.
- Avoid bomb blocks if possible. They are probably the most annoying obstacle in this level as they normally come in pairs and triggering one will throw your tower completely off sync. There are some you can get away with stepping on, but just make sure you foresee the consequences before taking that risk.
- Same goes for the mystery blocks. These will become more and more common as you progress through the level and unfortunately they cannot be avoided. This means luck will be a huge factor with this level as there is no telling when a mystery block will decide to turn into a bomb. As always with mystery blocks, make sure to get off them as quickly as possible, in case they turn into a trap.
- Keep an eye on how far the tower extends below you. I found that this level tends to keep up with you more than the previous two stages and found myself running out of time on numerous occasions. Don't panic if it catches up with you, as once you pick your pace back up, you'll easily be able to put some distance on it. Just keep the time limit in mind when you have to pause to think about your next step or fix your foundation as it is a more prominent obstacle than in the previous levels.
- At about step 120 the path will split into two, this is where things can get particularly tricky. Start scaling whichever side you prefer, but keep in mind that you'll have to switch every so often. If you stay on one side the whole time, it will throw the tower off balance when the two paths eventually merge at about step 170. Just make sure to bridge across every so often and feel free to jump over if one side is becoming too complicated.
- If the level is proving too difficult for you on solo and you don't mind taking the easy way out, you can try beating the stage in Pairs mode. The game is local co-op only, so you'll need two controllers and also keep in mind that if one character dies it is game over. However, even if you are playing by yourself, this will make Babel significantly easier as each level is shorter (Obelisk is ~160 steps) and the puzzles are much simpler than in solo.
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That about covers everything there is to this stage. Personally I found Obelisk to be much easier than Menhir, but that probably has to do with my preference with certain techniques and a great deal of luck. If I can think of anything else or if you have a suggestion, I'll make sure to add it. Also, if you are going to give the solution a negative vote, please leave a comment as to why.