Absolum from Developers Dotemu, Guard Crush Games, Supamonk and Publisher Dotemu and Gamirror Games is a side-scrolling beat ‘em up adventure game that looks amazing. Taking the fight to an evil force that’s seized power is the order of the day, and Absolum is packed with action.
Does the game deliver more than what’s seen on the surface, and is it worth checking out? Let’s find out, shall we!
Story & World
Absolum kicks off with the playable character and their pal out in the wilderness, trying to thwart an evil empire. The game onboards you with a short cutscene explaining the game’s lore about wizards, magic and how the Sun King Azra seized power and dominion over the realms. Your playable characters set forth to save Mother Uchawi, a mysterious figure who seems to have a lot to say about Azra’s reign of terror.
After a quick introductory segment, you’ll eventually free Uchawi but come face to face with a seemingly high-ranking member of Azra’s empire. This is a very tough fight, and I’m not exactly sure what would happen if you managed to beat him, but alas, I fell in battle and awoke in a sanctuary thanks to Mother Uchawi’s good graces. This is where the game really kicks off, and she explains how she needs your help to regain power to take down Azra and free the world from his power-hungry clutches.
Gameplay & Combat
Absolum is first and foremost a beat ‘em up game. However, the game has fused elements from other genres into it, and what we have here is a roguelite that’s just dripping with artistic style and addictive flair. Players will take on the role of Galandra or Karl at first and slowly unlock 2 more characters the further they get into the game.
Galandra is a sword-wielding character who uses her hands and sword to deal damage to enemies. Karl uses his fists and his gun. Combat in Absolum involves combo-ing light and heavy attacks together with more powerful attacks and “Arcana” attacks. Your mana gauge charges up with every light attack you manage to land, and once full, you can unleash a powerful Arcana attack that does massive damage to enemies.
Progression & Roguelite Systems
As you progress throughout the game, you will acquire “Radiance”, and whenever you die, this Radiance is returned to the Mother Uchawi, which assists in upgrading your abilities. Like with all Roguelites, death is part of your natural progression throughout the game, and each run will play out differently because of what happens in the world map. Some of the core gameplay aspects remain the same, such as boss enemies, but the paths that you take to reach them can vary greatly depending on your actions in the game.
For example, in one early area, a gate can be locked, but progress far enough into the game, and you’ll encounter someone who will now open that gate for you, introducing a different path and more variation. The world of Talamh is brimming with colourful characters, and there’s no telling who or what you’ll encounter in the game until you actually start playing through it multiple times.
A typical run through Absolum will last roughly around 10-20 minutes before you die, and you’ll definitely need to do multiple runs before you start getting strong enough to progress further and further. The game does a lot to keep things fresh, though, with the variation it introduces each time. Encountering new NPCs and the story taking new twists keeps you going, and it’s great fun and very reminiscent of games like Hades and Dead Cells.
Co-Op & Replayability
Absolum also features couch and online co-op, which is fantastic considering how addictive the core gameplay loop is. Playing this game with a friend immensely increases the fun factor and is something that I can highly recommend doing. Thankfully, the game also factors in the fact that playing with friends often causes issues when it comes to story progression, so it has a mitigation factor that it uses.
The game will progress the story from the person with the least progression, so that whoever is ahead doesn’t cause them to miss out on anything.
Mixing and matching different Arcana with different items that you obtain throughout each run leads to some very fun combinations, and Absolum is the type of game that you can easily lose hours and hours of your life to because it’s so enjoyable. The repetitive nature of the game only starts to set in after you’ve already spent hours in it, so I can’t be too harsh on it here. There’s plenty of content to get through and keep you busy, and since the game is priced very well, too, you’ll definitely get your money’s worth.
Visuals & Audio
Graphically, Absolum looks fantastic with an art style that is downright gorgeous. Every single scene in this game is a work of art and looks amazing. The flashy effects and attack animations are also a visual feast for the eyes, and the slow-motion finishers are an extremely nice touch, which just sweetens the deal even further.
The soundtrack of Absolum is great, with themes and music that fit the game perfectly. Surprisingly, the game is fully voice-acted too, which is great to hear! The voice actors have also done a very good job and sound believable, especially Mother Uchawi herself.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Absolum is a very addictive roguelite beat ‘em up that gives off the vibe of a side-scrolling Hades game blended together with Streets of Rage 4. It’s extremely fun, looks great and is a true hidden gem of a game that I can highly recommend playing.
Even more so if you’re able to rope a friend in and play it co-operatively. Trust me on this one, grab this game and give it a try. Chances are you’ll love it if you’re a fan of roguelites and beat ‘em ups.
Absolum Trailer
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The game was provided to us for the express purpose of reviewing.
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