Fighting for a magical world
I don’t know if you noticed, but there’s a beat ‘em up renaissance happening right now, with titles like Streets of Rage 4, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, and the upcoming MARVEL Cosmic Invasion all coming out reasonably close to each other. Dotemu, the publisher responsible for all of these modern-day classics, is putting in the work to cement itself as the new face of the beat ‘em up genre, and their new original IP, Absolum, is a bold step in that direction.
Absolum describes itself as a “rogue ‘em up,” seeking to combine the satisfying gameplay loop of the beat ‘em up genre with the replayability and synergic insanity that only roguelikes can provide. The game drops us into a world where magic has been outlawed, and the outcast heroes of Talamh are the only ones who can stop the Sun King Azra from further alienating humanity, magic users, and the monster races from working together.
MSRP: $24.99
Platforms: PC (reviewed), PlayStation, Switch
Absolum’s combat is fast-paced and dynamic, as the game does its best to straighten out the rougher edges of the beat ‘em up formula by giving all characters a wide array of tools, including a surprisingly large collection of defensive maneuvers. Clashes, deflects, dodges, punishes, and grabs—it might sound like I trailed off and started talking about Street Fighter, but those are all core mechanics present in the game, which serve to lower the barrier of entry for genre newcomers while also making its gameplay more active. This doesn’t necessarily mean Absolum is a walk in the park, though, as all major bosses serve as tests of the player’s mechanical knowledge and will thoroughly crush those who can’t engage with their mechanics.
Most of my time in Absolum was spent playing as Galandra, one of the two starter characters who provides a nice balance between fast punches and slow greatsword swings. All characters in the game have their own specialties, like Cider being able to grapple into enemies, turning all of their fights into one massive combo, and Karl having massive knockback on his attacks, which allows him to constantly throw enemies against each other. Most of the expected archetypes are covered without placing the characters into boxes, as everyone is equally capable without having to rely on co-op partners, and we even get a floating frog wizard as the game’s “freak pick.”
Despite being a roguelike, Absolum has a somewhat fixed map, with each route leading to predetermined areas with their own unique enemies and bosses. There is also a surprising amount of voiced story content present in the game, as bits of worldbuilding are fed to the player by interacting with objects or peering at far-away vistas. The effort to create a cohesive world is definitely appreciated, and, much like the rest of the game, the environments are beautifully drawn.
Absolum’s status as a roguelike is where it unfortunately loses me for a bit, as it takes a long time for it to feel like you are actually capable of beating a run without grinding for the needed meta upgrades. The game is very tame as far as ritual synergies and combinations go, with the trinket system instead feeling much more noticeable and relevant to your strength. Being a roguelike also means that every character feels incomplete when you start a run, as some of their more interesting moves are locked behind RNG. Galandra, for example, has combo extensions to her greatsword attack, and it’s pretty annoying to not have that move on demand after you manage to pick it up during a run.
As a beat ’em up, Absolum comes quite close to a perfect 10; the enemies are responsive, the characters are incredibly fun to master, the bosses are unapologetically brutal, and the gorgeous 2D art brings everything together perfectly, creating a game that is beautiful to see in motion. Sadly, some of Absolum’s roguelike mechanics feel alienated from the rest of the game, failing to connect properly in a satisfying way. Modern roguelikes follow an unfortunate trend of only providing players with the most boring, safe tools possible, and it feels like the genre as a whole is now used as a crutch by developers to enforce repetition.
Regardless of its issues, Absolum is still a fantastic beat ‘em up developed by some of the most talented people to have touched the genre. Roguelike veterans might find Absolum’s early progression a little grating, but the solid foundation laid out by Guard Crush and Dotemu manages to hold the game together until it hits its stride.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.