Sometimes, you just know. From the first moments of the main title screen, I had a feeling about Absolum, and that hunch was quickly confirmed. I already knew there were things that Absolum had going for it, such as being published by DotEmu, who has a hit this year in Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, and who previously showcased their greatness by publishing games like TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge and Streets of Rage 4. And Absolum is developed by a super team that includes DotEmu, along with Supamonks, who handled the incredible art, and the amazing Guard Crush Games, who developed the aforementioned Streets of Rage 4. Absolum, being in the beat ’em up genre, was already in fantastic hands.
But some gamers may be panicked when hearing about rogue-lite elements being included. For a variety of reasons, rogue-lites can miss the mark for some. However, for a variety of reasons more, the rogue-lite features not only give Absolum a unique identity, but they actually propel the game further than I thought possible. What causes this, and what other factors launch Absolum to greatness? Get ready for a bare knuckle mage-down!
You’re A Wizard…
In Absolum, you play as a mage. It may not feel that way because, more often than not, your fists or melee weapons are handling the negotiations. But a mage you are, and that fact makes you one of the few surviving mages in your camp. Some bozo with horrible fashion sense (as is often the case for those with bozo DNA) saw fit to decimate all of the mages as a means to his rule, something he deems necessary for the preservation of the world. As the Sun King Azra (the bozo) convinces the world that the only path to peace is found with him and his goons being the sole handlers of magic in the world, a high enchantress, named Uchawi, believes otherwise.
At the start, you have your pick of two mages: Galandra, a warrior elf with a sword, and Karl, a hardy dwarf. You are tasked with rescuing Uchawi, the mission doubling as a tutorial to the game. At the end of this opening quest, you will have your buttons sorted and find yourself at the base camp. Before long, two other selectable characters will join the fray, namely Cider, the lightning-quick rogue, and Brome, a Mutant Ninj-, er…a Battleto-, er…a war-hardened frog with excellent magical skills and fighting prowess to boot.
Loot Camp
From your camp, you may converse with others, discover secrets, and interact with several sections which will grant a variety of upgrades and unlocks as you repeatedly adventure through the lands. These upgrades include increasing your prowess and options with elemental magics along with permanent physical boosts, such as health and revives. So far, this is standard fare for a rogue-lite, but then you set off for your run.
As you set off for a new adventure, you’ll notice a few things, and this is a great time to state what this game is and is not. It is a beat ’em up with RPG aspects, so it’s easy to compare it to other games like Capcom’s D&D beat ’em ups, Guardian Heroes, or Dragon’s Crown. It plays much more like the D&D games and Guardian Heroes rather than Dragon’s Crown, however, as you will not be acquiring new, permanent weapons and armor. You instead discover equipment, magic, moves, boons, and more as you explore each of the areas, and each of those will aid you until the end of your current run, at which point you will give them up and start anew.
Vastly Misunderstood
That’s the rogue-lite structure, and some will scoff at that. But your core character retains all of their “normal” moves and abilities at the start of each run. Plus, as you progress, you will discover ways to start a run with the equipment that you want. You will gain access to other magics, special moves, upgrades, and more at your camp before setting off for adventure once again.
This is also where the rogue-lite structure begins and ends. Unlike most other rogue-style games, your questing takes place in the same map filled with myriad secrets and branching paths, helping to ensure that no two runs are exactly the same. The development team strived to make every run different, even after your hundredth run. This is something that they have certainly succeeded at not only because enemy placement and hidden secrets change with each run, but also because many factors, such as new gameplay elements, enemies, story exposition, side-quests, and a huge number of other elements, are consistently tagging in. This is not even taking into account that the map is malleable, and you will be permanently changing parts and pathways depending on specific choices you make.
Spectacular Spectacular
It all adds up to a constant sense of discovery. I went through the game a ridiculous number of times, and every single time I saw something new, even when I went along the same exact path. The game accounts for your choices in paths, conversations, and a number of other things, and it uses them to advance the story and structure of your playthroughs. You will certainly gain a familiarity over many aspects of your runs, but there will be something new for you to discover well after you think you’ve seen it all…and after that as well.
All of this adventuring wouldn’t mean much if the beat ’em up action wasn’t good at being a beat ’em up. Dotemu and Guard Crush Games have been crafting their formula, experimenting and perfecting it with underrated efforts like Mr. X’s Nightmare, the expansion to Streets of Rage 4 which had rogue-lite mechanics. In Absolum, all of those efforts combine to make a snappy, responsive beat ’em up system with answers for every situation. It feels like playing those arcades of old, but instead of a coin-quenching move from a boss, you have options at your disposal to dodge, parry, and counter just about anything coming your way, including projectiles thrown or fired at you. You can also ride (and pet) mounts, along with picking up a number of throwables. The action can get quite intense, don’t get me wrong, as the screen fills up with all sorts of miscreants and instruments of doom. But with every death, you’ll likely be throwing out suggestions to yourself instead of your controller.
Stay Awhile, and Listen
And then we get to the music. Ahh, the sweet nectar for the ears…this music culminates in one of the finest soundtracks you will hear all year, and then some. The only convincing you’ll really need is the volume being high enough to hear it, but since this is a written review, let me use these words: Gareth Coker, Mick Gordon, Motoi Sakuraba, and Yuka Kitamura. Those words are names, and those names are legendary. If you may be, perhaps, unfamiliar with them, I’m willing to bet you are still already a fan.
Gareth Coker heads the team, and you may know his work from the Ori soundtracks. That’s enough to call it a day on the music for Absolum, right? But what if an ancient boss appears…wouldn’t you want to battle it to a jammin’ metal track composed by Mick Gordon of Doom fame? And who better to escort you around a special whimsical somewhere than Motoi Sakuraba, whose aural companions were with us in the Golden Sun and Tales series of games? But, alas, sometimes there is a character, a set piece, and a melodramatic situation so sublimely melancholy and somber that only an epic track from Yuka Kitamura, who already haunted us with pieces in Dark Souls and Elden Ring, would suffice.
This is one of the finest original soundtracks you will come across in video games, and the sound design absolutely matches. It is a mix of older arcade and high fantasy whenever you launch a fist or fire a spell at a ne’er-do-well, and you’ll feel every crash, burn, and grunt. There are often several variations to many of the sound effects, too, keeping with the theme of constantly new.
Everything is Awesome
So, is everything absolutely perfect in Absolum? I say it’s just about, but there are a couple of nit picks that I want to share. First, while Cider is a cool and fun character to play, you will be constantly playing in risk versus reward mode more so than any of the other characters due to combos consistently springing Cider into the air. Since you cannot use your parry or dodge in the air, Cider players will have to truly master when it’s a good idea to go all out and when to taper back to escape a cruel counter. Next, while there is co-op, local and online, which works quite well, it only allows for two players at once. It’s great fun, but I would have liked to see at least three players at once, if not four. And, finally, there is a run where I got everything I needed for a completely perfect build, but that build is so broken that it trivializes the entire game, so I’d be surprised if some items and moves aren’t tweaked a bit regarding such things.
Ok, I’m done with those wanna-be issues. The game is too good. Absolum is not only one of the best games you will play all year, it is my current favorite game of the year. It’s one of those games that I will always look fondly on, even years from now. Like the Siren’s call, it will never take much more than a mere mention or thought of Absolum to get me playing some more, and more, and more. And now, excuse me, please, as I go back to this one part to try doing that other thing…
Thank you to our PR partners and DotEmu for the review access. You can find Seasoned Gaming’s review policy here.
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