I flipping loved Streets of Rage 4. It was my obsession when it released in the pandemic, and I went back to it this summer to finish up all of those languishing trophies, including all S-ranks on every stage on hard mode. As I said: it was my obsession. Around that time, I wrote an article detailing some of the upcoming side-scrolling beat ‘em ups that I was looking forward to playing.
Absolum was on that list, the new game from Guard Crush Games and Dotemu, the same teams that, uncoincidentally, birthed Streets of Rage 4. I was unbelievably hyped, even if I was a little sus of the roguelike elements and the fact it was a new IP. New properties are risky business, especially in the side-scrolling beat ‘em up space, so long dominated by the likes of TMNT, Streets of Rage, and, hell, even The Simpsons.
But let me tell you right now: Absolum is a revelation in the genre, the beautiful love-child of Hades and Streets of Rage 4. I cannot believe that this game exists, but I thank all of the Gods it does.
The kingdom of Talamh (you know it’s a fantasy world with that erroneous “h” at the end) has shunned magic and made wizards and arcane users pariahs after a mysterious cataclysm. Under the new rule of Azra, the Sun King, wizards are enslaved under his Crimson Order and the lands of Talamh may never know freedom again.
However, high priestess Uchawi and a small company of magic-wielding rebels, of which the player characters are a part of, resolve to fight back against Azra’s rule, and return Talamh to a land of peace. If you’re thinking that this sounds a little like Star Wars in a fantasy world rather than a science fiction one, then you’d be right. But, hey, I love Star Wars.
The way the story is delivered, though, is freaking fantastic. Little by little, the game teaches you more about the world of Talamh, and each run you do, you may find that more options are available to you to explore. I loved the way that on my second or third run, I found a locked door, and then the next time I went through that section of the map, someone had opened it. In one arena, I found an elevator that wasn’t working, and then I found a furnace that, if you fed it enough enemies, then the next time you find the elevator, it’s working again. The way the world evolves, changes, and throws you new side quests is great.
Absolum is releasing really close to Hades 2, which is a shame given the comparisons I’m making and the likely audience for roguelike games perhaps being preoccupied. Think of the enemy waves barraging your player in a beat ‘em up way instead of the isometric arena and you’re almost there with this game. You traverse each stage, laying the smackdown on goblins, creatures, skeletons and thieves until you reach the end where you’ll be able to choose a power up to make subsequent stages easier, classic roguelike style. And, you’ll need them!
The combat is extraordinarily deep for a side scrolling beat ‘em up. I would expect the normal three-hit-combo and the more risky heavy attack. I would expect the jump attack, throw and usable weapons. What I didn’t expect was the dodge, parry and clash mechanics, along with all the elemental upgrades. I didn’t expect the super special after unlocking a different standard special attack. It was so awesome. Those parry and clash mechanics seem hard at the beginning (I totally forgot about them for the first few runs), but they're really satisfying to absolutely destroy a boss with, sans retaliation because you’re too good for them.
Most of the time…
Look, it’s a roguelike, so you’re going to be slapped down from time to time, but don’t get too disheartened: that's the whole point. The hub area has some cool NPCs to interact with and learn lore from, as well as them upgrading your abilities. You can also find more out about your fellow playable characters, and, if you have enough of a currency, try out specific power ups for your next run. There are three different currencies in Absolum, and they all have different upgrade routes (general upgrades, new special moves, new elemental unlocks to see within a run). I didn’t find this overly confusing, either, because they have different vendors in the hub. That’s the way to do it.
There are some power ups that I found a little too niche to select, however. There is a “punish” mechanic where if you perfect dodge and then hit the enemy straight away, you gain an extra percentage of damage for that hit. However, I pulled that off too rarely to choose a power up tied to that action. Same with “clash”, which is when you use a heavy attack on someone just as they’re about to attack you. It feels great when you get it, but, again, it’s so much more risky than attaching something to a dodge, parry, or even normal combo or heavy attack.
Initially, there are two characters to choose from, but if you progress enough, you’ll soon unlock another two. Whether it’s the warrior dwarf, Karl, the elven swordswoman, Galandra, the speedy Cider, or the frog wizard, Brome, they all feel great to play with, and I even thought each was gonna be my main at some point. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, but none of them feel like trash. But, my guy, Brome was an absolute beast, the perfect mix of speed and ranged attacks that helped me take down the final few bosses.
There is a two player local or online co-op mode, too! I haven’t actually given that a go, unfortunately, so I can’t say how that feels just yet, but the next time one of my friends is around, I’ll be giving it a try.
Look at the stills I’ve put in this article. Aren’t they so pretty? Hell, YES THEY ARE! The art-style of Absolum is very much akin to (I know I keep coming back to it) Streets of Rage 4. It’s cartoony but stylish, colorful and detailed. And the variety of environments within the game is astounding, with each stage feeling and looking different, with terrific enemy designs and animations. Whenever you think you’ve seen everything, another little weirdo pops up and they’re equally well-designed.
Now for the music. Wow. There are times when this game is contemplative and soothing, and then there are times when it’s all rock, all roll, all turned up to eleven. I mean, what was I expecting? Gareth Coker of Ori and the Blind Forest was the main composer for Absolum, and his work is always impeccable. But, that heavy metal boss fight? Mick Gordon of DOOM and Metal Hellsinger pops up to guest on this soundtrack, as well as Yuka Kitamura, one of Elden Ring’s composers and the composer of Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower’s theme from Bloodborne. This is music from the best of the best.
I played Absolum for around 13 hours on PlayStation 5 and it ran really well, with no frame drops, long loading screens or screen tearing etc. I did get one soft lock, and I’m blaming myself for it for trying to speed up a boss phase transition while performing a super move. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world because it allowed me to just quit out of the game and restart the screen I was in, starting the boss again, but I can’t say I was 100% bug-free. Look, I’m playing this game thanks to the generosity of Dotemu who provided me with a code before launch, and I know that the game has already had a small patch while it’s been installed on my system. I may have just been unlucky.
Absolum has that special sauce that makes me say to myself, “just one more run,” when it’s already 30 minutes past midnight on a work night. I simply want to keep playing, thinking that this time I will play better, and I’ll have a lot more options or money to buy upgrades or temporary allies (which you can also do) nearer to the end. Bosses never feel unfair or unbreachable for very long if at all, and, if I failed, it was always something I did and not bad game design like stun locks you can’t break out of. It keeps you thinking that the next time will be the time you topple Azra.
But, even when you do, the post-game does some really cool stuff to keep you guessing, mixing things up to maintain the challenge. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing the first time I started a run after I had rolled credits for the first time. It’s so interesting to see how Dotemu and Guard Crush Games have developed Absolum to retain people’s interest after rolling credits.
It certainly has kept mine.
If you hadn’t guessed by now, I loved my time with Absolum. It’s exactly the game I was looking for this year. I had found a new love of roguelikes, thanks to playing Blue Prince and Hades for the first time this year, and I spent my summer obsessing over Streets of Rage 4. Absolum is the beautiful spawn of those two genres, and I adored it from the first second til the last.
It’s not a perfect game, with some power ups that I didn’t vibe with at all, but in the grand scheme of things, that’s a drop in the ocean. This game is beautiful, stylish, runs great, and it has a banger soundtrack on top of that moreish and freaking fantastic gameplay.
When I said earlier that Absolum is a revelation in the genre, I meant it, but maybe that’s not far enough. Perhaps I should have said that Absolum successfully defines a new genre, and now it’s all I want to play. FEED ME MORE!
Absolum is out on October 9th on PC, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 and 5 for around $25. My recommendation is to go and get it. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
I'm intrigued