Absolum Review: A Beat-Em-Up Roguelike That Never Stops Surprising

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Absolum, created by Guard Crush Games and Supamonks and published by Dotemu, blends the replayability of roguelike games with the action of classic side-scrolling beat-em-ups. This creates a gameplay loop that’s quick, satisfying, and constantly throws new challenges at you. While the combination sounds typical, the game’s unique energy and inventive design make it incredibly addictive.

The unique pacing is central to the *Absolum* experience, influencing both the narrative and how the game world responds to player decisions. Beyond its distinctive hand-drawn visuals and fast-paced battles, *Absolum* fosters a feeling of exploration, making each playthrough feel fresh and original. It’s designed to be satisfying whether you win or lose, largely because of its inviting presentation, which encourages players to keep going just to see what happens next.

Absolum Shapes Its Fantasy Through Conflict, Choice, and Charming Presentation

Absolum is a captivating game with a rewarding and diverse gameplay experience, but its true strength lies in its immersive world and compelling story. The game takes place in Talamh, a fantasy realm torn apart by a disaster caused by power-hungry wizards. The Sun King Azra exploited the resulting chaos to enslave wizards with his Crimson Order and install his loyal princes as rulers of the conquered lands. Now, as Azra expands his empire, the powerful enchantress Uchawi and a small band of rebels are fighting back with magic, challenging his rule and resisting his absolute control.

In Uchawi, players take on the roles of four wizards who are both respected and feared, welcomed and distrusted. As you play, you’ll feel the growing tension in the world of Absolum, witnessing the resentment the people of Talamh hold towards wizards because of past destruction. Through characters like Karl, Galandra, Cider, and Brome, players are placed directly into this conflict, experiencing life as both a hero and an outcast.

Absolum doesn’t rely on lengthy cutscenes to tell its story; those are mostly used to connect levels and mark important moments. Instead, the narrative unfolds through conversations with characters and optional lore revealed by the character Uchawi. While some mysteries remain, the story is presented in a way that makes player choices feel meaningful and impactful, which fits well with the game’s complex political setting.

In *Absolum*, even small choices can have big consequences. Acting carelessly – like entering a room that seems off-limits, despite being unlocked – can quickly turn a friend into a foe. Even something as simple as breaking furniture could mean losing helpful advantages. These kinds of unexpected moments are what make *Absolum* feel so dynamic and alive, constantly keeping players on their toes.

True to its promise, each playthrough of *Absolum* feels unique. The game world constantly changes, with new enemies, areas, bosses, and challenges appearing either randomly or based on your decisions. *Absolum* actively keeps players guessing, but this is intentional – it’s what makes the world so compelling to explore repeatedly, and even encourages experimentation through failure to uncover everything it has to offer.

The game is a joy to watch thanks to its beautiful presentation. *Absolum* features hand-drawn, comic-book-style art and animation that give everything a smooth, storybook feel – making the visuals clean, clear, and easy to follow. The sharp lines and colors perfectly match the fantasy setting, and even during fast-paced battles, everything remains readable. The art doesn’t just look good; it also enhances the feeling of control while playing. Complementing the visuals is a truly memorable and varied soundtrack that brings each new area to life with a cinematic quality.

What really sets *Absolum* apart is its incredible creativity and how unpredictable each playthrough feels. Unlike many other roguelikes, it rarely feels repetitive, even if you’ve played before. The game keeps things fresh with a map that offers many different paths, new encounters, engaging quests, and optional bosses that also add to the game’s rich story and world.

Exploring the area known as Absolum adds depth to the game world. It can introduce new characters to Uchawi’s Hearth – the game’s central hub – who offer improvements and useful items in exchange for currency. Players can also interact with these characters and those not currently in their party at Uchawi’s Hearth, which can unlock new quests, including unique storylines for each character. I completed all of Absolum’s content in 33 hours, and I was still discovering enjoyable surprises even after that!

Absolum Redefines the Roguelike Fight

Absolum is a roguelike game that feels similar to popular titles like Hades. If you’re familiar with Hades or its sequel, you’ll quickly understand how Absolum works. However, Absolum stands out with its four playable characters, each offering a different way to play. Karl is a powerful character who excels at both close-quarters and ranged combat. Galandra, on the other hand, is a sword-wielding fighter who specializes in quick, sweeping attacks.

The game features a diverse cast of characters with unique combat styles. Cider is a quick, close-range fighter who excels at aerial attacks. Brome focuses on magic, using spells from a distance, though he can also fight with his staff. I enjoyed playing as Cider (voiced by Samantha Beart of *Baldur’s Gate 3*) because I prefer fast-paced characters. However, Brome’s ability to control the battlefield with ranged attacks was also very effective. Karl stood out as one of the most straightforward characters to play, as he’s skilled in both close and long-range combat.

Absolum offers something for every type of player thanks to its diverse cast of characters. Each character, a powerful wizard, has unique magical abilities called Arcana, which work similarly to the weapon choices in games like Hades and Hades 2. Players build up Mana by dealing damage, and then spend that Mana to activate these special abilities. Ultimately, each character has six Arcana that are exclusive to them.

Throughout each playthrough, players will collect Rituals, Inspirations, and Trinkets – items similar to the Boons and Keepsakes found in *Hades*. Rituals are like elemental Boons, earned by exploring different paths and discovered throughout the game. Mastering these Rituals is key to successful combat, requiring strategic thinking to maximize their benefits. Inspirations are special skills unlocked after defeating bosses, and Trinkets offer passive bonuses, affecting things like health or the power of throwable weapons.

Okay, so when I’m playing *Absolum*, my main focus is grabbing Radiance, Crystals, and Imbued Fruit – they all help me get stronger in different ways. Radiance is basically my XP; the more damage I do and the bigger my combos, the more Radiance I get, and that levels me up. Each time I level up with Radiance, I get either a Primordial Seed, which unlocks cool new abilities and perks for my characters, or an Imbued Fruit, which makes the game’s eight Rituals even more powerful.

You can use Crystals at the Soul Tree in Uchawi’s Hearth to boost your abilities, like your maximum health, damage dealt by companions and thrown items, and your chances of finding valuable Trinkets. You’ll also get tokens called “Mother’s Grace” to help you revive. After you’ve unlocked everything using Primordial Seeds and Imbued Fruit, gaining Radiance Levels will reward you with Crystals, which you can then spend on Trinkets at Uchawi’s Hearth before starting a new run.

Like many roguelike games, *Absolum* features standard mechanics. However, it stands out due to its unique blend of side-scrolling action and beat-em-up combat. While games like *Hades* typically use a top-down or isometric perspective, *Absolum* takes a side-scrolling approach similar to *Dead Cells*, but focuses on fast-paced, combo-based fighting. Players will face large groups of enemies, requiring skillful combos, aerial attacks, and careful movement in limited spaces. The game utilizes both horizontal and vertical movement, making precise positioning essential for success.

Absolum Tests Skill, Patience, and Precision

Absolum can be quite difficult. A key part of the game is figuring out whether attacks will come from all directions or just a single one, but even then, dodging them isn’t always easy. However, it *is* possible, and mastering this challenge is what makes the gameplay so rewarding. Like many soulslike games, learning enemy attack patterns is crucial, and with careful observation – avoiding frantic button-mashing – each fight will help you develop reflexes you didn’t know you had.

While *Absolum*’s fast-paced, action-packed gameplay is a strength, it can also be a weakness. During particularly chaotic moments – which happen often as the game progresses – it’s easy to lose track of your character amidst the many enemies and on-screen effects. Because precise movement and timing are crucial to success, these moments can feel frustrating. However, this feeling doesn’t last, as the game generally offers a well-balanced pace that makes you feel like you’re growing and improving along with the challenges it presents.

Each time you play *Absolum*, whether you win or lose, the game gets harder. You’ll encounter new and unexpected enemies in surprising locations. The game is meant to consistently challenge you, even if you think you’ve become skilled with a character or perfected your strategy with items. Dodging isn’t foolproof, and attempting to deflect attacks is risky – it demands precise timing and requires you to move *into* enemy range.

While *Absolum* can be challenging, it includes accessibility features for players who need them. Instead of a standard difficulty setting, the game offers Assist Options that let you adjust incoming and outgoing damage. You can reduce the damage you take to zero and increase the damage you deal up to 500%. Personally, I’d prefer a bit more balance – a higher minimum for incoming damage and a lower maximum for outgoing – to keep the game challenging for everyone. However, it’s clear the developer prioritized letting players enjoy the game however they want, making these options more about having fun than strict difficulty settings.

Absolum is remarkably polished. Throughout my 33 hours of playing, I didn’t experience any bugs, glitches, or slowdowns, even with a lot happening on screen at once. The game runs incredibly smoothly, and loading times are almost instantaneous.

Absolum Stands Among the Roguelike Genre’s Best

Absolum is a standout roguelike because it has a clear vision, even though it draws inspiration from games like Hades. The game features a fascinating world with compelling characters and stories, and its difficult combat encourages careful play and perseverance. Each playthrough feels fresh and unique, and even after many hours, the blend of beat-em-up action and roguelike elements remains surprising. Absolum is challenging and rewarding, brimming with personality, and the more you play, the more you’ll discover that its appeal goes beyond just its magical elements.

Absolum is now available on PC through Steam, as well as on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4/5. We received a PC code for review purposes.

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2025-10-09 16:07