Absolum Review
Absolum is the new king of beat em ups.
I’ve loved beat em ups as far back as I can remember. The time spent waiting outside the rental place for TMNT or driving back from a family vacation in the RV with Double Dragon 2 under my pillow as I memorized the instruction manual and box. I even reviewed a book about beat em ups a few years ago. With all due respect to genre icons like Double Dragon, Golden Axe, Final Fight, TMNT and Streets of Rage, it’s time to pass the crown.
The combat has surprising depth, but remains accessible to everyone. The visuals as well as the animations are stunning at all times and are probably the best looking hand drawn visuals in a game since Cuphead. The narrative evokes rich fantasy as the world constantly evolves around you as the plot slowly unfolds. Finally, the score is of the best of all time thanks to a legendary group of composers.
Absolum is absolute perfection as the genre fusion brings a modernized approach to a genre that is typically afraid of change and evolution.
ABSOLUM REVIEW
Absolum, the first original IP from Dotemu is being labeled as the world’s first rogue em up. An experience that combines the gameplay of beat em ups with the systems of a roguelite. Absolum is a collaboration between what could only be labeled as a beat em up dream team. The stylish visuals are hand drawn by French animation studio Supamonks and evoke a 1970’s cartoon style. The addictive gameplay as well as the class leading proprietary beat em up engine, which was used on 2020’s Streets of Rage 4 was led by Guard Crush. The engaging narrative and unique vision begins with Dotemu. The epic soundtrack was led by composer Gareth Coker, in what is easily his best work to date, who is best known for his work on Ori. There are also a few guest compositions from Mick Gorden, best known for Doom, and Yuka Kitamura, best known for her work on Dark Souls and Elden Ring as they each provide a unique and identifiable boss track, which speaks volumes to their unique talents, but also highlights how well the whole soundtrack feels cohesive.
Absolum feels like an adaptation of some wildly successful fantasy novel series as the universe feels rich and pulled from pages written decades ago. Talamh is fully realized and overflowing with lore that is deeply immersive and after 20 hours feels like only the surface has been scratched. Actually, between the time Absolum was sent out for review and the release, Dotemu have announced that Absolum is being adapted into an animated show. Details about when and where are sparse at the moment, but after finishing the game, there is so much untapped potential begging to be explored.
In Absolum, you begin as two heroes who possess magical abilities and represent the last hope of their kind. Galandra, the colossal sword wielding necromancer and Karl, the last free dwarf with his trusty blunderbuss. During a magical cataclysm, people have become afraid of wizards and the power they yield. In this moment of weakness Azra, the Sun King has decided to enact the Crimson Order, which has enslaved wizards and outlawed magic. During the journey across the world of Talamh to put an end to the reign of Azra, Galandra and Karl will find two more heroes who are ready and willing to join your cause. Cider, who is a quick and nimble assassin looking for answers of her own, and Brome, the frog wizard prodigy who is fighting to preserve the future generations of his kind.
Part of what makes the narrative so engaging in Absolum is because the material felt like a mimesis of current world events, whether intentional or not. There are a multitude of ways you become entrenched in the world of Talamh from reading lore, conversations between characters, and environmental points of interest, but it’s always to the point, which keeps the gameplay moving forward.
In addition to the engrossing narrative, Absolum also just happens to be paired with gameplay from the worlds first rogue em up. A hybrid that fuses together the best of beat em ups, spiced with roguelite elements. To say that the roguelite genre has become over saturated would be an understatement and in most games it’s nothing more than a cheap excuse to stretch gameplay, but in Absolum it adds value because the world is constantly evolving with every run.
In the twenty hours, there wasn’t a single run that felt identical. The gameplay, narrative, and environment all work in synergy to ensure every run feels unique. Whether it’s discovering a hidden path, completing a quest, trying a new skill, fighting a new boss, discovering a new region or learning more about the story, there was always something pulling me back for another run. The player is constantly given choices, which feels fresh for a beat em up in which you traditionally robotically move from one area to the next mindlessly hitting two buttons. In Absolum, you are making educated decisions about the path of your journey.
However, the true crown jewel for Absolum is the gameplay, which ventures into uncharted territory for the beat em up genre with a level of depth, but also due to the incorporation of roguelite elements. If you just want to smash light and heavy attacks like classic beat em ups you can, which means you can play this with anyone, but there is depth waiting with well timed dodges, blocks and parries.
Each of the four characters feel extremely unique and well balanced as there isn’t an overpowered hero among them. Each character also posses a unique arcane superpower, which are used frequently and a spark of power that comes a little later in the game and is typically once per run. Both tools are necessities to overcome some of the biggest boss fights and toughest challenges in Absolum that require both brains and brawn.
As for the roguelite elements, they are a large part of why each run feels unique. Rituals and trinkets provide in run upgrades. You also will have the ability to inherit permanent upgrades by spending crystals at the soul tree between each run like more staring health or mana. On their own, these roguelite mechanics aren’t revolutionary, but in a genre that is afraid to step outside the box, they provide a well needed shot of adrenaline.
CRITICISMS
Like most beat em ups, it’s best enjoyed with friends, but Absolum only features two player co-op, which is either local or online, but Streets of Rage 4, which was last game from Guard Crush had four player co-op. Without a doubt it was tested but decided against because at times, when all magical abilities are being used as you try to push back the hordes of evil, the screen can look like a Jackson Pollock painting with an over abundance of things happening on screen at once. Also for narrative purposes, it wouldn’t make sense to allow the third and the fourth player to play right away.
During your journey, you will come across mercenaries for hire who will fight alongside you, but they currently feel unbalanced. They are too passive and don’t engage in the fights as much as they should, but this is obviously a fine line to balance as you also don’t want them to do all the work. To be honest, the game is more enjoyable without hiring the mercenaries as you go it alone or with the help of a friend.
Each of the four heroes have six different arcana powers, which are all unique and require some experimentation to find the one that suits you. However each character eventually unlock a “Star Power”, which are typically single use per run and even though all the characters felt extremely well balanced, some Star Powers weren’t as impressive. It would have been incredible if you had the option between two.
IS ABSOLUM WORTH IT?
To proclaim something as game of the year or best in class always feels almost sacrilegious as there is the potential of just being swept up in the moment or possible recency bias, but after playing games for decades, there is a feeling that can’t be put into words when you play something special.
Beat em ups are a genre reluctant to take chances outside or step outside of tradition. As a result, most modern experiences tend to feel rote by the end of their short 4-6 hours. After reaching the credits in solo at around 10 hours, I immediately did it again in co-op. Even after that I still wanted more and Absolum has plenty more to offer in the endgame.
Absolum is the best beat em up of all time because Dotemu understood that to make the game a complete package it had to stretch beyond the restrictions of the genre. Absolum is a beat em up first and a roguelite second, but above everything, it's a magical experience that has the power to transcend genre boundaries.
