Absolum arrives with a confident swagger, one that suggests it knows exactly what it wants to be: a brawler with roguelite tendencies, and just enough flair to avoid being shoved into the overcrowded cupboard of “perfectly decent but instantly forgettable.” Don’t come in looking for much in the way of originality. This wastes little time establishing its rhythm, which is beat ‘em up gameplay 101: enemies appear, fists fly, and before long it becomes clear that Absolum isn’t here to reinvent the wheel – just to put some very cool-looking spikes on it. Developed by the talented folk at Dotemu and Guard Crush Games, and with spectacular art design and animation provided by Supamonks, this is a must have for genre fans and not only. Here’s a look at the Nintendo Switch version.
The story unfolds in a war-torn land, where magic has gone from celebrated, to deeply suspicious, while a trying-too-hard-to-sound-epic chap by the name of Sun King Azra has taken this public distrust, turning it into a full-blown anti-wizard campaign. Opposing him is ‘Mother;’ the High Enchantress Uchawi and her band of rebels, which has been tasked with stopping the big bad. Now, while there’s a bit of intriguing mystery bubbling beneath the surface as to why all these things are happening, most of the deal is familiar medieval fantasy fare.
For what is basically a brawler there’s a decent amount of lore to listen to from the many fully voiced NPCs, but if expecting to get engrossed into the world of… *checks notes* Talamh, most of the heavy lifting won’t be done by the narrative itself, but from the fantastic look of it all. Absolum is an…err, absolut treat for the eyes, with its cartoon/comic book-inspired aesthetic giving every environment a painterly quality, even when the environments themselves don’t always have something special about them. As for the animations of the main characters, they are fluid and all around excellent.
It’s a bit of a shame that most of the designs, while pretty, tend to flirt with the ‘generic’ instead of the ‘memorable’ side of the scale. Orc warlords and dark forests; imposing, underground dwarven kingdoms filled with gold, precious gems as well as undead dwarves; elves, humans, beastsmen, and so on and so forth. Thankfully, there’s usually something visually distinct shaking up the standard formula a bit, so while most of the cast leans into genre staples straight from the Dungeons & Dragons handbook book, every now and then they’re contrasted with more striking ideas, like Uchawi herself, who instead of being one more generic sorceress or queen, is depicted as a towering, pregnant African giantess with an almost mythic presence.
The best thing about the visuals is that they aren’t here to conceal what is a boring game, but to decorate the greatness underneath, in what is a rare case of style and substance. A side-scrolling beat ‘em up at heart, this is basically Golden Axe (or whichever one you grew up with) but ten times better. Does that happen because of a brand-new mechanic? Not really. You beat enemies to a pulp and then proceed to the next area, you pick the occasional piece of cheese or fruit to replenish health, you grab and throw the occasional axe or dagger, and ride the occasional beast.
Character selection starts modestly, offering an elven fighter and a dwarven engineer, but expands over time to include two, more exotic options like a nimble but brittle rogue/living doll and a magic-focused frog caster. Each one plays distinctly, encouraging experimentation, and their designs are excellent – bursting with personality and looking like they’ve leapt straight out of a particularly stylish animated series. All heroes have a quick and a slow (but powerful) hit, plus an ability called ‘Arcana’ that needs mana, which in turn fills up while the aforementioned beat-enemies-to-a-pulp thing takes place.
What’s new here, then? The answer is: not much, really. It just feels awesome to move around and fight, as the controls are tight and responsive, clearly designed with fast-paced combat in mind. Forget those clunky brawlers of old. Attacking, dodging and generally dancing around the battlefield feels natural, which is a must here as Absolum prioritises quick reactions, with hesitation being punished with enthusiasm. Also forget about mindless button mushing. This requires paying close attention to what’s happening on screen.
There’s a slight learning curve, as combat heavily revolves around blocking or evading attacks at the right moment, which can be quit the challenge when dealing with numerous foes, with each one having their own unique attacks and speeds that you need to keep track of. Knowing which moves can be stopped or avoided when fighting a boss the size of a small apartment is even harder, but once it finally clicks, it really clicks. Suddenly you are weaving through attacks, countering like a pro, and everything feels smooth as butter. Every hit lands with a satisfying punch, giving it that extra “oomph” that pulls you right into the action.
Fun as the whole thing is, it can get repetitive, as is the case with most of its kind. Absolum semi-solves that problem by fusing the gameplay with some roguelite mechanics, which, like almost everything at hand, are very good without exactly rewriting the rulebook. Naturally, death is less an ending and more an aggressively worded suggestion to “try again, but better.” Crystals gathered during runs feed into permanent upgrades, and slowly but steadily more features are unlocked. The part where Absolum’s roguelike heart beats the strongest, however, is during the runs themselves.
While trying out a run there’s a steady drip of enjoyable unpredictability. For starters there are all sorts of runes that pop up after completing a couple of areas that can reshape one’s approach to combat. These are elementary-based mods that alter abilities, thus one rune may create a ring of fire after a successful evasion while another one will envelop enemies in purple lightning upon a well-timed block. There are many of these to find, and it’s easy to focus on one element alone, or mix and match as you see fit. Add some stat-boosting trinkets to the recipe, and you have a simple but effective system that pushes players into experimenting on the fly.
The world is spiced up by branching paths. Choosing between the forest or the beach isn’t really a tactical decision – it’s mostly a way of making you feel like you are in control of the adventure instead of an invisible hand. Alternative routes put aside, the heroes will also experience some unexpected detours, offering some welcome diversions that break up all that hacking and slashing. These distractions aren’t particularly deep, yet they add texture to the journey and give each attempt its own identity. There’s a satisfying rhythm to it all as well, especially in the first five or so hours, which makes it dangerously easy for anyone to fall into the “just one more run” mindset and lose precious sleep while at it.
One of the best things about Absolum is that, while in true roguelite fashion death is a frequent part of the journey, it leans a bit more towards skill when compared to others of its kind. In other words, you can go very far if you practice your swings, dashes and deflects, and if you make sure to take full advantage of whatever lady luck throws at your feet. That said, it doesn’t avoid the plague of the genre: repetition.
Sadly, while Absolum does wonders in the first hours, after a while you start to see the same patterns. Routes begin to feel too familiar, boss timings become expected, and that thrilling sense of the unknown fades. That’s not a fatal flaw, mostly because jumping into the fray to slash a few more goblins remains fun even after your 20th (for the day) run. It’s that it would be easier to place this gem closer to the “classic” tier instead of the “great” one if it had a bit more variety and randomisation.
What can you do to keep things engaging? Why, bring a second player into the mix! Absolum truly shines in local or online co-op, where juggling enemies mid-air and coordinating flashy attacks turns encounters into ballets of fists, blades, flames and magic sparks. While it’s a shame that no more people can join in on the fun, the developer deliberately capped the experience at two instead of four characters, preserving the visual clarity while also not letting the on-screen chaos become…well, too chaotic. The accessibility options deserve a nod, too, as they allow players of all ages and capabilities to tweak the challenge level in a variety of ways in order to enjoy the mayhem on their own terms.
The Switch version once again proves to be an ideal home for such pick-up-and-play experiences. Whether tackling a quick run on the go or sinking into longer sessions, performance holds up impressively well, and every corner of *checks notes again* Talamh remains stunning even when the system is in your palms. The only noticeable hiccup comes in the form of an, admittedly rare, audio bug, which makes sound effects or music briefly glitch out of existence.
In the end, Absolum doesn’t revolutionise the beat ‘em up or roguelite genres, but it doesn’t really need to. What it offers is a stylish and deeply satisfying mix of both, blending tight combat, gorgeous visuals and just enough progression hooks to keep one coming back. It may lean a bit too heavily on familiar ideas and it’s certainly not a roguelike that can eat 100+ hours of your life, as it will eventually show its limits, but still, it remains consistently fun. For fans of the genre – and especially those with a co-op partner ready – this is a great pick.
