Getting excited for a brand new rogue-like/lite is difficult. The very nature of the style – the clear slate that each new premise brings – is offset by whether or not that premise is even thrilling to start with, not to mention stay thrilling over a number of runs, or in the event that they’ll translate right into a significant entire, or guarantee I’m really having enjoyable partaking with the identical gameplay hook. From the outset, I didn’t actually know what to make of Absolum. Implausible demo, beautiful visuals, gorgeous animation, wonderful gameplay – it ought to have been shocking, and but, anticipated coming from the staff behind Streets of Rage 4 (plus manufacturing/animation studio Supamonks).
Such demos, indispensable as they’re, can even ship expectations down a harmful path. I’m hooked, however how rather more may the precise sport provide? Because it seems, in Absolum, rather a lot. A stunning quantity, to the diploma that I’m shocked that Dotemu and Guard Crush Studios have stored the sheer scale of this so fastidiously beneath wraps. It not solely provides a few of the greatest beat ’em up fight that the style has to supply, however a compelling branching rogue-lite with cool discoveries, build-crafting that enhances the gameplay loop with out utterly overtaking it, enjoyable narrative occasions, and an awesome setting with its personal nuances.
“As you progress additional, extra particulars concerning the Cataclysm, Azra’s character, and the core solid are revealed. With out delving into spoilers, the circumstances develop into extra advanced than initially imagined.”
All that mentioned, Absolum does take time to envelop you in its world-building and lore. You play as one of many kids of Uchawi, a Root Sister who helped nurture magic on the planet. Sadly, after the Cataclysm, Azra rose to successfully enslave the world, bringing his particular model of order and oppression whereas outlawing magic. Following your rescue of Uchawi from imprisonment, the mission to defeat Azra and liberate the world begins, which might in all probability be simpler with out having to greatest his numerous kingly allies first. However the place’s the enjoyable in that?
As typical because the setup feels, it unfolds in an natural world related by the higher empire that Azra has crafted, but boiling over with its personal conflicts and occasions. The goblins within the Grandery’s forest who insist you greatest their champion earlier than searching for protected passage; the as soon as affluent dwarven mines, now teeming with all kinds of hazards; the swamps and jungles of Jaroba the place the world awaits – every is distinct, memorable and teeming with secrets and techniques, quests and alternate paths. But occasions in a single can simply impression the others, whether or not it’s sea-faring pirates who provide passage to Jaroba conducting a heist in a Grandery city, or the mysterious mist within the first area, which may maintain the important thing to discovering Yeldrim. As you progress additional, extra particulars concerning the Cataclysm, Azra’s character, and the core solid are revealed. With out delving into spoilers, the circumstances develop into extra advanced than initially imagined.
These areas provide their fair proportion of distinctive characters, and I want a few of them had a bit extra improvement. As you progress, finishing quests may end up in narrative ramifications on future playthroughs. Serving to to rebuild that bridge within the Grandery might appear to be a good suggestion at first, till the goblins scorn you later, tossing out rotten meals as a substitute of trinkets that might assist in your journey. Absolum continues to be very nicely put collectively, to the extent that you simply’ll need to revisit areas to find new issues. The sheer number of issues to do, whether or not it’s hiring mercenaries to accompany you within the area, or failing to note a lure and falling right into a boss battle in jail, and so forth, freshens up every run in so many distinctive methods.
In fact, branching paths means having to prioritize sure encounters and quests over others, which may additionally impression your construct, however for the preliminary hour or two, Absolum is a shocking but pretty simple beat ’em up. The crew that you simply’ll management consists of Galandra, who alternates between elbow strikes to unsheathe a greatsword; Cider, a rogue-ish fighter that likes to grapple and assault in mid-air; Karl, who depends on firearms and flaming fists; and Brome, a frog wizard who can unleash beam assaults. Every has a singular mild assault, heavy assault, and Particular (with an much more highly effective but limited-use Final unlocking later). As you full runs and acquire assets, you possibly can swap Specials. Galandra’s rising slash could be substituted with a Stinger-like piercing stab or a wave slash that’s additionally usable in mid-air, good when juggling fools, however that’s not all.
“It’s not all about what number of parts you possibly can stack, although. Generally, it’s about trapping enemies in water bubbles on the finish of combos, chaining them repeatedly, or summoning clones in every single place whereas bouncing enemies into afterimages of assaults when your floating spectral sword isn’t smacking them round.”
Varied upgrades found all through Talamh can even change up your common assaults considerably. A knee-lift sprint assault may acquire the power to seize an enemy in mid-air and slam them down. That singular Heavy slash could possibly be used thrice in a row or charged as much as break via armored enemies extra simply. Then you’ve the basic augments, the actual meat behind the build-crafting, beginning with typical results – dealing burn harm or build up static to unleash chain lightning – but it surely’s not lengthy earlier than you’re sending out tidal waves, summoning tornadoes and turning the display screen into a visible mess (affectionate). Augments can be upgraded mid-run to deal extra harm, letting you additional lean into one thing that’s working nicely.
It’s not all about what number of parts you possibly can stack, although. Generally, it’s about trapping enemies in water bubbles on the finish of combos, chaining them repeatedly, or summoning clones in every single place whereas bouncing enemies into afterimages of assaults when your floating spectral sword isn’t smacking them round. Or simply throwing all kinds of random nonsense at enemies a la Moon Knight as a result of one improve generates throwable gadgets on important hits. The persistent development, which dictates advantages like elevated max well being, extra harm dealt by recruited companions, and many others., can really feel somewhat too simple for one’s liking. Nonetheless, it additionally gives choices like crafting trinkets as a substitute of therapeutic or growing the probability of upper rarity Trinkets and better degree augments showing.
Once more, nothing too loopy, however they completely clean up every run whereas offering significant energy spikes, serving to you inch ever nearer to Azra. As a substitute of spending useful gold on gear when not one of the decisions fulfill you, craft trinkets at Hearthroots without cost and prioritize constructing a posse of mercenaries. Petting mounts in every area ends in one ready for you in a brand new Haven – improve their harm and obtainable time for smoother crusing. In fact, you’ll additionally acquire a separate useful resource that may be spent to improve every increase, which permits completely different parts to synergize with one another. Allow chain lightning to burn enemies, then improve hearth harm and burn harm for every enemy affected. The interaction between all these permits for some actually damaged builds, however additionally they encourage exploration. In any case, you possibly can’t make the most of these elemental potentialities with out discovering their respective crystals within the wild and reclaiming them within the identify of Uchawi.
None of this is able to matter if the general fight didn’t really feel good, as if there was a risk of that, given the builders’ pedigree. However all the things – the impression of blows, each given and acquired; the throws and collateral harm when enemies are knocked collectively; and the sheer energy of Specials – feels unbelievable. It could actually take some observe to distinguish between blows that ought to be dodged, parried or outright jumped over, and reacting accordingly.
“I didn’t anticipate to take pleasure in Absolum as a lot as I did… As a fusion of unimaginable beat ’em up motion and deceptively easy build-crafting, it delivers an gratifying expertise with immaculate pacing, bolstered much more by a unbelievable presentation.”
Nonetheless, standing toe to toe with a boss, punishing their errors, and breaking their guard to unleash a world of harm feels so satisfying. Enemy selection can also be on level, whether or not it’s a ghost that disappears and re-materializes into an unblockable assault or reptilian heavies that block most blows earlier than unleashing counterattacks. That’s not even moving into the boss battles, which additionally really feel distinctive, difficult and downright gratifying in their very own methods.
And whereas it’s been mentioned already, it bears repeating – Absolum appears completely superb. The animation work alone is simply vibrant and trendy, matching the artwork path and environmental design in nearly each aspect. The soundtrack is equally unimaginable, due to the likes of Gareth Coker (Ori), Motoi Sakuraba (Darkish Souls), and Yuka Kitamura (Sekiro), alongside Gordon, with tunes starting from heavy steel and orchestral rock to epic symphonies and vocals that will really feel proper at house in a FromSoftware sport.
I didn’t anticipate to take pleasure in Absolum as a lot as I did, although some a part of me craves extra, whether or not it’s extra methods to additional combine up every run or extra in-depth narrative arcs for the core solid. Nonetheless, as a fusion of unimaginable beat ’em up motion and deceptively easy build-crafting, it delivers an gratifying expertise with immaculate pacing, bolstered much more by a unbelievable presentation.
This sport was reviewed on PC.
