Dotemu's first original IP has stylish combat, a compelling world, and an enticing gameplay loop

Absolum Is A Fantasy Roguelike Beat-'Em-Up That Looks Great And Plays Even Better

Dotemu's first original IP has stylish combat, a compelling world, and an enticing gameplay loop

The Golden Axe comparison extends to the setting, which is refreshingly fantastical for this genre. Absolum takes place in the world of Talamh, where a magical catastrophe has led to an imperial crackdown on all sources of magic and wizards who wield it. The Sun King Azra is on a brutal campaign to conquer every magical land and snuff out the practice. You're part of a small band of resistance fighters following a mysterious and ethereal mystic Mother who uses a forbidden form of magic. While many fantasy stories can get bogged down in too many proper nouns, the little I've seen so far strikes just the right balance of introducing a few fantasy concepts to pique curiosity without overwhelming the player with loads of lore.

In my limited preview session, I was able to fight through hordes of Azra goons in a few starting areas, as two of the four characters: Galandra, an agile and acrobatic swordfighter, or Karl, a stout dwarf who lands blows with his fists up-close and a blunderbuss at range. The two fit nicely into their fantasy archetypes--Galandra as a lithe elf that strikes like lightning and Karl as a hearty dwarf who plants himself in the ground--as well as offering some nice differentiation in the gameplay. I found myself gravitating toward Galandra, enjoying every moment I would dash towards enemies to unleash a flurry of melee attacks before finishing with a flip-kick flourish. But that's not to say Karl was any less fun to play, since his gun/melee combo makes him a very versatile fighter. And in moments of interstitial dialogue, the two refer to one another like found family, clueing the audience to a sense of closeness to their tight-knit rebel group.

Both characters look great, thanks to a hand-drawn art style with chunky inked lines that Dotemu says was inspired by French comic books. The dark fantasy setting also makes excellent use of lighting, from the effects of your spellcasting matriarch to the eerie red glow of enemy soldiers' helmets. This is fantasy, but it carries its own distinct look from traditional swords-and-sandals epics, at times looking almost like a blend of fantasy and sci-fi aesthetics. And the enemies themselves are often beautifully expressive, from goofy little goblins to menacing imperial elites.

Perhaps best of all, the roguelike elements blend so seamlessly into a beat-'em-up framework that it's a wonder this hasn't already become a trend. Dotemu says the RPG elements and branching paths are to reward replaying levels, since it recognized from its previous work that beat-'em-up fans like to play through over and over.

I only got a small taste of that from my limited time with the game, but that slice showed enormous potential. While failing out of a stage in a traditional beat-'em-up can be frustrating--or worse, a silly anachronism that prompts you to insert more quarters--in Absolum it's an opportunity. You can go back to base camp, invest in permanent upgrades, change your loadout, talk with your companions and other rebels to flesh out the story, and then try again.

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Those permanent loadouts let you customize broad aspects of your character like equipping particular special moves, such as a Rising Dragon for Galandra that tosses enemies into the air. Then, exploring the world lets you bind temporary, run-only "rituals" that augment you with, for example, a static shock effect on your combo attack. Successfully clearing a room will often reward you with currency to spend back at camp or rituals to boost your abilities now. The roguelike mechanics help every run feel rewarding and impactful, making progress toward strengthening your character instead of simply challenging you to get good.

Absolum looks to be an inventive blend of game genres, gameplay mechanics, and settings and inspirations. It all just fits together so neatly that its disparate parts feel made for each other. Based on my time so far, I'm eager to play more and to learn more about the world and its characters.

Absolum is coming to PC, PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch in 2025.

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This story originally appeared on: GameSpot - Author:UK GAG