Absolum Preview – A Classic in the Making

Dotemu needs no introduction to fans of beat ’em ups. They’ve made waves in recent years for games like Streets of Rage 4, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, and Metal Slug Tactics. Dotemu is also famous for remakes, remasters, and new entries in established properties. I tend to enjoy the games the developers put out, but I do wonder what a completely original title from Dotemu would be. Fortunately, it looks like I’m getting that with their new title, Absolum.

Absolum is the first original IP from Dotemu, and it’s co-developed by Guard Crush Games and Supamonks. Described as a co-op “rogue ’em up” action RPG, Absolum takes the gameplay I’m used to from Dotemu beat ’em ups and combines it with elements from several other genres, including roguelites. Absolum is also set in a fantasy setting that will entice fans of the genre, and it’s a game I only wanted to play more of.

The Combat of Absolum

In the preview build, Absolum gives you three characters to try out and learn, but you can only access two of them from the start. First is Galandra, and she deals precise attacks paired a heavy sword that does significant damage. The second character is Karl, the last free Dwarf, who has heavy punches with strong explosions. Lastly, there is Cider, who is unlocked later on. Cider uses a variety of quick attacks and traps with a nimble play style. All three characters have unique move sets that I wanted to learn more about, and the more I played, the more I wanted to master them all. 

The roguelite elements become more prevalent as you play further into Absolum. When you complete areas, you will unlock rewards such as money, buffs, or different moves. You can get different status effects for your moves and adjust your play style accordingly as well. There are also special moves called arcanas, which are stronger attacks that are attached to a meter that fills up the more you attack. You start out with two arcana, which can be swapped at the start of a run, and a third arcana can be unlocked. The final game will likely have more, and there’s also an ultimate attack that can only be used when you have the needed item for it.

In addition, Absolum offers a good number of defensive options. You have a dash that can be used to dodge and block attacks, and you can perform a clash, which is essentially a parry mechanic. If you use your skill right as an enemy attacks, they will still clash, causing the enemy to stagger and leave an opening for an attack. Since this is a beat ‘em up, you can also grab enemies and throw them at others. Combining it all, you get a solid combat system, but how does it feel? The short answer is the combat system feels amazing, and it encourages experimentation thanks to the features you get. 

I started with Karl the Dwarf, but every character has a fun move set with so much potential. Karl may still be my favorite, but I stopped prioritizing a specific character or move set and just let my run take me wherever it went. Maxing out the combo system feels so satisfying, and nothing feels better than landing a clash on a boss. The core gameplay got hold of me and wouldn’t let go, but honestly, I wasn’t complaining. 

Now, Do Another Run

Since Absolum is a roguelite, you should be ready to die a lot. When you die, you return to the starting point and restart your run. Before each run, you can swap your character, practice some combos, and level up different aspects of your character in hopes of performing better. You can also view your run history and see where you succeeded and where you failed. This is also where you can start a co-op run, but I wasn’t able to try this out for the preview.

When you start a run, you are thrown into the first area of the game. The map doesn’t change too much, and some paths may not be accessible immediately. Some events may not trigger based on the run, either. You can always check the map to see which route you are on, and it will indicate if you have any open objectives or not. While going through each area, you may also encounter side quests. The more runs you do, the more content you may find.  

I enjoy roguelites like Absolum, and when they get their hooks in me, it’s hard to put the game down and not go for consecutive runs. While playing, I felt encouraged to search every nook and cranny, accept side quests, and basically do everything I could. One of the quests involves an entirely missable NPC, who returns to your base and starts giving you other objectives to complete if you decided to help him. I was amazed at the amount of content in just this first area of the game, and I can’t wait to see how much more awaits in the full game.

The Beauty of Talamh

Absolum is also very aesthetically pleasing. The world not only looks terrific, but I was engrossed in the lore that was presented, and all the characters have great designs. From your playable characters to the NPCs to the enemies, they all have memorable designs. What’s more, the story is interesting and compelling, due in part to the characters.

Absolum’s story takes place in the world of Talamh, which was affected by a magical cataclysm that greatly affected the common folk. This incident led the Sun King Azra to take complete control and enslave all wizards under his order. All of this causes a small rebel faction to form, using forbidden magic to overthrow the king. The faction is guided by the enchantress Uchawi, whose magic can keep them from fully dying. Although the premise isn’t entirely groundbreaking, I look forward to seeing how the whole story unfolds.

High Hopes for Absolum

The preview build for Absolum ran smoothly, except for a few hiccups. I didn’t experience any frame drops or gameplay bugs while playing. The first time I booted it up, my controller wasn’t being picked up, but that was quickly remedied after some troubleshooting. Outside of that, I experienced one unusual issue where the game would crash after beating the final boss, resulting in having to restart the fight due to the game failing to save. Dying to the boss weirdly fixed this issue on the subsequent attempt, and thankfully, the issue never happened again. Neither of these problems stopped me from playing the game, but I do hope there are some bug fixes soon.

Absolum is a fantastic game with so much potential. It perfectly combines classic beat ’em up gameplay with roguelite elements, making it highly addictive. The world and its characters are beautiful, and I look forward to learning more about them. While writing this, all I can think is I want to open up the game again and do another run. Absolum has immense potential, and I highly recommend it. The demo will be playable during Steam Next Fest, so if this sounds interesting to you, try it. However, be warned that you may not be able to stop playing.