Absolum was a surprise hit last year. Even as a fan of Dotemu, beat ‘em ups, and roguelites, the games still caught me off guard. It quickly became one of the most fun and repetitive games I touched last year, and a perfect combination of its respective genres. The game has been a major success for Dotemu, surpassing 500,000 copies sold and receiving a physical release. With an animated series also in the works, there seems to be no end to the success of Absolum. This carries over to the game as well with the recent 1.1 Threads of Fate update.
Threads of Fate is the first major post-launch update of Absolum. This update introduces new endgame content through corrupted biomes and ordeals. Alongside some more cosmetics, and fixes/reworks you would expect in a new patch. The main focus is to increase its already high replayability and offer a challenge for those who have already beaten the game. Well, I can say the challenge kept me coming back. While I wish there was a bit more in this update, it’s still a solid addition to an already great game.
Return to Talamh
The two biggest additions in Threads of Fate are the corrupted biomes and mythic ordeals. The corrupted biomes appear after beating Azra for the first time. These are changes to the rifts that appear pre-patch after beating Azra, and are spots on the map that spawn waves or difficult enemies. Their locations change each run and are visible, so you can completely avoid them if you don’t want the challenge. Those who tackle them and succeed will be given better upgrades and rewards to help you on your run. While it’s essentially optional, waves of enemies are still a fun challenge and a welcome addition to the endgame.
The mythic ordeals offer a bigger change to Absolum. These only appear after you defeat the true final boss, and if you’ve already done that, then after your first run with corrupted biomes. After you meet the requirements, Maugis will appear and start to offer you the mythic ordeals in your sanctuary. These are difficulty modifiers you can equip at the start of a run. It’s similar to the pact of punishment and heat offered in Hades. You can even make custom ordeals and share them with your friends. These are a lot of fun and my favorite addition to the game.
The ordeals really open up the endgame. Their modifiers range from increasing the waves of enemies, increasing damage taken and dealt, and even doing the run twice. They feel extremely rewarding, and I couldn’t help but want to try more of them. I especially enjoyed ordeals that had you prioritize counters or glass-cannon ones. The addition of custom ordeals is also great, and being able to share them is a plus. I can’t wait to see what my friends end up making.
Ordeals aren’t just fun, but they unlock more things. After finishing one ordeal, the soul tree opens up again. The soul tree is the permanent unlock progression of the game, and more items have been added to it. These additions include ordeal modifiers and new cosmetics for the characters. While some of the additions to the tree are minor, it’s still nice to see it open up more. The corrupted biomes and mythic ordeal give a much-needed revamp to the endgame and are a welcome addition to Absolum.
More of the Same
Threads of Fate brings a few more additions. Earlier, I brought up cosmetics, and while it’s minor, more customization options are always welcome. On top of skins, each character gets new emotes as well. Mounts have also been upgraded and are still a great help, especially with the huge waves of enemies the corrupted biomes bring. Outside of that, the only other additions are tweaks and bug fixes you expect from a standard patch.
If I had to say any issues I have with this update, it’s that it all feels optional. While this is a welcome update for the endgame, you can still avoid it. It’s easy to avoid corrupted biomes, and you will want to sometimes. Mythic Ordeals are great, but also completely optional. This isn’t a major criticsm and it never hurt the update for me, but it does make me think there should’ve been a bit more.
I still highly recommend Absolum, and Threads of Fate is a welcome update. The additions to the endgame are not only needed but a lot of fun. Corrupted biomes are a fun change to the map, and ordeals are a great time. Being able to make your own ordeals and share them is a great addition too. I can’t wait to see what others do with it. The other changes, while minor, are fun and add to the experience. This is a much-needed update for endgame content and people who have beaten the game. While I wish there was a bit more here, I can’t deny that this was still a great time and a welcome reason for those to come back to Absolum.
Disclaimer: Dotemu provided a PC (Steam) copy of Absolum for review purposes.
