Absolum is a beat ’em up with roguelike bones, and it lands as one of the year’s best action games. Dotemu published it, Guard Crush Games and Supamonks developed it, and it is out now on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.
Trailer, via Dotemu.
Four Fighters, Four Styles
The roster carries the combat. Karl is a dwarf who fights with guns and bare fists. Galandra the elf swings a huge sword. Cider is agile, wielding two daggers for quick strikes. Brome is a humanoid frog and wizard who surfs through the air on his scepter.
Every character gets a light and heavy attack. Land consecutive hits and you build combos and mana, which fuels “Arcana” — a special attack that deals significant damage. You can dodge or sidestep incoming blows, and deflecting an attack just before it lands leaves the enemy stunned.
Rituals and the Run
Absolum folds roguelike structure into that fighting. Before each run you equip “Rituals,” passive abilities and bonuses that alter your attacks. Clearing combat encounters unlocks more Rituals, but death strips every equipped Ritual away.
Level layout is not randomized, though you choose your path. Ritual drops are randomized. Fallen players return to a realm to recover health, shop for upgrades or permanent unlocks, then run again. Bosses can unlock “Inspirations,” active combat skills.
Talamh and the Crimson Order
The setting holds up its end. Talamh was shattered by a magical cataclysm caused by ambitious wizards, leaving magic mistrusted by common folk. Sun King Azra exploited that panic, enslaving wizards through his Crimson Order and installing loyal princes over conquered realms.
The high enchantress Uchawi leads a small rebel group wielding forbidden magic against him. The four warriors fight to Azra’s stronghold and defeat him. Then the story turns: Azra’s real objective was containing a powerful interdimensional being called “Absolum” that could destroy all of Talamh, and Uchawi was Azra’s wife, pregnant with his child. After she gives birth, the warriors return to the palace and defeat Absolum, who is taken away by three otherworldly creatures.
Side Quests and Co-op
Side quests and diverging paths give the RPG layer real weight. Two-player cooperative multiplayer is supported.
What Actually Matters
Crafted with passion by the dream team that redefined side-scrolling beat ’em ups
That line from the game’s own description is marketing, but the combat backs it up. The deflect mechanic is the sharpest idea here — it turns defense into offense and rewards the timing that separates a good run from a dead one. The Ritual system is the weaker half: losing everything on death is standard for the genre, and it makes early runs feel thin next to the strength of the moment-to-moment fighting.
The plot twist lands harder than most in this genre bother to attempt. Absolum scores 9 of 10.
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