Preview: Absolum

It’s only been three months since the announcement of Absolum, a curious new indie game that aims at taking the classic beat’em up style and joining it with the addictive roguelite structure. At the helm of the project, we have Dotemu, who has a history of good retro revivals in their bag like Metal Slug Tactics, collaborating with co-developers Guard Crush and Supamonks to create something special and the demo experience shows a promising start.

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A World of Banned Magic

After a great calamity caused by ambitious wizards, a tyrant called Azra has taken control over the world in Absolum. Under his command, magic has become a forbidden art and those who use it are treated as slaves.

Players will assume the role of rebels with ties to the old regime trying to fight back against Azra and to achieve freedom. Out of this group, you can control either the powerful swordwielder Galandra or the dwarf Karl whose fists will prove to be a strong asset.

While at first there are only them, two others will join their quest later down the line. In the demo, you also get to see the nimble dual-dagger Cider, a mysterious individual under a mask that seems to recognize the rebels, but has a personal dilemma. The fourth playable option, the wizard Brome, is left out of the demo and will probably need to be unlocked in the full game with specific methods as well.

While the story isn’t the centerpiece of the experience, it’s engaging enough that it keeps us curious about the characters, their goals and the details that are not yet revealed. Azra calls the protagonists “old friends” when he shows up, so is there something more to their relationship? And are there any secrets related to the calamity that started such an uproar in the magic world?

From the Beat’em Up Roots to a Roguelite Progression

After the tutorial mission, you get into the meat of the gameplay, which revolves around exploring Grandery. This area is the only one available on the demo, but it’s just the first part of what the full map has in store, ending the whole package with a major boss. The base of Absolum‘s gameplay is a classic beat’em up format, with the player moving in a sidescroller fashion towards the right. Some areas offer hidden paths to be explored and there are also a few curious sections, like one in which we drop on top of a raft and must defeat enemies coming from the sidelines, which we can promptly drop into the water instead of beating up.

There’s a basic strike which can be used for combos, a more powerful “skill” that can be used to cause more damage and throwable items that might be found along the way. It’s also possible to dash into some of the enemy attacks to null them and at some points there are boars you can mount as a temporary aid. Drawing from the roguelite structure, the game grants random rewards to accomplishments, including upgrades that can improve skills. These little bonuses allow you to pick between improving different parts of movesets, often adding extra effects like fire or even allowing us to create a tornado through multiple hits.

A good test of skill is the final boss of the demo, the Underking. He uses a big scythe that has long range and the delay in his hits can make anxious players fail the proper timing to dash towards him. After he loses enough life points, he pushes the player back and starts using flames that the player can avoid by smartly using the big boulders in the environment as a shield.

Learning how to use your moveset and improving it over time with the roguelite mechanics looks like it will be an important part of the final experience. The demo has a limited pool of options and the initial characters are more focused on close quarters, but at this stage, the beat’em up portion is already solid enough to make the experience one worth looking forward to.

A Beautiful Fantasy Journey

Another aspect of the game that looks impressive is the graphics. The 2D visuals used to depict this fantasy world give us lush areas and charismatic, colorful characters. It feels vibrant and magical and contributes to the general feeling of a living world. While advancing through the Grandery, a goblin village is reached after a big boss called Gazorg is defeated. There are individuals in the village with multiple colors whose facial expression variety helps set them apart from each other and make them feel like a real village, even if it’s just a small detail.

For newcomers who may be worried about difficulty, the game has an optional Assist Mode that lets players modify the damage values at will. This, however, is turned off when playing online, as the game opts to keep the general difficulty for everyone.

Absolum has the makings of a good beat’em up game that keeps players coming for more and improving over time thanks to its roguelite progression. The beautiful art and solid moveset base already make a strong point for keeping your eyes peeled for this upcoming indie game.

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