Absolum

Absolum is an excellent beat ‘em up let down by a roguelite structure that doesn’t serve it.

Infusing a classic beat-'em-up structure with a modern roguelike loop is a match made in heaven.

So Absolum is ultimately a beat 'em up with a bit more depth and progression than we've seen before in this style of game that has been so resistant to change since it was born in the arcades. Absolum lacks the extensive variance of a true roguelike, but delivers enough intricacy to push the genre into a more interesting space than it's ever occupied.

This feels like it belongs firmly in 2025 – and it's good enough to have you wondering what other bygone genres would benefit from similarly thoughtful, lavish treatment.

Absolum is a game I’ve wanted to play since I was a kid. We get simple, approachable brawling battles, high production values in art and music, and a richly imagined fantasy world, all wrapped around a narrative that makes replay and progression worth coming back to advance again and again. It’s not a game that is going to change anyone’s opinions about the genre, but it is a brilliant implementation of a very old formula into something that feels modern, deeply replayable, and unmistakably fun.

Absolum blends nostalgic, arcade beat 'em up gameplay with addictive progression, a charming Saturday morning cartoon-like aesthetic, and a cool storyline and setting to create the latest and greatest triumphant evolution of the roguelike genre.

Absolum is both a brilliantly crafted beat-'em-up and a devilishly addictive roguelike. Although the overall experience does feel slightly short-lived, you'll seriously struggle to tear yourself away from the game's striking fantasy world - especially when all of its systems start to click.

Absolum is an on-par experience to Dragon's Crown, but a superior game in terms of its key metrics. Its combat, collectible augmentations, and planning are exceptionally well-formulated, ensuring no run is ever quite the same and its strategic options and play-styles are ever-deepening. It's incredibly impressive in its reconstitution of arcade, role-playing, and roguelike formats, evolving them into something fresh and exciting.To that end, it's one of the best of its kind, whatever that kind may be. If you don't enjoy the idea of repetition and grind, you may not fall in love with its initial five hours, but the momentum for one-more-go becomes so compelling after a while that it's impossible to relinquish the pad.

One of the best beat 'em ups on the market, though the genre is still held back by its inherent limitations.

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