Guard Crush Games, the developers behind Streets of Rage 4, are teaming up once again with publisher Dotemu to bring us a new beat-'em-up experience. This time, they're diving into Dotemu's first original IP, named Absolum, which promises to be a visual and auditory treat. With stunning hand-drawn animations crafted by Supamonks and a captivating soundtrack by renowned composer Gareth Coker, Absolum is shaping up to be a powerhouse project. After spending an hour hands-on with the game, I'm confident that this title won't remain unproven for long.
Absolum is a roguelite side-scrolling beat-'em-up action-RPG that offers deep replayability through branching paths, quests, characters, and challenging bosses. During my playthrough, I experienced this firsthand with the game's diverse player classes. I tried out the sturdy, dwarf-like Karl and the agile, ranger-esque Galandra. The gameplay involves battling evil creatures, smashing environments to uncover health-replenishing items like carrots, exploring buildings for treasure or ambushes, facing off against bosses with enormous health bars, and restarting the cycle upon death. Although I didn't get to try it, the game also supports two-player same-screen co-op.
As someone who cherishes memories of classic two-player beat-'em-ups from the '80s and early '90s arcades, as well as gems like Golden Axe on the Sega Genesis, Absolum evokes a sense of nostalgic familiarity. Its Saturday morning cartoon-style art and animation bring back those good vibes. The combat system, while simple with two buttons, offers enough depth to keep battles engaging depending on the enemies you face. The roguelite element injects modern flair, ensuring high replayability and an exciting edge to the experience.
AnswerSee ResultsThroughout your journey in Absolum, you'll encounter both hidden and obvious power-ups. These include equippable active weapons or spells, which you activate by pulling a trigger and hitting the corresponding face button, and passive items in your inventory. The items randomize with each run, introducing a risk-reward system that might alter your strategy. For example, in one of my early runs, I picked up two orbs that increased my damage by 20% but reduced my health by the same amount, resulting in a dangerously small health bar. Fortunately, you can drop any item at any time if you decide the trade-off isn't worth it.
Absolum - First Screenshots
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True to its roguelite nature, when you die in Absolum, you return to a realm where you can spend in-game currency at a shop to buy items or power-ups for your next run. In the early build I played, this feature wasn't fully implemented, leaving the quality of items and power-ups to chance each time.
Absolum holds immense potential, largely due to its stunning art style, engaging animation, classic side-scrolling beat-'em-up gameplay, and the innovative roguelite loop. Not to mention, the pedigree of its developers in this genre adds to its promise. If you've missed the joy of couch co-op games, Absolum looks poised to bring some of that magic back, even if just for a while. I eagerly await playing a more refined version as development progresses, and my optimism for this game remains high.
