It is such a great time to be a fan of roguelikes. Whatever flavor of the RNG grind-fest drama you enjoy, there seems to be something to play and have a good time with these days.
The latest spin on roguelikes may be one of my favorites yet. Absolum is an absolute blast, in solo or co-op, as it brings the nostalgia of arcade beat 'em ups to the table to create something that feels wholly fresh yet reminiscent of the best days of gaming at the same time.
Rogue 'em up
Absolum is made by Supamonks and Guard Crush, and is the first original IP from Dotemu, publisher of beat' em ups like Streets of Rage 4, TMNT: Shredder's Revenge, and the upcoming Marvel Cosmic Invasion. The new title is set in the mystical realm of Talamh, and you play as one of four magic-wielding characters, part of a resistance force that has been subjugated by the menacing Sun King Azra.
Led by the high enchantress Uchawa, the rebels fight back as the roguelike formula plays out with a classic side-scrolling beat 'em up style that Dotemu calls "rogue 'em up," creating a satisfying and addictive loop that I keep coming back to.
The combat in Absolum is genuinely super fun, being simple to play yet deceptively deep, and fully playable in solo or two-player co-op. Each character has basic attacks, a secondary attack, a screen-clearing ultimate ability, and multiple magic Arcana spells that are supplemented by random power-ups you pick up after each area.
The four playable characters include Galandra (an elven warrior with a massive sword), Karl (a fist-throwing dwarf with a gun), Cider (a nimble rogue with a spinning blade on their arm), and Brome (a frog-like wizard who wields a magic staff that he can ride around on like a surfboard). I have a tough time picking who to play on each run, as they are all fun.
As the difficulty ramps up towards the end of every run, gathering the right Arcana and abilities is crucial, as it becomes less viable to spam the attack button. The combat mechanics include fighting game-like tropes such as bouncing enemies off the ground to keep massive combos going and juggling them in the air to build up a stagger meter that allows for tremendous damage on bosses and other high-level foes. You can even bounce them off the edges of the screen to continue the combo, and it's immensely satisfying to punish the variety of monsters and Sun King Azra goons in your way.
I wish you could backtrack sometimes, though, because it's easy to miss items, pathways, or throwables on the ground as you're flying through a level on another consecutive run.
Spice up your life
Absolum offers some of the most variety between each run in the roguelike genre. Each of the four characters has its unique playstyle and abilities, and playing as each of them is a good time, shaking up the inevitable monotony that can accompany the roguelike formula.
With each run towards the tower where Sun King Azra resides, you power up and unlock new abilities, consumables, currency, and quests to further your goals of defeating the tyrant and freeing the use of magic across Talamh. There are also several branching pathways to take through the map, and you can choose to change it up or focus on different objectives on each run.
While you encounter the same enemies and NPCs repeatedly, as in any other roguelike, playing as all four characters is a must, as playing as each of the four heroes offers up new mysteries and dialogue options with each run, opening up different questlines and rewards.
As you may expect, defeating Sun King Azra is just the beginning, and the wide variety of different runs continues from there. The best part about it, though, is that the beat 'em up style never gets old or stale, or at least it didn't in my dozen-plus hours, where I still only got a taste of the full package.
Variety is furthered by hiring mercenaries alongside you, finding different throwables to extend combos on the fodder you fight through, picking and choosing which quests to focus on. Because of all these reasons, I never got bored with the first few areas of the game, which tends to be an issue for me in the genre.
Undeniably charming
Absolum is bursting at the seams with charm, boasting a Saturday morning cartoon-like art style and aesthetic, but also some truly excellent music to go along with it. And when you see who's worked on the OST, it makes sense.
The soundtrack for Absolum is handled by Gareth Coker (Ori, Halo Infinite, Prince of Persia), but also includes collaborations from Yuka Kitamura (Dark Souls, Elden Ring), and even Mick Gordon (Doom Eternal, Atomic Heart), and it shows. Every level and region has its own trademark musical tone, and every song is stellar.
The game also manages to have a good sense of humor despite the dire circumstances of the storyline, and it's a true joy to walk around speaking to the NPCs at the team's base of operations or the random characters you find throughout your journey. Unfortunately, this means a lot of lore and world-building can be easily missed.
I'm very happy to report that you can take the fun on the go with flawless Steam Deck performance. I played the vast majority of my hours with the game in bed at a rock-solid 60 FPS and never had an issue with battery life.
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