Hades is one of the few games that had me in an obsessive vice-grip for a month straight. I’d start playing, look at the clock, and realize hours had passed. For years, I’ve been waiting for another game to capture my attention like Hades’ intoxicating take on roguelites did. That game is finally here, and it’s called Absolum.
I’m about to use a lot of buzzwords here, but Absolum is a high-fantasy side-scrolling roguelite beat ‘em up. Anyone into all that probably already thinks it sounds cool, while everyone else is left scratching their head. But Absolum is the latest collaboration between French publisher Dotemu (Metal Slug Tactics) and Guard Crush Games (Streets of Rage 4). It’s an astoundingly gorgeous game that looks like a comic book in motion, and it essentially transforms Hades into a 2D beat ‘em up.
Absolum is the kind of game that only takes minutes to click with the player. I was able to play for roughly five hours, getting a feel for Absolum’s rich comic book world, roguelite design, progression system, and more. The world is clearly inspired by the likes of The Lord of the Rings, but with a visual twist meant to evoke the distinct style of French comic books — think Tintin, Asterix, or even The Smurfs, albeit with a modern edge. According to art director Maxime Mary, every aspect of the game, from character movements to visual effects like smoke, is hand-drawn in that style.
Absolum’s world is known as Talamh, and at the beginning of the game a magical cataclysm causes the Sun King Azra to conquer every land and put down mages with extreme prejudice. You play as a band of rogue mages trying to fight back, and while there are some interesting themes of subjugation and tyranny at play, the preview period was largely focused on the gameplay.
Like in any good beat ‘em up, there are multiple playable characters and the entire game is playable in co-op. For our preview, we got to try out the stout and aggressive dwarf Karl, and the agile swordfighter Galandra. These two have wildly different playstyles, with Karl focusing on short attacks with a lot of knockback potential, while Galandra can easily move across the screen for wide-sweeping blows that hit multiple enemies at once.
If you’ve played any beat ‘em up, like Streets of Rage, then you know exactly how Absolum plays. Each screen throws a bunch of enemies at you, and while the art style is 2D, you can move around the entire environment in 3D while attacking, dodging, guarding, and throwing enemies.
Absolum has that simple pick-up-and-play approach that makes beat ‘em ups so easy to get into, but the complexity layered in its roguelite systems makes it riveting. Just like with Hades, Absolum’s gameplay loop consists of you going on a new run through its world, which is filled with secrets, branching pathways, and optional objectives. At the start of each run, you choose a “Ritual” that gives you a unique ability, working much like Hades’ Boons. One might make your dodge apply fire trails to the ground that damage enemies, while another lets you modify a specific move to summon a spark cloud whenever you execute it.
From there, you advance to the next area. Again, each screen functions like an area in Hades; you wipe out the enemies and get a reward. These rewards are randomized and can include money to spend at merchants, a second currency for permanent upgrades, modifiers that give you brand-new combo moves, and more. So each run is a game of upgrading your character as you progress toward one of the area’s bosses, which can differ based on your chosen path. What’s really astounding is how many modifiers and moves there are on top of each unique character’s permanent unlocks.
I did over a half-dozen runs, and each one felt remarkably different. What I especially like about Absolum is that while it’s all built on that simple beat ‘em up formula, the modifiers you stumble into are designed to make the combat strategic. It’s a brilliant way to add complexity and variety to a simple genre. There are little story elements layered in to make runs feel vibrant too; after a few runs, I heard a rumor about a heist targeting a noble’s mansion, which let me take part in said heist and gain an entirely new way through the first region (and a big boost in gold).
But Absolum also feels like it nails the most essential part of roguelites: progression. The chief reason for that is its brilliant way of rewarding players. For each run, you’re given points based on the number of areas you visited and the distance your character walked. This feeds into a gauge called Radiance, with each level gained granting you a variety of upgrade materials that can be used in the main hub to unlock and strengthen new skills. You can also upgrade your runs in general, like starting with more gold or a respawn, which gives you a tangible sense that your progress is directly impacting your abilities.
In 2020, Hades redefined the roguelite, taking a niche genre and blowing it up into something approachable and narrative-based. I’ve been waiting for another game to take what Hades did and run with it in a wild new direction ever since. It’s beyond exciting that Absolum is the game to do that by applying Hades’ innovations to the beat ‘em up, a genre undergoing its own renaissance.
Absolum is bold, ambitious, and unlike anything else out there. If the rest of it is like what I saw, we might have a new cult classic on our hands.
