Absolum Review

Lately I’ve been feeling a strange mix of both nostalgic yearning and an insatiable urge to play something new. Scrolling through my Steam library, I see an ever-growing collection of “unopened” games that I bought on one sale or another. I realize this fresh-nostalgic urge was leaving me uninterested in many of the games that have been released and ended up in my cold, bottomless backlog.

Maybe it’s the corporate burnout of being a wage-slave, but when I think back to my times watching WB, Cartoon Network, and Nickelodeon on Saturday mornings, I get the tiniest sparks of excitement remembering cartoons like Avatar the Last Airbender, Samurai Jack, and Chaotix. And when I envision the games that gave me the most joy, Castle Crashers is at the very top of my list.

Alas, where would I find the perfect blend of these forms of media, made specifically for my attention’s burnt, roguelike-only brain? I had suffered endlessly with this void for years, feeling doomed to settle. That is, until Dotemu put the same magic they used when making the iconic Streets of Rage 4 and more recently TMNT Shredder’s Revenge to brew yet another capital-C Classic: Absolum.

Dungeons and Beat Em Ups

To describe Absolum as a combination of Streets of Rage 4, Hades, and Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara would just barely do it justice. Fantasy beat ’em up roguelites are uniquely untapped and even more rarely combined in a gem such as this.

Upon first entry into the all-original world of Talamh, you are immediately met with an incredible amount of “show don’t tell” worldbuilding. Of course, the fantasy-classic intro gives some lite exposition into the conflict wrought by the Sun King Azra, who seeks to oppress all of Talamh’s magic under his complete control after an unforeseen cataclysmic magical event caused by a small group of wizards left the citizens hurt and distrusting. Only the powerful enchantress Uchawai and her “children” are able to stand up to Azra’s Crimson Order.

When you’re given the overworld map and see the sprawling points of interest start populating during your journey, the sense of “quest” is immeasurable. The sudden events and quests that riddle each run kept my 25+ hour playthrough fresh all the way through. Each side quest was full of worldbuilding microbeats that expand on the lore in a natural way. Paired with the phenomenal voice acting and incredibly fresh character writing, I never felt a single point of dialogue was unnecessary. I’m not one to enjoy dialogue-heavy games, but here I didn’t skip a single line.

Stand Up and Smell The Trauma

As if the world itself didn’t already feel like the setting of your next favorite D&D campaign, the four playable characters give an even more distinct fantasy feel. Between an ex-order dark elf with a colossal sword and a shady past, a permanently drunk dwarf with fists of iron and a variety of bullets, and the two playable allies unlocked early on, the game feels as though the setting was yoinked straight from a Brennan Lee Mulligan campaign.

Adjusting to the tone of the story took me a moment, as the dynamic action-cartoon artstyle had me expecting more humorous beats. While not necessarily disappointing, my expectations were a bit conflicted. Absolum pulls no punches in its war-torn narrative, diving into the pains of the conflict from angles not often seen in this genre and art direction. Plot lines of slavery, genocide, the trauma of loss, and betrayal were in abundance. One playable character’s journey of identity and belonging, while unsolved, has so many hints of deep cuts in even their moment-to-moment action dialogue. There were some nose-air-worthy moments of humor that cracked through, but for the most part I remained unchuckled.

Doing The Monster Button Mash

Each character’s playstyle was just as unique as their background, with varied and flexible approaches to the combo-parry-combo combat. The rhythm of your chosen wizard greatly changes the flow of your combos. Regardless of your playstyle or character choice, the orgasmic fluidity of the moment-to-moment combat never diminished. The clash system made timing the perfect heavy attack feel incredibly rewarding. The utter joy that came from learning the perfect timing for each enemy and boss gave me a near-rhythm-game sense of accomplishment.

The enemy types gave just enough variety that made some of the difficulty spikes not so painful. There were few enough variations that learning their timing didn’t feel too cumbersome, while still leaving just enough difference to only start to get bland towards the bottom few hours of my playthrough. I can’t complain about the boss variety, as there are so many levels that beyond the first boss, the choice is yours. So whenever I got tired of getting my ass beat on one island, it was easy enough to jump to another. I will say that the dwarf king made me absolutely dread clearing the first island.

My character of choice, Karl, is a brawler-type dwarf with different bullet types for his self-forged rifle. His fist-to-face playstyle was perfectly paired by his rifle’s combo-extending versatility. There were some obvious boon choices that lead to very OP-feeling runs—at least I felt OP until getting skill-checked when I hit the last couple of bosses.

Luckily, the metaprogression was intuitive and well-paced. Paired with the run-by-run expansion of the narrative, the addiction of “just one more run” was never diminished. The single moment I thought I’d had enough came after beating the final boss for the first time. Jokes on me when I saw new quests start to populate the map.

Absolutely Absolum

Absolum stands as a masterclass in genre fusion, seamlessly weaving together the visceral satisfaction of classic beat ’em ups with the addictive loop of modern roguelites. Dotemu has once again proven its ability to honor nostalgic gaming traditions while pushing the medium forward with contemporary design sensibilities. The game’s commitment to meaningful worldbuilding, coupled with its refusal to shy away from mature narrative themes, elevates it far beyond a simple nostalgic throwback. Every system from the clash-based combat timing to the metaprogression that unlocks both mechanical advantages and story beats, feels purposefully crafted to keep players engaged for dozens of hours. The fact that new content continues to emerge even after defeating the final boss speaks to the developers’ understanding of what keeps roguelite enthusiasts coming back.

I can’t think of a reason to tell someone to not at least try the Absolum demo. The crispy smooth gameplay on my Steam Deck cemented for me that this is another generational run for Dotemu. Whether you’re drawn in by the gorgeously animated art style, the deep combat system that rewards mastery, or the surprisingly poignant narrative about oppression and resistance, there’s something here for every type of player. My free time is in absolute peril with their rapidly approaching Marvel Cosmic Invasion. Even with heavy hitters of their own and competition from the likes of Hades 2’s full release, if you like games, period, this is an easy pickup. For anyone who’s been searching for that perfect blend of Saturday morning cartoon aesthetics and substantive gameplay depth, Absolum doesn’t just fill the void; it exceeds expectations you didn’t even know you had.