- Publisher: DotEmu
- Release Date: Oct 9, 2025
- Also On: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox Series X
- Summary:
- Developer: DotEmu, Supamonks
- Genre(s): Action, Role-Playing, Beat-'Em-Up, Roguelike, 2D
- # of players: 2
- Cheats: On GameFAQs
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
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Positive: 51 out of 52
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Mixed: 1 out of 52
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Negative: 0 out of 52
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Oct 10, 2025Absolum blew me away with its mastery of the side-scrolling beat-’em-up and roguelike genres, seamlessly combining the two in a game that is exceptional on a technical level and a blast to play. Paired with the excellent combat and roguelike loop are phenomenal characters, great worldbuilding, and gorgeous art, making for a game that is an absolute steal at just $25.
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Oct 9, 2025I can't stop playing this game! Great as a beat’em up, great as a roguelite, Absolum is just wonderful as a combination of the two genres. The cherry on top – but maybe is the foundation below – is a glorious lore and a brilliant narration that will keep you wanting more.
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Oct 9, 2025Absolum 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.
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Oct 10, 2025It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the team of veteran beat ‘em up developers made another great beat ‘em up game. Absolum evolves the best parts of classic beat ‘em up action and weaves it with an original story, a compelling world, and roguelike elements. This doesn’t seem like a game that should work as well as it does, but it’s some of the most fun I’ve had with a co-op game this year.
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Nov 4, 2025With its brilliant blend of beat ’em up and roguelite mechanics, a carefully crafted atmosphere that clearly comes from skilled hands, a well-thought-out progression system, and satisfying combat, this is one of the year’s biggest surprises. If not for a few minor issues, it could’ve been a Game of the Year contender. Definitely worth checking out.
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Oct 9, 2025Absolum enters the crowded roguelike space with a refreshing and appealing art style and classic-feeling beat-em-up mechanics. Playable solo or in 2-person co-op, each of Absolum’s characters caters to a very specific playstyle, and it’s fun to switch between them. Although character progression is a little slow, and the movement mechanics occasionally frustrate, Absolum should appeal to fans of engaging action adventures, roguelikes, and brawlers. Absolum has something for almost everyone.
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Oct 9, 2025Absolum is an excellent beat ‘em up let down by a roguelite structure that doesn’t serve it. I hate being limited by numbers instead of skill in action games, and in the early hours here, it feels like you’re a slave to them. Once you get to the point where each run has you making substantial progress and the story picks up, Absolum is very compelling. But it took me a long time to get there. Gorgeous artwork, an excellent soundtrack, and smart combat spread out among several distinct characters do a lot to carry it, but they can’t fix the feeling of dread when I died, again, and realized that I would have to do some variation of the same exact thing once more. I’m not against failure; I just wish there was more variety to it, and Absolum doesn’t find that until a good way into its runtime. That it manages to emerge as an exciting beat ‘em up in spite of that is a testament to the skill and work of its developers. But it would be a lot better if it just got on with it. Unlike Absolum’s heroes, I’ve only got one life to live.