Absolver

Absolver still offers too little long-term motivation, but the combat system and the exciting multiplayer dynamics show potential.

By combining a unique method of connecting players, complex character creation and development, and solid combat mechanics, Absolver delivers something that no traditional fighting games can offer. What it lacks is variety. [11/2017, p.45]

Absolver is not for everyone. If you’re expecting a more traditional single-player RPG experience, this probably isn’t what you’re looking for. Much like the path of aspiring martial artists, Absolver is a trip through mastering one’s self. Expand your moveset and learn a playstyle that fits you. There’s not a lot of content and I feel that it launched prematurely. Sloclap still has a lot of plans to add more modes and features in the next few months. The lasting legacy of Absolver will undoubtedly be its amazing combat system.

Absolver has a very fresh concept that combines fighting game and GDR mechanics. The result is quite good: the combat system is one of the most customizable we've ever seen and the beautiful world of Adal is a pleasure for the eyes. Unfortunately the lack of a map and the devious level design dilute the experience and the main quest is only a pretext to introduce the player to the PVP.

Absolver comes extremely close to being an amazing game with its deep 1v1 melee combat and unpredictable player encounters, but where it falters is in, well, nearly everything else. The world feels lifeless. When more than one fighter joins a battle, battling becomes frustrating and clunky. There's a lot of potential with Absolver. But unfortunately, it's not 100 percent of the way there yet.

Absolver is a very specific game with it's own stengths and weaknesses. The universe and the gameplay are truly awesome but its lacks some accessibility and some tutorial on how to use such a complex system.

Absolver spends so much time honing the development of its fascinating, ambitious combat system that it leaves a shallow narrative structure in its foundation. An ever-evolving gameplay mechanic cannot carry a game's excellence on its own merit, and unfortunately, there is little draw to the world of Adal than the encounters within it.

Absolver’s fighting mechanic is one of the best to come along in years. While the rest of the game can be a little too hit and miss for its own good, this is still a wonderful achievement.

Absolver is a great combat game, and a fantastic blend of genres. It’s just sad that the PVE side of things is so short, because I’d really have enjoyed the game if there was more of an adventure to play through. Still, if you’re an old pro and fan of fighting games then Absolver may very well be worth the buy. It’s unique blend of ARPG and traditional kung-fu mastering is a whole lot of fun.

With slow and powerful fighting mechanics, Absolver is a great game representing its genre.

Sloclap’s first foray shows glimmers of brilliance in the combat and the somewhat intriguing aesthetic of masked martial artists going at it in strange lands. Even so, Absolver feels like a collection of little pieces from something larger that just never happens. It’s as if someone has set the table for a fascinating three-course meal and the appetizer is the only thing that ever comes out of the kitchen – and by the time you take your first bite, you’re being ushered out the door.

Like Doctor Foster's puddle, Absolver packs a surprising amount of depth into a small space. [Nov 2017, p.72]

Absolver is an intriguing but painfully boring fighting game that repeats the mistakes of No Man's Sky.

If the developers had packed their unusual fighting system in a linear adventure instead of half-baked openworld, it would’ve been a win-win situation for everyone. [Issue#224, p.57]

No tutorial I could find. Graphics reminded me of World of Warcraft, or Far Cry. The first Far Cry. All of the equipment power-ups are just +1 to this, +1 to that. It's like WoW with all the fun taken out. As for the fighting, it seems to be just furiously clicking and a bit of dodging. They've been making great martial arts games for years. Why change the process to something weird and less enjoyable? I did like how you learn new attacks by beating enemies who use them. But that was the only real positive for me.

Absolver is a great and interesting game as a whole, but the biggest part of the game, actually playing it, is both frustrating and unbalanced. The combat works and is very customizable, the pacing and level progression is nice, and the world is interesting and looks great, but in the end, it has all these great things about it, and I honestly don’t feel like playing it due to the fights turning into frustrating encounters. Now, that’s not to say everyone is going to feel that way and I’m sure there’s going to be at least one person saying I’m playing the game wrong, and I may very well be doing that, but in my time with it, I have given it my best shot and found it to be a great game in many ways that I just don’t want to play.