Absolver

Sloclap has delivered one of the best indie games of this 2017. Although it lacks a deep and more interesnting story, it has unique combat and gameplay mechanics that are rewarded with a great progression. An amazing journey and a stunning game.

Absolver feels like a (difficult, sometimes frustrating) step into a larger world, and if you can hang with it, it'll leave you hungry for more.

Combining unique and rewarding combat with the freedom to explore its beautiful areas in any order you see fit, Absolver is one of the best adventures of the year.

Combining gorgeous if deceptively simple graphics with an innovative approach to combat, Absolver is a welcome breath of fresh air to the sometimes predictable fighting game genre.

Absolver is a game that rewards players with a unique Kung-Fu fighter to master.

Absolver isn’t for everyone. Fighting game fans will likely get loads of mileage out of building their own Combat Decks. But until Sloclap releases new content, the only endgame here is in PvP duels, which some players may find off putting. For anyone with even a slight interest in kung fu or martial arts movies, give Absolver a shot. It just might hook you.

Whatever gets added in the future, though, I hope that Absolver doesn’t lose its sense of focus. If the game had tried too much — if it had thrown me into more complicated duels, or forced me to use weapons more often — I don’t think I would have found it nearly as appealing. Instead, Absolver recognizes its singular goal of building a robust, satisfying martial arts combat system. It leans into those strengths, and it’s a better game for it.

The world of Adol keeps you at arm's length, but the intricate and clever fighting will pull you right in. [Issue#266, p.56]

Absolver is a combat game with great fighting mechanics but it lacks some accessibility and tutorials.

Absolver offers a new approach to the martial arts simulation. It's not easy to start to play, but it can pay off in the long distance.

Absolver’s is hyper-focused on its fighting system, and the work Sloclap did there pays off. Its combination of cool systems, like learning fighting moves from enemies and player mentors, creating your own combos, and carefully and strategically using them during fights, makes every battle feel intense and important, especially in multiplayer scenarios. While everything else surrounding that system feels a bit anemic by comparison, the mix of great ideas Absolver brings to its core concept carries the rest, and should inspire plenty of other fighting and action games.

A highly-entertaining brawler. The visuals are stunning, the ambience a perfect fit for a world of martial arts, and the incredibly deep fighting system is fun to experiment with, making the game accessible for both seasoned veterans and button-mashing newcomers to fighting games, with unique features that allow any of those players to hone their craft. Overall, it’s one of the year’s most unique and enjoyable fighting games, and one worth checking out.

The endgame is all about becoming an Absolver, donning a cloak to signify your status as a person who’s finished the campaign. After you’ve beaten enough players, you can create your own fighting school and recruit newbies, sparring with them and letting them absorb your moves. It’s a clever idea, and it’s thematically consistent because it’s quite the grind to unlock your own school. By the time you do, every parry will be a reflex. You won’t be kicking people off a cliff for some bandages, you’ll be doing it simply because you can.

Absolver has a few problems, then, yet they're not impactful enough to take away from its unique strengths. There's a significant challenge involved in learning Absolver's combat intricacies, but it's the kind of struggle that rarely frustrates. Defeat is part and parcel of the experience, but your demise always teaches you something new that you can take with you into the next battle--and Absolver's deep, nuanced combat always finds ways of enticing you back for one more fight.

A great customizable fighting system and a cooperative spirit fill the empty spaces in a bleak open world.

Different and satisfying fighting game with a swallow campaign but some entertaining online options. It could be prettier, but it's a good start for this new IP.

Absolver is a beautiful martial-arts fighting game that allows for an impressive degree of personalized play with its innovative combat deck system, which lets you learn skills from combat with other players and NPCs. Unfortunately, it only comes with a single PvP arena mode at launch, and its fascinatingly nebulous campaign breaks off early and abruptly. It feels like an early access game with a ton of potential, but it’s not quite there yet.

Absolver is a revolution in fighting games, adding role elements and a combat system based on Martial Arts.

Absolver is a unique fighting game, with its own style and direction. The depths of the gameplay sometimes struggles with the confused brawls on screen.

Absolver is innovative and original, easy to play and hard to master. It lacks content for the single player mode, and it still has a long way to go to reach excellence, but it's already worth your time.

Absolver features one of the best fighting systems to be found in gaming. In addition to this, it looks and plays fantastically. However, it's let down by a few balancing issues, some glaring design problems caused by the unpredictable multiplayer feature. The end-game, however, could make for one of the best multiplayer experiences the year has to offer.