Absolver

 PC
User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 101 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 101
  2. Mixed: 27 out of 101
  3. Negative: 31 out of 101

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  1. DustoutGames
    Sep 13, 2017
    8
    Absolver is a great game that is currently suffering from launch hiccups. There are some fairly serious issues with connectivity at this point such as lag in the game world, and the occasional difficulty connecting to PvP matchmaking.

    While serious, those issues have a very low impact on my score because of how supportive and responsive the developers have been. The game is patched    Absolver is a great game that is currently suffering from launch hiccups. There are some fairly serious issues with connectivity at this point such as lag in the game world, and the occasional difficulty connecting to PvP matchmaking.

    While serious, those issues have a very low impact on my score because of how supportive and responsive the developers have been. The game is patched frequently, and every update brings the game close to its full potential.

    Depth of gameplay and world building are where this game really shines. The combat system will feel familiar to players of games like soul calibur, virtua fighter, and dark souls, but ultimately, Absolve really is unlike any combat system I've seen before. The short version is you get to build your own combos from a large pool of available attacks that all have their own levels of speed, power, and timing, and then string them together with your two attack buttons. This means that every player can create their own unique combat style and techniques. This means you can adapt to any challenge the game world throws at you for one, but it also makes the PvP incredibly deep and satisfying.

    The game's story mode is fairly short, but that doesn't really take anything away from what makes Absolver great. The different areas (all linked together into a seamless world) are designed with branching paths and lots of little hidden corners. While Absolver doesn't do as great a job as the Souls games at rewarding exploring, there are still a few good hidden treasures and rewards for poking around and finding all the corners. The lack of a map also gives you a feeling of initially getting lost, but then finding your way again as you become more and more familiar with the world. This obviously won't be appealing to every player, but again, that's a big selling point for the Souls games as well.

    Bottom line: The game has some rough edges now, and if you're primarily interested in PvP, I would wait a couple of weeks for the online stability to even out some more. However, looking at Absolver for what it is even in its current state reveals a great game with a great combat system, and a great community.    … Expand
  2. Absinthesize
    Sep 22, 2017
    9
    So. Lets be up front. Game had kinda bad marketing. Touted a lot of PVE even though the devs mentioned PVE was sparse and the focus was PVP. This is the fault of the publisher not the developers.

    if you are looking for martial arts dark souls, your out of luck, the games story is small and more about world building then an actual fleshed out story. Devs have said they have more PVE    So. Lets be up front. Game had kinda bad marketing. Touted a lot of PVE even though the devs mentioned PVE was sparse and the focus was PVP. This is the fault of the publisher not the developers.

    if you are looking for martial arts dark souls, your out of luck, the games story is small and more about world building then an actual fleshed out story. Devs have said they have more PVE stuff in store, but its still not the main focus.

    More up front, stability issues, its had a fair bit, while I personally experience it seldomly, some players experience it a lot more. The stability is getting a bit better every patch.

    1.06 patch happened, 2 days later they reverted it, and gave the most genuine response a dev company I have seen in recent years. They full admitted to changing too much at once, and said they will use a lighter touch in the future and evaluate more. They didn't revert everything, but they reverted the things that were breaking the game.

    Now lets get to the good stuff.

    The games pvp 1v1 combat is amazing. It is thrilling and fluid and fun to watch as well to play. Make no mistake, this is a fighting game in spirit despite not being a side scroller. It has that same level of barrier to entry that many players are driven away from the fighting community. You will get demolished with pressure if you do not learn to use your specials to get out. If you cannot learn it, you will keep getting destroyed mercilessly.

    However the comeback mechanics and getting out of pressure is still easier then say...Tekken 7 currently is.

    This is also a thinking mans fighting game. You have to build your characters moveset from the ground up. A good deck is half the battle in this game, and some players struggle with learning it (i know i did) but once it clicks, you can make some amazing stuff happen.

    Newest patch is a strong step in the right direciotn and proof that while they listen and take feedbakc to heart, they also have there own minds and are not just simply pandering to whoever cries loudest.

    small team, great devs, great game, population will only grow if they keep to updates like this.

    near future is ways to color your gear, ranked mode, 3v3 mode, and some kind of dungeonesque PVE thing.    … Expand
  3. Tsproggy
    Sep 22, 2017
    8
    Ever try to:
    Figure out your minimum effective deadliness without weapons or armor?
    Dodge or evade attacks using emotes? Perform a tornado kick when nobody was looking? Join us at the shrine. We're waiting for you. This game has it all. Engaging combat, soundtrack, visuals. If you have friends, they'll be amazed by all the ways you can hit them in the face. You can found your own    Ever try to:
    Figure out your minimum effective deadliness without weapons or armor?
    Dodge or evade attacks using emotes?
    Perform a tornado kick when nobody was looking?

    Join us at the shrine. We're waiting for you.

    This game has it all. Engaging combat, soundtrack, visuals. If you have friends, they'll be amazed by all the ways you can hit them in the face. You can found your own school and teach those who lack discipline! Learn from every hit you take (actual game mechanic) and eventually dish out some lessons yourself.

    What you learn is represented by these sick cards that will remind you of old timey instructional scrolls featuring painted stances and forms; Mix and match them to create your own fighting styles including weapon styles. While the game is not entirely focused on weapon combat you could design your character in such a way that you gain access to it faster than most. Weapons in this game can be used until they are sheathed, taken by force or break off on your opponent's face.

    You can toggle between online, invite only and offline mode. Co-op and courtesy in online play is common but be wary of your friend's fists of fury. Luckily these rules apply to everything else in the game which makes for some interesting encounters and strategies.    … Expand
  4. charyou
    Aug 30, 2017
    10
    I'm disappointed to see all the negative press this game is receiving. It seems like people blindly purchased the game without looking into what it aimed to achieve. This is an excellent fighting game. Period. It has a fun over-world that acts as a training ground and lobby. It has a very intricate combat system. It has a beautiful art style. All animations are hand keyed. The price of theI'm disappointed to see all the negative press this game is receiving. It seems like people blindly purchased the game without looking into what it aimed to achieve. This is an excellent fighting game. Period. It has a fun over-world that acts as a training ground and lobby. It has a very intricate combat system. It has a beautiful art style. All animations are hand keyed. The price of the game is only $30. Think of it more as an indie fighting game, not a triple A release trying to clone dark souls as others have claimed.

    One reoccurring complaint I see is the difficulty of fighting multiple enemies. Yes, in the first hour or two it is difficult, but it teaches you positioning and stamina management. Afterwards it is fun to fight two enemies.

    Another complaint is region locking. While I can understand this being frustrating, remember that this is a tiny dev team without the budget to do state of the art matchmaking or pay for dedicated servers across the globe.

    The only complaint I understand is the AI not wanting to leave their designed area. It is annoying when they run back to their spawn area if you pull them too far away. I imagine this was done to prevent frame drops and other QA problems by not allowing NPCS to be pulled too far and have too many on screen. Again, the dev team is tiny. I would hope this and other small nitpicks will be address down the road.

    All in all I would highly recommend this game. Just don't blindly purchase it without looking into what it offers. Why would you do that with any game though?    … Expand
  5. nullward
    Sep 22, 2017
    9
    Absolver is an amazing fighting game, with great potential to grow. The dev team really listens to their played, the combat is tight and beautiful to watch, and the community is great for a game so new. True, the content is limited in terms of game world, but does that really matter in a fighting game? It's the mechanics that count, and they are stellar here.
  6. Damian_roar
    Aug 30, 2017
    10
    Honest review here, from a person who doesn't like to stay in the box.
    Nowadays companies are blinded by reviewing the same type of games year after year, if its not COD or FIFA they give a thumbs down to a game.
    This game is all that For Honor tried to be, and WAY better, the customization of your combos, and a stats system that really works (i hate those games that have stats and    Honest review here, from a person who doesn't like to stay in the box.
    Nowadays companies are blinded by reviewing the same type of games year after year, if its not COD or FIFA they give a thumbs down to a game.

    This game is all that For Honor tried to be, and WAY better, the customization of your combos, and a stats system that really works (i hate those games that have stats and administrate them on their own way on level up, why do you make a stat system if you wont leave their players change it?) its what drew me in.

    It is an original game, flawless, and it gives this great sensation when you engage your combos in a harmonic way, the sound of a well placed kick in the face ending your opponent, and a great connection on the pvps i had, even on the launch day, its something very hard to archieve on a game, and this game did it.

    If you liked dark souls, and enjoyed For honor but wanted it well made, this is your game, you're not going to regret it, plus the complexitity of the fighting system its very solid and will make great for a competitive game.

    Give it a try, and dont let the "money sucker reviewers" confuse you with their mixed reviews, they give low scores to games that are not fifa and cod anyways.    … Expand
  7. Filmatic
    Aug 29, 2017
    8
    Enthralling combat system. Great visuals. Story...... well, unfortunately they sort of skimped on it.... leaving plenty left to be wanted... hopefully they add new content.... *crosses fingers*. For what it is, at its price point and the great fun i just had from day one.... bugs, and day one problems aside... it's hard not to rate this game highly. It's like dark souls light had a babyEnthralling combat system. Great visuals. Story...... well, unfortunately they sort of skimped on it.... leaving plenty left to be wanted... hopefully they add new content.... *crosses fingers*. For what it is, at its price point and the great fun i just had from day one.... bugs, and day one problems aside... it's hard not to rate this game highly. It's like dark souls light had a baby with kung fu, and for honor.
    Visuals: 9/10
    Combat: 9.5/10
    Story/campaign: 7/10 *coughs* hard to really even call it a story or whatever it is. a combat simulator? but whatever it's fresh and dynamic... leaves you to figure stuff out rather than spoon feed it too you like a baby.
    Coop: 7/10 clunky but fun.
    Pricepoint value: 9/10
    overall: fun and worth 30 buckeroos. 8/10    … Expand
  8. Yahea
    Sep 3, 2017
    9
    I did everything that the game offers and I am now max level and lvl 61 in PvP

    Pros + Unique fight mechanics + You can make your own combo deck + Simple and cool art style + Gameplay feels smooth + Good mash of PvP/PvE + You feel like a real martial arts fighter Cons - Some connection issues when you are not in EU/NA (It will be fixed in an upcoming update) - Region locked    I did everything that the game offers and I am now max level and lvl 61 in PvP

    Pros
    + Unique fight mechanics
    + You can make your own combo deck
    + Simple and cool art style
    + Gameplay feels smooth
    + Good mash of PvP/PvE
    + You feel like a real martial arts fighter

    Cons
    - Some connection issues when you are not in EU/NA (It will be fixed in an upcoming update)
    - Region locked (Didn't try myself)
    - Tutorial is not very clear

    Other
    = The Game is like Darksouls with the exploration aspect A.K.A no real map or sense of direction. Some people will like it and some will not.

    You will either love the game or think it is ok/bad, so go give a try and if you don't like it refund it.    … Expand
  9. Dzench
    Jul 11, 2020
    8
    Довольно недооцененная игра, в неё приятно играть, хоть и не долго, ибо она довольно короткая. Своеобразный Dark Souls но в стиле Кунг-Фу и прочих единоборств.
  10. IDOL8th
    Feb 8, 2022
    10
    Let me sum it up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qUHQZYMxtk hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
  11. Game0fLife
    Aug 4, 2021
    8
    Strangely, I haven't played this game in a while, but I think about this game every day.

    To be honest, this game has the most sophisticated combat system I ever play in any video game, customizing your own fighting style and move sets. (Although hard to control with mouse/keyboard) Also, this has the best fashion in any video game, not just your typical hamlet+top+glove+pant (I am    Strangely, I haven't played this game in a while, but I think about this game every day.

    To be honest, this game has the most sophisticated combat system I ever play in any video game, customizing your own fighting style and move sets. (Although hard to control with mouse/keyboard)
    Also, this has the best fashion in any video game, not just your typical hamlet+top+glove+pant (I am looking at you, dark souls), and the mask feels really fresh, better than me putting countless hours and looking up Youtube videos on character customization.
    Beautiful art, just searching up gameplay on Youtube and see for yourself.

    This game has so much potential. Yet, it has some major downside too.
    The single-player is way too short and the bosses are keeping recycling (3 times each).
    Multiplayer/Online is great but there are way too few players (less than 100 players).
    This game is really difficult to play with the mouse and keyboard, especially the parrying system. (I hope they will allow more optimization, and let me switching lock-on target with mouse movement, like dark souls)

    Final words, please improve better optimization for mouse/keyboard. It's a major turn-off for me, I don't think I will specifically change my playstyle just because I love this one game.
    And just a lazy tip, you could program some NPC to pretend to be real players (kind of like dark souls 2, with personality and emote) when the player count is too low and matchmaking takes too long.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

92
#92 Most Discussed PC Game of 2017
18
#18 Most Shared PC Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 41 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 41
  3. Negative: 0 out of 41
  1. CD-Action
    Nov 16, 2017
    70
    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]
  2. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Nov 7, 2017
    63
    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]
  3. GamingTrend
    Oct 9, 2017
    85
    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.
    Read full review
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