- Publisher: Devolver Digital
- Release Date: Aug 29, 2017
- Also On: PC, Xbox One
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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Sep 8, 2017In my opinion, Absolver is in the upper echelon of recent releases, but it still has a few issues. The camera can work against you at the most inopportune times, like when you're cornered, but that's more bearable to me than the motion blur. Other than those complaints, the game slows down its offerings after a dozen hours or so, unless you're playing co-op with friends. On the plus side, there's supposed to be free DLC in the future, and it seems like a pretty solid promise. Given Absolver's $30 price tag, you can't really complain about this purchase.
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Aug 31, 2017Absolver is an enjoyable, singular, technical and profound game.
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Sep 5, 2017It still remains to be seen how much long-term potential Absolver has, but I’m confident that Sloclap will slowly build the game up into a unique hybrid of a story-driven martial arts adventure and a sustainable (not to mention unique) online fighting game. Again, I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, but I could see Absolver becoming one of the big standout hits of 2017 and beyond, and I hope Sloclap sees that as well.
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Sep 11, 2017Absolver is an ambitious and unique indie fighting game/action-RPG with ample character customisation, compelling PvE and PvP content and an engaging martial-arts focused melee combat system that rewards practice.
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Edge MagazineOct 12, 2017The purity and quality of Absolver's vision has provided and innovative, constructive take on an often impenetrable genre. [Dec 2017, p.106]
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Sep 24, 2017At its center, it is a hardcore RPG that will reward players that invest in it heavily and it has more than enough value at its lower price. The game’s most significant issues have been addressed with a patch, thankfully, and any that step into the world of Andal is in for a treat.
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Sep 11, 2017Absolver presents itself as a very interesting hybrid: a fighting game inserted in an online context and a decadent, fascinating open world. Unfortunately, several lag problems undermine overall quality: patches are coming out to solve the problem, but the feeling of being in front of a still "rough" code is always very strong.
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Playstation Official Magazine UKOct 15, 2017A remarkably solid effort that experiments with the genre and celebrates the finesse and timing of martial arts. It's just a shame it feels so incomplete. [Nov 2017, p.89]
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games(TM)Oct 6, 2017A great mix of styles that almost works. [Issue#192, p.68]
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Sep 20, 2017If the network was more stable and the game played more to its strengths around one-on-one combat, this would be a game I’d recommend in a heartbeat. It’s still well worth a look even with those flaws, but I can’t help but imagine what could have been.
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Sep 12, 2017Absolver has the potential to develop into something very special. As it stands now, though, the content just isn't entirely there yet. Coupled with a handful of nagging problems, it's hard to recommend the title to anyone but only the most dedicated fighting fans out there.
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Sep 6, 2017Absolver is charming beat them all with some good Dark Souls elements, with a big PvE section. Its combat mechanics, where you can customize your own combos sets, is great but the whole system is a little bit rigid, so the multiplayer fights might not feel very pleasant to everyone.
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Sep 5, 2017Technical problems aside, Absolver is a great fighting game. If that's enough for you then although the campaign is over relatively quickly the multiplayer and customisation could keep you going for a long time.
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Sep 4, 2017Absolver is superb yet flawed. Sloclap have some really fun and innovative ideas though, for some reason, they’ve built a gorge between players and their game. Like digging for gold, if you want to get anything of value from Absolver then you’ll need to work hard and put in the time. Needless to say, those with a casual curiosity will likely find themselves completely turned off.
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Sep 3, 2017It often feels unrefined and unbalanced, but the uniquely tactical combat system, and Dark Souls influences, create one of the most enjoyably different fighting games of recent years.
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Sep 1, 2017It’s a real shame that it’s currently experiencing these connectivity issues, as Absolver is an otherwise great melee action game. The combat is deep, tactical, and wonderfully customisable, and interacting co-operatively or competitively with other players can be a real joy. Once SloClap can ensure players of a lag-free environment to play in, this will be a knockout multiplayer brawler.
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Aug 30, 2017When all the pieces slide perfectly into place, Absolver truly shines as one of the best action experiences I’ve had in some time. But with all the pressure hinged on solely the combat, it takes only one hiccup to throw it all off (and there is definitely more than just one in the game).
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Sep 5, 2017Absolver can be rewarding for those that dedicate the appropriate amount of time and attention it requires, but its complexities can be hard to break into. Even when Absolver is mastered, the resulting expertise seems to have little impact on the competitive side of the experience.
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Sep 5, 2017While Absolver is up and down in a lot of places, the game just doesn’t come together well. There’s something about the underlying design that makes it feel disjointed. Most of this comes from the quasi-open world aspect, but the ridiculous level of grinding involved and the disconnected PvP mode makes Absolver feel like a game that’s at war with itself.
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Sep 1, 2017The mysterious atmosphere as well as the multi-faceted fight system show a lot potential. But Absolver seriously lacks content, while technical flaws and shortcomings definitely need to be addressed soon.
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Sep 11, 2017The concept behind Absolver is intriguing, but its execution and lack of staying power make it a very tough recommendation. If you're willing to put up with tedium, maybe joining a guild and learning new moves will be for you. For others, I'd say give this a pass.
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Sep 4, 2017Absolver is disappointing because of how big it could have been. As it is right now, is interesting, but mediocre verging on bad. If the devs don't do anything about it, the servers will be closed by Christmas.
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Aug 29, 2017Absolver delivers on its promise of a compelling and unique combat system, but falls flat in almost every other way. Some baffling design decisions hold it back, so it’s hard to recommend the game simply based on its combat.
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Oct 3, 2017The list of things that I had yet to unlock after going through the campaign show that Absolver is intended to have some long legs. Unfortunately, during those first few hours it doesn't provide anywhere near enough reason to actually stick around. The single-player feels mostly meaningless and the few flashes of interesting aspects are quickly lost in the labyrinth that is Adal.
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Sep 5, 2017I did eventually find my bearings, and the entire game took me less than five hours to complete, after which I was told in no uncertain terms to go back and continue training with other players – this is obviously meant to be the true hook of the game. Unfortunately, the co-op functionality isn’t working properly at this time. While Sloclap will probably get the servers stable eventually, the fact remains that Absolver’s core combat feels so awkward and unsatisfying that I can’t imagine it ever taking off. I certainly can’t recommend it now, and I doubt that’ll ever change.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 32 out of 92
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Mixed: 26 out of 92
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Negative: 34 out of 92
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Aug 30, 2017
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Aug 29, 2017
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Aug 30, 2017