Absolver

 PlayStation 4
User Score
5.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 92 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 92
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 92
  3. Negative: 34 out of 92

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  1. SpiderJeruselam
    Sep 6, 2017
    9
    I will start by saying that i have been excited to get my hands on this game for a while now being that it is one of the only Martial arts based fighting games with a quality combat system. Absolver is a competitive fighting sandbox. You primarily fight AI enemies but there are many other players in the world who can fight with or against you as you explore the territories available. TheI will start by saying that i have been excited to get my hands on this game for a while now being that it is one of the only Martial arts based fighting games with a quality combat system. Absolver is a competitive fighting sandbox. You primarily fight AI enemies but there are many other players in the world who can fight with or against you as you explore the territories available. The world is not very large with four primary hubs that each have approximately 3 zones within them. However, the map layout is comparable to dark souls design where there are many nooks and crannies to find items such as armor and aesthetics. Absolver does not have a cinematic story with lengthy cut scenes (there are a few but nothing extraordinary) and the main opponents you are tasked to defeat can be completed within approximately 3-5 hours depending on how many AI enemies you run past, but what the game lacks in story is made up in a combat system that is truly superb.
    You learn fighting styles by encountering enemies and engaging in battle with those enemies. once you have learned a move it is dded to a combat deck where you can develop your own style of martial arts using the moves you know and the moves you have learned. it is easy to create and addictive to master. For 30 usd this is a must buy. I have personally played for 15 hours and i am still working my way through learning more moves so that I can challenge players in 1v1 PvP!    … Expand
  2. Mindurbidniss
    Oct 14, 2022
    4
    Most important feature (locking on) doesn't work properly. This literally makes everything else in combat feel clunky and disjointed. They almost had something here. It's a very unique game with an interestingly complex combat system. Just too bad it's foundation wasn't properly set first
  3. SuperkenGaming
    Aug 29, 2017
    7
    Absolver
    For Honor Meets Dark Souls
    Absolver is a martial arts focused combat souls like game where you play as your created character with your own selected fighting style and set out into its world to take down all of the marked ones and open a gate… This game can be played either offline or online where pvp is possible.. But co-op Is also possible... this game is a souls like not    Absolver
    For Honor Meets Dark Souls
    Absolver is a martial arts focused combat souls like game where you play as your created character with your own selected fighting style and set out into its world to take down all of the marked ones and open a gate…
    This game can be played either offline or online where pvp is possible.. But co-op Is also possible...
    this game is a souls like not because of its difficulty, its fairly easy and everything can be seen in under 5 hours, it’s a souls like because how it is delivered…
    this is one open world with enemies around every corner, these enemies will respawn when you leave an area or activate a meditation post which is where you fill up your health…
    there is the little fog you enter to take on the games bosses…
    but this is the only dark souls part about it…
    the combat here is decently fun
    you’re able to do heavy attacks, light attacks, dodge and block, but there are 4 different fighting stances you can take and these stances will determine the moves you can pull off…
    And you learn more moves outside of your selecting fighting style through combat with either other player or enemies within the world…
    moves are leveled up as you use them, but by blocking them your character will start to learn them and eventually you’ll be able to use them yourself…
    though the blocking is probably the most annoying part about this game…
    As enemies are either blockers or they aren’t…
    that’s the only think that makes a boss “challenging”
    is they they spam the block button instead of force you to evade and time your attacks…
    because of this I found the game to just be very button mashy opposed to a game like for honor where you have to read your opponent a bit
    Sure you can wait for them to stop blocking and attack when they do…
    but you can also really just mash buttons and use your special abilities..
    Which are unlocked as you progress the game...
    Depending on the class you pick you can use an ability to gain health by striking until you take damage or the timer runs out, or stunning your enemy for some free shots...
    these abilities need to be filled by taking or dealing damage though, which is a fair bit of balance, running around isn’t going to help you…
    but as you’re running around if the game doesn’t have server issues like it started to on launch..
    You’ll see other players running around or fighting and you can either step in and help, ignore them, or attack them…
    I was attacked a few times, but it was never annoying when it happened... as I came out on top every time..
    it’s sort of satisfying to be attacked by a player, put them in the ground and then revive them after putting them in their place…
    Doing so will make the 2 of you neutral instead of hostile
    but you’re able to offer them your help or request help, offer a truce and play co-op together without battling..
    And there is a loot system here…
    there are weapons you can pick up and equip, though the break... and character can have much stronger gear for protection or lighter gear for speed and strength..
    so you have to be careful who you attack if you do
    But there is definitely some trolling potential on a certain bridge where a player Can use their push back attack on passing players.. So look out for it...
    Technically though the game plays pretty smoothly though I did run into some lagging before the server problems happened and part of the world disappeared once and I got stuck in a hole forcing me to back out into the main menu
    I found absolver to be fun.. though once you see all there is to see, the world loses a bit of its charm
    There is replayability in the form of leveling your character and combat moves through player vs player 1v1 of course, but the combat isn’t deep enough to be fun in its own dedicated competitive mode and there isn’t a deep enough world to make this replaybility anything but artificial outside of it
    This is a beat in a weekend game which isn’t a bad thing…
    I give Absolver
    a 7/10    … Expand
  4. Frowningmirror
    Sep 22, 2017
    9
    I love this game, I would give it a 10 if it wasn't for the netcode. The devs listen to us creating new patches, they give us free content, and the game has hitbox porn moments making street fighter five feel ashamed and has a complexity in design that makes it feel truly creative. I hope the future makes this an e-sport honestly.
  5. egoBorder
    Jun 13, 2020
    4
    This is a promising foundation, but unfortunately Absolver feels like half a product. The gameis a type of casual open world fighting game, with optional online co-op and PvP. But in execution what appears to be an "easy to learn, hard to master" experiment just feels too devoid of purpose. In my opinion the open world should have been dropped in favor of a replayable series of levels.This is a promising foundation, but unfortunately Absolver feels like half a product. The gameis a type of casual open world fighting game, with optional online co-op and PvP. But in execution what appears to be an "easy to learn, hard to master" experiment just feels too devoid of purpose. In my opinion the open world should have been dropped in favor of a replayable series of levels. Or a more engaging story and presentation would have been necessary to hook the player. As it is, despite its good ideas Absolver will soon have you wondering why you're playing and how soon you can give up on it.… Expand
  6. 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
  7. Kodama_95
    Sep 12, 2017
    9
    This game. Something about this game has got me hooked, the mechanics for the fighting are unique and the art style is very appealing. It's true that the grinding in this game is defiantly a major part to the game due to its short story and heavy focus on training (grinding) more to become a master.

    The only true gripes I have with this title is the slow down, consistent distortion of    This game. Something about this game has got me hooked, the mechanics for the fighting are unique and the art style is very appealing. It's true that the grinding in this game is defiantly a major part to the game due to its short story and heavy focus on training (grinding) more to become a master.

    The only true gripes I have with this title is the slow down, consistent distortion of the sound after a few hours of play and the lag. The lag sometimes can be so bad it is unplayable, considering it is a game where timing is important and trying to dodge or block someones attacks with lag is pure frustration.

    Other times, I have had some awesome game-play experiences that have had me truly at the edge of my seat trying to outwit my online opponent. Considering the price, the promise of free content and the uprising dedicated fan-base around this game I cannot fault it for more than its technical issues and so so loot drops    … Expand
  8. prinex
    Aug 30, 2017
    5
    Played 3 hours in EU.
    First thing comparing this to Dark Souls is absolutely wrong. This is nothing more than a fighting game with some nonsensical Pve part glued to.
    It looks that developer still have not gotten the memo: "Its the combat, stupid !" which means you have to be able to press R1,R2 and circle and you are all set for Dark Souls games (OK add L1 for parrying). Here we are    Played 3 hours in EU.
    First thing comparing this to Dark Souls is absolutely wrong. This is nothing more than a fighting game with some nonsensical Pve part glued to.
    It looks that developer still have not gotten the memo: "Its the combat, stupid !" which means you have to be able to press R1,R2 and circle and you are all set for Dark Souls games (OK add L1 for parrying).
    Here we are at mercy of a crazy 4-stances 3-combos plus heavy attack that you can customize BUT: because the attack changes stances, depending on where you chain stop you can be in any of the 4 stances. So you end up pressing attack while looking at the stance logo and frantically trying to get back in your wanted stance with a super easy "R2 while moving R Stick". All this while guarding (L2) and moving L Stick (there is no lock) .
    Basically a super frustrating experience.
    The AI is more AS (Artificial Stupidity) and so easy to exploit that I finished the main game (2 hours) without levelling up more that 5 times (I still have 15 or so level points to spend).
    Now the "online experience". I concede this could be starting problem but I seldom see someone, still when it works its ok - you can run thru the game with random people.
    Which brings another problem (or interesting part) - friendly fire is on so you end up kicking everyone including friends. The more the merrier.
    Graphics are PSP level and freezes / lags / blacks screen are common.
    I give it a 5 because I see they made some effort there. But there is still a lot to do before it becomes somewhat of a polished game.
    Conclusion:    … Expand
  9. MVil
    Jul 4, 2018
    0
    Got it free on Playstation Plus. I Still want a refund of my time. I normally refuse to give a working game a zero but this one actively achieved to piss me off.
  10. plainswalker
    Oct 17, 2017
    5
    Absolver is in a really strange place for me. The concept is really intriguing, basically initially appearing to be Dark Souls style world exploration where an in-depth fighting game breaks out when combat rolls around. There is also a really cool mechanic where you can build your own style of martial arts, learning new moves by successfully defending against them in the world (sort ofAbsolver is in a really strange place for me. The concept is really intriguing, basically initially appearing to be Dark Souls style world exploration where an in-depth fighting game breaks out when combat rolls around. There is also a really cool mechanic where you can build your own style of martial arts, learning new moves by successfully defending against them in the world (sort of like Kung Fu Pokemon), which as a huge martial arts nerd, had me really excited.

    Unfortunately, once the original excitement wore off, what revealed itself was a good concept that has huge flaws in execution that ultimately makes the game one that I would not recommend. The most glaring issues are rampant server issues and technical bugs. The bugs that I kept seeing with relatively high frequency are as follows: lots of texture pop-ins, severe lag spikes when another player enters an area (really irritating when you're in the clutch moments of a battle, random (ie - not player-joining) lag spikes turning NPCs into teleporting magicians (who also happen to be punching you in the face) making the fights nearly impossible, NPCs literally not responding at all do to some bug when loading the area (seriously, there are more than a few times where I was running around punching out NPCs who didn't fight back), and when using cooperative multiplayer, there was one occasion where the named "boss" NPC spawned a duplicate in the same area.

    The technical issues alone really tanked any score I could give this game. Unfortunately, that's not the end of my complaints as there are elements of the gameplay that make the experience even more frustrating (which may prove to be bugs themselves, but it's less clear if it's intentional game design). Generally speaking, level scaling and difficulty seems to be all over the place once you step out of the tutorial. The developers borrowed the Dark Souls model, but failed at one crucial point: When enemies respawn in a Souls game, they're exactly the same: same power, same position in the environment. This allows the player, when they fail, to re-approach the area and learn from their past mistakes. In Absolver, NPC generation seems to be random. I've died to a two-NPC fight only to come back to that exact same spot only to have 3 NPCs there. I've respawned from death only for the NPC group that killed me come running at me at the spawn point. Bosses will sometimes spawn with minions; sometimes not. This randomness and inability to predict the difficulty curve is really frustrating, particularly when the game is already woefully stingy on any "here's what you should be doing" directions. Well, at least, until you realize you can literally run past everything to get to the objective (which isn't something that I consider a positive).

    The other major issue I have with the core game-play is the combat seems very bad at rewarding skilled gameplay, particularly when looking at the games 3 core defense styles. Being a glutton for punishment, I chose the "Parry" method of fighting where getting the right timing and direction gives you a counter window. Now, the game ranks this method as the most difficult, but I did not feel like I was getting rewarded for using the higher skill defense. Mostly that the "stun" window for counter-attacks is extremely small and seemed non-existent when fighting other players in the world. I fought someone who I was able to parry very effectively because they just kept spamming their main attack. The problem is that they recovered and were able to swing again before I even got a counter-hit off (which, when I'm just trying to use a jab is a real problem). So even though I was hitting the timing rather than just spamming, I ended up losing out. Having skilled play get trumped by button spamming is poison for a game where PVP is ultimately the main issue. The system seems designed for a slow and methodical approach, but seems to turn into just a mash-fest once players face each other.

    Ultimately, the concept was good, but it's not in the state to give a lot of enjoyment for most players, even for the lower than AAA asking price. I'm going to shelf it for now and plan to revisit it when/if I see some bug fixes and overall balance changes. It's definitely within the developers power to correct, but with these more indy-style titles, that's no guarantee. To anyone looking to buy it on PS4, I'd definitely recommend holding off for now.    … Expand
  11. badgerryan19
    Aug 29, 2017
    9
    What a blast. The developers are clearly fans of the Souls series, but this is more than your Souls like game. The games combat feels so smooth and is very fun to play. The games story is only roughly 4HRS long, but it was made for you to keep playing and unlocking more stuff. The game has like 3 big areas with smaller areas in between them so there is enough here to keep you playing forWhat a blast. The developers are clearly fans of the Souls series, but this is more than your Souls like game. The games combat feels so smooth and is very fun to play. The games story is only roughly 4HRS long, but it was made for you to keep playing and unlocking more stuff. The game has like 3 big areas with smaller areas in between them so there is enough here to keep you playing for some time. Only $30 give it a try especially if you are a Souls fan.… Expand
  12. 998817268
    Sep 21, 2017
    0
    The matchmaking is broken: pvp takes ages to connect, and it's never with anyone near your level. The targeting system is completely broken: you literally have no control over who you target, and the game stays locked on to one target even if you're fighting a group, so you have to fight the group while always facing the target you're locked on to. It seems like that would be easy to fix,The matchmaking is broken: pvp takes ages to connect, and it's never with anyone near your level. The targeting system is completely broken: you literally have no control over who you target, and the game stays locked on to one target even if you're fighting a group, so you have to fight the group while always facing the target you're locked on to. It seems like that would be easy to fix, but nope. Stay away from this.… Expand
  13. PrecisionZero
    Sep 19, 2019
    2
    I can see why this game went free for PS Plus users. No semblance of story, linear level design, terrible enemy AI, anti-climatic loot pickups, almost a complete lack of music soundtrack, no NPC voices and lipsyncing (a plain textbox appears for the player to read dialogue), barebones training mode for a fighting game of this modern era, lack of customization in the character creator,I can see why this game went free for PS Plus users. No semblance of story, linear level design, terrible enemy AI, anti-climatic loot pickups, almost a complete lack of music soundtrack, no NPC voices and lipsyncing (a plain textbox appears for the player to read dialogue), barebones training mode for a fighting game of this modern era, lack of customization in the character creator, motion blur which can't be turned off, and it crashes within just 15 minutes of playing. Don't bother even trying it.… Expand
  14. Z_Rain
    Jul 28, 2018
    0
    Got it on PS Plus and wish I didn't spend time on this.
    I am a big Dark souls fan so at first I was glad to see many similarities this game borrow from Souls series. But the more I played I realize the developer probably believes Dark Souls got so popular because of PVP alone, I say this because PVP is all this game got. The online experience is not great. Multiple randos will randomly    Got it on PS Plus and wish I didn't spend time on this.
    I am a big Dark souls fan so at first I was glad to see many similarities this game borrow from Souls series. But the more I played I realize the developer probably believes Dark Souls got so popular because of PVP alone, I say this because PVP is all this game got. The online experience is not great. Multiple randos will randomly invade your game and the game does a poor job telling you that you are getting invaded.
    The custom moveset system they took from God Hand didn't help, either. Some moves have more frames, some deal more damage, some can stun, and you swap the moves you like, just like God Hand. Only this time your enemies do this, too. So when you are not fighting online randos, you are fighting PVE enemies which are procedural generated randos with random appearances and random movesets, that's it.
    The minimalistic art style looks good when things stand still, but it makes the fighting action looks weak and lacks impact.
    In the end, the small player count on the weekend night I played shows betting on PVP alone is not enough to sustain a Souls-like game.    … Expand
  15. NIC0
    Oct 25, 2020
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Meio confuso pra fallar a verdade uma história bem estranha e as vezes os bugs tomam conta da partida de qualquer forma é um jogoque exige bastante paciência… Expand
  16. Dr_Paganini
    Dec 21, 2018
    6
    Personally, I love fighting games and this one looked especially intriguing due to you being able to make your own move set. There are many pros to this game which is all about the fighting. The fighting in this game is incredible where you really have to learn moves in order to dodge/absorb/parry during a fight and the attachment you feel with your character is great since you basicallyPersonally, I love fighting games and this one looked especially intriguing due to you being able to make your own move set. There are many pros to this game which is all about the fighting. The fighting in this game is incredible where you really have to learn moves in order to dodge/absorb/parry during a fight and the attachment you feel with your character is great since you basically design how he/she works... However, where this game falls flat on its face is the non-existent story that felt shoe horned in and sections where you are forced to fight more than 1 enemy at a time. This combat is so clearly meant for 1v1's that fighting 2 or more enemies is nearly impossible due to the struggle it is to lock on to multiple enemies. It feels like it's trying to compete with For Honor when really it should've been trying to compete with Tekken. The missed potential is really disheartening and I hope the devs get it right if there is a next time.… Expand
  17. McMuffineer
    Jul 9, 2018
    9
    I got this game for free on PS+, and I was not expecting much. I started playing and my god, was I surprised! This is an amazing fighting game, which is hard, but always fair.

    I started playing, learnt he controls, did the tutorial, and entered the open world. My favourite thing about the game is the variety in moves. I like how there are different fighting styles, different weapons and    I got this game for free on PS+, and I was not expecting much. I started playing and my god, was I surprised! This is an amazing fighting game, which is hard, but always fair.

    I started playing, learnt he controls, did the tutorial, and entered the open world. My favourite thing about the game is the variety in moves. I like how there are different fighting styles, different weapons and many, MANY moves. This is just something I personally like, the ability to customise your character fully, with not much limitations.

    These are the good things and bad things on the game.

    Good things:
    1. It has an amazing combat system.
    2. The world is open and nice.
    3. The emotes, clothes and weapons for purchase are not unoriginal and are all nice.
    4. It is difficult, but I personally think it was fair enough, like Celeste.
    5. Incredibly fun overall.

    Now the bad things and problems I had:
    1. Frame rate dips every now and then.
    2. Getting into a 1v1 takes a while.
    3. Can be really difficult for less experienced players.
    4. May be to complex for people who just want a simple, nice game.
    5. If you have a lot of games and your PS4 and or your PS4 is usually laggy, may lord have mercy on your soul.

    For me, though I personally give this game a 9 out of 10. It is exactly the kind of game I have been looking for, with tons of variety.

    But for the average gamer, this would be a 7 or 8, due to other factors. Definitely worth picking up if you want a challenge.    … Expand
  18. petralaw3003
    May 23, 2019
    0
    Customer service phone number +1 8OO 648-162O, In 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'reCustomer service phone number +1 8OO 648-162O, In 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.… Expand
  19. JoseManuel10_
    Nov 12, 2022
    5
    Absolver is a martial arts-themed action role-playing video game developed by Sloclap and published by Devolver Digital.
  20. BrianDavid94
    Oct 16, 2022
    6
    Quick background on me the reviewer, I tend to like single player games that is heavy on narrative the most. I also play a lot of racing games and use to play multiplayer games in my high school days but now that it's hard for me and my friends to find a good time to link up so now it’s rarer for me to get into a multiplayer game. Up to try any genre of games and sometimes I find somethingQuick background on me the reviewer, I tend to like single player games that is heavy on narrative the most. I also play a lot of racing games and use to play multiplayer games in my high school days but now that it's hard for me and my friends to find a good time to link up so now it’s rarer for me to get into a multiplayer game. Up to try any genre of games and sometimes I find something new that I didn't think I'd like. I own a PC (built by me), Xbox One X, Xbox Series X, PS3, PS4, PS5, and a Switch. I prefer Playstation due to their focus on narrative games. For scoring, I’ll be using the Gameinformer review scale and of course influenced by my personal opinions.

    (6) Limited Appeal. Although there may be fans of games receiving this score, many will be left yearning for a more rewarding game experience.

    The only good thing about this game is how complicated the fighting is. Makes it fun to learn. I need a story for me to play a fighting game and this one doesn't have one besides playing a character who wants to be the best in fighting. Fighting mechanics are fun to learn and difficult to master but what's the point of mastering the game if there is no given reason for me to care.    … Expand
  21. Avey123Avey
    Mar 19, 2023
    5
    The game is held down by many different things, a poor single player experience with a very short completion time, a tediously grindy unlock system just to get basic moves and a fairly inactive community. That being said there's something to this games combat system. It is super fun and unique and makes for an interesting fighting game experience. Unfortunately unlocking this experience isThe game is held down by many different things, a poor single player experience with a very short completion time, a tediously grindy unlock system just to get basic moves and a fairly inactive community. That being said there's something to this games combat system. It is super fun and unique and makes for an interesting fighting game experience. Unfortunately unlocking this experience is downright ridiculous.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 25
  3. Negative: 1 out of 25
  1. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Oct 15, 2017
    70
    A 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]
  2. Edge Magazine
    Oct 12, 2017
    80
    The purity and quality of Absolver's vision has provided and innovative, constructive take on an often impenetrable genre. [Dec 2017, p.106]
  3. games(TM)
    Oct 6, 2017
    70
    A great mix of styles that almost works. [Issue#192, p.68]
See all critic reviews »