In the shattered realm of Talamh, where magic is outlawed and rebellion brews beneath the surface, Absolum throws you headfirst into a hand-drawn uprising. This roguelite beat ’em up doesn’t just punch it, conjures, counters, and combo-chains its way through a regime ruled by the tyrannical Sun King Azra. With each run, Absolum reshapes itself, offering unpredictable encounters and a cast of outcast heroes whose powers are as raw as their rage. From necromantic swordplay to explosive dwarven tactics, this is a world where forbidden magic fights back, and we’re diving deep into its enchanted chaos.

Absolum Review Pros

• Gorgeous graphics. 
• 3.13GB download size. 
• Platinum trophy. 
• You get the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5 versions of the game, so you can potentially earn two Platinum trophies. 
• Assist option: (optional and not available in online games) damage received and damage dealt. You can change these for each local player individually. 
• Graphics settings – luminosity slider. 
• Accessibility options – screenshake, player arrows, reduced flashes, no overlays, desaturated background, player outlines, ambience factor, and reduced particles. 
• Visual settings – player bar, enemy bar, combo meter ping, and network stats. 
• Volume sliders for – global, voice, SFX, and music. 
• Controller settings – vibration slider, and you can remap the controls. 
• Game tweaks – text language and rollback frames. 
• Two initial playable characters – Karl and Galandra. 
• Local two-player support, along with online co op. 
• Each character has an optional skin choice. 
• Beautiful cartoon cutscenes and in-game character interactions. 
• You can skip and click through cutscenes and interactions. 
• Fully voiced characters. 
• 2.5D game world with stunning animated backgrounds and locations. 
• The presentation and the style of the game are astounding, from the comic book speech bubble style pop-outs as you move around and they all talk, the animated backgrounds that also add to the story, and you get these little set pieces and sequences. 
• Action brawler roguelike gameplay. 
• Opening tutorial, but it can be skipped. 
• Each life is a run, and you keep gems and certain items from a run to spend on permanent upgrades. 
• Combo counter for dealing damage. 
• Anything Interactive will glimmer. 
• Build up mana by attacking and use it to unleash a huge attack called an Arcana. You can unlock and equip different Arcana. 
• The animation and speed of the game and combat are very impressive. 
• You have a hub where you can interact with people, change playable characters, deal with upgrades and loot, and unlock new worlds and shortcuts. 
• Interact with these branches of power to get a choice of two power-ups or abilities to assign to your character; you get to see them beforehand. 
• You collect Radiance as you play through screens, and at the end of a run, you get a Radiance score. 
• Clearing a section (usually a room or an encounter) will spawn a branch of power choice or other loot like gold, mana potions, health, etc. 
• Pick up throwable items and weapons and use them against the enemy. 
• Find secret rooms and buildings to explore. 
• There are many Breakable objects, from walls to barrels to rocks, and so much more. 
• In the hub, you can unlock the ability to learn more advanced combat techniques and combos. 
• You get a run breakdown after each run. 
• Abilities and power-ups you collect on the way have different elements like fire and water. 
• Branching paths are a constant thing in the game and help shape your runs. 
• Many colourful, memorable characters to meet and work with or fight, depending on your mood. 
• Campfires can be found, and using them will heal you. 
• I appreciate that you can always speed up enemy intros or set pieces without really missing out on the story.
• The Soul tree is where you spend gems in the hub and improve stats. 
• Greedy tendencies are small goblins you can try to hit a lot for tons of coins, but they do try to run away. 
• Your current run time shows on the pause menu. 
• You can pick up and throw some enemies. 
• I love that I can knock enemies off the map or into the water. 
• A full run history is in the hub, and it does make interesting reading as it lets you see how you are evolving and improving. 
• The hub area is surprisingly big and has a lot of new elements to add to it. 
• Online does its best to have everyone’s progress synced up, but it does give a disclaimer that this is not always possible. 
• The big boss encounters and huge reward. 
• At times, usually after a boss fight, you can enter a small affair or tavern and hire a partner or heal up, learn some story, etc. 
• Hired soldiers will fight alongside you, and this can make combat a bit more manageable. 
• Shops can be found with items to help improve your stats or add buffs. 
• Help and rescue people to have them move to your hub, and they always add a new element to your game. 
• If I had to be pushed for what the game plays like, I would say Dragon’s Crown. 
• Eventually, you will unlock a guy called Wisshelm the Archivist, and he will have a load of optional side quests that you can do naturally and get some rewards. 
• The world and how you interact with it are clever, and you can end up discovering a whole new area or storyline in a way, complete with different bosses and objectives. 
• As you beat bosses, you get items to spend in the hub to then unlock new Arcanas. 
• It’s a game you can easily get into and just plough hours into it. 
• When you pick an Arcana for a run, you get to see a demonstration of it before selecting it. 
• Every run you start on empty, no materials or resources carry Iver from the hub. 

Absolum Review Cons

• No Colourblind support or text sizing or font, etc. 
• Cannot use the assist settings in online games due to balancing. 
• The combat is very button-mashy, and you don’t natively get a good way to counter or avoid attacks. 
• There is a real issue with how many health and health items you get happen or appear. 
• The general gameplay flow is repetitive, and you will replay chunks of the game over and over. 
• You cannot venture backwards only forward, meaning you can easily miss drops. 
• I found it hard to judge distance and lining up attacks, and it was more noticeable in boss fights. 
• The game could do a better job of explaining mechanics and what’s going on. 
• With all the fighting, it is a bit of a downer; you don’t really get loot from enemies. 

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Absolum

Official Website: 

Developer: Dotemu, Guard Crush Games, Supamonks

Publisher: Dotemu, Gamirror Games

Store Link:

PlayStation