Absolum Review: Absolutely Delightful

I’m going to say it: 2025 is easily one of the best years for 2D action games. First, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound floored me with its tight, fast-paced action, one-hit kills, and challenging platforming. Then, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance delivered a combo-heavy, beautifully realized metroidvania-lite experience. To close out 2025, Guard Crush Games decided to drop the main feast with a highly replayable, endlessly fun, and gorgeous beat ’em up rogue-lite that I can’t put down.

Four Heroes Walk Into a Beat ’Em Up

Absolum features a cast of four Wizards who have stood up against the big bad Sun King, Azra. “Wizard” is more of a title tied to their access to different Arcana, as most of them focus on fast-paced, hard-hitting, and combo-driven combat. Each character shares the same defensive abilities and general moveset, but their attacks and approach to combat differ.

Cider has a grappling hook that lets them zip toward enemies or pull them into the air, similar to Nero’s Devil Bringer from Devil May Cry. Brome leans into ranged Arcana, and while every character excels at close-quarters counters, he stands out as the more sorcerer-like pick. Galandra wields a massive sword and is arguably the most well-rounded and beginner-friendly, while Karl packs a blunderbuss that hits hard and sends enemies flying.

What makes the combat shine is how reactive it feels. Every punch, kick, and uppercut has impact. You can see it through incredible animations, hear it through crunchy sound effects, and feel it thanks to the combo system. You can sprint into a fight, launch an enemy into the air, rack up hits, and use your special to send them skyward again as fodder for your teammate. It feels like every attack flows into another, and that freedom isn’t limited to whoever started the combo.

Add rogue-lite flair with elemental enhancements, and soon you’re deflecting to set enemies ablaze, summoning skeletons with Arcana, and triggering fiery clashes. These rituals let you tailor your build, and you can stack elements to maximize damage. Along the way, you’ll collect trinkets that boost passive stats, which any rogue-lite fan will immediately understand.

Its impeccable polish, high reactivity, and excellent combat system easily put it above most of its contemporaries.

Not Dead Yet

Since Absolum is a rogue-lite, there is meta progression at play. Each time you die, you return to the sanctuary, use resources to permanently improve your characters, unlock new Arcana, and buff Rituals. It is straightforward, and that is a strength in my eyes. There are not a million different currencies or systems to keep track of; you simply interact with the NPC, upgrade obvious things, and jump into the next run. While Arcana are unique to each character, other passive buffs are shared, so if you want to try someone new, you will not be at a disadvantage.

The world itself is static in the sense that there is no procedural generation. Subsequent runs will mix up combat encounters and events within individual nodes, but you are not beholden to RNG if you want to face specific bosses or explore certain areas. You unlock new paths, find secrets, complete side quests, gain more power, and constantly run into new fun things, which keeps future runs exciting. This forward progression means death is not really a setback because you literally come back stronger.

This does not mean raw stats will carry you through the later areas. You will need to master defensive options like deflect and dodge if you want to make it far. The game rewards skill, and even at a lower level, you can make solid progress by simply playing well. The choices you make during a run definitely add to your build’s strength, but it is not entirely dependent on what you get. Like any good rogue-lite, it comes down to how well you synergize and specialize.

Oh, and you don’t have to worry about completing a run in a single sitting. You can close the game, and it will automatically reset the current room. This is a necessary feature because your runs will take quite a bit of time before you can do everything required for a win.

A Feast for the Eyes and Ears

I mentioned this in my preview as well, but the production values of Absolum are on another level, eclipsing what you see in fully animated shows. The level of detail in the environments, the animation work, especially during combat, and the overall art quality are consistently high. Main regions each have their own atmosphere and enemy types, and even the smaller sub-areas within them offer an absurd amount of visual variety.

Every move, whether it is a simple strike or an Arcana, is animated with precision and never sacrifices readability. I could praise its art direction all day, but watching any trailer will show you how impeccable it looks in motion. Words do not do it justice.

Somehow, the studio managed to bring in several legendary musicians to record tracks for Absolum, including Mick Gordon, Yuka Kitamura, Motoi Sakuraba, and Gareth Coker. Despite their calibre and vastly different styles, each track fits perfectly with what is happening in the game. Mick Gordon’s epic metal theme for the Underking, in particular, is incredibly memorable and sets the stage for the musical variety that follows from the other composers.

Verdict

Absolum is everything I’ve wanted in a roguelite action game. Its combat is deep, expressive, and highly reactive, letting skill and mastery shine instead of leaning too heavily on rituals. Each character feels genuinely distinct, and the forward progression always pushes you back in with more power and tools to experiment with. Every strike, kick, and launcher is animated with absurd detail, and the art direction never stops impressing. Absolum hits hard, stays stylish, and never lets up until you’ve seen everything it has to offer.

9

Absolum

Absolum is an excellent beat em' up rogue-lite with deep and reactive combat, encouraging forward progression, excellent art direction and a memorable soundtrack.

Pros

• Excellent combat system that's reactive, polished and rewarding.
• Rogue-lite mechanics lessen frustration of dying with consistent buffs.
• Diverse roster of characters, each with their fun playstyles and gimmicks.
• Superb art direction and memorable soundtrack.

Cons

• The story itself isn't as memorable as I'd hoped.

A copy of this game was provided by the publisher for review. Reviewed on PC.