Absolum
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for Absolum
Absolum is an excellent beat ‘em up let down by a roguelite structure that doesn’t serve it.
So Absolum is ultimately a beat 'em up with a bit more depth and progression than we've seen before in this style of game that has been so resistant to change since it was born in the arcades. Absolum lacks the extensive variance of a true roguelike, but delivers enough intricacy to push the genre into a more interesting space than it's ever occupied.
Absolum transforms the roguelike formula through its beat-em-up combat, branching choices, and hand-drawn world that rewards mastery and curiosity.
Even when the Lizard King laughed off my attacks for the fourth time in a row and had me inventing new swear words, the stacked challenge was never enough to stop me from sinking even more time into Talamh. Absolum’s effort to push its tried and true genre further is an absolute win, my new favourite of the bunch, and the biggest thing for beat ‘em ups since Streets of Rage 4 single-handedly brought them back.
This feels like it belongs firmly in 2025 – and it's good enough to have you wondering what other bygone genres would benefit from similarly thoughtful, lavish treatment.
Absolum is a game I’ve wanted to play since I was a kid. We get simple, approachable brawling battles, high production values in art and music, and a richly imagined fantasy world, all wrapped around a narrative that makes replay and progression worth coming back to advance again and again. It’s not a game that is going to change anyone’s opinions about the genre, but it is a brilliant implementation of a very old formula into something that feels modern, deeply replayable, and unmistakably fun.
Infusing a classic beat-'em-up structure with a modern roguelike loop is a match made in heaven.
Absolum aims to be a modern beat'em up with roguelite elements in its gameplay.
