Absolver Reviews

Absolver is ranked in the 56th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8 / 10
Aug 28, 2017

Absolver feels very special when it works as intended.

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Sep 1, 2017

"Absolver" mixes a deep, smart and tough combat system with unpredictable multiplayer encounters.

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4 / 5.0
Aug 30, 2017

We may have to wait for Absolver's post-launch content and updates to see if it can truly becomes a legend among fighters, but even as is, it's a highly-entertaining brawler.

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8 / 10.0
Aug 30, 2017

Absolver feels like a game of martial arts chess, where both your fighting skills and your mind at the same time.

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Cubed3
Top Critic
8 / 10
Sep 22, 2017

Absolver is an experience shrouded in patience and unerring attention to detail. It ultimately rewards players who are happy to spend the time picking apart tiny parts of the title's deceptively simple combat and world building. It is atrociously difficult at times, but such is the framing of the game, Absolver's difficulty curve is designed to teach and inspire, rather than frustrate. Although rather short at around five to six hours, Absolver is still a delicate examination of martial arts and how game design can drastically impact the lessons the player should draw from the world.

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80%
Jan 15, 2018

Absolver is an interesting release on PS4 that definitely picked my interest and kept me coming back for more. The game's solid gameplay mechanic and unique progression mechanic are very fun to use and will certainly keep you engaged. There are a ton of potential combinations for how each player approaches its loadout, and the way you unlock new moves pushes you to fight new opponents at every chance you get.

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8 / 10
Dec 28, 2017

As with some others out there, I have experienced some terrible lag. Lag that almost ruins the game's experience for players. But on the flip side, I have played games where it's been literally as smooth as a proverbial baby's bum. With some tweaking, especially on the PVP side of things, the game will be an experience like no other – right now, it's a lot of fun, incredibly addictive and leaves me wanting to get back to it as soon as I've written this review and if Sloclap gets the lag under control, it'll be a true ass kicker of a game.

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Aug 29, 2017

Absolver bring new mechanics to the fighting game genre in a way that feels welcoming both to newcomers and veterans alike.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Sep 7, 2017

Overall, Absolver delivers the most exciting thing to a martial arts game, carefully crafted to enjoy with other players, showing off the combos you created and unlocking exciting stance and styles for your character. This is a must for the fans of the fighting genre, this may have a few and frustrating issues, but if you take time on building and molding your character to be the best martial artist out there, then this is worth your time.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 18, 2017

This is definitely a game everyone should try, especially if you’re a fan of beat ‘em ups.

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7.9 / 10.0
Sep 11, 2017

Absolver 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.

Review in Italian | Read full review

79%
Aug 28, 2017

Absolver presents a brutal yet rewarding experience that gets going from the offset. Longevity is the titles main sticking point. However, with future updates looking to add to the game, it's worth sinking your fists into.

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PC Gamer
Top Critic
78 / 100
Aug 29, 2017

A great customizable fighting system and a cooperative spirit fill the empty spaces in a bleak open world.

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78 / 100
Aug 29, 2017

Absolver does a great job of throwing a wrench in conventional fighting game mechanics. Building your own combat deck, using real martial arts styles and utilizing stylized graphics sets Absolver apart from the crowd. Not being able to use a map or knowing how strong your enemies will be sometimes made the game a little less desirable to play though.

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Leif Johnson
Top Critic
7.6 / 10.0
Aug 29, 2017

Absolver is a beautiful martial-arts fighting game that allows for an impressive degree of personalized play with its innovative combat deck system, which lets you learn skills from combat with other players and NPCs. Unfortunately, it only comes with a single PvP arena mode at launch, and its fascinatingly nebulous campaign breaks off early and abruptly. It feels like an early access game with a ton of potential, but it's not quite there yet.

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7.5 / 10.0
Aug 29, 2017

Absolver's sure to be divisive. There's a clear vision that shines throughout the game. Its combat system encourages a granular knowledge of the different moves and potential combos that stem from each directional stance. But while the appeal will be apparent to the competitive-minded player, Absolver's pointed focus is complex enough to turn others away. The journey from lowly Prospect to Absolver is arduous and challenging, but it's hardly inviting.

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Chris Wray
Top Critic
7.5 / 10.0
Aug 29, 2017

Absolver features one of the best fighting systems to be found in gaming. In addition to this, it looks and plays fantastically. However, it's let down by a few balancing issues, some glaring design problems caused by the unpredictable multiplayer feature. The end-game, however, could make for one of the best multiplayer experiences the year has to offer.

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7.5 / 10.0
Sep 2, 2017

Absolver's fighting system and weird blend of ideas make it a genre-defying gut punch of innovation. You'll be in amazement with how much you can customize the fluid combat, but its complexity and intentional design to be constantly altered might be off-putting for some. The same goes for those looking for more to do besides competitive play in an open world begging to be absolved of limited scope and content.

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Fextralife
Castielle
Top Critic
8 / 10
Sep 5, 2017

Absolver seems to be a conflict of two games. In one corner you have the "Souls-like" world to explore cooperatively or competitively with other players, that seems to be the original idea of the developers. And in the other you have a hardcore fighting game that doesn't need a rich open world at all in order to be successful, which seems to be what Absolver evolved into. Many players will feel short-changed that the former was sacrificed to make way for the latter, and I anticipate that this game will have an extremely niche player-base. For 29.99 USD Absolver is slightly overpriced, but if you really enjoy a good fighting game, then this one is right on the mark.

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