Review – Absolum

The beat-em-up genre tends to stay in its lane. Its tried-and-true arcade format has rarely been deviated from or added onto. There have been some recent attempts at modernizing the genre such as Xbox Game Studios’ live service brawler Towerborne or the open nature of WayForward’s River City Girls games. It’s here where Guard Crush Games’ Absolum charts a clear path onward for the genre. With its combination of brilliant roguelite mechanics and narrative progression that create consistent thrills, this medieval gem will keep you mashing buttons for weeks. 

First off, Guard Crush Games have effectively crafted a spiritual successor to Streets of Rage 4 without leaning on any existing IP. The heavy, visceral punch behind  2020’s genre-reviving modern classic is still present here but with more mobility and combo potential. There’s way more wall bounces to be sure, overpressure takes more time to achieve and EVERY playable character can run this time. It’s safe to say that you’ll especially enjoy Absolum if you loved SOR4. Absolum also marks a shift from the streets to the forest trails, bridges, underground caverns, and cobbled castle pathways of Talamh. This time instead of taking down ganged-up goons in the urban night, you’re collapsing an evil fascist regime who have banned the use of magic, using wizards as a scapegoat for a great cataclysm that damaged the kingdom and instilled distrust in its many citizens. You’re in the control of four wizards who have formed a rebellion against this regime, The Crimson Order, and its leader Azra, The Sun King. And yes, your loadout includes lots of elemental magic. Suck it, Azra. 

 

 

Absolum takes inspiration from genre hidden relics like the Capcom-developed Dungeons & Dragons arcade beat-em-ups, Vanillaware’s Dragon’s Crown, and Sega’s Golden Axe games. By doing so, it places a focus on a fantasy setting with RPG elements like optional quests, character building, mounting various creatures à la Golden Axe and rescuing/hiring various help. Combining this with a roguelite progression and an ever-changing, evolving world map, Guard Crush have sought to remedy the beat-em-up genre’s usual repetition through randomized encounters and narrative depth that unfolds over several runs, whether failed or successful. I’m happy to report that this approach to replay value that has made action games like Hades and Returnal such big hits also excels here. And along the way, I think Guard Crush Games, animation studio Supamonks and publisher Dotemu have created the best arcade-style beat-em-up experience for anyone’s money. 

Your choice between the swordswoman Galandra, gun-toting hunter dwarf Karl, the nimble bandit marionette Cider, and spellcasting frog Brome will shape what narrative interactions you’ll experience and moves you’ll unlock as you make the journey to Azra’s tower. The four rebels each have their own skill trees you can unlock more of over time and can be switched out between runs in Achawi’s Keep, the game’s hub area. Uchawi acts as your source of rebirth after dying in a run and provides Radiance, a type of currency used to gain new upgrades. She’ll also document any new elements you activate as you free more crystals by reaching new areas of Talamh. In your runs, campfires and towns dot your path, providing reprieve through optional health recovery and opportunities to spend your gold at merchants. Yes, there are food pickups and throwable weapons too. This is a beat-em-up. Towers are spread across Talamh and always end with a scene-setting boss fight. The scythe-wielding Underking brings an especially fiery fight soundtracked by one of Mick Gordon’s most explosive tracks to-date, a mixture of discordant royal fanfare and bludgeoning industrial metal. The boss fights ramp up the intensity as expected, providing a cacophonous storm to counter the calmer atmospheric pieces you hear as you journey through Grandery, Jaroba, and <redacted> on your way to Asterios. Gareth Coker and Yuka Kitamura’s compositions are quite beautiful and get loud at just the right moments. Furthermore, Supamonks’ art direction is absolutely gorgeous. Deep reds line the autumnal forests, ghoulish greens fog up a purple graveyard and background details like a giant dragon’s skull can be spotted on a wartorn beach. No details were spared in this He-Man-like Saturday morning cartoon world and I took way too many screenshots of this game. 

 

 

While Absolum is likely best played in two player co-op with a buddy, I played through the main story alone on Nintendo Switch 2. I’m happy to report that though there is no specific Switch 2 version, Absolum is a buttery smooth Switch 2 game running at a crisp 60 fps. I experienced no slowdown, crashes or bugs and with fast load times between screens. I would also like to point out that co-op is both online and local and the setup is brilliant. The game will analyze both players’ progress and create the best point to have the two meet in the middle. From this point on, both players will progress on their save files, unlock achievements and will each receive rewards as if they’re playing alone. This isn’t a common way online co-op is handled and I can’t commend Guard Crush enough for understanding the fundamental frustration of only letting the host player progress while the second player doesn’t get to reap the same rewards. While there will likely be some grumbling about the game only allowing for two player co-op, Guard Crush has noted that this is due to the game’s balancing and with the amount of boons, buffs, and Arcana that can be seen active on the screen with just two players, this was the right call. 

Absolum has a monstrous amount of replay value. I’m positive this could be the only game I play for the rest of 2025 and I’d still be finding new content. I ran through the main story in ten hours. Yes, that means it took me 10 hours of playing as mainly Galandra or Karl (You unlock Cider and Brome early on too) to get to and defeat Azra. I died MANY times, but luckily that’s part of the fun. Repeat runs reveal new areas of Talamh and new bosses to challenge. Areas you’ve been through before also change over time and can be the site of potential new encounters or sub areas. Many times in your journey, you’ll come to a fork in the path that allows you to choose which area you’ll venture through, making each run even more unique. An extensive world map documents your travels and will even show quests you’ve activated and where to go to complete them. Characters you meet may at first be hostile to you for your wizardry and later offer you a helping hand. And you’ll need all the help you can get. Just like in Hades, you return to a hub area between runs where you’ll get new lore, new conversations and use various currencies that allow you to unlock perks and elemental buffs that make the journey a little more manageable. Thank goodness for the Mother’s Guidance AKA Death Defiance because I just couldn’t stop dying. However, thanks to the ability to unlock six different Arcana, eventually earning the ability to gain a second equip slot and a Super Move, I laid waste to the goblins, knights, walking mushrooms, and pesky ghosts that kept taking my life. And what would this game be without the mightiest of beat-em-up moves: the dive kick. With no cool-down whatsoever. Thanks Galandra. 

 

 

Lastly, if you like building your character, Absolum is the most fun you’ll have this year. With each run, you’ll regularly encounter crystals that spawn at the end of a “screen” as you move to the right. These crystals contain one of two (maybe even more later on) random elemental buffs to your moveset. The expected fire, water, lightning, and earth magic are fully present; but things really get fun when you start getting spectral magic. The power of necromancy allows you to summon the dead with either your strike, special or Arcana and well-timed deflects (done by using your dash) can even provide you spectral armor that renders you temporarily invincible. More fun can be had when unlockable buffs allow you to combine multiple elements like fire with water or lightning with wind. Tornado double jump with the dive kick for the win. The build possibilities are so numerous and excellently varied from character-to-character that I think the magic is my favorite aspect of Absolum. Suck it, Azra (2). 

2025 hasn’t lacked for great action roguelites with the 1.0 full release of Hades 2 not coming too long before Absolum’s debut. Believe it or not, I’ve put way more time into Absolum. A great roguelite only needs to nail the gameplay fundamentals of the genre it’s attempting to add randomization and build variety to. Remember, you have to play these games over and over so the loop needs to be fun. I already played beat-em-ups over and over with no incentive other than to mash the buttons and watch enemies fly. Absolum adds brain to the beat-em-up genre’s brawn and in doing so, crafted both a masterpiece for fans of the genre and 2025’s roguelite underdog. 

 

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