"Absolum: Stunning Roguelite by Streets of Rage 4 Creators"

Guard Crush Games, the developers behind Streets of Rage 4, are teaming up once again with publisher Dotemu for an exciting new beat-’em-up. This collaboration marks Dotemu's first original IP, featuring stunning hand-drawn-style animation crafted by Supamonks and a captivating soundtrack composed by the acclaimed Gareth Coker. With such a talented team behind it, the project, named Absolum, shows immense promise based on my hour-long hands-on experience.

Absolum is a roguelite side-scrolling beat-’em-up action-RPG designed to offer "deep replayability with branching paths to explore, quests, characters, and challenging bosses," according to the developers. My experience confirms this: the game is a visually stunning fantasy adventure with multiple player classes, including the sturdy Karl, reminiscent of a dwarf, and the agile, ranger-like Galandra. Players will engage in combat with evil creatures, destroy environments in hopes of finding health-restoring items like carrots, explore buildings for treasure or face ambushes, and tackle formidable bosses with massive health bars. The cycle of battle, death, and replay is central to the experience, and though I didn't get to try it, the game also supports two-player same-screen co-op.

For someone like me, who cherishes memories of classic two-player beat-’em-ups from the arcades of the 1980s and early 1990s, as well as games like Golden Axe on the Sega Genesis, Absolum feels wonderfully nostalgic yet fresh. Its Saturday morning cartoon-style art and animation contribute to this feeling, while a simple yet effective two-button combat system allows for varied attacks based on the enemy you face. The roguelite aspect modernizes the experience, adding both an edge and significant replay value.

As you progress, you'll uncover both hidden and apparent power-ups, ranging from equippable active weapons or spells triggered by combining a trigger and a face button, to passive items that reside in your inventory. These items vary with each run, introducing a risk-reward system that can alter your strategy. For example, during an early run, I equipped two orbs that boosted my damage by 20% each but reduced my health by the same percentage. This left me with a perilously small health bar but enabled me to defeat enemies swiftly. Fortunately, you can discard any item at any time if the trade-off becomes too risky.

Absolum - First Screenshots

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As a roguelite, upon death, you're returned to a realm with a shop where you can spend in-game currency on items or power-ups for subsequent runs. This feature was not yet operational in the early build I played, leaving my success dependent on the random items and power-ups I encountered each time.

Absolum holds a lot of promise, and its potential to be a great game is high. Without the ability to spend gold between runs, I found the first major boss challenging—a mammoth troll with a giant mace that summoned smaller goblins, some of which would leap and bite at my character like piranhas. I regret not having footage of this encounter, but I can share a glimpse of another formidable boss. Two-player co-op, which I couldn't experience, would have split the boss's attention and, as anyone who fondly remembers the beat-’em-ups of old knows, these games truly shine in two-player mode.

Between its captivating art style, animation, classic side-scrolling beat-’em-up gameplay, and engaging roguelite mechanics, not to mention the developers' proven track record in this genre, Absolum has tremendous potential. If you've been mourning the decline of couch co-op games, Absolum might just be the revival you're hoping for. I'm eagerly anticipating a more refined build as development continues, but for now, my optimism is high.