Some of my fondest gaming memories involve playing beat 'em ups with my brothers. Castle Crashers comes to mind, in particular, a game I could play over and over again. Absolum feels the same way; it's the type of game that encourages repeat playthroughs with your best buds.
Really, Absolum ticks all the right boxes for me. A compelling fantasy universe with fleshed out lore, weighty beat 'em up gameplay, and a killer soundtrack to boot. My time with Absolum at Summer Game Fest 2025 left me very eager to try more.
Fantastic(al) Fights Await
The art style for Absolum really draws you in. It's this comic book-like aesthetic in this whimsical, high fantasy universe. It's a world where mages are feared for their use of magic. Non-magic users are scared of them, and monsters want to kill the wizards too.
Most of the demo comprised gameplay rather than story, but I'm very interested in seeing the narrative unfold. It actually reminds me a bit of Hades, with crucial NPCs in your hub with their own stories and motivations.
But the Hades similarities don't end there. The roguelite elements seem to take inspiration from that title. Gameplay involves progressing to new areas, while collecting boons every few rooms or so.
These boons empower your wizard's attacks. These upgrades are usually elemental in nature, so your special attack might shoot tidal waves when you activate it.
You're able to choose from several characters in Absolum; for example, one is a dwarf, and another an elf, so on and so forth. They're all visually distinct from one another and have different styles of attacking.
Fighting to the End
The core of Absolum's gameplay, outside of its roguelite mechanics, is the beat 'em up combat. These aren't your ordinary wizards. The dwarf mainly uses his magically powered fists. His punches are powerful, and each hit is accompanied by a satisfying sound.
Absolum has branching paths for each run, so my partner and I took a northern route along the coast. We're met with dog-like creatures and hermit crabs that hide in their shells. We made short work of them, and went on our way.
Eventually we reached a village under attack by goblins. Now, you'd think the villagers would accept our aid, but in fact, they started to attack us! Surrounded on both sides, we fought through goblin and human foes. Just another example of Absolum's very intriguing narrative.
Absolum Preview | Final Thoughts
Eventually we reached a boss at the end of the demo. It's your typical tanky boss that takes a lot of hits, so my partner and I dodged and weaved around him. This boss had a giant shield, so we'd go on either side of him and harass the guy until he lowered his guard.
Absolum is genuinely a lot of fun, and words don't do it justice. It oozes quality, from its art design and soundtrack, to its gameplay. The rougelite elements really make me want to try and try again even in the face of failure. Although there's no release date yet, I shall eagerly wait.
Absolum was previewed Summer Game Fest.
Previews you can trust: To ensure you're getting a fair, accurate, and informed review, our experienced team spends a significant amount of time on everything we preview. Read more about how we review games and products.
Austin cut his teeth writing various fan-fiction stories on the RuneScape forums when he was in elementary school. Later on, he developed a deep love for… More about Austin
