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Absolum

Absolum is a fun roguelike evolution of the classic beat 'em up; frantic brawling combat meets deep replayability.
Absolum Game Cover
90%Game Brain Score
gameplay, story
grinding, stability
94% User Score Based on 4,592 reviews
Critic Score 86%Based on 29 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPCXbox Game PassPlaystation 5CloudPlaystation 4Xbox Cloud GamingXboxWindowsPlayStationNintendo Switch 2
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Absolum Game Cover

About

Absolum is a single player and multiplayer arcade hack and slash game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Supamonks and was released on October 9, 2025. It received positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

Discover Absolum for PS4 and PS5 on the official PlayStation website. Download this original adventure from Guard Crush and Dotemu, which mixes top-of-the-class combat action with modern roguelite elements.

Genres & Tags
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Absolum screenshot
Absolum screenshot
Absolum screenshot
Absolum screenshot
Absolum screenshot
Absolum screenshot
Absolum screenshot
Absolum screenshot
Absolum screenshot
Absolum screenshot
Absolum screenshot
+7
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94%
Audience ScoreBased on 4,592 reviews
gameplay544 positive mentions
grinding35 negative mentions
  • Stunning hand-drawn art and animation with a unique fantasy comic style.
  • Engaging and satisfying combat system with deep mechanics like dodging, parrying, and clashing that rewards skill.
  • Excellent roguelite integration that offers high replayability with varied runs, branching paths, side quests, and build variety.
  • Great optional co-op mode that enhances gameplay, supporting both local and online play.
  • Outstanding soundtrack featuring renowned composers, with music complementing mood and combat perfectly.
  • Strong worldbuilding and lore with memorable characters and evolving story elements across runs.
  • Progression and content length may feel limited or short for some players, with some wishing for more characters, maps, and DLC.
  • Visual clutter and screen chaos especially in co-op or late-game areas can reduce clarity of combat and hit detection.
  • Certain hitboxes and enemy attacks can feel unfair or inconsistent, leading to frustrating moments.
  • Endgame difficulty spikes abruptly, sometimes requiring specific builds or strategies, making some encounters tedious or overly challenging.
  • Some players find the roguelite randomness and build RNG frustrating, with limited control over key builds and tendencies for overpowered combinations.
  • Occasional bugs and softlock issues have been reported, particularly in co-op or boss fights.
  • Story and dialogue delivery can feel heavy-handed or unengaging for some, detracting from immersion.
  • Some complaints about forced damage mechanics in final boss fights that punish player skill prematurely.
  • Multiplayer matchmaking can be unstable and lacks reconnect features, causing frustration.
  • gameplay
    1,144 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Absolum offers deep, challenging, and satisfying beat 'em up gameplay enhanced by roguelike mechanics that provide variety, progression, and replayability. The combat is fluid and technical, featuring defensive options like dodges, parries, and clashes that reward skill and mastery, though some mechanics and enemy designs have been criticized for occasional frustrating or repetitive elements. Overall, the game blends classic and modern mechanics into a fresh, addictive gameplay loop that appeals to fans of both beat 'em ups and roguelites.

    • “The gameplay is well balanced: challenging enough to stay engaging, but never frustrating. The mechanics are quick to learn yet deep enough to remain interesting over time. Overall, Absolum is a carefully crafted and highly enjoyable game that combines strong atmosphere, polished mechanics, and technical quality. It’s easy to recommend to anyone who appreciates thoughtful design and immersive gameplay.”
    • “Absolum is a great roguelike beat-em up with depth of mechanics, the RNG-enabled opportunities to feel as strong as a god, and high replay value with 4 different characters (at launch) who each have a variety of different playstyles. Bought this game on a whim and dumped 15 hours into it in no time; every run was more fun than the last as I grew stronger via permanent upgrades and also became more knowledgeable about the mechanics after every death.”
    • “It's got most of the contemporary mechanics like ground techs, parrying, dodging, and animation cancelling that make the moment-to-moment gameplay more engaging than older beat-em-up titles. The combat mechanics are well put together, rewarding skill expression through combos, parries, and the strategic use of abilities. The gameplay feels responsive, the visual style is great, and the combat and build mechanics are especially impressive.”
    • “What starts out as a great beat 'em up quickly becomes a repetitive chore as you grind through the same levels and bosses over and over in order to gain incremental, uninspiring upgrades that don't really add anything to the gameplay.”
    • “The combat is just awful, and the power-ups don’t change the gameplay that much.”
    • “The animations feel clunky and inconsistent, the dash is basically useless, and the parry/deflect/dodge mechanics are very difficult to implement into a smooth playstyle.”
  • story
    835 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in this roguelike beat 'em up is generally seen as serviceable and engaging, featuring branching paths, evolving lore, and character-driven quests that unfold gradually across multiple runs. While some find it clear, immersive, and well-integrated with gameplay, others feel it's somewhat generic, sparse, or hurried compared to genre exemplars like Hades. Overall, the narrative enhances replayability and world-building without overshadowing the game's core combat and progression systems.

    • “The storytelling here is phenomenal: every quest, character, and choice branches into new paths that feel both personal and unpredictable.”
    • “Each character has their own series of quests that flesh out their story and serve the player beautifully in the goal of making the world feel lived in, and the characters feel distinctive and fleshed out.”
    • “The story keeps twisting and adding lore the more you play and it’s well written.”
    • “The storyline is nothing; the "quests" are just "show up in this room" and see a cutscene. You're not going to unlock anything that radically shakes things up or changes the basic formula.”
    • “The story is very poor and the world, even bringing some great ideas, is too small.”
    • “The plot is so badly written it literally had me going "the bad guy is right..." from the word go because it says how mages were causing cataclysms for fun but then an evil tyrant came in and said no more magic.”
  • music
    745 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's music is widely praised as exceptional, featuring an eclectic and dynamic soundtrack from renowned composers like Gareth Coker, Mick Gordon, Yuka Kitamura, and Motoi Sakuraba, perfectly complementing the game's fast-paced combat and atmospheric visuals. Players highlight the soundtrack's ability to enhance immersion, evoke strong emotions, and maintain excitement throughout gameplay, with many tracks being memorable and worthy of standalone listening. Overall, the music is considered a standout aspect that significantly elevates the gaming experience.

    • “The soundtrack is outstanding, with loads of fantastic tracks and some titanic guest composers for many boss tracks, such as Mick Gordon, Yuka Kitamura and Motoi Sakuraba.”
    • “Stellar soundtrack: the music is an eclectic, high-energy mix that perfectly matches the chaos on screen, featuring compositions that keep the adrenaline pumping through every floor.”
    • “The music, composed with obvious care by Gareth Coker (of Ori fame), is perhaps the game’s strongest asset, giving every encounter real emotional weight.”
    • “- awful repetitive music and voices / sound fx.”
    • “I have seen people love the soundtrack but I can't stand it - there is not a single track that remotely fits what is actually happening.”
    • “That said, I really didn't like the product overall: unclear enemy-attack animations, spamming is too effective, multiplayer is incredibly chaotic and unreadable, strange controls with some occasional unresponsiveness, an uninteresting setting and storyline, supported by a mediocre voice acting and a very mid soundtrack, even the characters I found uninteresting, and most importantly none of the rituals felt fun to use or interesting to build around”
  • graphics
    686 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game’s graphics receive widespread acclaim for their stunning, hand-drawn art style reminiscent of classic cartoons and comic books, featuring vibrant, detailed environments and fluid, expressive animations. This unique visual presentation, combined with excellent character designs and atmospheric effects, significantly enhances immersion and the overall gameplay experience. While some note occasional visual clutter in intense scenes or co-op play, the consensus is that the graphics are a standout aspect, beautifully complementing the engaging combat and rich worldbuilding.

    • “The hand-drawn graphics are amazing, the combat feels smooth and the animations are top notch, everything connects perfectly.”
    • “Gorgeous hand-drawn art: the visuals are stunning, featuring vibrant, fluid animations that look like a high-budget animated film.”
    • “The art style is stunning and gives off strong anime vibes, with expressive characters and flashy combat effects that look like they came straight out of a high-quality animated series.”
    • “When two players, enemies, and effects fill the screen, the visuals become extremely cluttered.”
    • “Tight and unclear dodge/parry timing, inconsistent ritual rewards, and extremely cluttered visuals, especially in co-op, can make some runs feel unfair or difficult to read which makes it not a good couch coop game.”
    • “I know it's an art style choice, but when I do a strong sword swing attack I don't want to so easily be able to count how many frames are in the animation (it might have been 3, 4 at the most).”
  • replayability
    186 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Absolum's replayability is widely praised, with its roguelike elements, branching paths, varied character playstyles, and unlockable content creating a fresh and engaging experience each run. The game's design encourages experimentation and exploration, making it one of the most replayable beat-'em-ups available. However, some note that additional characters and content could further enhance replay value.

    • “Each run throws up a different little piece of dialogue or cutscene I've not seen before, or perhaps a different stage or boss battle might trigger where it didn't before - this is just so brilliantly done and the replay value is immense.”
    • “The developers have successfully forged a truly unique experience that marries the nostalgia of classics like Golden Axe with the addictive replayability of modern roguelites.”
    • “In addition to those roguelike elements, Absolum shines in replayability by having variety in its event, loot, and enemy spawns; as well as a branching pathway experience through its world map, offering you a bit of extra control over how each run shapes up.”
    • “The game itself is a downgrade from Sor4 - ugly characters, uninspiring designs overall, low replayability, poorly designed last boss, constant needless interrupts.”
    • “I'd argue this aspect makes Absolum one of the roguelikes with the least replayability out there.”
    • “There is some basic replayability on account of it being a roguelike with quests and permanent stat progression but there's not enough game to play here, which sucks because I love the core gameplay so much.”
  • character development
    49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is generally praised for its intrigue and integration with the story and gameplay, with narrative twists and paced storytelling enhancing player engagement. While character designs are widely regarded as visually striking, unique, and charming, some players find them lacking in masculinity or express mixed feelings about certain design choices. Overall, the combination of compelling character arcs, distinctive art style, and strong voice work contributes meaningfully to the game's immersive and memorable experience.

    • “Absolum is an incredible work of art that combines unique rogue-like elements, intriguing character development, and a mysterious story-line to create a beautifully entertaining fantasy!”
    • “At first, I didn’t really like the character designs, but as I spent more time playing and bonding with the characters, I found myself growing fond of them.”
    • “The story is interesting with some good character development and a couple twists.”
    • “Character designs are boring as well.”
    • “There is a lot of random events that occur through a game, the map design and exploration is actually very unique, but the progression and character design is incredibly poor to me.”
    • “Character design might hamstring this a bit, some color choices and concepts are questionable.”
  • atmosphere
    48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game excels in creating a rich and immersive atmosphere through its detailed art style, fluid animations, and a carefully crafted soundtrack that enhances rather than distracts. Each area has a distinct personality, supported by vibrant visuals, atmospheric sound design, and a cohesive dark fantasy tone that draws players deeply into the world. This strong sense of mood, combined with rewarding exploration and polished presentation, makes the atmosphere one of the game's standout features.

    • “The artstyle and whole atmosphere is so perfect, every animation is fluid and oozes coolness.”
    • “It’s clear that the developers paid great attention to atmosphere; every area has its own personality, and exploring the world is consistently rewarding.”
    • “The animation is fluid and snappy, the effects are beautiful, the environments are detailed and loaded with atmosphere.”
  • humor
    42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its blend of clever writing, funny character designs, and absurd, overpowered build combinations that lead to hilarious gameplay moments. Cooperative play amplifies the fun, with shared laughter from chaotic encounters and amusing enemy behaviors. Additionally, hidden jokes, quirky achievements, and a whimsical art style contribute to a consistently entertaining and lighthearted experience.

    • “The roguelite elements keep runs feeling fresh, and the combat has that classic arcade beat ’em up feel where you’re constantly juggling enemies, dodging chaos, and laughing when things go completely sideways.”
    • “Additionally, if you play your cards right, you can play your way into insanely overpowered builds that almost break the game, and honestly it feels so fresh and hilariously satisfying when it happens.”
    • “Finally, the game rewards attention to detail by hiding secrets, humorous moments, and special interactions in locations all over the game.”
  • grinding
    41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in the game is a divisive aspect: some players find the initial progression and combat engaging and not overly grindy, with rewarding upgrades and variety, while others criticize the late-game for becoming a tedious, repetitive grind with inflated difficulty and slow reward scaling. Roguelite elements and meta progression are generally praised for balancing challenge and replayability, though occasional visual clutter and mandatory replays can contribute to fatigue. Overall, grinding can feel either immersive and enjoyable or frustrating and monotonous depending on the player's tolerance for repetitive challenges.

    • “Big praise to progression system, it's not too grindy, feels just right!”
    • “Absolutely incredible roguelite - not grindy; fun combat mechanics; beautiful art and music; not overly punishing.”
    • “Absolum doesn't just look good and sound great, its gameplay is excellent, and it isn't grindy either.”
    • “After your first successful completion (which was a fine enough journey) they crank the difficulty up in a super tedious "the real dark souls starts now!!" kinda way.”
    • “Eventually I got tired of replaying the same stages over and over, grinding currency for upgrades and waiting for the rng god combo to appear and made my own balance.”
    • “You spend way too much time grinding for minimal rewards, and when you finally do unlock something new, it rarely feels worth the effort.”
  • stability
    31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Stability is mixed, with many players experiencing minimal glitches and smooth performance, especially on platforms like Steam Deck. However, several users report frustrating bugs including run-ending softlocks, freezes on exit, controller issues, and occasional crashes, which can disrupt gameplay. Overall, while generally playable, the game suffers from notable stability problems that may impact the experience.

    • “I've had no glitches or problems whatsoever in my concurrent 10 hours of gameplay (now 26) in both multiplayer and singleplayer.”
    • “And effectively bug free, as far as I can tell.”
    • “Very fun smooth gameplay runs great on Steam Deck!”
    • “The game has some run-ending glitches which are obnoxious, including a final boss being invincible and another run where progression was blocked because an NPC locked the camera.”
    • “Remote Play Together was buggy and sometimes caused my computer to blue screen, which is a serious stability issue.”
    • “The main bug I've noticed is that closing the game causes it to freeze, and exiting the main menu takes forever with the game freezing.”
  • optimization
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is exceptionally well-optimized, delivering smooth performance at 60fps even on low-end devices like mini-computers and Steam Deck, with no notable bugs or issues. It offers polished gameplay and refined combat mechanics that run seamlessly in both single-player and online co-op modes. Overall, the optimization enhances immersion and playability, making it accessible across a range of hardware.

    • “Also, stellar performance on the Steam Deck.”
    • “Runs smoothly at 60fps running on a Legion Go S Z1 Extreme SteamOS model.”
    • “The game is well optimized; we are playing on a mini-computer set up as an arcade and it does not have a dedicated GPU.”
    • “It's 2025, why do games still have terrible optimization like this?”
    • “♥♥♥♥ performance, somehow it improved after downloading the demo.”
    • “* Optimization that allows you to run this on a potato with 60 fps (once you turn off bloom).”
  • emotional
    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional impact of the game is highlighted by its heartfelt and earnest narrative, beautiful art, and deeply evocative music that resonates strongly with players. While some find the story engaging and the soundtrack a standout feature, others feel the narrative lacks emotional connection and are disappointed by gameplay restrictions that hinder full enjoyment. Overall, the game elicits a mix of emotional responses, from genuine attachment to frustration over missed potential.

    • “What got me the most though is that it's shockingly heartfelt and earnest.”
    • “On top of the gameplay, the absolutely gorgeous art direction and engaging whimsical and heartfelt story really solidified Absolum as a standout gem of 2025.”
    • “The music, composed with obvious care by Gareth Coker (of Ori fame), is perhaps the game’s strongest asset, giving every encounter real emotional weight.”
    • “Mundane, boring story that 90% of people will just hold a button to skip through.”
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86%Critics’ scoreBased on 29 critic reviews
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15h Median play time
17h Average play time
10-28h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 27 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Absolum is a arcade hack and slash game with fantasy theme.

Absolum is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

On average players spend around 17 hours playing Absolum.

Absolum was released on October 9, 2025.

Absolum was developed by Supamonks.

Absolum has received positive reviews from players and positive reviews from critics. Most players liked Absolum for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

Absolum is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Astral Ascent, Children of Morta, Ember Knights, Windblown, Ravenswatch and others.