Indie Hour - Absolum
Table of Contents
Hey it's Tarrmu and welcome to another episode of Indie Hour where we talk about the latest independent video games that may have passed you by, and in today's video we're going to be talking about Absolum a Beat-Em Up Rogue-lite developed by Guard Crush Games.
Absolum is an interesting video game, on the surface attributed to the genres that it jumps between for its bread and butter of its gameplay loop, but also the ways in which the game game be played. Absolum feels like a modern rendition of the Beat-ups of old like Streets of Rage and Double Dragon and can be played with friends as well, invoking that that old-school beat-em up action as you jump location to location. The level design and layout however takes form as a rogue-lite, where each time either solo or with friends you're setting out progressing through zone to zone where you'll be beating up foes, unlocking new elemental pickups which will bind to your abilities, along with new items which would enhance your character build for that particular run.
Speaking of abilities, you'll be given both a light and heavy attack that will be the core of your ways to pummel enemies as well as a dodge, which can also be a dash and also a parry if timed perfectly with the enemies attack. There are four different characters playable that come with different playstyles, kits and upgrade paths that make the overall playtime and experimentation that Absolum has feel more expansive and exciting to play around with. On top of this, it factors well having such a versatile cast of characters as the all serve a role, and this factors well into the co-op aspect of Absolum's gameplay loop. Each of these four characters whilst looking like they are of different classes all have move-sets that are in large part correlated to brawling meaning you'll be punching and kicking enemies, with their ultimate's resembling more what you would come to expect of there classes, which did disappoint me a little. If I am playing as a mage or a ranger, I think having a kit of abilities that resemble that would have been a bit cooler. But overall despite this, each characters moves do feel weighty and satisfying to land, and there is some sense of combos and staggered attacks you can wage on enemies that can stun-lock and keep the combos flowing, which is a feeling of pure bliss and satisfaction.
There is a solid variety of meta progression that makes every run feel like you're slowly growing and with each sequential run, and as the hours unfold, so to do the means and modes of progression as well. There are new character ultimate's that you unlock, new super abilities too, as well as skills which serve as permanent boons to your characters globally. As you progress through the story you will also unlock new characters too that you can play as, along with different quests and conversations with characters you meet both in the world, and at your little hub before setting out on a mission. Even the vendor that you meet during your run, has a loyalty card, that serves as a reputation system for buying items, which means he will sell you better items in subsequent runs. It makes you feel like you're constantly being rewarded for interacting with the games systems, and is easily one of the areas that makes Absolum so addictive to play.
I want to touch on the level-progression for Absolum too, which offers different routes, and will throw new bosses in familiar places, and make charted territory feel different at times. Each run and its room to room schema does feel like it follows a general pattern and there is a variety to the types of beat-em up playgrounds you'll be clobbering enemies in, but these environments through many playthroughs will become familiar, which is what makes it interesting, when there is a curveball, that see's a special event from a quest deviate and throw something new at you in these environments. The bosses in Absolum are also fun and there are ever-evolving plot-lines and side objectives that introduce you to new bosses and encounters that will further expand your route and how you make your way to that final destination.
Absolum's soundtrack is also banging with some tracks composed by the legend himself Mick Gordon known for his work on Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal which is another feather in the cap of Absolum's pedigree here. The visual presentation for this game is also right up my alley feeling very comic book like in its design, and brimming with fantasy elements that all pop to life in a way that make each route and destination in this world feel distinct and easily identifiable when I later have watched back my gameplay or seen other reviews.
Absolum is a fantastic game, and an indie gem that I thinks popularity and admiration will only grow with time as more people get exposed to it, and in a year where it was competing with both Silksong and Hades 2, this beat-up rogue-lite absolute stands its ground is easily worth checking out and playing for yourself. It has a demo available on Steam if you're still on the fence.
But this has been Indie Hour where I give you my impressions on interesting Indie Games I feel you might have missed and give you my thoughts and perspectives on the game. Absolum is shaping up to be an experience that I want to make a proper full review on, so look forward to seeing that in the future. Let me know your thoughts down below or if there are any games that you'd like to see me cover on the channel, as always I am Tarrmu and this has been Indie Hour, if you enjoyed the video consider giving us a like and if you really enjoyed the video consider subscribing.
Thanks for reading.
