Absolum Hands-On Preview: I cast fist!

In the saturated realm of roguelikes today, it takes some doing to make a new entry in this crowded genre feel unique and interesting. How does Absolum try to stand out from the crowd? Well, it trades top-down, isometric combat for a side-scrolling beat 'em up formula, complete with gorgeous hand-drawn animations and a fantasy world that's as gorgeous as it is intriguing.

Absolum takes place in a world where magic is on its last legs. Heroes are born from powerful beings known as Root Mothers, but the King Azra wants to get rid of magic in all its forms. He might try and tell us that his way is the right way in the introduction, but the black and red colour scheme on his armour tells us that at least for now, he's as villainous as villains come.

Kicking us right into the action, Absolum has us pick from one of two heroes - the sword-wielding elf Galandra or the burly brawling dwarf Karl - and set off straight into a fight to save our own Mother. Once that's done, we run into the evil king himself, who gives us our first death on this roguelike experience, sending us back to our base. If you're familiar with the roguelike structure, you know what's up here. Upgrade abilities, get permanent buffs for your next run, and move onto the next run. They're all things you can do here.

In your runs, you'll be scrolling from the left to the right of the screen, battling through goblins, humans, animal enemies, undead dwarves, mushrooms, and more. Combat is fast and precise, the animations beautiful and expressive. It's the most fun I've had with a beat 'em up in years, as it's just simply a joy to rush forwards into a pile of goblins, chuck one at the others, and then combo the rest into oblivion. Attacks are simple, with a light and heavy attack making up some simple combos, letting you gather mana before pressing the right trigger for your ability. Karl was the character we spent the most time with, as while Galandra's quick sword fighting was a lot of fun, there's nothing quite like battering enemies with your fists.

Like many roguelikes, once you've defeated a batch of enemies in a given area, you'll get a reward. The boons here aren't too wild - most will just give your punches or other moves an extra bit of damage through an elemental boon - but when the core of the combat is so satisfying, it doesn't need to be improved much. Plus, we only got to fight through the first area of Grandery, and it's likely that the crazier stuff will arrive later as the challenge grows.

Speaking of challenge, Absolum's feels well-balanced. It's not too tough, to the point where you feel like giving up after a couple of runs, but it does require you to use the defensive tools at hand. Jumping, deflecting, and dodging can all give you the upper hand, and once I got used to making the most of solid defence as well as offence, I was able to clear the demo with my trusty goblin companion at my side. Companions can be found after clearing your first elite enemy, unless you're playing co-operatively with another player of course, and along the way you can also find items on the ground to use as throwables, from rocks to grenades. The only problem with these items is that they use the same button that you use when interacting with doors, the environment, and more. The dash button is also the same as dodge and deflect, too, meaning there is some input awkwardness at times.

It's clear from even the short time we've had with Absolum that there is a potentially great story waiting to be unearthed. The teases of there being more than meets the eye with the setting are noted, and the art design is beautiful, as mentioned. Like you're playing in your own fantasy cartoon series. Absolum does make me question at times where it needed to be a roguelike, though. The concept is fun and feels fresh in the genre, but it's still unclear whether this is more giving into a gimmick than a game that needed to be in this saturated space.

Absolum was a very pleasant surprise to play. The art style immediately drew me in, the combat made me stay, and the narrative setup has me thinking about it even after clearing the demo. There are some elements that perhaps feel a bit more bare-bones, like the upgrades you get in a run and the ones you equip back at home base. The base controls were a bit irksome at first, too, but the short time we've had with Absolum has been an absolute treat, and is a game fans of beat 'em ups, fantasy, and roguelikes should look out for.