90
The talented French indie creators at DotEmu and Guard Crush have gifted us once again with Absolum, an excellent game that skillfully blends old-school and modern gameplay. In this instance, we're treated to a truly magical and ingenious blend of beat 'em up and roguelite, all set in a vibrant world that delights the eyes and ears thanks to its stunning art direction and soundtrack. A true gem of late 2025, unfortunately somewhat lost in a sea of other excellent games released throughout the year, due in part to a rather timid marketing campaign and a fairly steep difficulty curve that might deter newcomers.
85
Absolum is one of those roguelikes that tells not so much the story it contains, but the one it evokes through its beautiful aesthetic style. A story made of difficult choices, of ambitions that challenge caution, of an authentic desire to leave a mark, however small, however fragile. And in a world where everything seems to rush forward without ever looking back, a side-scrolling beat ’em up that chooses to slow down and force you to think is a small miracle.
80
Absolum is an interesting roguelike that can be completed in a couple of hours on the lowest difficulty setting. However, even after the finale, the developers encourage players to keep exploring the world to try out new builds and characters.
8
The game is a combination of roguelike and 2D action game, which reminds me of Hades, Dragon's Crown, and Dungeon Fighter Online. It's light to play, suitable for someone like me who doesn't want to spend so much time on video games, but wants to have a taste on weekends.
0
Terrible game. Boring. Typical roguelike crap. The physical copy of the game is a joke it has no reversible cover the laziest ugliest cover ever. Instead the reverse side is all small prints of all this legal crap by EU. The game is terrible. Do not buy this game
9
Playing Absolum felt like discovering a beat-’em-up that wanted to be more than just a nostalgia trip—and, for the most part, it succeeds. The combat is punchy and fluid, with every hit and dodge feeling meaningful, and the mix of combo-driven action with roguelite progression keeps you chasing just one more run. The hand-drawn visuals and richly varied soundtrack make the world of Talamh feel alive and distinctive, and there’s a satisfying rhythm to evolving your build as you dive back in after every defeat.
Absolum
Released On:
Oct 9, 2025
Metascore
Generally Favorable
87
User score
Generally Favorable
8.2
My Score
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Metascore
Generally Favorable
98% Positive
51 Reviews
51 Reviews
2% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Oct 10, 2025
100
Absolum blew me away with its mastery of the side-scrolling beat-’em-up and roguelike genres, seamlessly combining the two in a game that is exceptional on a technical level and a blast to play. Paired with the excellent combat and roguelike loop are phenomenal characters, great worldbuilding, and gorgeous art, making for a game that is an absolute steal at just $25.
Oct 22, 2025
90
What Absolum truly does well with its take on a roguelite is offering plenty of opportunities to get invested in its world and characters, which is such an excellent quality to have for a roguelite, which tasks players with getting used to repeated excursions. Absolum is my favorite roguelite of 2025, and it's also one of the most satisfying genre mash-ups I've seen in some time. With time, I hope that Absolum will evolve even further and take Guard Crush Games' take on a roguelite beat-em-up to the next level.
User score
Generally Favorable
80% Positive
157 Ratings
157 Ratings
13% Mixed
25 Ratings
25 Ratings
8% Negative
15 Ratings
15 Ratings
Jan 6, 2026
10
Absolut is a beast. Great game, funny to play and it respects the rogu'elite gameplay.
Oct 28, 2025
10
perfect plain and simple nothing bad to say about it really go play it it has also local co-op
Oct 9, 2025
90
A fast-paced blend of beat 'em up and rogue-like mechanics, Absolum starts off simple but evolves to reveal surprising depth and experience that will keep you come back for just one more run.
Oct 9, 2025
90
Absolum does a fantastic job of expanding what we would usually expect of a beat ‘em up, keeping it fresh and interesting to play over dozens of runs. It looks, sounds, and runs great, and it plays phenomenally. It may not quite have the kinetic impact of my very favorite brawlers, but this is a game that dares to push beyond what fans expect from its genre and succeeds on all counts.
Oct 15, 2025
85
Absolum combines the immediacy of beat 'em ups with the depth of roguelites, and does it surprisingly well.
Oct 16, 2025
80
Absolum fuses the frenetic energy of beat 'em ups with deep roguelite systems to deliver a stylish and addictive experience. While its narrative struggles to match the grandeur of its worldbuilding, the moment-to-moment gameplay and audiovisual design shine. Dotemu’s bold take on the genre blend pays off in gameplay variety and mechanical depth, even if its progression balance and storytelling lack polish.
Oct 9, 2025
70
Absolum is an excellent beat ‘em up let down by a roguelite structure that doesn’t serve it. I hate being limited by numbers instead of skill in action games, and in the early hours here, it feels like you’re a slave to them. Once you get to the point where each run has you making substantial progress and the story picks up, Absolum is very compelling. But it took me a long time to get there. Gorgeous artwork, an excellent soundtrack, and smart combat spread out among several distinct characters do a lot to carry it, but they can’t fix the feeling of dread when I died, again, and realized that I would have to do some variation of the same exact thing once more. I’m not against failure; I just wish there was more variety to it, and Absolum doesn’t find that until a good way into its runtime. That it manages to emerge as an exciting beat ‘em up in spite of that is a testament to the skill and work of its developers. But it would be a lot better if it just got on with it. Unlike Absolum’s heroes, I’ve only got one life to live.
Oct 12, 2025
10
Absolum m’a vraiment convaincu. Le système de combat est dense sans être inutilement compliqué, avec une vraie sensation d’impact et de maîtrise. Visuellement, c’est cohérent et lisible, sans surenchère. La musique est remarquable et sert bien le rythme du jeu. La partie narrative, en revanche, reste un peu en retrait. Mais dans l’ensemble, c’est un beat’em up abouti, exigeant juste ce qu’il faut, et qui donne envie d’y revenir.
Jan 8, 2026
7
Entretenido pero un poco injusto. Me gustan los juegos difíciles pero esteba veces busca sus dificultad haciéndolo injusto
Oct 19, 2025
7
I genuinely liked Absolum; the combat mechanics are fluid, the visuals are impressive, and the atmosphere is strong. However, after a few hours, everything started to feel familiar. The same loops, similar enemies, and repetitive rituals eventually slow down the pace. The game isn’t bad — in fact, it’s quite polished — but it’s like eating the same delicious dish over and over: tasty, yet too much of it becomes tiring.
Oct 18, 2025
3
What the hell is this character design, Lmao. Look at the Vanillaware games (like Dragon's Crown), and then look at this. Yikes. Gave Absolum a chance... It's one of those games where politics chokes aesthetics.
Mar 14, 2026
0
Terrible game. Boring. Typical roguelike crap. The physical copy of the game is a joke it has no reversible cover the laziest ugliest cover ever. Instead the reverse side is all small prints of all this legal crap by EU. The game is terrible. Do not buy this game
SummaryCrafted with passion by the dream team that redefined side-scrolling beat 'em ups, Absolum mixes top-of-the-class combat action with modern roguelite elements, bringing all the vibes of the fantasy arcade hits of the past into an immersive adventure set in the original world of Talamh. Absolum combines Dotemu and Guard Crush’s mastery... Read More
