PS5

Published on October 16th, 2025 | by Nathan Misa

Absolum PS5 Review – Scroll Stopper

The 2020s beat ‘em up resurgence is thriving and I’m all here for it. But any new brawler, especially one appearing after Streets of Rage 4, enters the ring with a target on its back.

Enter Absolum, the latest indie challenger to deliver an unexpected left hook. Combining roguelike elements with classic side-scrolling staples and punchy beat ‘em up gameplay, developer Guard Crush Games pulls off a tough move: advancing the beloved genre without merely repeating it.

I had no idea what to expect when first jumping into Absolum. Would it be a safe throw-back? Messy experiment? Pretty but repetitive side-scroller? Most of my trepidation was centered around its roguelike elements and the concept of repeated runs of the same content. This is the type of game, however, that frontloads its bash and smash strengths to hook you real fast.

Absolum puts you (and a friend, for up to two-player co-op) in the role of four magic-wielding, ass-kicking rebels in the original setting of Talamh, a weird and wonderful fantasy world with some interesting spins on the classic humans, elves, dwarves, goblins and monsters tropes. A recent magic-based disaster causes Talamh to look upon wizards with distrust, before a tyrant called the Sun King Azra rises to forbid magic, kill off the wizards and conquer the tattered realm. Cleverly, the game weaves its roguelike twist into the opening narrative by bringing your warpath rebels back to life after they perish in their first fight, ready to level up attributes, unlock skills, and try again.

If you’ve played any type of beat ‘em up, you’ll understand the basics of Absolum in minutes. You progress through a series of side-scrolling 2D levels beating up enemy foes to proceed to the next section before fighting the area boss. There’s basic attacks, special character skills, mana-based spells and aerial movesets that you combine to create fast and frantic combos that crush opponents, while dodges, deflects and throwable weapons round out your survivability. The game does a great job of being pick-up-and-play while introducing layers of more complex and exciting gameplay mechanics like building your mana bar, dishing out punishments after successful parries, and unleashing hard-hitting finishing moves without feeling overwhelming.

I soon discovered that, yes, you will be playing the same map again as you inevitably die to return back to the hub world to speak with NPCs for training and unlock abilities, and get to grips with each fighter and their movesets – but Absolum absolutely keeps every run feeling fresh. Every run starts with choosing a randomized ritual power-up that enhances your fighter with effects that vary based on your preferred playstyle, such as passive elemental damage when dodging enemies, as well as selecting a unique attack that uses your mana bar and varies between fighters.

Clearing sections also rewards additional rituals and gold to hire temporary NPC companions (especially handy as punchable distractions when playing solo) or buy accessories that grant flat bonuses (10% health buff, more mana, etc) – all of which reset when you die. But it gets easier! Another reward for defeating enemies, crystals, persist through runs and are spent at the hub to gradually unlock permanent bonuses, such as more starting gold.

The RPG fanatic in me appreciated the branching paths, which keep you searching for the most optimized way forward after each loss, but it’s the randomized gameplay elements (level layouts, enemy types, treasures, lore points, etc) and optional side quests that gave me plenty of variety and incentive to revisit each path and try and find more secrets. Hours later, I was still finding surprises (optional bosses, hidden loot, story-gated rituals, etc) 10+ runs into the game.

Now, there is a story layered between all the knuckle sandwiches and flying ninja kicks you’ll be dishing out, but I would be lying if I said I was able to keep up at all times. Absolum relies heavily on background world-building, optional lore points and intriguing narration to flesh out its history and tease plot points. Supamonks’ work in creating striking 2D artstyle and fluid animations, reminiscent of older hand-drawn cartoons, also does extremely well to support the narrative’s wistful tone and characters’ mysterious motivations. Let’s just say Root Mother Uchawi’s vague blessings and my chosen fighter’s brutal 100-hit combo strings quickly made me question whether Azra was wrong to outlaw magic users.

It’s the band of playable misfits that pack the most punch in terms of the game’s personality and staying power: Karl the brute strength dwarf with a tender heart, Galandra the classic sword-wielding knight, Brome the long-range mage (for that co-op partner who relies on AoE damage), and Cider the masked rogue, the standout of the bunch (and voiced by Samantha Béart of Baldur’s Gate 3 fame) with her high-flying moveset and extendable mechanical arm that let me string combos and dart around the battlefield and chain devastating combos with ease. It’s a testament to the developers that all four playable fighters feel very unique, with balanced strengths and weaknesses, fun movesets and interesting banter that sounds natural to the world the developers built without coming across as existing just for exposition.

It’s a good thing your party is so capable, because so are your enemies. Your starting woodland base eases you into Talamh’s various cultures and power structures by pitting you against basic human soldiers, tree goblins, wild hounds, mountain dwarves and assassin orcs before gradually upping the ante after the first island’s boss with weirder and more wonderful foes; barbarian lizardmen, bipedal hyena mages, undead warriors and Azra’s own steel-encased anti-magic soldiers. Some enemies can be beaten with basic button mashing, but most demand attention and dedication to mastering the game’s systems – praying, dodging, punishments, and keeping your combo meter up to keep enemies from fighting back as long as possible. The best part is Absolum’s artwork and fluid brawling makes you look and feel damn cool while doing it. If you really find the fighting a bit too hard, you can turn on Assist Mode to tune damage output.

The only thing more satisfying than pulling off a 200+ hit combo was playing Absolum with a co-op partner for classic two-player side-scrolling mayhem. Lacking anyone at home to play with locally, I jumped into the game’s online multiplayer mode, which lets you matchmake or join private lobbies, and managed to enjoy several runs with randoms from across the world. Boss fights and rushing to get better loot drops, stats and ritual rewards get way more intense but rewarding with the right partner. Best of all, story progression is seamlessly handled; you only play the content that both players have reached at the point of the match-up to prevent spoilers.

The Final Verdict 

While they fine-tuned the throwback with Streets of Rage 4, Guard Crush Games has delivered the final frame data on how to move the genre forward from merely a safe beat ‘em up tribute to a unique mash-up of roguelike and RPG elements with Absolum. Its unique artwork and lightning-fast gameplay prove the beat ‘em up side-scroller is a perpetually evolving beast, and Absolum is its latest, greatest form. Highly recommended.

Game Details

Primary Format – Games – PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows
Game Genre – Beat’em up roguelike
Rating – MA 15+
Game Developer – Guard Crush Games
Game Publisher – Supamonks

About the Author

Nathan Misa A senior writer for ImpulseGamer.com and former writer for MMGN and Ninemsn, Nathan has been reviewing video games and interviewing talented developers since 2012. As a nostalgia tragic eternally tied to the glorious 1990s, he's always playing retro gaming classics whenever he's not entrenched in the latest RPG, or talking your ear off about why The First Law book series is better than Game of Thrones - to anyone who dares listen.

Related Posts

Little Nightmares III (PS5) Review →

Dreams of Another (PS5/PSVR2) Review →

Yooka-Re-Playlee Review (PS5) →

Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny Review (PS5) →