Dotemu revealed today that Absolum, the fantasy beat-'em-up from the same team that made Streets of Rage 4, will be released on October 9. The publisher held a fresh sample of the game prior to the announcement, allowing the gaming press to test out a new playable character and zone (more on those in a bit).
When Absolum was first announced back in March, I didn't have the opportunity to play it, so I wasn't sure what to anticipate from this most recent demo. I'm eagerly awaiting the finished version in October after spending the majority of the weekend playing Absolum. In fact, I believe that many people may find it to be a surprising contender for game of the year. Beat-'em-ups have never appealed to me; most of them lack the depth necessary to hold my attention. Absolum resolves that problem by judiciously referencing contemporary roguelikes, with Supergiant's Hades serving as a clear example.
You choose a "Ritual" for your character at the beginning of each run in Absolum. These give your character unique traits that alter their powers, much to Boons in Hades. For instance, during my second playthrough, I came across a ritual that made throwable rose daggers appear anytime I executed a dodge precisely.
These, in turn, enabled me to swiftly eliminate hostile foes at a distance. You are more likely to come across more Rituals the farther you go in a run. Additionally, some rituals are made to work in concert with one another, which is another nod to Hades and its concept of Duo Boons. Absolum offers a wide range of fighting options, especially when combined with the Arcana system, which lets you choose up to two unique attacks for your character.
Actually, you never feel like you're just pressing buttons. Combat is quite similar to Souls in that the player must defeat a variety of monsters, each of whom has a unique strategy. Furthermore, avoiding assaults is frequently more crucial than dealing damage. Absolum has very few healing items, but it makes up for this by providing you with a number of options to stay safe. Using your character's skill attack, you can block an enemy's assault, sidestep away from it, or dash straight into them.
game refers to as a "Clash." All three techniques let you punish an enemy who tries to outmaneuver you if you time them well. But Clashes, Absolum's take on a parry, is the most difficult to execute of the three. However, it can help you win a boss fight by deflecting an attack that would have otherwise been fatal.
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