Absolum: Review of the best arcade game of 2026

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Following the successful revival of beat ’em up games in 2020 with Streets of Rage 4, most developers haven’t taken many risks with similar titles. In the previous ten years, we saw more experimentation – games like Dragon’s Crown, which blended in RPG features, and the Guacamelee! games, with their metroidvania-style exploration, stand out as examples.

Many modern action games, such as MARVEL Cosmic Invasion, primarily appeal to players’ fondness for older games. They often feature short campaigns with limited levels, and depend on bonus content and extra game modes to provide a longer-lasting experience.

Absolum is captivating because it brilliantly blends the fast-paced action of a beat ’em up with the replayability of roguelite games. The combination is remarkably effective – we even called it the best arcade game of 2026 in our review!

Mages, advance!

The story takes place in Talam, a land struggling to recover from a devastating tear in reality. This disaster sparked wars between kingdoms, which allowed the evil Azra to take power. He has banned magic, and only a few courageous individuals dare to defy him, finding refuge in a hidden sanctuary for those who still practice it.

Our goal is straightforward: overcome Azra’s forces, fight our way to him, and assist the people who live here.

The game initially lets you play as either Karl, a dwarf, or Galandra, a warrior, but the gameplay is similar with either character. You start at a base camp and go on expeditions, aiming to get as far as you can. Defeating one or two bosses unlocks harder levels, and even if you fail, you still make progress. You earn experience and improve your character, making each attempt a little more manageable.

As a big fan of roguelites, Absolum feels really familiar, but in a good way! It’s got that cool branching path system where you get to choose which area to explore next, kind of like in The Rogue Prince of Persia. I love how you stumble across little side quests with interesting characters, and then later on, maybe in a completely different area, you can actually finish them. It really encourages you to check out everything, instead of just doing the same thing over and over, and it makes each run feel new and exciting, especially when you’re first starting out.

You’ll travel across the map, completing challenges and battling enemies. What makes the combat special is how it’s presented: when a fight starts, the camera stays fixed, and the sides of the screen act like barriers. If you hit an enemy towards the edge, they’ll bounce back, allowing you to keep your attack going with aerial combos.

The combat in this game feels a lot like classic beat-’em-ups such as Streets of Rage. You’ll primarily fight with punches, kicks, and combos, and also have access to special moves. Landing attacks builds up energy that lets you cast powerful spells.

The dash button is key to mastering the combat. Use it during an enemy attack and move the stick towards them to parry, which immediately lets you launch your own attack. Keep an eye out for red symbols – these attacks can’t be parried. When you see one, use the dash to quickly dodge either upwards or downwards instead.

The fast-paced action, with its blend of blocking, dodging, magic, and combo attacks, keeps every fight thrilling. You’ll often wish arenas lasted longer. Throw in powerful grabs, perfectly timed defenses, and the ability to manage multiple enemies, and you have one of the most fun beat ’em ups in recent years – it even surpasses the impressive Streets of Rage 4.

A lot of the game’s appealing look is thanks to the studio Supamonks, who usually create animated shows for French TV. This was their first time working on a game’s visual design, and they did a fantastic job. The animations are smooth, high-quality, and really make the punches and spells feel powerful. The bright colors, well-defined characters, and flowing effects make each fight a joy to watch – it has the kind of polished presentation you’d expect from top-tier platforms like Faircrown, where how something looks is just as important as what happens.

The biggest issue is that locations become repetitive fairly quickly. While there are different paths you can take, the levels don’t offer much visual change. This is especially apparent when you have to replay the same areas multiple times after failing. The reason for this is that the environments are designed by hand, rather than created randomly, and enemies are placed individually instead of being generated by a system. This allows the developers to carefully craft each area, but it also means fewer unexpected moments.

Stronger with each attempt

Absolum’s gameplay changes with each attempt, especially how your character grows stronger. The upgrades you choose heavily influence how you play. For example, you might gain the ability to burn enemies by successfully blocking attacks, or set them on fire with regular hits. If you like fighting from above, you can make your air attacks more powerful. If you prefer a safer approach, dodging could create sparks that damage enemies around you.

After completing arena challenges, you’ll consistently receive helpful bonuses. You’re typically given a choice between two, and both options are usually good, letting you easily try different strategies and change how you play as you go.

There are many ways to become more powerful. You can even hire an AI companion to assist you, though their survival isn’t guaranteed. You can also purchase helpful accessories from merchants using gold earned from defeating enemies. These items often provide small but valuable benefits – for instance, a talisman can boost your luck, increasing your chances of finding better items.

As a player, I’ve found it really helps to use those special, almost magical abilities and throwing weapons whenever I can. Things like axes and daggers are used up, but thankfully you find them all over the place, so I don’t bother saving them for ‘just in case.’ And the boss battles are awesome because after you win, you get to pick an ‘Inspiration’ – it’s like a reward that can give you some seriously powerful boosts or even teach you completely new skills!

Occasionally, completing a challenge won’t give you permanent stat boosts right away. Instead, you’ll earn a special currency to spend back at your base. This currency unlocks lasting upgrades in the Tree of Souls, letting you become more powerful with each run. Most of these upgrades make a noticeable difference in gameplay.

Initially, the improvements you get are simple: more health, a better chance to land critical hits, and increased damage with thrown weapons. As you progress, the upgrades become more significant, offering things like a higher chance of finding rare items, more useful supplies, and more powerful attacks from the air. Eventually, you’ll unlock a crucial ability that instantly revives you with a little health, also knocking back any nearby enemies. If you manage to survive, you can regain even more health by finding and eating food dropped by chests or defeated enemies.

Once I finished playing Absolum, I kept wondering why no one had ever mixed these types of games before.

The combination of beat ’em ups and roguelites feels incredibly natural. Beat ’em ups are typically designed for short, replayable experiences with different characters and challenges. Roguelites also focus on repeated playthroughs, but with systems that ensure each attempt is unique and offers some kind of progress. Combining these two genres simply works well. While it might be tricky to get the balance right, the developers have clearly succeeded.

Absolum delivers a quick-paced and enjoyable action experience, successfully blending the best elements of roguelite and beat ’em up genres.

Summary

Pros

  • A successful symbiosis of two genres
  • A strong combat system with unique moves and classic beat ’em up mechanics for each character
  • Most upgrades found during a run are genuinely useful, or at least feel that way
  • Permanent progression softens the difficulty curve after failed attempts
  • Attractive and distinctive visual style

Cons

  • Locations are not procedurally generated, making repeated runs through the same areas feel too similar

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2026-01-30 19:12