Absolum

Genre: Arcade Brawler

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local / Online)

The Nintendo Switch 2 Difference

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Review:

Absolum, released in 2025 to PC, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch with ports in 2026 to Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2, is an Arcade-style Brawler with Roguelike elements set in the fantasy world of Talamh, where wizards have been outlawed and hunted down by a despotic ruler after a magical cataclysm turned public sentiment against them. Now, the few remaining wizards band together to fight back against this threat, both to oust him from power and to get revenge for all those he’s killed.

The presentation in Absolum makes use of some excellent comic-style cartoony 2D visuals with good animation and plenty of nice environmental details that really help to bring this game’s world alive and make combat look great. However… it’s the sound that I feel is really the star here.

It’s not just that the sound effects are good, or that the voice acting is all-around superb, though they are. It’s that Absolum’s orchestral and choral soundtrack by Gareth Coker of Ori series fame is absolutely phenomenal, and makes this game’s conflicts seem truly epic on a scale that’s rarely achieved in videogames. For some examples, check out Absolum, Uchawi’s Hearth, Mouldy Cave, and The Citadel.

When we look at the gameplay, Absolum is a solid but not spectacular Arcade Brawler and a solid but not spectacular Roguelike that build off of each other to become something greater together. As an Arcade Brawler, Absolum only has a few characters to start with (and only a few more get unlocked), and its combat with a focus on dodging and countering enemies is solid but seems a bit simple with a limited number of attacks and an overly-tough difficulty, especially with only one life and few chances to heal. Meanwhile, the Roguelike elements, at least at first, don’t seem to add much to the game – you get elemental effects added on to your different attacks and stat boosts as you progress through a run, but the game doesn’t seem to have that “synergy” element you look for in the best Roguelikes.

However, the more you play, the more you see how these different gameplay elements build off of each other. You will occasionally get moves from the Roguelike elements that expand your abilities, and in addition this game is good about using these Roguelike elements to give you a reason to return to previous areas, even opening up new paths, such as beating back goblins that were preventing the building of a bridge, only to find in your next run that the bridge has been built. The way this game’s world builds on your actions is a great use of the genre to do more than just add gameplay variety. Plus, the “Roguelite” permanent upgrades you get gradually chip away at the difficulty, and ensure that even a failed run will give you some progress toward your overarching goals.

Having said that, I do wish there were more actual gameplay variety here, and while I credit the game with using the Roguelike elements to add some great structural growth, I feel like in the middle of runs it still feels a bit lacking moment-to-moment. In addition, on Nintendo Switch, the game suffers from frustrating framerate drops that’s really noticeable at times, especially when you first enter some areas.

Even with its issues, Absolum still does a lot of things right, and it does make use of its blend of Arcade Brawler and Roguelike in some very good ways, even though it also drops the ball inn a few areas as well. Pair this with an absolutely epic soundtrack and a great presentation overall and you have an excellent game, albeit one that seems like it has some room for improvement. Still, if you’re a fan of the Arcade Brawler genre, this is definitely a game you’ll want to check out.

tl;dr – Absolum is an Arcade-style Brawler with Roguelike elements that has players taking the role of wizards fighting against a despotic king. While the Brawler and Roguelike elements on their own are a bit lacking, together they combine to make an excellent game, and one that’s made even better with a great presentation and a killer soundtrack. The Nintendo Switch version suffers from some framerate issues, but otherwise this is a great Brawler, even if it still has room for improvement.

Grade: A-

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The Nintendo Switch 2 Difference

Absolum – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition

Genre: Arcade Brawler

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local / Local Wireless / Online), GameShare Support

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Review:

Nearly a full year after its release on Nintendo Switch, Absolum has received a free Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrade. Let’s see what’s been improved in this release!

The eShop page for Absolum claims “the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition runs in 60 fps for upgraded fluidity with improved resolution”, but mostly I didn’t notice too much of a difference here. The resolution might be better, the framerates might be better, but it’s not super-noticeable… save for one difference. The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition suffers from none of the framerate drops that plagued the Nintendo Switch version of the game, so that on its own makes it worth upgrading this game if you have a Nintendo Switch 2, fixing the Nintendo Switch version’s biggest technical flaw.

The other advertised feature is GameShare support… for local wireless play only. Wow, way to take a potentially killer feature and make it far less impactful, guys. Look, adding wireless local play is still great for players who enjoy playing the game in handheld mode, but if you have a TV to play on, there’s really no need for this. And it really would have been amazing to get online GameShare play on this game… but that’s not the case.

The other upgrade here is to loading times, and this is actually pretty good. On Nintendo Switch, it took me 37 seconds to load the game to the title screen, 15 seconds to load a game save, and then 3-4 seconds every time I transitioned from one location to another. On Nintendo Switch 2, those times are reduced to 17 seconds, 7 seconds, and 1-2 seconds.

Overall, this is definitely an improvement on Nintendo Switch 2, and it’s hard to complain about a free upgrade, but this definitely isn’t a game-changer. Still if you’re an Arcade Brawler fan, Absolum is definitely one you’ll want to pick up, and it’s even better on Nintendo Switch 2.

tl;dr – Absolum is an Arcade-style Brawler with Roguelike elements that has players taking the role of wizards fighting against a despotic king. While the Brawler and Roguelike elements on their own are a bit lacking, together they combine to make an excellent game, and one that’s made even better with a great presentation and a killer soundtrack. The Nintendo Switch 2 version fixes the framerate issues of the Nintendo Switch version, and is overall a great Brawler, even if it still has room for improvement.

Grade: A-

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