If Absolum, developed by the creators of Streets of Rage 4, hints at the future of beat-’em-ups, I’m thrilled for where the genre is headed.

It’s unfair and frankly stupid to say that beat-’em-ups are a “solved” genre. There is no such thing. Especially in recent years, with indie developers pushing boundaries across the medium, we’ve seen all manner of ambitious releases revitalize norms in new and refreshing ways. But is Dotemu, fresh from the success of Streets of Rage 4, alongisde Guard Crush Games the right developers to do it? This question became silly once I tried out Absolum.

Absolum is a new beat-’em-up coming later this year to all platforms except from the Xbox, and I do feel it’s a loss they’ll feel deeply. It’s this wonderful blend of classic side scrolling action with rogue-like mechanics, in which each run invigorates not only your characters, but the overall narrative too. It’s incredibly moorish.

I’ll touch on the gameplay first. In the preview, I was able to play with two characters: Galandra and Karl. Galandra is this sleek elf lady with a big sword, able to weave hard-hitting and wide-spread combos, whereas Karl is a mean dwarf taking on the world with his gun and his fists, popping enemies off the ground which in turn allow for more stylish damage conversions.

You get all the beat-’em-up staples here, secret cubbies with food that restores health, bottomless pits you can throw enemies into, etc. But what is truly refreshing here is those aforementioned rogue-like staples! Return from a run with another special currency and you can unlock not only passive upgrades, but new special moves. These have the potential to totally flip your playstyle on its head.

A fantastic example comes with Karl, where he can unlock a new aerial attack which lets you to bounce off enemies for good damage and more air time, allowing for hilarious and frankly outrageous juggles. Or perhaps an aerial dash, in which Karl can use his gun to shoot off in multiple directions mid jump – multiple times!

All this is kept in check with some wonderful game design. Combo an enemy too long and they’ll take a massive spike of damage before spiraling out of your range. A smart way of say, no no, no infinites for you, but here’s a nice cash out for your effort. Rewarding players for mixing and matching attacks, playing with the systems, is a great way of turning casual interest into diehard obsession.

Okay, but what about the narrative? In the preview, I was limited to the first major zone, but there were multiple paths to get there. Go north, and I pass through a village with its own enemy type and boss fights. Go east, and you fight Goblins with their own champion. Okay, no big deal right? Well, what if I tell you that each path has its own side quests, which require you to venture down along another path the next time around? These quests unlock different paths with harder enemies, shortcuts, and various other prizes that make those early zones in a rogue-like dull over time.

This is important because… We’ve all been there! Once you get really good at a rogue-like, those initial levels do feel like dead time, good only for picking up items for a build you’re planning to capitalize on later. Take, Enter the Gungeon, which added the Oubliette as a way of skipping a floor at the cost of keys and harder fights. Here, I didn’t feel that desire to skip through those initial paths – I wanted to reexplore them to see what new events had popped up!

All this, wrapped in a lovely inked art style courtesy of French art studio Supamonks, and the game has this peculiar fantasy vibe to it. It’s dark, but not grim and sullen. It’s colourful, but not fangless. Absolum rides that line in a way that feels very, well, French. I mean that as the highest of compliments – Absolum brings a French comic style a la Asterix and Blue is the Warmest Colour. A triumph in aesthetic that sets this game apart.

By the time I had finished, I had beaten the first boss on two seperate runs (at both points a Dotemu dev made sure that I not see more, despite my desire to do so) and unlocked a third character, which I did not play nor can write about. What I can say is that, if content outside the bounds of the preview retains the same level of slick style and quality as what I played, Absolum is one to look out for.

Absolum is launching in 2025 on the PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Absolum was previewed at the Dotemu offices in Paris, with travel costs covered by Dotemu.