Absolum, Dotemu’s upcoming “rogue ’em up” title revealed a new character in a trailer yesterday along with exciting news about a demo for next week’s Steam Next Fest. Guard Crush Games, which has worked with Dotemu before on Streets of Rage 4, is co-developing the game with Supamonks. Let’s take a look at the trailer where they reveal the new character Cider.
Teaming up with an animation studio is likely why the animations in the game look so smooth. It’s hard to ignore how stunning this game looks from the trailer. The trailer introduces Cider, Absolum’s until-now unreleased character. Cider is a mix between human and construct, who died and was rebuilt by a puppeteer. Although reborn, Cider maintains their memories of a life spent with outlaws on the run using high-flying kicks, handaxes, and an extendable arm.
Along with the trailer comes the announcement of Absolum’s first demo coming alongside Steam Next Fest. This is Absolum’s first demo since the game was revealed in March of this year.
Absolum Demo Key Features
- Three Playable Fighters – Play as Cider or the sword-clad fighter Galandra and tanklike dwarf Karl, each boasting distinct playstyles and advantages.
- Unlockable Advantages – Boost your stats with earned XP and gain new abilities like elemental magic to tailor a hard-hitting moveset to your liking.
- Rich Exploration – Tour the forked roads of Absolum’s expansive Grandery, a mountainous, jagged coastline where a delicate harmony between goblins, humans and dwarves has been eroded by greed and fresh bloodshed.
- Rewarding Quests – Reach deeper into Absolum’s fascinating world by discovering and clearing optional quests, gaining intel and treasure alike.
- A Climatic Boss Fight – Test your mastery of battle against The Underking, a titan-sized, maddened ruler armed with a wide-reaching pickaxe that spews flames and lobs crushing stone.
With branching pathways to explore, quests to discover, intriguing characters to encounter, and a deep variety of challenging bosses in store, Absolum’s gripping fantasy tale unravels a compelling adventure channeling the spirit of classic brawlers like Golden Axe and Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara. Unlock items, quests, and permanent warrior upgrades while exploring Absolum’s world through runs steeped in variety, excitement and challenge in a design that maximizes approachability and replayability.
Absolum features an engaging narrative with themes of foiling an unbridled, dictatorial power and cheating Death itself. In the world of Talamh, a cataclysmic event caused by magic prompts the Sun King Azra to conquer all lands and sources of magic through brutal warfare, slaughtering any wizard unwilling to serve him. Talamh’s hope now lies with a defiant band of rebels aided by a mysterious, mythical mentor known as Uchawi and the similarly powerful Root Sisters, who together oppose Azra’s pursuit of total power by wielding an ancient, forbidden magic. These mythical forces empower our rebels with astonishing magic as they stoke a resistance, fight Azra’s iron grip on Talamh, and discover the secret behind Azra’s ever-growing dominion.
Absolum is clearly inspired by some of the best. While focusing on the beat ’em up aspect, the experience system, quests, and treasure all lean into Dotemu’s ability to draw action RPG elements into the beat ’em up genre. The press release also boasts collaboration between several composers including Gareth Coker, Motoi Sakuraba, and Mick Gordon. Here’s to hoping they all got paid.
Absolum’s Character Line-up
- Galandra – Giant sword, chilling destructive necromantic powers.
- Karl – Free dwarf of Talamh. Ancestral blunderbuss, bare fists, raw strength.
- Brome – Wizard prodigy, mission to preserve the future of his people
- Cider – Nimble skirmisher, in search of answers among the fragments of their soul
In a beat ’em up, 4 characters is really nothing to sneeze at. Watching some of the trailer, the stream, and press information, the mix of characters is good. It truly looks like Absolum’s character play style has something for everyone.
Absolum’s Steam Next Fest demo will be available between June 9th to the 16th on its Steam page. While there’s no solid release date yet, Dotemu is aiming to release Absolum in 2025 on PC via Steam, PlayStation 4 & 5, and Nintendo Switch. If you’d like to show your interest in the title beyond playing the demo, please make sure to add it to your wishlist. Stay tuned to Monstervine.com as we continue coverage on Absolum, Dotemu, Guard Crush Games, and beat ’em up games.
