Despite being a long-time admirer of beat ’em ups, I’ve never been very good at them. For me, they sit within the same skill category as fighting games; I can usually muddle my way through, but not without the ever-present awareness that if only I were a little bit better, I could access the layers of depth that await those skilled – and patient – enough to push beneath the surface.

The last beat ’em up I played to any meaningful degree was 2020’s excellent Streets Of Rage 4. Developed collectively by Dotemu, Guard Crush, and Lizardcube, it served as a much-needed shot in the arm for the genre. Precise, weighty combat was paired with pristine visuals that burst off the screen, making for a sublime fourth entry in the beloved Sega series. I spent many, many agonising hours attempting to conquer its final boss, but the struggle was worth it in the end. The three teams had proven themselves worthy caretakers of the Mega Drive classic, as well as the genre as a whole.

Enter Absolum, the latest project from the same collective (minus Lizardcube) that showcases their beat ’em up expertise within an entirely original world. Playing as one of four wizards, you’ll brawl your way through a (fairly generic) fantasy realm on a quest to liberate magic from the sinister Sun King. What the world of Talamh may lack in intrigue, it more than makes up for in style: Absolum is, predictably, gorgeous. While not as vivid as Streets Of Rage 4, its bleak backgrounds and thick black outlines give the whole thing a comic book aesthetic that cements its dystopian fantasy setting.

Its enemies, too, are a delight. Goblins, dwarves, humans, and beasts come with a goofy kind of visual appeal, enhanced by a pleasing squash and stretch to their animations that keep things feeling light as you mash your fist into their faces. 

Of course, combat is the main draw here, and I’m pleased to say that this is an excellent example of a now-familiar system. You move from left to right, battering enemies with light, strong, and special attacks. The inclusion of a dodge that allows you to dash to safety (or even block oncoming attacks, if you time it correctly) is welcome, especially for more casual players. It’s all appropriately hefty, snappy, and fun.

However, the thing that has left me enamoured in the brief time I’ve spent with Absolum is its roguelite structure. Similar to Supergiant’s Hades, death is merely part of your larger journey to defeat the Sun King. If a Goblin gets the better of you, you’re returned to a hub area. Here, you can purchase permanent upgrades – or select a different character – before embarking on a fresh run. While adventuring, clearing each screen rewards you with perks that augment and improve your existing abilities. You know: Roguelite stuff.

This combination of genres pairs so well, it boggles the mind that there aren’t a hundred of these things out there already. Beginning their life in the arcades, beat ’em ups have always encouraged repetition as a means to mastery, offering multiple routes to discover and obscuring secrets to reward those who devour every screen. Wrap that in a structure that includes meta-progression in between runs, and what you have is – at this early stage, at least – something very special indeed.

As established up top, this gradual power scaling is especially appealing to me, someone who emailed the PR pre-release asking how to block in Streets Of Rage 4 (they were very polite as they told me you can’t). Previously, I would overcome a difficulty spike through sheer determination alone, but here I can shrug off a failure as just another step in my eventual success, the resources I’ve earned enhancing my character in tangible ways on my next run. Will diehard fans of the genre be put off by this? Potentially. But with combat as polished and exciting as it is, perhaps this between-run progression can be easily ignored.

Absolum is wonderful, then. And there’s still so much I haven’t seen! Never mind that I’ve yet to play it in co-op, which is clearly (and obviously) a core part of its appeal. I’m curious what beat ’em up sickos will make of it, and whether it has enough depth to keep even casual players occupied in the long run, but as it stands right now, I’m having a lot of fun. It’s good!