There’s no other game quite like Absolver. Parisian indie developer, Sloclap, has defined it as an online melee action game, which is appropriate but doesn’t quite tell the whole story. Dig a little deeper and you’ll uncover an intriguing marriage between 3D fighting games, deck builders, and online open-world RPGs, with a broad spectrum of influences ranging from Tekken, to Dark Souls, God Hand, and even Journey Come from Sports betting site VPbet . It’s a curious transmogrification of contrasting genres, yet it’s Absolver’s third-person brawling, and the unique Combat Deck, that form the game’s beating heart.
Your journey in Absolver begins when you arrive in the collapsed empire of Adal. Despite its modest size, this once thriving civilization is impressively varied. Whether it’s the vibrant colours of the verdant Hunter’s Path, the orange hues cast by the setting sun at Bird Callers Outpost, or the muted tinge that envelops the swamplands of the Forgotten Temple. Its cities and townships, too, are refreshingly diverse: the architecture is inspired by ancient cultures like the Vikings and Greeks, with large wooden halls sitting in stark contrast to the opulent white marble of the Tower of Adal. The clean, delightful simplicity of Absolver’s art design–and its use of eye-catching colour–establishes cohesion between these distinct locales that gives Adal a crucial sense of place.
Yet the beauty of Absolver’s lush greenery and glistening waterfalls belies the weary souls left behind in Adal’s crumbling ruins. These solemn warriors failed on their search for absolution, and you’ll hope not to succumb to the same fate.
[Absolver has] an unparalleled combat system that’s immensely deep and provides a wonderful sense of ownership over your character
As a fresh-faced Prospect, your goal in Absolver is simple: defeat a series of mini-bosses known as the Marked Ones to gain entry into the Tower of Adal. Once there, you must fight your way to its summit, and face off against one final boss to prove your worth and earn the right to join the vaunted ranks of the Absolvers. This expedition isn’t quite as straightforward as it sounds, of course, especially with so many battle-hardened warriors standing in your way. But the story in Absolver doesn’t stretch itself much beyond this singular quest. There are some sprinklings of lore imparted by the few friendly NPCs you encounter on your travels, but the narrative is relatively minimalist. In truth, Absolver’s tales will permeate from those who play it, manifested in the fighting styles they build themselves.
You see, combat in Absolver is fully customisable. As you explore the open-world of Adal, you’ll wander into skirmishes and accrue attribute points that can be spent on levelling up familiar stats like strength, dexterity, vitality, and so on. As you engage in combat, however, you’ll also gradually learn new moves by blocking, dodging, or parrying unknown attacks from your opponents. You start off with only a handful of moves, but there are 180 in total, and the only way to learn them all is by fighting enemies and other players that use them, or by joining a school where a highly ranked player can take you under their tutelage. It’s a curious system that in some ways apes real life, as you learn new techniques simply by observing others. It also guarantees that even if you’re fighting with no real objective in mind, there’s a high chance you’re going to make some progress towards unlocking new moves that can then be incorporated into your ever-growing arsenal.
This assortment of moves is displayed in Absolver’s Combat Deck. Although you pick a fighting style at the game’s outset that comes complete with its own defensive maneuvers and preset combos, you can go into the Combat Deck at any time and build your own moveset to completely alter the way you fight. In practice, there are four different combat stances that represent your orientation relative to your opponent: front left, front right, back left, and back right. Each move begins and ends in one of these stances, so if you map out a sequence of moves correctly, you can chain together long strings of combinations that elegantly flow from one stance to the next. You might begin a combo in the front left stance, throwing a couple of quick jabs that end in a guardbreaking palm strike and shift into the bottom right stance, enabling you to unleash a flurry of powerful kicks on a staggered foe. With various properties applied to some moves, and power, range, and speed benefits to consider, there’s a lot to sink your teeth into. It’s an unparalleled combat system that’s immensely deep and provides a wonderful sense of ownership over your character.
