Absolver

If you’re into martial arts, deep customization, and challenging combat, Absolver might catch your eye. It’s a visually stunning game with a unique fighting system, but it’s not without its flaws. Here’s my honest, aspect-by-aspect review to help you decide if it’s worth your time.

Visual & Art Style – 8/10

Right away, Absolver had me with its look. The world is bright and the character outfits are detailed. It's like you're inside a cool martial arts cartoon. You can make your character look really unique. I love that the visuals pull you into its strange, martial arts world.

Combat System – 9/10

The absolute heart of the game. Absolutely everything about the combat system feels incredibly responsive, fluid, and infinitely satisfying. I thoroughly enjoyed building a unique fighting style through mixing moves and counters, which gave every single fight a highly personal, rewarding feel. The process of mastering the combat mechanics took a fair amount of effort, but gaining the ability to effectively use the combat mechanics felt like being a true "martial artist." One of the most engaging and strategic melee combat systems I have ever played.

Multiplayer & PvP – 8/10

Playing with my buddies or random people online was really fun too. The 3v3 modes, especially, witnessed some unmatchable gaming moments for me, lively with laughter and adrenaline. I was thankful for the always-on friendly fire rule which compelled us to think of a plan and talk to each other. The number of players has dropped, but the main multiplayer modes still offer a lot of fun and the challenge of the core.

Content & Replayability – 5/10

Unfortunately, I found that the smallness of Absolver's map and the lack of depth (i.e. very little actual story to speak of) put a damper on the replayability factor for me. I had completed nearly everything after approximately 30-40 hours played. The fact that there is no real PvE/content in the game beyond the main storyline or beyond level-cap activities makes it hard for me to play over and over.

Learning Curve & Community – 6/10

The tutorial tells you the basics, but doesn't give you preparations for being good. New people can get annoyed because they repeatedly lose without some direction. The community, actually, started getting more toxic over time, people spamming meta abilities or disrespecting others. Such a pity because the game's mechanics are a lot of fun, while the attitude of people is a turn-off.

Overall Experience & Feel – 7.5/10

Absolver is a great fighting game that is unique and creative in the end. Its personalization, fight, and beauty are the things that make it very special in the martial arts genre. A player who is passionate about competitive melee combat and different fighting styles is to be considered in such a case. The lack of things to do and a shrinking community mean you might not play it forever without updates.

Final Score: 7.5/10

If you see Absolver available for a low price, I would suggest you definitely give it a shot! Not only is it an incredibly beautiful game, the gameplay itself has lots of depth and is quite entertaining. But please do keep in mind that at this point in time, Absolver is very much a niche game with some "unpolished" areas.