Absolum launches this October, and I’ve been hands-on with its frog wizard

Having been hands-on with Absolum earlier this year, I’m already convinced that it’s going to be another hit for Streets of Rage 4 collaborators Guard Crush and Dotemu. This fresh new IP combines slick beat ’em up action with roguelike elements in an immaculately realised fantasy world, bringing something that ultimately feels unique to the table. At Gamescom Opening Night Live it was announced that it will be launching this October, and we also got a look at another of the game’s playable characters: a magic-wielding frog called Brome.

Thanks to another preview build of Absolum, I’ve been able to go hands-on with the game once again, taking Brome for a spin, so to speak. I can tell you that he’s a fun character to play as straight from the off, largely thanks to the fact that he can ride on his wand, using it like a hoverboard. I mean, how cool is that?

Brome joins the fight against Sun King Azra in Absolum after witnessing the devastation and enslavement of his people, and it seems as though he’s going to be a valuable ally to previously revealed playable characters Galandra, Karl and Cider. You see, not only can he levitate to travel around and use his wand like a hoverboard, but he’s also pretty nifty in combat.

Spellcasters may be typically weak, but Brome can dish out considerable punishment up close with his melee attacks. But his magic attacks make him lethal at range, too, with him having access to powerful projectile attacks, beams and more. Of course, you’ll be able to customise your spell loadout as you play, and power up your abilities with perks. Add in the fact that Absolum’s combat system seems truly fantastic, allowing you to rack up ridiculous combos by juggling enemies, and we’re truly in for a treat when the full game launches.

In addition to being able to take control of Brome for the first time, I was also able to access a new location called Jaroba. I battled agile lizards and fierce wolves throughout a dense forest, before eventually coming across a battle arena. Here I fought against two powerful bosses, the latter being gargantuan in size, and discovered that I could hire mercenaries to fight alongside me should I have enough coin. That coin could also be used to buy valuable upgrades from a vendor, however, so some tough choices had to be made.

From the time I’ve spent with Absolum so far, I’ve got nothing but good things to say about it. Its visuals are eye-wateringly good, it’s an absolute pleasure to play, and its roguelike elements are set to give it considerable replayability. If you loved Streets of Rage 4 or are a fan of either the side-scrolling beat ’em up or roguelike genres, you need to keep this on your radar as we approach its October 9th release date.

Absolum launches October 9th on PS4, PS5, Switch and PC.