Absolver is free to play for the weekend on Steam

Absolver is an online RPG-action game, released last year, about martial artists named Prospects wandering the fictional world of Adal in an endless quest to prove their worthiness by beating each other up. It's currently on sale on Steam for half-price—that's $15/£12.50/€15—and even better, it's free to play for the weekend. 

Despite being a bit of a tough nut to crack, we liked Absolver quite a bit: Tyler said in his 78/100 review that "a great customizable fighting system and a cooperative spirit fill the empty spaces in a bleak open world." 

"Absolver's world could use a bit of levity, but the mood of most of its population is cooperative and friendly so far," he wrote. "When it comes to getting us to act like fighters who respect our fellow fighters, even despite the frustration of steep level and skill gaps, Absolver's strange synthesis of Journey and martial arts has succeeded." 

Absolver will be free to play on Steam until 10 am PT on August 6, while the sale price will be in place until the same time on August 10. Sloclap and Devolver Digital also teased "a fantastic, mysterious new expansion," set to come to the game in the fall, "that will introduce a whole new way to experience the world of Adai." 

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.