I have been excited for very few videogames the way I'm excited for Absolum. Guard Crush won my heart when it dropped Streets of Rage 4, a beat 'em up so fluid and skill-expressive it approaches the zenith of the genre, and so I was floored when I tried Absolum during Steam Next Fest earlier this year and felt it had the potential to be even better.
Part of that I attribute to its original fantasy world where it feels like the devs, unshackled by the aesthetic constraints of a 20-year-old series, were able to make something far more grandiose than grimy streetfights. Who better, then, to bang out the soundtrack than Yuka Kitamura, mastermind behind the tunes of Elden Ring and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice?
A studio recording was revealed during today's PC Gaming Show Tokyo Direct, interspersed with some new clips of the game's combat. It's all snarling strings and portentous vocal melodies, and given that it's performed by a live orchestra, it's a level of production value the sidescrolling beat 'em up is treated to less often than I'd like. Stylistically, it's perfect for what you'd expect from musical backing in a fantasy videogame.
The boss footage is no slouch either, and only makes me more impatient to finally get my hands on this thing. Time will tell if Absolum can pave a way forward for the venerable genre, but the stage is certainly set for the game to dazzle when it launches October 9.
If Absolum has caught your eye, you can check the demo out or wishlist the game on Steam.
Check out every game, trailer, and announcement in the PC Gaming Show Tokyo Direct.
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