Developer: Sloclap

Publisher: Devolver Digital

Engine: Unreal Engine 4

Platforms: PC, PS4

Release Date: August 29, 2017

If you happen to visit Sloclap's website you'll notice that there's nothing on it except for Absolver. The online melee action game that has created quite the buzz around the fighting game community is Sloclap's first major project. And they nailed their influences to a tee without coming off as a rip-off by sticking to the ground rules for a good fighting game. 

Once you get into Absolver, you'll quickly notice that the game resembles the look of an acrylic painting with visuals similar to Firewatch or The Witness. The visual aesthetics aren't the main draw of this game nor is the short single player campaign. It's the fighting system that makes the game feel unlike anything you've ever played. 

A 3D Fighter at its core, Absolver takes notes from the infamous Souls series, The King of Fighters and For Honor. However there's a twist. You make your own combat deck. Absolver's ace in the hole is giving players the ability to make their own combos. This makes Absolver unique in comparison to all its predecessors, where you only had to memorise the list of combos your opponents have in their depository. So ultimately it becomes a test of learning your opponent's moves as you fight them. It adds in a depth of intuitive learning unseen in most AAA fighting games. 

Despite the short campaign lasting only 6-8 hours, it hosts some of the best AI put in place in a fighting game but not "uncheesable", no video game AI is unfortunately. The story sadly falls short in delivering, leaving a lot of backstory and lore elements up for interpretation. The campaign is important, however, for learning new moves and levelling up which you will need in order to grow as a competitive player. You can also go through the campaign with friends and even be open to unsuspected intruders, all in the fashion of the Souls series albeit with the ability to play "Invite only" which will stop random players from "invading" you. 

Absolver still feels like a beta test which is a good thing. It shows that the developers are open to change for the better. The developers have already stated that they'll add more game modes complementing the 1v1 duel system already in place with parts of the map greyed out as of today which means, more maps to follow too. Absolver has a lot going for it in terms of a competitive game. It has a high skill ceiling and low skill floor on all accounts. It does not promote reactive play like Dark Souls nor is it about memorising combos like Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter. While the idea of making your own combat deck might make you feel uneasy at first, the game teaches you very easily how to do so and allows for customisation as you keep going forward. The scopes aren't infinite but they are seemingly endless. 

Absolver does need to incentivise players with a ranking system to strengthen the games competitive base and for its own longevity. The net code has not shown signs of jitters yet with proper servers in place so all in all Sloclap took the best from their influences and worked on the kinks that should have been in place in those games. If you're looking for a fresh and unique take on fighting games, Absolver is a must try. And if you're the rare Dark Souls veteran or a For Honor tryhard then it's perhaps finally time to move on to a fresher approach in the form of this wild card entry into the "Souls-like" formula. 

Asif Ayon's favorite color is a particular shade of ash but he tells everyone that his favorite color is blue. The alliteration in his name bothers him a lot too. To inquire more about what else keeps him up at night, hit him up at asifayon@live.com