Absolum News

[p]Greetings, rebels!⚔️[/p][p][/p][p]The wait is almost over – Absolum is coming soon to Steam, and we’re thrilled to share the official pricing details with you! [/p][p]Many of you were wondering about the price, so here it is: Absolum will be priced at $24.99 / 20,99£ at launch![/p][p][/p]

[p]Keep in mind that the price varies from region to region.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Demo still available![/h3][p]Not sure whether Absolum is right for you? We’ve got you covered – try out the free demo and experience a taste of our Rogue ‘Em Up formula right now! [/p][p]Absolum’s demo features: [/p]

• [p]⚔️ Three Playable Fighters[/p]
• [p]🔓 Unlockable Advantages[/p]
• [p]🗺️ Rich Exploration[/p]
• [p]💬 Rewarding Quests[/p]
• [p]💥 A Climatic Boss Fight[/p]
• [p]🤝 Co-op/multiplayer supported (strongly encouraged!)[/p]

[p] Important note on Demo saves:[/p][p] This demo is a standalone experience, so your progress will not carry over to the full game, but we promise the full journey will be worth it.[/p]

[h3]
Physical pre-orders are open![/h3][p]Already convinced and looking to grab a physical edition? We’ve partnered with Silver Lining to offer Standard and Special Editions of Absolum for PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. These physical editions will launch alongside the digital version on October 9th![/p][p]The Special Edition, available via Silver Lining Direct, includes the following content:[/p]

• [p]Four Exclusive Metal Pins – Featuring designs of Absolum's outcast heroes.[/p]
• [p]Full-Color Art Booklet – Packed with stunning illustrations and concept art straight from the developers.[/p]
• [p]Poster-Quality Artwork – A bold, high-quality print that brings Absolum's world to life.[/p]
• [p]Four Character Cards – Spotlighting the key characters from the game's world.[/p]
• [p]Collector's Box – A specially designed Special Edition collector's box.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Play the demo right now - and share your feedback with us![/h3][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]Dive into the demo and let us know your feedback! Your thoughts are invaluable as we continue to shape Absolum's future. Share your feedback with us on the Steam forums, our official Discord, or in a Steam review.[/p][p]We can't wait to hear your thoughts on Absolum✨[/p][p][/p][h3]Join the rebellion by following us on social media and rise against the Sun King![/h3]

• [p]X - Dotemu[/p]
• [p]X - Guard Crush Games[/p]
• [p]X - Supamonks[/p]
• [p]X - Absolum[/p]
• [p]Instagram - Absolum[/p]
• [p]Instagram - Dotemu[/p]
• [p]Instagram - Supamonks[/p]

[p]And you can also find us on Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, and TikTok! [/p][p]
[/p][p]Praise the Blessed Mothers, rebels.[/p][p]
[/p]

[p]Guard Crush Games and Dotemu have been partners for years, and we’re thrilled to continue working with them. Their contributions go far beyond simply programming the game. So, who exactly are they, and what role do they play in the development of Absolum?[/p][p] [/p][h3]About Guard Crush Games[/h3][p]Guard Crush Games is an independent game studio based in Montreal, renowned for their expertise in side-scrolling beat 'em up games. The studio was founded by a group of passionate developers with a deep love for classic arcade-style action games. They previously worked on Streets of Fury, a lesser-known but highly regarded beat 'em up featuring digitized character sprites.[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][h3]What do they do on Absolum?[/h3][p]Guard Crush is responsible for writing 100% of the code that powers Absolum. These talented programmers thrive on technical challenges, providing powerful editor tools and flexible code that’s perfect for game designers.[/p][p][/p][p]Their expertise extends beyond just coding. They play a crucial role in areas like UI design, game feel, and game inputs. Their contributions ensure that Absolum has a polished, responsive design that feels intuitive to players. Together with our designers, Guard Crush works hard to deliver the best gamepad experience possible, and we’re confident you’ll appreciate the effort.[/p][p][/p][p]They also know all there is to know about frames, identifying precisely what is required in order to offer the best combat experience, both in single-player and multiplayer modes. For example, latency can be a challenge: you want the game to feel smooth and responsive when playing with friends – something that several games struggle with![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]The Guard Crush Engine[/h3][p]Over the years Guard Crush has developed a powerful engine that is highly specialized in Beat ‘Em Ups, probably the best-performing engine in the genre.[/p][p]In a world where many developers rely on Unity, this engine is a true gem. It allows us to push the boundaries of reactivity and intuitive game controls, something no competitor has access to. This is our secret weapon: the Guard Crush Games Engine.
[/p][p]For Absolum, Guard Crush had to design and build new tools to address the unique challenges of this beat 'em up, such as level verticality, precise hitboxes, and multiplayer synchronization. Some of these tools were carried over from previous games, and they will continue to be developed into the future! For instance, level design is crucial across all of our games, and the engine facilitates the process, enabling our level designers to tweak and alter every element to ensure the entire level is as compelling as possible.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]A new challenge for Guard Crush with Absolum was integrating roguelike elements. Coding for a roguelite requires exposing and balancing many variables: move speed, HP, dash effects, etc. Roguelikes are organized chaos: you need to be able to combine everything!
[/p][p]Tracking quests and mission progress was another new addition for Guard Crush. We need to ensure that all your game progress is recorded and organized properly across saves. The quests need to be properly registered, followed and organized in order to make sure none of your progress is lost.[/p][p][/p][p]There’s a lot to say about this engine, but we want to keep a few secrets as well, hehe…
[/p][p]A huge thank you to all the talented coders at Guard Crush for their dedication and hard work![/p][h3]
Play Absolum's Demo now![/h3][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]Your feedback is very valuable to us and for the game's future. So, please don't hesitate to share it with us on the Steam forums, our official Discord, or in a review![/p][p]We can't wait to hear your thoughts on Absolum✨[/p][p] [/p][h3]Join the rebellion by following us on social media and rise against the Sun King![/h3]

• [p]X - Dotemu[/p]
• [p]X - Guard Crush Games[/p]
• [p]X - Supamonks[/p]
• [p]X - Absolum[/p]
• [p]Instagram - Absolum[/p]
• [p]Instagram - Dotemu[/p]
• [p]Instagram - Supamonks[/p]

[p] And you can also find us on Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, TikTok, and on Discord! [/p][p][/p][p]Praise the Blessed Mothers, rebels. [/p]

[p]Greetings, rebels! ⚔️[/p][p][/p][p]Today, we’re absolutely thrilled to reveal that Absolum will launch on October 9 – but that’s not all! [/p][p][/p][p]With the announcement of our release date, we’re delighted to introduce you to Brome, Absolum’s fourth playable character – he joins and completes Absolum’s playable cast![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]WATCH OUR RELEASE DATE TRAILER![/p][p][/p][p]Absolum’s release date trailer debuts Brome, a Mowlai (humanoid frog) and wizard prodigy on a mission to preserve the future generations of his people.[/p][p][/p][p]Marred by witnessing the devastation and enslavement of his people, Brome is torn between his species’ spiritual education and succumbing to rage from the injustice he’s witnessed – but he now leaves a life of fear and hiding behind, and joins Galandra, Karl, and Cider in their fight against the deadly Sun King and his Crimson Order![/p][p][/p][p]Brome travels by levitation, using his staff for melee combos, ranged and AoE spellcasting, and – of course – hoverboard-style gliding. 
[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Wishlist Absolum now, play the demo, and prepare to face Azra and his Crimson Order when the game launches October 9![/h3][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]Important note on Demo saves:[/p][p]This demo is a standalone experience. Your progress will not carry over to the full game, but we promise that the journey will be worth it.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Join the rebellion by following us on social media and rise against the Sun King![/h3]

• [p]X - Dotemu[/p]
• [p]X - Guard Crush Games[/p]
• [p]X - Supamonks[/p]
• [p]X - Absolum[/p]
• [p]Instagram - Absolum[/p]
• [p]Instagram - Dotemu[/p]
• [p]Instagram - Supamonks[/p]

[p]And you can also find us on Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, TikTok, and on Discord![/p][p][/p][p]Praise the Blessed Mothers, rebels.[/p]

[p]Our vibrant world would be nothing without its artists! Let’s meet them.[/p][p][/p][h3]What is Supamonks?[/h3][p]Supamonks is an animation studio based in Paris, France. They’ve delivered amazing artistic work, in collaboration with our game and narrative designers. They were brought into the project very early on, and helped build the foundations of what Absolum is today! [/p][p]By producing all the art content throughout the game, they are absolutely vital to the production.[/p][p][/p][h3]Who worked on Absolum?[/h3][p]These are all the artists who have worked on Absolum (we hope we haven’t left anyone out!)
[/p][p]
Thank you to all of them, it’s almost impossible to showcase the vast amount of artwork that has gone into making the game what it is today.[/p][p][/p][h3]Art Direction[/h3][p]Maxime is our Art Director, everything goes through him. [/p][p]He’s responsible for the game looking as good as it possibly can. Obviously, he’s also a super-talented artist. He has dedicated countless hours to creating sprites for the game.[/p][p][/p][h3]Character Design[/h3][p]One of Supamonks’ first tasks was character design, and working on how our heroes are presented to the players. This is a very important step for the animation: we want just the right attention to detail for a rational time spent in animation.[/p][carousel][/carousel][h3]Animation[/h3][p]Animation is a tricky one. You want the game to feel fluid, but you also want to make it rationally doable. If the game is too heavy on fluidity, you risk spending an unfeasible amount of time on it. At the same time, Absolum wouldn’t be as fluid as it is without the impressive amount of frames that have been created! We are extremely grateful to Leonard and his team, who rose to the challenge and found the perfect balance. [/p][carousel][/carousel][h3]FX Work[/h3][p]Pierre is our main FX artist, responsible for making the design AND art of the game work perfectly together. We needed to have everyone work hand in hand to make sure the FX are placed, integrated and triggered correctly. This is extremely important, but also challenging to coordinate![/p][p][/p][h3]UI & UX Design[/h3][p]At Dotemu we have our own designer, Laurane, who also does a lot of work around the interfaces and icons produced for the game. She’s working hand in hand with both the programmer and the art director Maxime to make sure everything is consistent.
[/p][h3]Trailer Art[/h3][p]Working with an animation studio offers another great perk: it makes it that much easier to produce a truly epic trailer. We showcased it in March, and the response has been absolutely stunning: 30k wishlists in our first month! Thank you to Sebastien Iglesias for your work as trailer director on this.[/p][carousel][/carousel][h3]Environment Art[/h3][p]Manuel is our main environment artist and, oh boy, nothing can prepare you for the incredible amount of environment art in Absolum! [/p][p]One of the hardest things about the environment is polishing everything, because there’s just so much content. We’re quietly confident you’ll be more than impressed by how good and immersive the environments look.[/p][p] [/p][p]We could spend countless hours speaking about the art of Absolum, but the best thing would be to just get the artbook we’re planning… hehe…[/p][p][/p][p]Anyways, that’s all for now, rebels -- but stay tuned, we'll be sharing more insights on Absolum's behind-the-scenes in the upcoming week![/p][p][/p][p]and, to keep you waiting...[/p][p][/p][h3]Play Absolum's Demo now![/h3][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]Your feedback is very valuable to us and for the game's future. So, please don't hesitate to share it with us on the Steam forums, our official Discord, or in a review![/p][p]We can't wait to hear your thoughts on Absolum✨[/p][p] [/p][h3]Join the rebellion by following us on social media and rise against the Sun King![/h3]

• [p]X - Dotemu[/p]
• [p]X - Guard Crush Games[/p]
• [p]X - Supamonks[/p]
• [p]X - Absolum[/p]
• [p]Instagram - Absolum[/p]
• [p]Instagram - Dotemu[/p]
• [p]Instagram - Supamonks[/p]

[p] And you can also find us on Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, TikTok, and on Discord! [/p][p][/p][p]Praise the Blessed Mothers, rebels. [/p]

[p]Greetings, rebels!⚔️[/p][p][/p][p]We're glad to see that you've been enjoying your time in the lands of Talamh so far – it has been heartwarming to see your response to the game! [/p][p]We also wanted to thank those of you who took the time to write detailed feedback about the demo; it has been of great help as we work towards the game's final version.[/p][p][/p][h3]Absolum's demo will remain available for a few more weeks![/h3][p]Today, we've come bearing great news![/p][p]For those who hadn’t the time to vanquish the Underking, experiment with different combos, unlock every advantage, or clear every optional quest yet, don’t worry – we’ve got you! [/p][p]Even though the Steam Next Fest just ended, Absolum’s demo will remain available for a few weeks, leaving you additional time to roam the region of Grandery![/p][p][/p][p]And for those of you who have already been convinced by the game...[/p][p][/p][h3]Physical pre-orders are open![/h3][p]We've partnered up with Silver Lining to provide you with physical Standard and Special editions of Absolum for PlayStation 5 and Switch, which will be releasing alongside the digital edition when it launches later in 2025![/p][p]The Special Edition, available via Silver Lining Direct, includes the following content:[/p]

• [p]Four Exclusive Metal Pins – Featuring designs of Absolum's outcast heroes.[/p]
• [p]Full-Color Art Booklet – Packed with stunning illustrations and concept art straight from the developers.[/p]
• [p]Poster-Quality Artwork – A bold, high-quality print that brings Absolum's world to life.[/p]
• [p]Four Character Cards – Spotlighting the key characters from the game's world.[/p]
• [p]Collector's Box – A specially designed Special Edition collector's box.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Play the demo right now - and share your feedback with us![/h3][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]Your feedback is very valuable to us and for the game's future. Please don't hesitate to share it with us on the Steam forums, our official Discord, or in a review![/p][p]We can't wait to hear your thoughts on Absolum✨[/p][p]
[/p][h3]Join the rebellion by following us on social media and rise against the Sun King![/h3]

• [p]X - Dotemu[/p]
• [p]X - Guard Crush Games[/p]
• [p]X - Supamonks[/p]
• [p]X - Absolum[/p]
• [p]Instagram - Absolum[/p]
• [p]Instagram - Dotemu[/p]
• [p]Instagram - Supamonks[/p]

[p]
And you can also find us on Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, and TikTok!

Praise the Blessed Mothers, rebels. [/p]