Absolum Review: Is It Worth Playing?

Absolutely, if you value challenging, skill-based combat intertwined with a rich, player-driven narrative. The game is a premium, single-player focused experience that demands patience to master its deep mechanics. While the high difficulty and deliberate pace may not suit everyone, the unparalleled satisfaction of a perfectly executed duel and the weight of your choices make it a must-buy for fans of thoughtful action-RPGs. It's an investment in a world that feels truly lived-in and reactive.

A focused playthrough of the main story will take roughly 25-30 hours. However, Absolum is designed for exploration and multiple playstyles, so engaging with major side quests, mastering different weapon arts, and uncovering the world's dense lore can easily push playtime to 50+ hours. With New Game+ offering remixed challenges and narrative variants, completionists can expect over 80 hours of deeply engaging content.

No, Absolum is a strictly single-player experience. The developers have focused all resources on crafting a dense, atmospheric world and a tailored combat system that reacts precisely to your choices and skill growth. While there is no co-op or PvP, the game features a robust asynchronous online system where you can see phantoms of other players' journeys, leave warnings, and compare your legacy on global leaderboards for key challenges.

Absolum launches on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. There are no announced plans for a Nintendo Switch version due to the game's technical demands. It is not available on any subscription service like Game Pass at launch; the developers have stated this is to ensure a full-price, premium launch that supports their vision. This could change in the distant future, but it's not planned for the first year.

While sharing DNA in demanding, deflection-focused combat, Absolum diverges significantly. Sekiro's combat is a refined dance with one primary weapon, whereas Absolum offers a vast arsenal with distinct RPG skill trees, allowing for builds from a nimble duelist to a heavy knight. Furthermore, Absolum emphasizes player choice and branching narratives, closer to a traditional WRPG, where your decisions alter factions, quests, and the world state—a layer of depth Sekiro intentionally forgoes for a fixed tale.