| Areajugones |
Ronald Goncalves |
9 / 10 |
09-01-2017 |
Sloclap has delivered one of the best indie games of this 2017. Although it lacks a deep and more interesnting story, it has unique combat and gameplay mechanics that are rewarded with a great progression. An amazing journey and a stunning game. |
Read review |
| Ars Technica |
Steven Strom |
Recommended |
08-29-2017 |
Absolver trades in tutorials for mystique, but if you think you can climb the learning curve, you should try it. |
Read review |
| CGMagazine |
Jesse Cabral |
8.5 / 10 |
09-20-2017 |
Absolver is a game that rewards players with a unique Kung-Fu fighter to master. Good luck on your Kung-Fu quest. |
Read review |
| COGconnected |
Felix Wong |
85 / 100 |
08-30-2017 |
_____________________________ |
Read review |
| Cubed3 |
Sam Turner |
8 / 10 |
09-22-2017 |
Absolver is an experience shrouded in patience and unerring attention to detail. It ultimately rewards players who are happy to spend the time picking apart tiny parts of the title’s deceptively simple combat and world building. It is atrociously difficult at times, but such is the framing of the game, Absolver’s difficulty curve is designed to teach and inspire, rather than frustrate. Although rather short at around five to six hours, Absolver is still a delicate examination of martial arts and how game design can drastically impact the lessons the player should draw from the world. |
Read review |
| Cultured Vultures |
Jimmy Donnellan |
7.5 / 10 |
09-03-2017 |
Absolver is great at its core, but it definitely needs more meat on its bones if it wants to stick around. |
Read review |
| Destructoid |
Raymond Porreca |
7.5 / 10 |
08-29-2017 |
Absolver’s sure to be divisive. There’s a clear vision that shines throughout the game. Its combat system encourages a granular knowledge of the different moves and potential combos that stem from each directional stance. But while the appeal will be apparent to the competitive-minded player, Absolver’s pointed focus is complex enough to turn others away. The journey from lowly Prospect to Absolver is arduous and challenging, but it’s hardly inviting. |
Read review |
| Digital Trends |
Phil Hornshaw |
4 / 5 stars |
09-01-2017 |
“Absolver” mixes a deep, smart and tough combat system with unpredictable multiplayer encounters. |
Read review |
| Digitally Downloaded |
Matt C. |
3.5 / 5 stars |
09-21-2017 |
If the network was more stable and the game played more to its strengths around one-on-one combat, this would be a game I’d recommend in a heartbeat. It’s still well worth a look even with those flaws, but I can’t help but imagine what could have been. |
Read review |
| EGM |
Nick Plessas |
6.5 / 10 |
09-05-2017 |
Absolver can be rewarding for those that dedicate the appropriate amount of time and attention it requires, but its complexities can be hard to break into. Even when Absolver is mastered, the resulting expertise seems to have little impact on the competitive side of the experience. |
Read review |
| Eurogamer |
Edwin Evans-Thirlwell |
Recommended |
08-30-2017 |
A one-of-a-kind blend of blood-thumping martial arts, combo curation and grindy multiplayer set in a ravishing wasteland. |
Read review |
| Fextralife |
Castielle |
7.5 / 10 |
09-05-2017 |
Absolver seems to be a conflict of two games. In one corner you have the “Souls-like” world to explore cooperatively or competitively with other players, that seems to be the original idea of the developers. And in the other you have a hardcore fighting game that doesn’t need a rich open world at all in order to be successful, which seems to be what Absolver evolved into. Many players will feel short-changed that the former was sacrificed to make way for the latter, and I anticipate that this game will have an extremely niche player-base. For 29.99 USD Absolver is slightly overpriced, but if you really enjoy a good fighting game, then this one is right on the mark. |
Read review |
| Game Debate |
Stuart Thomas |
5.5 / 10 |
09-30-2017 |
Squee: I was just waiting for it to be fun. And I’m still waiting. |
Read review |
| Game Informer |
Daniel Tack |
6.8 / 10 |
08-29-2017 |
A short and barren single-player adventure that’s really only for players who want to dig into the multiplayer components |
Read review |
| Gameblog |
Jonathan Bushle |
7 / 10 |
09-06-2017 |
Absolver is charming beat them all with some good Dark Souls elements, with a big PvE section. Its combat mechanics, where you can customize your own combos sets, is great but the whole system is a little bit rigid, so the multiplayers fights might not feel very pleasant to everyone. |
Read review |
| GameCrate |
Nate Hohl |
8.3 / 10 |
09-05-2017 |
It still remains to be seen how much long-term potential Absolver has, but I’m confident that Sloclap will slowly build the game up into a unique hybrid of a story-driven martial arts adventure and a sustainable (not to mention unique) online fighting game. Again, I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, but I could see Absolver becoming one of the big standout hits of 2017 and beyond, and I hope Sloclap sees that as well. |
Read review |
| Gamefa |
Hossein Sadri |
6 / 10 |
10-11-2017 |
Absolver has great battles and incredible online features. But not having an offline story mode, missions, fragile in-game environment and surroundings and the average music tracks has made this game an ordinary one. |
Read review |
| GameMAG |
xtr |
6 / 10 |
12-17-2017 |
Absolver is a good attempt to make a complex martial arts simulator that suffers from a lack of a normal map, a small amount of content, a broken cooperative mode and a strange system of mastering moves. Developers should have added new zones, schools and tests, and at the same time make interesting missions and events for people who have played the game several times and just do not know what else to do. |
Read review |
| Gameplanet |
Ben Allan |
Recommended |
09-08-2017 |
In a way, Absolver turns a truth about the genre into a kind of design aesthetic and philosophy; the ultimate raison d’etre of this fighting game is for you to get better at fighting. When you click to this, it becomes a Zen-epic sort of proposition, as you wander around the gorgeous and melancholy Adal getting into lonely contests under dappled greenery and atop perilous ledges, sloooooowly learning the skills you need to better defend yourself. |
Read review |
| GamePro |
Elena Schulz |
73 / 100 |
09-01-2017 |
Absolver offers too little long-term motivation, but, however, has potential with its combat system and the exciting multiplayer dynamics. |
Read review |
| GameSkinny |
Joseph Rowe |
6 / 10 |
08-31-2017 |
Absolver is an amazing game buried underneath a ton of server issues and bugs. |
Read review |
| GameSpot |
Richard Wakeling |
8 / 10 |
08-29-2017 |
Absolver’s methodical combat would be superlative on its own, but the unique customisation of its Combat Deck takes this melee brawler to thrilling new heights. |
Read review |
| GamesRadar+ |
Sam Prell |
4.5 / 5 stars |
08-29-2017 |
Absolver feels like a (difficult, sometimes frustrating) step into a larger world, and if you can hang with it, it’ll leave you hungry for more. |
Read review |
| GameZone |
Steve Knauer |
7 / 10 |
09-05-2017 |
The combat is beautifully choreographed and well thought out. It’s really fulfilling, but the game does little to help you figure out how to perfect certain moves. |
Read review |
| Gaming Nexus |
Patrick Aloia |
9.5 / 10 |
08-29-2017 |
Absolver is one of the top games of the year. While its level design can use some work, its combat system should be studied and worshiped by anyone trying to make a fighting game. |
Read review |
| GamingBolt |
Ravi Sinha |
6 / 10 |
09-01-2017 |
With so many different ideas mixed in with a compelling fighting system, Absolver should be better than it is but comes off as needing a lot more work to become truly great, letalone good. |
Read review |
| GamingTrend |
Victor Grunn |
85 / 100 |
10-07-2017 |
Combining gorgeous if deceptively simple graphics with an innovative approach to combat, Absolver is a welcome breath of fresh air to the sometimes predictable fighting game genre. |
Read review |
| God is a Geek |
Gary Bailey |
9 / 10 |
08-29-2017 |
Combining unique and rewarding combat with the freedom to explore its beautiful areas in any order you see fit, Absolver is one of the best adventures of the year. |
Read review |
| Hardcore Gamer |
Kyle LeClair |
4 / 5 stars |
08-30-2017 |
We may have to wait for Absolver’s post-launch content and updates to see if it can truly becomes a legend among fighters, but even as is, it’s a highly-entertaining brawler. |
Read review |
| IGN |
Leif Johnson |
7.6 / 10 |
08-29-2017 |
Absolver is a beautiful martial-arts fighting game that allows for an impressive degree of personalized play with its innovative combat deck system, which lets you learn skills from combat with other players and NPCs. Unfortunately, it only comes with a single PvP arena mode at launch, and its fascinatingly nebulous campaign breaks off early and abruptly. It feels like an early access game with a ton of potential, but it’s not quite there yet. |
Read review |
| IGN Italy |
Biagio Etna |
7.9 / 10 |
09-11-2017 |
Absolver presents itself as a very interesting hybrid: a fighting game inserted in an online context and a decadent, fascinating open world. Unfortunately, several lag problems undermine overall quality: patches are coming out to solve the problem, but the feeling of being in front of a still “rough” code is always very strong. |
Read review |
| Impulsegamer |
Nathan Misa |
4.1 / 5 stars |
09-11-2017 |
Absolver is an ambitious and unique indie fighting game/action-RPG with ample character customisation, compelling PvE and PvP content and an engaging martial-arts focused melee combat system that rewards practice. |
Read review |
| Kinglink Reviews |
Kinglink Reviews |
2 / 5 stars |
03-22-2019 |
Absolver is a 3d fighter that shows off a very interesting engine, but doesn’t do enough with it. The game short, and the PVP is dying with player counts in the low triple digits. |
Read review |
| Kotaku |
Eric Van Allen |
Recommended |
09-12-2017 |
Whether you spend a handful of hours seeing the sights or days delving into meta-discussions on the best builds, Absolver’s fresh approach to hand-to-hand combat is a welcome addition to the pantheon of one-on-one fighters. |
Read review |
| Metro GameCentral |
GameCentral |
7 / 10 |
09-04-2017 |
It often feels unrefined and unbalanced, but the uniquely tactical combat system, and Dark Souls influences, create one of the most enjoyably different fighting games of recent years. |
Read review |
| MMORPG.com |
William Murphy |
7 / 10 |
08-29-2017 |
Absolver is a great combat game, and a fantastic blend of genres. It’s just sad that the PVE side of things is so short, because I’d really have enjoyed the game if there was more of an adventure to play through. Still, if you’re an old pro and fan of fighting games then Absolver may very well be worth the buy. It’s unique blend of ARPG and traditional kung-fu mastering is a whole lot of fun. |
Read review |
| MonsterVine |
Diego Escala |
3.5 / 5 stars |
08-29-2017 |
Absolver is the kind of game that is brilliant when you focus on its combat, but when you start to look at the overall product you start to notice the imperfections. |
Read review |
| Nerd Much? |
Bobby Bernstein |
8 / 10 |
08-30-2017 |
Absolver feels like a game of martial arts chess, where both your fighting skills and your mind at the same time. |
Read review |
| New Game Network |
Peter Glagowski |
55 / 100 |
09-10-2017 |
The concept behind Absolver is intriguing, but its execution and lack of staying power make it a very tough recommendation. If you’re willing to put up with tedium, maybe joining a guild and learning new moves will be for you. For others, I’d say give this a pass. |
Read review |
| PC Gamer |
Tyler Wilde |
78 / 100 |
08-29-2017 |
A great customizable fighting system and a cooperative spirit fill the empty spaces in a bleak open world. |
Read review |
| PCGamesN |
Kirk McKeand |
8 / 10 |
08-28-2017 |
Absolver feels very special when it works as intended. |
Read review |
| PlayStation LifeStyle |
Ahmed Mohamed |
6 / 10 |
09-04-2017 |
While Absolver is up and down in a lot of places, the game just doesn’t come together well. There’s something about the underlying design that makes it feel disjointed. Most of this comes from the quasi-open world aspect, but the ridiculous level of grinding involved and the disconnected PvP mode makes Absolver feel like a game that’s at war with itself. It certainly has the potential to be great though, with more of a focus on interweaving the PvE and PvP content as well as some expansions to the tight and narrow world of Adal and a very much needed mini-map system. |
Read review |
| PlayStation Universe |
Garri Bagdasarov |
5.5 / 10 |
08-29-2017 |
Absolver delivers on its promise of a compelling and unique combat system, but falls flat in almost every other way. Some baffling design decisions hold it back, so it’s hard to recommend the game simply based on its combat. |
Read review |
| Polygon |
Philip Kollar |
8.5 / 10 |
08-29-2017 |
Absolver recognizes its singular goal of building a robust, satisfying martial arts combat system. It leans into those strengths, and it’s a better game for it. |
Read review |
| PowerUp! |
Luke Clarke |
7.5 / 10 |
08-28-2017 |
Overall I think Absolver is very decent. It reminds me a little of the good old days of Double Dragon on Atari. |
Read review |
| PS4Blog.net |
EripmaV |
8 / 10 |
12-28-2017 |
As with some others out there, I have experienced some terrible lag. Lag that almost ruins the game’s experience for players. But on the flip side, I have played games where it’s been literally as smooth as a proverbial baby’s bum. With some tweaking, especially on the PVP side of things, the game will be an experience like no other – right now, it’s a lot of fun, incredibly addictive and leaves me wanting to get back to it as soon as I’ve written this review and if Sloclap gets the lag under control, it’ll be a true ass kicker of a game. |
Read review |
| Push Square |
Stephen Tailby |
7 / 10 |
09-01-2017 |
It’s a real shame that it’s currently experiencing these connectivity issues, as Absolver is an otherwise great melee action game. The combat is deep, tactical, and wonderfully customisable, and interacting co-operatively or competitively with other players can be a real joy. Once SloClap can ensure players of a lag-free environment to play in, this will be a knockout multiplayer brawler. |
Read review |
| Rock, Paper, Shotgun |
Fraser Brown |
Recommended |
09-05-2017 |
Thanks to the myriad possible move and combo loadouts, along with the various weapons and classes, PvP is both challenging and full of unexpected comebacks and knife-edge duels, but it just doesn’t feel like a complete experience. Bugs, server issues, a small, dull open-world and the lack of modes is definitely holding it back. |
Read review |
| RPGamer |
Alex Fuller |
2.5 / 5 stars |
10-02-2017 |
While Absolver seems to get the combat aspect of things down well enough, it fails to back it up with any meaningful direction and content for players, resulting in an entirely forgettable experience. |
Read review |
| Shacknews |
Charles Singletary |
8 / 10 |
09-22-2017 |
At its center, it is a hardcore RPG that will reward players that invest in it heavily and it has more than enough value at its lower price. The game’s most significant issues have been addressed with a patch, thankfully, and any that step into the world of Andal is in for a treat. |
Read review |
| Sirus Gaming |
Jonathan Quirino |
8 / 10 |
09-07-2017 |
Overall, Absolver delivers the most exciting thing to a martial arts game, carefully crafted to enjoy with other players, showing off the combos you created and unlocking exciting stance and styles for your character. This is a must for the fans of the fighting genre, this may have a few and frustrating issues, but if you take time on building and molding your character to be the best martial artist out there, then this is worth your time. |
Read review |
| SpazioGames |
Daniele Spelta |
7.5 / 10 |
09-06-2017 |
Absolver is a unique fighting game, with its own style and direction. The depths of the gameplay sometimes struggles with the confused brawls on screen. |
Read review |
| TechRaptor |
Joey Thurmond |
7.5 / 10 |
09-02-2017 |
Absolver’s fighting system and weird blend of ideas make it a genre-defying gut punch of innovation. You’ll be in amazement with how much you can customize the fluid combat, but its complexity and intentional design to be constantly altered might be off-putting for some. The same goes for those looking for more to do besides competitive play in an open world begging to be absolved of limited scope and content. |
Read review |
| The Games Machine |
Davide Mancini |
7.4 / 10 |
09-25-2017 |
Absolver offers a truly unique take on the combat genre, with a peculiar mix between single and multiplayer. Technically solid and visually inspired, it suffers from a sometimes confused level design and the absence of a real, high-level endgame. |
Read review |
| TheSixthAxis |
Jim Hargreaves |
7 / 10 |
09-04-2017 |
Absolver is superb yet flawed. Sloclap have some really fun and innovative ideas though, for some reason, they’ve built a gorge between players and their game. Like digging for gold, if you want to get anything of value from Absolver then you’ll need to work hard and put in the time. Needless to say, those with a casual curiosity will likely find themselves completely turned off. |
Read review |
| TrueAchievements |
Kevin Tavore |
2 / 5 stars |
01-15-2019 |
Absolver had a chance to be something new and fresh. Its combat system is unlike anything else and comes packed with plenty of depth and skill that could get fighting fans pretty excited. The problem is the rest of the game. |
Read review |
| Twinfinite |
Ishmael Romero |
3.5 / 5 stars |
08-30-2017 |
If you can deal with a headache here and there, you have something special waiting for you in Absolver. It really is a fun experience once you get the hang of its complexities. But, if you’re easily dismayed by issues in a game that requires precision, you may want to hold back, at least for now. I for one will be jumping back in, there are more martial arts for me to learn. |
Read review |
| USgamer |
Caty McCarthy |
3.5 / 5 stars |
09-02-2017 |
Absolver comes extremely close to being an amazing game with its deep 1v1 melee combat and unpredictable player encounters, but where it falters is in, well, nearly everything else. The world feels lifeless. When more than one fighter joins a battle, battling becomes frustrating and clunky. There’s a lot of potential with Absolver. But unfortunately, it’s not 100 percent of the way there yet. |
Read review |
| VGChartz |
Chinh Tran |
Recommended |
09-28-2017 |
Overall, though, Absolver’s core systems are very strong and I am eagerly looking forward to revisiting the Adal Empire when Sloclap drops new content. |
Read review |
| Wccftech |
Chris Wray |
7.5 / 10 |
08-29-2017 |
Absolver features one of the best fighting systems to be found in gaming. In addition to this, it looks and plays fantastically. However, it’s let down by a few balancing issues, some glaring design problems caused by the unpredictable multiplayer feature. The end-game, however, could make for one of the best multiplayer experiences the year has to offer. |
Read review |
| We Got This Covered |
Eric Hall |
3.5 / 5 stars |
09-12-2017 |
Absolver has the potential to develop into something very special. As it stands now, though, the content just isn’t entirely there yet. Coupled with a handful of nagging problems, it’s hard to recommend the title to anyone but only the most dedicated fighting fans out there. |
Read review |
| Windows Central |
Brendan Lowry |
4 / 5 stars |
01-16-2019 |
While the singleplayer experience is forgettable and the open world is small, the meat of Absolver lies within its deep gameplay and engaging combat. |
Read review |
