Review for absolver. Game for PC and PlayStation 4, the video game was released on 29/08/2017
absolver, the first effort of the newborn software house Sloclap, the pride of the publisher Devolver Digital, is one of those games that under normal circumstances we would never, ever wait, but thanks to the low summer period, when it makes its appearance it has the same effect as the arrival of Santa Claus on the evening of December 24th.
And the muted announcements a year ago come to mind.
Absolver is a "barrel" game, a fighting game that combines old and new style and at the same time wears a RPG mask. Indeed, the debut of Sloclap introduces many novelties in the genre but do not be fooled, it is not something totally new. To begin with, there is a plot of history that is told through images, with our character wearing one mysterious mask and he is catapulted to another place, we don't know how and we don't know if in the form of an emanation of himself or if "physically".
However, what immediately becomes clear is that the land in which we find ourselves is nothing more than an open-air arena in which to lead hands represents the only possibility of survival. It is a battle-royale to the extent that AI-controlled characters move within the region waiting for us at the gate, ready to fill us with splendid hematomas.
We are a "Promise", that is, a young fighter who wants to enter the good graces of those who are called "Guides"; THE Lords of Adal then choose the best among the various fighters to make them join the elite troops. Yeah but who are the guides? Guides are nothing more than more experienced players who can mentor less experienced or less skilled players, teaching them new moves and techniques that can help them survive.
In this way real "Schools" will be born in which you will have to be admitted and which will allow you to grow together and face the numerous enemies together, in team clashes. The ultimate goal is Absolution. From which sins it is not possible to know, at least until the end.
There is poetry in this game. The developers' love for martial arts can be seen from afar. During the creation of our character we will be able to choose between three different fighting styles that will determine the positions, movements, moves and animations that our creature will perform during the fights. During our battles, by winning, we will be able to discover and unlock new moves that will be useful for the continuation of our personal story.
Here we need to make a first clarification: all the moves that we will learn will be assigned through the "Meditation" mode during which we will be able to add points to the classic RPG statistics and fill the movement slots with the moves we have found.
In Absolver anyway it is not only fought with bare hands. There are a whole series of weapons that can be wielded and that, as with skills, can be learned and assigned through the slots we talked about earlier. Weapons are divided into two main categories: those that are held and those that are worn. In short: swords and brass knuckles.
Not only: the blows that can be dealt also vary according to the position of the feet and legs. There are four main positions but the difficulty, even if you are using a PC controller, remains. Since you will have to use the left lever to direct the shot and the right stick to change the position of the legs, it will be very difficult to press any other button.
And here we come to the painful notes, because if that is true absolver, in its small way, can proudly boast of a more than distinct graphics, clear and pleasant to look at it is also true that the commands (especially if you play with a keyboard) are the most uncomfortable there can be. As combat rages on and we think about dodging and delivering blows, there is no time or way or way to change the position of the feet and, as a result, our fighting style can become flat and easily predictable. To this is added one Very aggressive AI against which very little can be done from the start.
There are areas where you are attacked by two or even three enemies: in those cases it is practically certain death. What the developers probably wanted to achieve was the collaboration between the players, but if at a certain moment we have to pass on a narrow bridge occupied by three enemies and we will not have anyone around we will practically have to sit and wait for someone to arrive. In this area there is a little something to file as frustration is lurking. Furthermore, since there are almost no dialogues within the game, our interactions with other players will have to pass through some signs of greeting, of challenge, of victory and sadness as now happens in all online MMORPGs and this makes it even more vague and difficult. communicating intentions to other players.
Absolver is a solid title that will entertain thousands of fans and not. It is a successful experiment that had to face several challenges that the project presented to the developers. In many cases these challenges have been superbly overcome but there are still several aspects to improve and for sure some rookie developers will try to make their first job become, with some updates, their first, albeit small, masterpiece.
► Absolver is an Action-RPG type game developed by Sloclap and published by Devolver Digital for PC and PlayStation 4, the video game was released on 29/08/2017
