Absolver
A martial arts action RPG with fluid, customizable combat.
Absolver is a martial arts-themed action role-playing video game developed by Sloclap and published by Devolver Digital. It was released for PlayStation 4 and Windows in August 2017, with the Xbox One version following on November 7, 2017. The game is notable for its fluid, dance-like combat system and its integration of single-player, cooperative, and competitive play within a seamless open world.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Absolver
- Developer
- Sloclap
- Publisher
- Devolver Digital
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Platforms
- Windows · PlayStation 4 · Xbox One
- Released
- Windows, PS4WW · August 29, 2017Xbox OneWW · January 7, 2019
- Genre
- Action role-playing
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Director
- Pierre Tarno · Jordan Layani
- Producer
- Pierre Tarno
- Designer
- Jordan Layani
- Programmer
- Aurélien Topia · Olivier Gaertner
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Absolver was developed by Sloclap, a Parisian indie game studio composed of former Ubisoft Paris employees who had worked on games including Watch Dogs and the Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon series. Development began in May 2015, with the core concept of making combat fluid and dynamic, like a personal choreography. The team expressed this through three internal taglines: 'combat is a dance', 'movement is your weapon', and 'make a move'. The game was first announced on May 26, 2016, and debuted at the June 2016 Electronic Entertainment Expo with Devolver Digital as its publisher. It was released on August 29, 2017, for PlayStation 4 and Windows, with the Xbox One version arriving on November 7, 2017.
Reader's Guide
Absolver represents a distinctive entry in the action role-playing genre, blending martial arts combat with a customizable 'combat deck' system where players assign moves to cards. Critics compared its gameplay to Dark Souls and Street Fighter, noting difficult melee fights emphasizing stamina management and seamless multiplayer. The game received 'mixed or average' reviews for the PS4 version and 'generally favorable' reviews for the PC version on Metacritic. It was nominated for 'Best Action Game' at PC Gamer's 2017 Game of the Year Awards and for 'Best Fighting Game' in IGN's Best of 2017 Awards. Its significance lies in its innovative combat system and its integration of single, cooperative, and competitive play in a single campaign, offering a unique take on the massively multiplayer online genre without traditional guns.
The Combat Deck and Stance System
In Absolver, the heart of the experience lies in its deeply customizable combat system. Rather than relying on a fixed set of animations, players assemble a personal combat deck made up of cards, each one tied to a specific strike, parry, or feint. These cards carry numerical values for speed and damage, and many include secondary effects such as breaking an opponent's guard or interrupting their absorption. During a fight, the player can switch between four distinct stances, each offering two dedicated attacks mapped to separate controller buttons. This means a single fluid combination can weave through multiple stances, letting the player adapt on the fly to counter whatever style an opponent is showing. Weapons add another layer: they hit harder than bare-handed techniques but move more slowly, and a player who takes a hit may drop their weapon for anyone nearby to grab. The result is a system where the controls feel straightforward at first glance yet open into a sprawling web of tactical choices the more a player experiments.
Sloclap's Dance-Driven Philosophy
Sloclap, the Paris-based indie studio behind Absolver, was assembled from former Ubisoft Paris developers who had previously contributed to titles like Watch Dogs and the Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon series. They kicked off development in May 2015 with a singular creative obsession: making combat feel fluid and dynamic, almost like a personal choreography. The team distilled this vision into three internal taglines that guided every design decision—combat is a dance, movement is your weapon, and make a move. Creative director Pierre Tarno has spoken about how he loved watching players tinker with the combat deck to discover a move set that felt uniquely theirs. The studio also recognized early on that a system this flexible could produce overpowered combinations in online play, so they committed to ongoing playtesting to keep balance in check. The entire project was built on Unreal Engine 4, and after a year of development the game was announced on May 26, 2016, with Devolver Digital stepping in as publisher.
A Surprise at E3 and a Divided Reception
When Absolver first appeared on the E3 2016 floor, it caught even seasoned journalists off guard. Griffin McElroy of Polygon called it his biggest surprise of the entire show, while Sam Prell of GamesRadar was struck by how the combat system's depth belied its simple surface controls. Critics drew comparisons to Dark Souls for its stamina-managed melee duels and seamless multiplayer, and to Street Fighter for its structured combat identity. Kris Graft of Gamasutra called it a promising start and one of the most interesting fighting games he had played. Brad Borque of Digital Trends appreciated the game's quieter tone and its art palette as a refreshing departure from the hyperrealism dominating the genre. The title took home GamesRadar's Best Indie Game of E3 and GamesBeat's Killer App Killer award. After its August 2017 release, Metacritic reflected a split: the PC version earned generally favorable scores while the PS4 version landed at mixed or average. It was still nominated for Best Action Game at PC Gamer's 2017 awards and Best Fighting Game at IGN's Best of 2017.
Adal, the Prospects, and a Blended Multiplayer World
The world of Absolver is set in Adal, a fictional land whose empire has collapsed, leaving its inhabitants searching for meaning and belonging. Players step into the role of a Prospect, a warrior who must prove their worth through combat to earn a place among the Absolver peacekeepers. The narrative emphasis is on the human development of these characters as they navigate a broken society, rather than on a grand epic plot. Structurally, the game offers a seamless open world with shortcuts and free-roaming, all viewed from a third-person perspective. What makes its multiplayer design distinctive is the way it weaves single-player, cooperative, and competitive encounters into one continuous campaign. Players can team up with others on quests, challenge them in direct PvP match-ups, or even spar to teach their characters new skills. Progression is driven by defeating enemies and collecting loot—new armor, weapons, and combat styles drop as rewards. These minor MMO elements give the world a living, shared quality without the commitment of a full online service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the protagonist of Absolver?
The player controls a nameless warrior who awakens in a mysterious, void-like arena and must fight through a gauntlet of trials. The character carries no fixed backstory or dialogue, serving as a blank canvas for the player's own martial-arts expression.
What makes Absolver's combat system stand out?
The game features a fluid, dance-like fighting system in which players freely chain strikes, blocks, and dodges across multiple martial-arts stances. Combos are fully customizable, so you build your own sequences rather than relying on preset movesets.
What is the story and ending of Absolver?
The narrative is deliberately minimal, casting the player as a warrior progressing through increasingly difficult trials in an abstract, otherworldly space. The story culminates in a final confrontation with the titular Absolver, after which the cycle of trials resets.
What game modes does Absolver include?
Beyond the single-player trial campaign, the game offers cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes that all take place within the same seamless open-world arena. You can switch between solo challenges, team play, and versus matches without loading screens.
When and where was Absolver released?
The title launched on PlayStation 4 and Windows on August 29, 2017, with an Xbox One port arriving on November 7, 2017. It was developed by the French studio Sloclap and published by Devolver Digital.
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