Absolum review: the retro beat-’em-up formula gets a few neat tricks

Absolum, like so many of its roguelike peers, is a game about experimentation. Four heroes set out on a quest to defeat a mad tyrant and save their realm, but they are all but destined to fail on their first attempt. The only path to victory is through change, mixing and matching magic spells to more effectively cut through rooms full of soldiers, lizards, and suicidal mushrooms. Even their route to the big bad can’t remain static, as being bold enough to venture down new paths will lead them to new spells and secrets. You don’t win a war without shaking up your tactics every now and again.