This mash-up of side-scrolling beat-'em-up and fantasy roguelike feels like it could be the future of a classic genre

Genre hybrids are everywhere these days—whether a turn-based soulslike or a city-building deckbuilder—but I'm still regularly surprised by new combos, some so natural that it seems ridiculous that there aren't already a hundred games doing the same mash-up. Absolum's mix of side-scrolling beat-'em-up and roguelike action-RPG is the perfect example.

Beat-'em-ups thrive in repetition—the classic formula is a short series of levels that you play over and over trying for a better and better performance. Absolum is the same, but it layers in roguelike progression systems, allowing you to gain abilities and items during a run, and persistent upgrades between runs. Even just in the hour or so I'm able to spend with an early preview build, the result is really compelling—a beat-'em-up that keeps giving me reasons to get excited about starting a new run.

Putting structure aside for a second, at the core of Absolum is just extremely good 2D combat. Both developer Guard Crush Games and publisher Dotemu have serious experience in the genre—the former developed Streets of Rage 4, and the latter published it as well as the excellent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge.

Like those, Absolum feels like a thoroughly modern take on this style of fighting, retaining the satisfying fundamentals while giving you the tools to feel more in control than we used to back in the golden arcade era. Here, that means a generous parry and a versatile dodge, both of which not only take you out of harm's way, but when used at the right time open up follow-up attack opportunities. The result strikes a pleasing balance between being much easier and more forgiving to get into than the classics, but still having the nuances and subtlety to reward honing your skills.

Helping it all feel as slick as possible is the absolutely gorgeous hand-drawn animation. Though I'll admit the fantasy setting doesn't do much for me in terms of storytelling—it's hard to get excited about goblin-infested forests at this point—it all looks fantastic, and every impact is wonderfully satisfying in combat.

The two starting protagonists—a willowy elf and a stocky dwarf—show off the flexibility of the art style wonderfully. The former feels lithe and agile, switching between graceful martial arts and swings with an enormous greatsword. Playing as the latter feels like being in control of an angry bowling ball, smashing his way between enemies with a snarl, and then pulling out a blunderbuss to blast them to pieces. Even if following their story can be awkward—there's a mage war going on, evil robots roam the countryside, and for some reason I'm sworn to the service of a 20 foot tall pregnant woman?—the two show off so much personality in their animations that it's hard not to love them.

More characters will be unlockable in the final game, and each boasts their own selection of super moves, as well as being able to unlock different abilities over the course of a run. Add to that elemental modifiers you can earn as you play, and interesting playstyles and combos quickly emerge.

In one run you'll be focusing on perfect parries, using them to build up static charge that you can unleash in a devastating chain-lighting punch. In another, you'll be leaping across the screen landing flaming divekicks, making any foe that falls explode in an inferno that sends their buddies reeling. The core moves remain the same, allowing you to build your mastery, but there's enough spice in there to nudge you towards different approaches each time, ensuring runs stay fresh.

That's bolstered by some subtly clever world design. As you beat bosses, you open up new options on the over-arcing world map for future runs. In the preview build, for example, defeating the goblin tribe's champion allows me to clear the way for a new bridge to be built—one I can use to take a new path in subsequent runs, encountering different enemies and environments.

Even without a spot of civic engineering, there are branching paths to find through levels—diverting, for example, through a dwarven hold's mining tunnels rather than plowing straight on through its ruined halls. Repetition is key to the genre, but that's hugely enhanced if a game can retain a sense of discovery, and even in my short time with Absolum, it handles that admirably.

If Streets of Rage 4 and TMNT: Shredder's Revenge were trying to modernise the beat-'em-up, Absolum feels like the next step: broadening its appeal. It mixes the elements that make a classic side-scrolling brawler fun with roguelike elements that give the average player more obvious reasons to come back again and again—offering sustained progression alongside the satisfaction of mastering your skills.

Genre purists may rankle at the added systems, but for me the combo works beautifully. There's no release date set yet, only "coming soon"—but I'm already itching for the chance to start my next run.