Dotemu has spent the last decade earning its reputation as one of gaming’s great revivalists and now they’re finally sharpening their skills on their first original IP in the form of Absolum.
From Streets of Rage 4 to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge and upcoming Marvel Cosmic Invasion, the French publisher built a legacy on modernizing arcade classics for today’s players. Now, with Absolum, Dotemu is doing something different: it’s no longer just reviving the past, but reinventing it.
Released yesterday, on October 9, 2025, Absolum is a lavishly animated roguelite beat-’em-up that blends the structure of classic brawlers with the progression systems of modern roguelikes.
Absolum and classic fantasy
Developed by Dotemu internally, in collaboration with Guard Crush Games (of Streets of Rage 4 fame) and Supamonks, the game transports players to Talamh, a fractured fantasy realm ruled by the tyrannical Sun King Azra, where the remnants of magic users fight for survival.
The result of this genre mashup is a deeply replayable and surprisingly narrative-driven action game that has already found an audience, earning a “Very Positive” user review summary on Steam, with over 90% of early players praising its hand-drawn art, flexible combat, and dynamic runs.
At its core, Absolum is a spiritual successor to ‘90s fantasy brawlers like Golden Axe and Capcom’s Dungeons & Dragons RPG beat ’em ups, games that combined weapon-based combat, light progression mechanics, and magical attacks. But Dotemu and its partners aren’t interested in pure nostalgia.
“Even if our teams were quite experienced in producing games or even developing them (for example: Windjammers 2 or Streets of Rage 4), we had to learn a new creative process,” Dotemu chief executive officer, Cyrille Imbert, said in an email interview. “Contrary to existing IPs, everything had to be defined by our teams. Our goal was not just to create a game but also a whole IP, with a deep universe, multiple plots, and interesting characters. This was new and exciting and gave us the creative freedom that is missing when working on existing franchises. The downside, compared to working on a famous franchise, is that you have a blank page in front of you. But the upside is that there are no limits, everything is possible.”
Retro-style 2D beat ’em ups evoke a very specific nostalgia that also aligns with children of the ’80s and ’90s who are likely to long for the types of classical high fantasy popularized by Dungeons & Dragons and Lord of the Rings. The setting and genre both fit together perfectly.
Every run in Absolum is procedurally generated, giving players branching routes, randomized modifiers, and arcanas, which are powerful magical upgrades that alter character abilities. The result feels more like Hades mixed with Dragon’s Crown than a straight homage to Final Fight, mixing spectacle and strategy in a format that rewards mastery and experimentation.
And based on current market trends, it’s a smart amalgamation to chase roguelike mechanics. According to OG Analysis, the global roguelike game market is valued at over $1 billion and expected to double over the next decade. Combined with 2D games occupying a huge chunk of the market generally and the continued popularity of other recent roguelikes such as Hades II, Megabonk, and Shape of Dreams, it’s clear Absolum is striking while the trends are hot.
The future of beat ’em up games
Retro-style sidescrolling 2D beat ’em up games are kind of in the middle of a resurgence these days. If you look at the top new beat ’em up games from the last several years, you’d be hard-pressed to find many that are more highly regarded than those handled by Dotemu. And chances are, any others in the same air of reverence were probably directly influenced by Dotemu anyway.
“While staying humble, I think Dotemu played an important role in this resurgence,” Imbert said. “It became a niche, but a couple of years ago it was just dead. We love beat ’em ups, and we wanted to capitalize on the expertise that we developed over the years as a publisher (TMNT, SoR4, Young Souls) and developer (SoR4) to try to modernize the genre even further. With the aim to grow this niche and make it even more accessible to gamers who are more used to modern gameplay and systems. Finally, it is indeed a niche, but not a small one: both TMNT and SoR4 are multi-million sellers. Absolum is a new IP, but maybe now is the time to give it a shot and continue this resurgence.”
For the broader games industry, Absolum represents a growing hunger for mid-budget action titles that combine depth with approachability. While AAA RPGs like Final Fantasy XVI and Baldur’s Gate 3 dominate headlines with cinematic ambition and sprawling worlds, smaller studios like Dotemu and Guard Crush are proving there’s just as much power in a focused, replayable experience that values precision, artistry, and replayability.
“We thought about this project as a link between classic beat ’em up gameplay and modern action games,” Imbert said. “Players who are familiar with the genre will find themselves at home with the combat mechanics and game’s feel, while newcomers will be able to enjoy high production value, deep (but not invasive) narration, and a lot of replayability.”
If early reception is any indicator, Absolum could mark a defining moment for Dotemu’s evolution not just as a caretaker of gaming’s past, but as a creator of its future.
“We actually have another new project in production with our internal studio right now, but that’s all I can say,” Imbert said. “As for Absolum, it will mostly depend on how the game is received, but we built the IP in a way that would enable us to do more games in the same universe. So stay tuned.”
Absolum is available now on PC via Steam, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Nintendo Switch.