Absolum's first update dares you to unravel the threads of fate, introducing rule modifiers, corrupted biomes and improved mounts into 2025's best beat 'em up

It's a testament to the quality and inventiveness of Absolum that it stood out as strongly as it did when it released in October last year, a month that also brought us Battlefield 6, Bloodlines 2, and a little game called Arc Raiders. Absolum's roguelite twist on a classic beat 'em up format was exactly the citrus twist the genre needed, yielding glowing reviews and, as of 17 days ago, half a million players.

Slightly belatedly, developer Guard Crush Games (who were co-devs on Streets of Rage 4 alongside LizardCube) released Absolum's first major update Threads of Fate, which pistons a fistful of new features straight into the base game's jaw.

Among the flecks of spittle and flying teeth, the most prominent addition is the all-new mystic ordeals. This range of modifiers lets players tailor Absolum's challenge more specifically to their liking. There's a range of preset ordeals including boss run, horde mode and multiplayer trials. If none of that sounds to your liking, you can also create your own ordeal and share it with your friends (something I do on a daily basis, which is why none of them speak to me anymore).

Alongside this, Guard Crush has replaced Absolum's rifts with a new system that throws corrupted biomes at you. These randomised areas are visible at the outset of each run, and you can choose to attack them for an additional challenge and the potential for more substantial rewards. Corrupted biomes also fold into the mystic ordeals system, with options to increase or decrease the number of this biome type you encounter.

Elsewhere, the update expands Absolum's customisation options with new character skins and emotes for all four heroes, and upgrades mounts with new and improved abilities to ensure "harder-hitting punishment against the hordes of the Crimson Order." And finally, the update brings the usual array of bug-fixes, some of which will no doubt elicit a sigh of relief ("The Chicken is no longer targetable by enemies") while others sound weirdly ominous ("The Interloper now has a shadow").

All of this should improve what was already one of last year's most interesting games, as Evan Lahti explained in his Absolum review. "Absolum is ultimately a beat 'em up with a bit more depth and progression than we've seen before in this style of game," he wrote last October. "Absolum lacks the extensive variance of a true roguelike, but delivers enough intricacy to push the genre into a more interesting space than it's ever occupied."