Compare Absolum vs Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Assist and accessibility options are a repeated strength, with reviewers praising damage sliders, no-damage settings, and flexible difficulty tuning, though online co-op may limit assist use.

Reviewers described the sequel as more understandable and more accessible, with lore and design changes that reduce friction for more players.

Enemy AI was a rare weak spot, with one review saying it was not especially sharp even as combat remained playful.

Aiming drew a small caveat because one reviewer wanted gyroscopic aiming despite the stronger focus on ranged weapons.

Animation is consistently praised as smooth, stylish, expressive, and central to the hand-drawn presentation.

Animation and motion capture were praised as elite, with reviewers pointing to fantastic performance capture and some of the best motion work they had seen.

Reviewers strongly agree that Absolum's hand-drawn fantasy art and bold visual identity are standout strengths.

The fantasy tone, music, and environmental presentation create a strong atmosphere, though this is usually discussed through art, sound, and world-building.

The atmosphere was consistently praised for haunting landscapes, calm-chaos contrast, and strange moments that made the world linger.

Bosses are often called memorable, unique, and mechanically interesting, but a few reviewers criticize late-game or gimmick boss decisions.

Boss fights were broadly improved and visually striking, though several reviewers said they could be simple, optional, or less challenging than expected.

Bug evidence is limited, with one reviewer citing several bugs and another noting pre-launch freezes that were patched.

Character development evidence is moderate: some new character moments expand the story, but several reviewers wanted deeper core-cast development.

Character arcs landed unevenly: some reviewers warmed to the cast and late-game moments, while others felt arcs happened away from Sam.

The four-character roster is widely liked for distinct playstyles, though some reviewers wished for more characters or larger parties.

Class/build balance is mixed because one review found a build that could trivialize the game.

Co-op is usually praised locally and online, but two-player limits and co-op difficulty tuning create caveats.

Combat is the clearest consensus strength, repeatedly described as slick, deep, responsive, impactful, and among the best in modern beat-em-ups.

Combat was widely seen as improved, snappier, and more flexible, though a few reviewers found it clunky, overemphasized, or easier to avoid.

The community layer was a highlight, with reviewers praising the sense of shared infrastructure and collaborative help across the world.

Companion support is mentioned positively through mercenaries, chickens, and helpers that can assist during runs.

Content variety is divisive: many reviewers praise branching routes and changing events, while others feel repetition sets in too quickly.

Weather, hazards, floods, earthquakes, fires, and other systems made the world and deliveries feel more varied and reactive.

Controls are mostly praised as responsive, fluid, and reliable, though a few defensive inputs require adjustment.

Controls were generally praised as refined and smoother, including PC input options and better feel compared with the first game.

The loop is addictive for many reviewers thanks to short runs, build choices, and one-more-run momentum, though some find the grind intrusive.

The delivery loop remained central but was described as tighter, more addictive, and more player-friendly across several reviews.

Local/couch co-op is regarded as fun and functional, with the main limitation being the two-player cap.

Build crafting is usually positive, with rituals, trinkets, and synergies adding variety without fully taking over the beat-em-up core.

Crash stability evidence is narrow but positive after a pre-launch freeze issue was fixed.

Dialogue drew a mild caveat from one reviewer who found some cutscenes too long, even while praising the cast overall.

Difficulty balance is one of the most contested areas, with praise for adjustable challenge but criticism of grind, co-op scaling, and late-game spikes.

Difficulty was mixed: reviewers noted optional harder settings and late-game challenge, but many felt vehicles, weapons, or BT changes made parts too easy.

Vehicles were one of the biggest improvements, arriving earlier and handling better, though some reviewers felt they trivialized traversal.

Resource and stat balancing is mixed, with some useful upgrade currencies but concerns that numbers can overshadow action skill.

Emotional impact is mostly tied to escapism and fondness for the world rather than heavy story emotion.

Many reviewers found the final hours, sincere human stories, and emotional stakes powerful, while one review felt comparatively unmoved.

Endgame content is a recurring weakness, with reviewers citing a lack of meaningful progression or frustrating true-final-boss requirements.

Enemy variety is generally positive across regions and bosses, but a few reviewers find repetition or recolors noticeable.

Enemy variety was praised for making combat more engaging, especially with better-equipped bandits, BT variants, and Ghost Mechs.

Environmental detail receives strong praise where discussed, especially for detailed textures and themed areas.

The Australia and Mexico environments were repeatedly praised for variety, vistas, textures, weather, and visual detail.

Exploration is a major strength, with hidden paths, secrets, map changes, side areas, and discoveries across repeated runs.

Exploration was praised for making the next horizon feel exciting and for encouraging movement through a striking world.

Facial capture and character work were strongly praised, with reviewers calling the faces and cutscene direction exceptional.

Reviewers agreed the sequel keeps Death Stranding’s identity but debated whether the stronger Metal Gear-style action sands away some original friction.

Fast travel through the Magellan and key waypoints was useful, though some reviewers noted scoring tradeoffs or occasional restrictions.

Frame rate is generally strong on PC, Steam Deck, and Switch, though Switch evidence includes some drops.

Performance notes were positive, with reviewers citing 60fps on PS5 and high, steady PC frame rates.

Fun factor is high overall because the combat, co-op, and run structure keep most reviewers engaged despite caveats.

Despite its strangeness and length, reviewers often found the sequel more fun, more gripping, or never boring.

Core mechanics are praised for depth, mastery, combo flexibility, and beat-em-up fundamentals.

The mechanics were broadly praised as a major sequel upgrade, with richer delivery tools, stronger systems, and more approachable play.

Graphics are widely praised for gorgeous hand-drawn art, clean fantasy styling, and strong handheld presentation.

Visuals were one of the strongest consensus points, with repeated praise for stunning landscapes, fidelity, faces, and next-gen presentation.

Grind level is a central tradeoff: some reviewers find progression tolerable or motivating, while others feel the game forces too much repetition.

One reviewer specifically noted that the game can be played at a relaxed pace without needing to grind it out.

Handheld suitability is strong, especially on Steam Deck, with Switch and Deck reviews noting good portable play despite minor issues.

The PC review found Steam Deck and handheld play workable, though at a fairly low resolution on Steam Deck.

Controller feedback is praised where mentioned, especially selective vibration and HD rumble that make hits feel impactful.

DualSense haptics were singled out as excellent, bringing surfaces, weather, gear, and action details into the controller.

Immersion is supported through reviewers describing Talamh as engrossing, escapist, and easy to miss after stopping play.

Immersion was praised through the world’s quiet storytelling and lingering human moments.

Innovation is supported by the beat-em-up roguelite fusion and buildcrafting, though not every reviewer thinks the blend fully works.

The learning curve is accessible but uneven, with easy basics and deeper defensive systems that take patience or experimentation.

Level design is strong overall thanks to handcrafted branching routes, secret areas, and varied biomes, though some repetition remains.

The new continent was praised for a far greater variety of locations and terrain challenges.

Load times received a rare explicit rave, with one review saying transitions from menu to play were almost instant.

Loot and trinkets add build variety, but some reviewers found passive bonuses underwhelming or hard to parse.

Lore depth is mixed: reviewers see rich lore and world details, but some find it self-indulgent or unevenly delivered.

The Corpus lore tracker was noted as a helpful way to manage the sequel’s dense terminology and story context.

Map and navigation design supports replay through branching routes and an opening map, but some pathing choices can be unclear.

Route planning and the 3D map were praised as important, clearer tools for planning long deliveries.

Matchmaking is mentioned as easy to access in one co-op-focused review, but evidence is otherwise limited.

Menu usability ranges from sleek and navigable to specific complaints about unclear maps and item prompts blocking information.

Menus were viewed as improved overall, though at least one reviewer still found inventory and menu handling fiddly.

Quest and mission design can create discoveries and new routes, but side quests are also criticized as repetitive or RNG-dependent.

Mission design was praised for moreish delivery structure and some fun, weird orders, though the core remains delivery-focused.

Mission variety is supported through routes, secrets, combat scenarios, and quest goals that change runs.

Reviewers praised more varied cargo conditions, hazards, objectives, and mission setups that kept deliveries fresher.

Movement feel is mostly positive for fluidity, but several reviews note 2.5D precision or grab/dodge awkwardness.

Movement on foot was described as smoother, more responsive, and still satisfyingly weighty when hiking mattered.

Multiplayer design works well for two players and supports local/online play, but reviewers repeatedly wish for more than two players or better co-op balance.

The asynchronous multiplayer remained a signature strength, praised for paths, structures, likes, and indirect collaboration.

Narrative quality is the most split major attribute, ranging from generic and stilted to masterful or strong after it opens up.

Narrative response was mixed-positive: many reviewers praised the story and themes, while others found it opaque, messy, or oddly paced.

Onboarding is generally approachable after a run or two, though some early systems and the opening hours can feel weak or unclear.

The sequel was seen as more welcoming and quicker to grab players, especially compared with the first game’s slow start.

Online play is positively noted through online co-op and rollback netcode, but detailed stability evidence is limited.

One review encountered servers going down before launch, making this the only direct stability caveat in the review set.

One mixed review still called it a strong open-world sandbox checklist game, even while missing the first game’s sparer approach.

Originality is reflected in reviewers calling the genre fusion refreshing or a new direction for roguelite beat-em-ups.

Originality remained a strength, with one review calling the sequel exciting and original despite its imperfections.

Pacing is mixed: run length is praised by some, while others say the game takes too long to find its best rhythm.

Pacing was one of the most divided attributes: many reviews praised improvements, while others criticized slow burns, filler, or poorly paced story delivery.

Performance optimization is positive on PC and Steam Deck, with strong efficiency and few reported issues after patching.

Performance was strongly praised on PS5 Pro and PC, with several reviewers reporting flawless or dreamlike optimization.

Platform-specific support is strongest on Steam Deck, where badge status, controller-first design, and performance are emphasized.

PC and controller support were praised for deep options, upscaling support, and broad input compatibility.

Polish is praised in broad terms, though bug and Switch performance comments prevent a flawless picture.

Polish was frequently praised through streamlined tasks, quality-of-life upgrades, tighter design, and a more focused sequel structure.

Progression is highly divisive: some reviewers love the growth systems, while others feel meta-progression gates the best version of the game.

Progression was praised for APAS, RPG-like upgrades, freely swapped perks, and systems that reward how players approach deliveries.

Playable protagonists are appealing because the quartet has fun archetypes and distinct move sets.

Sam drew a mixed note from one review that still found him emotionally hard to connect with despite more range.

Quest design was mixed, with some reviewers finding filler or insufficient challenge despite the stronger overall delivery structure.

Replay value is highly divisive: many reviewers praise fresh routes, secrets, and one-more-run momentum, while others say repetition or weak postgame limits longevity.

Replay value was split between extensive remaining missions and one reviewer saying they would not replay from scratch.

One reviewer praised the sandbox for giving players broad choice across traversal, combat, and stealth.

Side character depth is a weak spot where discussed, with evidence that supporting figures and cast backstory can feel thin or inconsistent.

Side characters were a major strength for several reviewers, though some felt the new cast was underused or less forceful.

Skill trees are positively mentioned as reasons to play multiple heroes, though depth evidence is limited.

The APAS and skill systems were described as useful and flexible without being overly bloated.

Social features were praised for ziplines, shared structures, likes, and infrastructure that made helping others satisfying.

Sound design is a consistent presentation strength, with crunchy impacts, strong effects, and audio that sells combat.

Sound design was praised as immaculate or immersive, including 3D audio, voice work, and soundscape details.

The soundtrack is one of the most consistently praised elements, often called excellent, memorable, or among the year's best.

The soundtrack was strongly praised for licensed music, original tracks, and emotional placement during key moments.

Stealth was broadly improved through more tools, better combat integration, and added tactical options, though not always as deep as Metal Gear.

Tutorial evidence is mixed to negative where discussed, with one reviewer saying counterattack timing felt off even in the tutorial.

Upgrade systems add important power and variety, but reviewers disagree over whether key moves should be temporary or permanently available.

The upgrade system was praised because unlocked tools felt useful and rewarding during deliveries.

UI evidence is mixed: attack previews help selection, but font scaling on handhelds is a notable complaint.

UI and UX were praised in one review for making objectives clearer and loadout handling smoother.

Value for money is generally positive, with reviewers citing fair pricing, hours of entertainment, and worthwhile co-op/action value.

Value was supported by the long runtime and substantial post-credits content, with the caveat that it asks for a major time commitment.

Visual effects are impressive and energetic, though on-screen clutter occasionally affects clarity.

Voice acting is mixed but leans positive, with several reviewers praising performances and others finding some voices weak or poorly directed.

Voice acting and performances were widely praised, especially Troy Baker and the broader ensemble cast.

Weapon/build balance is only lightly supported; evidence points to some busted ritual/skill combinations rather than traditional weapon balance.

Weapon balance was mixed, with reviewers noting a large arsenal but also saying it could overpower enemies or trivialize friction.

World-building is frequently praised for history, lore, magical rules, and a rich fantasy setting, though some reviewers want stronger storytelling.

World-building was praised for being unique, expanded, bizarre, and richly thought out, though sometimes delivered through dense exposition.

World interactivity is a strength through breakables, mounts, throwables, environmental traps, and interactable spaces.

World interactivity was praised through player-built structures that improve both the user’s route and other players’ journeys.

Writing is mixed: some reviewers enjoyed the humor and storytelling touches, while others found the broader narrative generic.

Writing quality landed mostly positive but not unanimous, with praise for Kojima’s charm and story highs alongside some criticism of nonsense or opacity.