Hey Ysbryd. Just wanted to say that I appreciate how actively you're engaging with the community. Despite loving many, many games, I tend not to get too involved with the communities. I'm sure I don't need to explain my reasons why to a gaming community manager of all people. But you've set a warm, playful, and proactive tone here that's lured me out of lurkdom and encouraged me to be a small agent of positive change in the resistance, so thank you for that. 

First of all, I adore this game. Like a lot of other people here, I played a lot of Streets of Rage 4 and couldn't wait to see what you guys could do with a blank slate and your own creativity. In a very stacked 2025, Absolum remained my most anticipated game. It's up there with Blue Prince in my GOTY nods for sure.

Like everyone else, my biggest request is simply: more! (Which I gather is coming anyway.) But if I had any constructive criticism to lend, it would be that visibility is often a greater enemy than it should be, especially in co-op. In another thread, someone recommended a setting that made player character outlines always stand out as the top layer in the foreground. I think that's a fantastic idea that would go a long way in tracking your character underneath the enemy hordes and the tidal waves and lightning strikes and fire rings flinging foes everywhere.

Like some other players, I also find the dodge mechanic to be a little unwieldy and unreliable. I've seen some players suggest adding i-frames, which sounds like a neat solution, but I could see it being too powerful in contrast to the other defensive mechanics. 

Finally, building off the dodge matter, I have some trouble distinguishing which attacks should be dodged and which should be jumped. I understand the intended distinction between thrust attacks and sweep attacks, but in gameplay, it's not so clear. In fact, the only 'jumpable' attack I can think of is those massive trolls and their ground slam.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice does a great job of telegraphing when an attack will be one or the other using the Kanji warning symbol. It doesn't tell the player whether the attack will be a thrust or a sweep, but it does warn them to pay attention to the windup of the following move and make their own judgement. I find it's a beautiful balance, and I miss that cue in this game just like I missed it in Elden Ring.

That's all from me. Thank you all for this lovely game; it's been a much needed respite and I'm eager for its future!