<s>
Absolver	B-Application
is	O
a	O
martial	O
arts-themed	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
Sloclap	B-Application
and	O
published	O
by	O
Devolver	O
Digital	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
Windows	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
players	O
control	O
warrior	O
characters	O
who	O
fight	O
other	O
players	O
and	O
computer-controlled	B-Application
characters	I-Application
across	O
the	O
fictional	O
land	O
of	O
Adal	O
to	O
prove	O
their	O
worthiness	O
of	O
joining	O
the	O
Absolver	B-Application
peacekeepers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sloclap	B-Application
,	O
a	O
Parisian	O
indie	O
game	O
developer	O
composed	O
of	O
former	O
Ubisoft	O
Paris	O
employees	O
,	O
began	O
work	O
on	O
Absolver	B-Application
in	O
May	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Absolver	B-Application
is	O
an	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
game	I-Application
based	O
on	O
martial	O
arts	O
fighting	O
,	O
featuring	O
a	O
seamless	O
open	O
world	O
with	O
shortcuts	O
and	O
free-roaming	O
,	O
and	O
merging	O
single	O
,	O
cooperative	O
and	O
competitive	O
play	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
campaign	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
played	O
from	O
a	O
third-person	O
perspective	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
build	O
custom	O
combinations	O
of	O
strikes	O
,	O
parries	O
,	O
and	O
feints	O
to	O
fight	O
other	O
players	O
and	O
computer-controlled	B-Application
characters	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
control	O
warrior	O
characters	O
known	O
as	O
Prospects	O
who	O
travel	O
the	O
fictional	O
land	O
of	O
Adal	O
to	O
fight	O
other	O
players	O
and	O
prove	O
their	O
worth	O
to	O
become	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
Absolver	B-Application
peacekeepers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
has	O
minor	O
massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
online	I-Application
game	I-Application
elements	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
feature	O
of	O
fighting	O
alongside	O
other	O
players	O
on	O
quests	O
and	O
of	O
directly	O
fighting	O
other	O
players	O
in	O
player	O
versus	O
player	O
match-ups	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sloclap	B-Application
,	O
a	O
Parisian	O
indie	O
game	O
studio	O
composed	O
of	O
former	O
Ubisoft	O
Paris	O
employees	O
,	O
began	O
to	O
develop	O
its	O
first	O
game	O
in	O
May	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
had	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
games	O
including	O
Watch	B-Application
Dogs	I-Application
and	O
the	O
Tom	B-Application
Clancy	I-Application
's	I-Application
Ghost	I-Application
Recon	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sloclap	B-Application
expressed	O
this	O
core	O
concept	O
through	O
three	O
internal	O
taglines	O
in	O
their	O
development	O
:	O
"	O
combat	O
is	O
a	O
dance	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
movement	O
is	O
your	O
weapon	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
make	O
a	O
move	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sloclap	B-Application
planned	O
to	O
closely	O
monitor	O
the	O
game	O
balance	O
issues	O
of	O
creating	O
overpowered	O
move	O
sets	O
during	O
online	O
play	O
,	O
and	O
planned	O
to	O
monitor	O
this	O
with	O
playtesting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Absolver	B-Application
is	O
built	O
in	O
the	O
Unreal	B-Operating_System
Engine	I-Operating_System
4	O
game	O
engine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Absolver	B-Application
was	O
first	O
announced	O
on	O
May	O
26	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
and	O
debuted	O
at	O
the	O
June	O
2016	O
Electronic	O
Entertainment	O
Expo	O
with	O
Devolver	O
Digital	O
as	O
its	O
publisher	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
August	O
29	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
Windows	B-Application
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
who	O
previewed	O
the	O
game	O
compared	O
its	O
gameplay	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
Dark	B-Application
Souls	I-Application
and	O
Street	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
particular	O
,	O
Sam	O
Prell	O
(	O
GamesRadar	O
)	O
found	O
the	O
Souls	O
games	O
and	O
Absolver	B-Application
to	O
share	O
difficult	O
melee	O
fights	O
that	O
emphasize	O
stamina	O
management	O
,	O
and	O
seamless	O
multiplayer	O
that	O
adds	O
both	O
allies	O
and	O
enemies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Absolver	B-Application
unexpectedly	O
astonished	O
Griffin	O
McElroy	O
(	O
Polygon	O
)	O
it	O
was	O
his	O
"	O
biggest	O
surprise	O
"	O
of	O
the	O
2016	O
Electronic	O
Entertainment	O
Expo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sam	O
Prell	O
(	O
GamesRadar	O
)	O
was	O
also	O
surprised	O
by	O
the	O
depth	O
of	O
the	O
combat	O
system	O
,	O
and	O
Andrew	O
Tarantola	O
(	O
Engadget	B-Application
)	O
noted	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
deviance	O
from	O
the	O
traditional	O
massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
online	I-Application
game	I-Application
for	O
its	O
lack	O
of	O
guns	O
,	O
and	O
Brad	O
Borque	O
(	O
Digital	O
Trends	O
)	O
added	O
that	O
Absolver	B-Application
was	O
quiet	O
compared	O
to	O
other	O
battle-focused	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Borque	O
also	O
complimented	O
Absolver	B-Application
palette	O
and	O
thought	O
of	O
its	O
art	O
style	O
as	O
a	O
welcome	O
break	O
from	O
the	O
hyperrealism	O
of	O
recent	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
journalists	O
listed	O
the	O
game	O
among	O
the	O
best	O
in	O
show	O
at	O
the	O
2016	O
Electronic	O
Entertainment	O
Expo	O
where	O
its	O
other	O
accolades	O
included	O
GamesRadar	O
"	O
Best	O
Indie	O
Game	O
of	O
E3	O
"	O
and	O
GamesBeat	O
"	O
Killer	O
App	O
Killer	O
"	O
for	O
"	O
compelling	O
and/or	O
intuitive	O
gameplay	O
"	O
in	O
an	O
Unreal	B-Operating_System
Engine	I-Operating_System
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Absolver	B-Application
received	O
"	O
mixed	O
or	O
average	O
"	O
reviews	O
for	O
the	O
PS4	B-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
PC	O
version	O
received	O
"	O
generally	O
favorable	O
"	O
reviews	O
from	O
critics	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
review	B-Application
aggregator	I-Application
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
