If Absolum, from the devs behind Streets of Rage 4, is a sign of where beat-'em-ups are headed, I'm excited for the future of the genre

It's unfair and frankly stupid to say that beat-’em-ups are a "solved" genre. There is no such thing. Especially in recent years, with indie developers pushing boundaries across the medium, we've seen all manner of ambitious releases revitalize norms in new and refreshing ways. But is Dotemu, fresh from the success of Streets of Rage 4, alongisde Guard Crush Games the right developers to do it? This question became silly once I tried out Absolum.