Absinthia Review
Fights, friendship, and queer coming-of-age angst in a bite-sized RPG
For years, indie RPGs have taken their inspiration from some of the greatest games to grace the SNES era: Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, and Terranigma. These titles have been used ad-nauseam to sell the experience of yesteryear but with a modern twist. Plenty of indie JRPGs have taken the bespoke elements of these games and added major quality-of-life improvements granting us some of the best experiences in the modern era.
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Absinthia is filled with twists across its short run time. While the game is nothing dynamic or new to those with experience in the genre, its characters and pacing are refreshing, and its portrayal of queer characters is leagues ahead of contemporary AAA titles that only dabble in mock representation. What's further striking is that Absinthia is another game designed in part with RPG Maker, which continues to be an impressive engineering feat for these bite-sized JRPGs so many years on. With gorgeous sprite work, a beautiful soundtrack, and plenty to explore, Absinthia never stutters in its dozen or so hours of questing gameplay. It's the perfect RPG for anyone looking to take a breather from more bloated titles, while still featuring everything a genre fan could want.
A cozy indie RPG with likable characters that will resonate with a younger audience, Absinthia feels like the perfect genre title to recommend to both veterans and casual enjoyers. It's a little bit Golden Sun, a little bit Lufia, a little bit Lunar, and a whole lot of fun.
