■What is Absented Age?

Absented Age is a fresh mix of genres: an action RPG outside of combat that becomes a roguelike-style strategy RPG during combat.

If you touch a foe, get an advance attack in, or get jumped yourself, you’ll transition directly to turn-based combat, with any surrounding enemies joining the fray.

・A myriad of skills, items, and ways to dress up
As demonstrated in the screenshots, this game is abundant with exchangeable pieces of clothing, as well as status effect overlays. Equipment will break when it gets worn down, so always consider what you should be wearing at any given time.

If you obtain multiples of the same piece of equipment, that equipment’s Mastery (and value) goes up. Unlike more punishing roguelikes of yesteryear, the Mastery you earn is permanent across all instances of that equipment, so that progress won’t be lost even if you lose the equipment.

In fact, if you re-obtain a piece of equipment you lost to a defeat, you’ll get a big boost to its Mastery. So when you fall in battle, consider it a chance to reclaim your lost belongings stronger than before and take your revenge.

With quick dungeon progression and smooth music transitions, it aims to be fast-paced, free-flowing, and stress-free. Save, of course, for the despair of finding yourself in a hopeless battle, or the emotional turmoil the story may induce.

And that is precisely what you, our protagonist, must confront. May you overcome with wisdom, bravery, and kindness, and be left with the best of memories.

【New Features in the International Version】

・Arcade Mode
A mode separate from the main game, where you advance through a dungeon you can’t bring anything into, and aim for a high score. You can also link your main game save data to control characters other than the protagonist.
Features four stages, including stages for two guest characters: Iris from Soaring Machinariae, and Astrake from Reality Minds.

・Seamless Language Switching
You can instantly swap between Japanese and English at any time during the game by pressing the @ key or L3 Button (can be changed). If you’re keen to do language study by playing a game, or just find yourself wondering “how would they say this in another language?”, it’s yours with the press of a button.
(* Existing battle log text will not be retroactively affected by language switching.)
The English translation was provided by vgperson. From scenes packed with emotion to humorous wordplay in item descriptions, may you enjoy the intricacies of each translation.

・Secret Boss
After beating the game and obtaining gems from four powerful Arc Monsters, try heading back to the location of Squarebound’s final showdown…

Manage hundreds of skills and items strategically, practice high-level techniques like counters, perfect guards, and hitstop shifting, and put it all together to make short work of powerful monsters!

・Bonus Playable Characters
Iris from Soaring Machinariae and Astrake from Reality Minds can played as, or made into allies, in Arcade Mode.

Iris boasts overwhelmingly powerful three-stage combos, during which adjacent foes can’t act. The third hit depends on her current Core, so it’s important to change it out to suit the situation. Stopping the combo early at the second hit, utilizing the fact she can strike up to 4 times before engaging combat, can also be an effective strategy.

Like in RealityMinds, Astrake can activate a variety of chain skills by combining component skills. Strong followups and a well-balanced lineup of skills makes for a highly adaptable fighter. Be sure to use both the normal and charge variations of the pre-emptive strike for maximum effectiveness.