I’ve not completely exhausted Realm of Ink; I daresay there is a lot still to experience within its many hand-painted worlds and it is built for replayability. However, after coming up against all of the bosses currently available to fight, I think now is the perfect time to reflect on the state of the game at the point of its Early Access launch.
There is no getting around the Hades comparisons. Both my wife and my kids have, separately, asked whether I was playing Hades 2 when I was in fact playing Realm of Ink. Given that Supergiant’s sequel to the hit roguelite is a visually stunning and technically accomplished video game, I think these moments of mistaken identity bode well for the game that Leap Studio is cooking here.
What is Realm of Ink?
Well I’m glad you asked Mr H2 for SEO Purposes… Realm of Ink is an action-roguelite about Chinese art and storytelling. Yes, it takes notes from the Hades playbook, but if you’re going to borrow, I say you should borrow from the best and then make it your own, and I think that’s what Leap Studio has done here. There are more than enough differences for this to feel like its own game.
Playing as a swordswoman called Red you must navigate the mother of all existential crises, challenge your own existence, and then try and break free of the literary meta-world that you’re trapped in. Basically, it doesn’t make much sense to me but it’s a great excuse to explore a bunch of different fictional themes drawn from Chinese literature, with a strong emphasis on art.
Despite all the pretty colours, Realm of Ink is an action game at heart, and most of the time you’re dodging blows in combat encounters with small groups of enemies, darting around while landing your own hits. It does play a little like Hades and so I felt at home with it pretty quickly. The benefit of this is that the movement is fast and the controls are responsive, but I was able to keep track of everything thanks to the crispness of the visual design. I think it already looks and feels great, and it’s also improved from the demo earlier this year.
A story of companionship
If we’re going to get into the nitty gritty of the gameplay mechanics, we’re going to have to look at it from a couple of different angles. The first is the Ink system, which is linked to a fun little companion pet that follows you around and supports your efforts. You have two different Ink abilities, one on each trigger (if you’re playing on controller, of course), and they each have their own cooldown timer.
Your Ink powers are a great way of exploring lots of different tactical attacking styles. One attack might deal damage in a circle over time, while your second might be a powerful attack that casts in whatever direction you’re facing. There are loads of different powers to choose from and this is where I can see Realm of Ink’s longevity coming from.
What’s really cool about this system is the companion pet I mentioned earlier. This pet is the physical embodiment of your two choices; its appearance changing accordingly. It’s a fun little visualisation of your decisions on the one hand, and on the other, it’s useful to have a buddy with you in battle, as they can often distract an opponent and buy you much needed time and space.
Battle stations
There is a lot more to the game, but the ink pets are certainly headliners. However, underneath that cutesy facade is an action-RPG with several interlocking mechanisms that are worth exploring. One is the perks system, which gives you bonuses to your stats and damage output, and which can be used to reinforce your Ink attacks.
Dealing damage over time is also a focus and you can poison your enemies and burn them, weakening them while you fight more directly. Of course, you can also choose in-game items that provide shields and other defensive measures, but most of your options are focused on dealing more damage.
There are also loads of special moves to unlock, and that’s across the game’s different playable characters, which are Red but in the style of other characters rather than you being a different person. Each of these new character forms requires a fundamental rethink of your strategy. For example, Violetta throws out spinning blades that would make Ares proud, while A’kuan’s bambo attacks felt better suited to crowd control. There are already nine different character forms in there at the time of writing, and each one represents a potentially new way to play the game.
Early Access and the path ahead
There is a fair bit to experience, but this is also still an incomplete game and there are areas where it needs a bit of work. It comes with the territory, of course, but it’s worth saying. I’d particularly like to see more time put into the storytelling and character development, as right now Realm of Ink still feels a bit under developed for a game so inspired by art. The end of the story is still to be implemented, but everything up to that point also needs a bit more… charisma.
The meta-progression is a bit undercooked as well, and that’s one area where I’m sure there’ll be more to come in the months ahead. I want deeper customisation and more content, too. Of course, we’re offered all this and more according to the game’s Early Access promise, but the jury is out until we’ve got version 1.0 in our hands. When that will be, we don’t know yet. Leap Studio says nine months, but let’s wait and see. (Update: the Realm of Ink roadmap to launch is available here.)
The final question is, then: is Realm of Ink worth picking up right now? It’s undoubtedly a game of tremendous promise but it does need fleshing out in places. I encountered a few minor audio bugs, so there’s some work to do on that front, too. If you want a finished, polished experience then maybe consider waiting just a little longer. However, if you’re happy to roll with the punches and get behind an unfinished game, Realm of Ink is already very playable and a lot of fun.
Realm of Ink is out now on PC Steam and I played via access provided by the developers and their PR friends – thanks for that!
