“Realm of Ink” is an action roguelike game with the best aspects of “Hades” and has made it its own. Players venture through a strange new world as Red, an expert swordperson. Upon discovering she is a fictional character within a story called “Realm of Ink,” she does what she has to for answers under the mysterious Book Spirit’s influence. With her reality and the truth of her existence to be discovered, Red is willing to challenge the destiny written for her.

Hunting for a cunning Fox demon, players control Red and will gradually unlock new forms, abilities, status boosts, and Ink Pets throughout their progress. There are several levels to “Realm of Ink” that Red must traverse through using the Fox’s powers, a never-ending cycle of rebirth, and ‘Story Relics,’ to conquer bosses and attempt escape from the world that is ‘Realm of Ink.’

From Ink and Brush, Life Springs Anew

Navigate your way through various chambers and choose paths based on the reward of either silver, elixirs, or treasure. The greater the challenge, the richer the reward. 

Red’s different battle modes are imaginative and engaging, brought to life with stunning 2.5D Chinese-style ink painting visuals. The game has a feature for aim assist and a ‘strong aim assist’ which auto-locks onto the nearest enemy when attacking. New players can use this setting as training wheels and toggle it off for an extra challenge in future runs.

Using the Talent Stele skill tree at the Spirit Fox Inn will make future runs easier to conquer, utilizing Foxblood gathered through runs. Interacting with Violetta reveals different cosmetic options or skins for Red at the cost of some rare materials.

The game has an extensive voice cast for all characters, providing each with a distinct personality and visually appealing design.

Upon defeat, players will see a summary of their overall run progress with the Ink Gems, Ink Pet, and Perks applied during the run.

The Early Access launch version includes: 

• Complete 4-act levels and 8 bosses, and the final boss – the Book Spirit
• The playable character, Red the Swordswoman, with 9 distinct forms and weapons
• Full gameplay for 22 Ink Gem skills across 4 tiers
• Full gameplay for 15 Ink Pets across 4 tiers and over 40 forms
• Over 130 Perks to provide diverse building possibilities
• The first layer of world-building and approximately 50% of the storyline
• 70% of the content and functions of the Fox Inn are open
• Ink Pet system, Ink Realm Anecdote
• Endless mode gameplay for challenge seeker

Verdict

It was similar to playing “Hades” with fluid movements and dashing, different techniques, weapons, combos, and abilities. All the bosses up to the fourth boss, Jin, were manageable to beat. Once I gained some permanent stat boosts, acquired a solid build, and learned the boss’s moveset and patterns. The game is still in early access. However, shows promise as a solid option for lovers of roguelike reward, failure, and learning. Leap Studio, the developer, has actively engaged with the “Realm of Ink” community, collecting essential feedback to enhance the Early Access gaming experience, ensuring it is both immersive and rewarding. After playing for 3 hours, I enjoyed this game and will return to try out more styles and complete an entire run.

This game was played with an Xbox controller. 

Reviewed on Steam. Review code provided by the publisher.