Review – Realm of Ink

A world built from hand brushstrokes hides, in its mixtures of colors, a hostile place, full of threats and secrets. reserves a journey into a universe inspired by Chinese culture that involves both its visual beauty and its frenetic combat, strongly inspired by Hades.

After years of seeing the roguelite genre grow with experiences like the aforementioned, Dead Cells and so many other successes, it seems increasingly difficult to find a game capable of bringing something really different to the formula. Realm of Ink tries to do just that by swapping the Greek gods for an adventure inspired by traditional Chinese art, where ink, brushstrokes and characters aware of their own existence bring to life a beautiful and mysterious universe. But will it be enough to stand out in such a competitive genre?

A world made of ink

Realm of Ink puts us in control of Red, a swordswoman who, during her journey, begins to notice that there is something wrong with the world around her. Little by little, she discovers that her reality is part of a story written inside a book and that there is a greater force controlling events. Knowing that the characters are aware that they are characters is enough to instigate us on this adventure.

The story seems simple at first, but it quickly takes on more interesting contours by playing with concepts of destiny, free will and characters who begin to question the role they received within that narrative, which, at times, generates even comical moments. But don’t expect a story told in a conventional way. Like other roguelites, Realm of Ink delivers much of its context little by little, as we progress through the trials and unlock new dialogues.

What really catches your attention from the first minute is its artistic direction. The entire universe seems to be constructed from paintings made with Indian ink. Trees, mountains, rivers and buildings have a look that mixes traditional oriental painting with modern animations. It looks beautiful both on TV and in handheld mode on the Switch.

The scenarios look like pages of parchment coming to life before our eyes. Honestly, after seeing the pages of Yoshi and the Mysterious Book come to life, it was interesting to find another proposal with this aspect. The designs of the characters and creatures are a charm in themselves, including each boss in store for good surprises because they are so well designed.

Despite all its beauty, curiously, the Realm of Ink cutscenes on Switch 2 are presented in very low resolution, almost like an analog TV channel with signal problems. I even tried reinstalling the game, but it didn’t make any difference and it’s a shame, as it messes up the scene transitions a bit, even though there is no dialogue in those moments. There has been an update since its launch, but it has not yet corrected this detail.

Fortunately, the gameplay performs well almost all of the time. Only at the beginning of each room can you notice a slight delay, where enemies move before we can take control of the swordswoman. Still, even when we repeat areas several times, it’s difficult not to admire the way the colors mix with the particle effects and brushstrokes that appear during combat. It’s a true show of colors and transformations filling the screen.

Realm of Ink has subtitles and menus in Portuguese, which is wonderful for understanding its history and also its various menus of items, elixirs, creatures and other information. With the aforementioned update, the texts were adjusted to fit within the screen, as previously the dialog boxes went beyond the limits, leaving some information and even options incomprehensible.

Realm of Ink’s quick reflexes

In addition to the art attracting attention, it is the combat that sustains the experience. Realm of Ink follows the classic action roguelite formula. We enter a sequence of rooms full of enemies, collect temporary improvements during the game and try to advance as far as possible before being defeated (which is inevitable. Like it or not, this almost works as a requirement to evolve and advance in the story).

Combat is extremely agile and requires constant movement. Dodges, special attacks and skills need to be combined all the time to deal with groups of enemies that quickly fill the screen. To help, there is support from the Momo creature. The little animal transforms with each Ink Relic you find. Without a doubt, it’s fun to follow these transformations, which resemble something between Pokémon and Digimon.

The pet is one of the most interesting mechanics in Realm of Ink. Each transformation offers different types of passive abilities or automatic attacks. Depending on the combinations chosen, companions can increase damage, control groups of enemies or complement specific combat styles.

Unlikely companions

Momo and Red gain different abilities as ink equipment is acquired. You can carry two stones at the same time and, as you improve your powers, they can be combined into a third ability, which creates a true visual apocalypse on the screen. And the best part: it’s extremely fun.

Among the powers, there are cyclones, poisons, freezing effects, electric effects, fireballs, clone summons, demons and even other unthinkable creatures and insects. There are many variations capable of completely modifying your game. It’s clearly more worth paying attention to options that make you stronger than those that make Momozinho more stylish, lol.

Further, Realm of Ink introduces new weapons, elixirs and combat styles. Each of them significantly changes the way you play. Some options favor fast, aggressive attacks, increase skill and pet damage, or even improve your health, while others reward a more strategic approach. It is worth remembering, however, that most of these advantages will only remain with you during the run.

All this variety is essential for a roguelite and helps keep games interesting even after several hours. Little by little, the player stops just reacting to challenges and starts building real formulas capable of completely transforming a game, always paying attention to what is really worth equipping, exchanging or discarding.

These systems add layers of customization to the experience, something important for a game based on constant repetition, right? This helps to understand the progression both in the narrative and in the evolution of the characters themselves.

In this sense, Realm of Ink gets a lot right and ends up being extremely addictive, one of those games where you simply don’t notice the time passing.

Outside of matches, you are carried back to a temple by a giant fox. Her huge head at the entrance to the temple is very reminiscent of police officer Aylin, from . It is in this place that we really understand what remains after defeats, as Realm of Ink also offers permanent progression systems.

Choosing your next swordswoman

You will find a panel to acquire attribute improvements, new characters (yes, there are different swordsmen and each one has their own combat styles), as well as new battle options and clothes that are gradually unlocked.

This continuous evolution guarantees that classic feeling of “just one more try to see what else I get”. Even when a race ends frustratingly, there is almost always some reward that contributes to the next advancement. Not to mention that the dialogues change even when you lose.

The game is full of possibilities, including different endings, okay? And, although the journeys to the end are relatively short, when you add up all the endings, expect good hours of gameplay. Not to mention those who want to get all the unlockables that the game offers, in this case, there is a lot to explore.

Realm of Ink doesn’t try to completely reinvent the genre, but it has found clever (and beautiful) ways to carve out its own identity. Its fast and satisfying combat, combined with the excellent artistic direction, pets and customization systems, creates an experience capable of completely gripping the player, even with the small performance glitches on the Switch, something that will probably be corrected with future updates.

Maybe its story isn’t the main reason to keep playing because, honestly, the art and action end up getting more attention here. Some elements may also sound familiar. Still, the way everything is presented means that Realm of Ink finds a way to surprise among so many options.

In the end, this adventure perfectly understands what makes roguelites so addictive and uses it to its advantage. The artistic layer, which is pure charm, reinforces your strategy. If you’re looking for a game with frenetic action, striking visuals and dozens of combinations to try, Realm of Ink deserves your attention.