Can Realm of Ink Escape Hades’ Shadow?
Many of you will remember Hades, the roguelite title which seemed to spawn a wave of hand-drawn isometric successors all utilising these same defining characteristics. Many of these, whether fairly or not, have been labelled “clones” due to not bringing much new to the table.
The latest of these is an Asian inspired title, Realm of Ink.
Everything Hades encapsulated: fast paced action, room-clearing progression, and a central hub for progression between runs, is present here, leaving the only crucial question not of the game’s quality (being anywhere near Hades would already make it a masterpiece), but rather does this fall into the “clone” category of roguelites?
A Beautiful World Inspired By Chinese Mythology
Narratively and visually, Realm of Ink takes its own approach. Despite relying on the hand-drawn visuals popularised by its peers, it establishes its own identity through gorgeous animated cutscenes which beautifully lean into the game’s dominance of mythology. In this case, it’s predominantly Chinese mythology that acts as the foundation for characters and settings alike, with visuals, music, and items all serving to fully immerse the player into this tapestry of satisfying roguelite action.
Ink Relics And Ink Pets Steal The Show
Upon your first steps into Realm of Ink’s gripping hand-drawn world, you’ll uncover the game’s most fundamental mechanic… Ink Relics. Comparable to the Boons in Hades, these orbs act as permanent perks for a single run, of which you can equip up to two at a single time. Beyond these surface level upgrades, the mechanic offers a plethora of additional minor systems such as Relics imbued with divine power granting you unique active skills, Primordial Relics which require rigorous preparation for maximum damage, or decomposing unwanted Relics for Inkstones that are able to upgrade your others. All allow for players to tailor each build to any playstyle they want to achieve.
There’s more to these crucial Ink Relics than meets the eye as, upon filling your two Ink Relic slots, your Ink Pet evolves into a unique form based on the combination of the five elements of equipped Ink Relics. That’s a lot of Ink, and likely too much to take in upon one sitting, so perhaps giving examples will paint (see what I did there) a clearer picture.
Your Ink Pet is a companion which follows throughout each run. Each Relic collected contains one of five elements it focuses on (i.e, fire or water) of which your companion evolves to fit the combined elements. My initial run saw a metal and fire hybrid which led to the undeniably awesome Thundery Momo evolution, combining chain lightning damage with thunderstorms for maximum effect. It’s for this very reason the Ink Relic system acts as more than one crucial component to Realm of Ink’s fundamental design, merging each flowing river of design into one compelling ocean of originality.
If that wasn’t enough for you, Realm of Ink is happy to oblige with a more traditional upgrade feature; known as Curios. These little collectibles obtained in a run will give face value upgrades to generic stats ranging from movement speed to damage. Like with most aspects Realm of Ink offers, the higher the rarity, the greater and more complex these become, with end-game builds requiring tactical planning and intentionality on the player’s part to achieve a sustained damage output.
Progression That Rewards Every Run
As you reach your demise in your initial run, Realm of Ink reminds you it’s almost definitely a roguelite, with death not seen as an obstacle but rather a mechanic. This paves the path for many features to be unlocked following “failed” runs, all of which offer flexibility and aid for your next attempts.
Systems such as the Talent Stele’s permanent stat upgrades, various quest-lines which provide extra content, a diverse range of characters and unlockables to trial, or upgrading your pet companion all highlight this roguelite core that is so pivotal to Realm of Ink. And they provide incentive enough to leave each run feeling fresh and rewarding.
Great Combat Held Back By Stage Design
Unfortunately, this is where I run out of praise for Realm of Ink. Where the gameplay systems coalesce and flourish as a well-oiled machine, the level design seems to be a rusty cog holding back maximum effect. Granted the visual variety between areas are jaw-droppingly gorgeous; each room that occupies these locations follows a rather generic design that rarely incorporates traps or alternate environmental factors.
This leaves each run feeling more akin to an extended long room with breaks between, rather than a flowing experience of diverse design and ideas.
Combat escapes this deadly mistake, as, aside from the fantastic abilities and skills we spoke about earlier, the recipients of these (bosses and enemies) don’t fall victim to the uninspired design. Foes will complement one another’s attacks, seemingly coordinating short and long-range moves to corner the player. This leaves each input requiring great thought which could’ve been drastically enhanced through well designed environments. Bosses are effective for largely the same reasons, along with their move-set allowing for combos to flow freely into the player’s health-bar.
More Than Just Another Clone
If nothing else, Realm of Ink seems to capture the elegance and immersion achieved only through allowing each gameplay system room to breathe as an individual, yet also flourish in unison with the game’s varied mechanics. It’s blatantly clear that Hades fans will instantly speak the language of Realm of Ink, but it’s the way the game deviates from that language which makes it worth your time.
Important Links
Realm of Ink’s Stylish Swordplay Hits Xbox, PlayStation, Switch And PC – https://www.thexboxhub.com/realm-of-inks-stylish-swordplay-hits-xbox-playstation-switch-and-pc/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/realm-of-ink/9pdxqfg5tfj0
