Is Realm of Ink the Next Hades?: EA Review

Realm of Ink is an action roguelite game with a cool ink-style art design. As someone who enjoys games like Hades, Realm of Ink felt familiar but still had its own unique spin, thanks to its Chinese theme and interesting gameplay. In the game, you play as a swordswoman named Red, who is trying to chase down the Fox Demon while also trying to break free from a storybook world. The idea is pretty cool, though it can get a bit confusing at times. Even with that, the game has a lot to offer but also has some issues that need to be fixed.

One of the best things about the game is how many different ways you can build your character. You get to play as different “forms,” and each one has unique skills and moves. There are about ten forms in the game, and they all play differently. This keeps things fresh because each run feels new. My favorite was Miss Lee, a ranged character who lets you move and attack like a character in a MOBA, which made me feel like a damage-dealing powerhouse. Plus, bosses in the game give you modifiers, adding more variety to your build, which makes it even more fun to experiment.

The combat is quick and responsive, and the movement feels smooth, much like Hades. You’ll be dodging, slashing, and dashing around enemies, which is both fun and satisfying. The game’s art style also helps keep things clear during the action, so even when the screen gets busy with enemies, you can still see what’s happening. I also love the Chinese-inspired theme and visuals—it really makes the game stand out compared to others in the genre.

But not everything is perfect. One of the biggest problems I ran into was the difficulty spike in the final level. Up until the third boss, the game feels challenging but fair. However, when you reach the last level, the enemies suddenly get much stronger, and it feels like your attacks barely hurt them. If you don’t have a strong build, especially one focused on damage-over-time, it becomes really hard to win. The game feels like it’s missing some extra levels to smooth out this difficulty.

Another issue is the game’s performance. While the visuals are beautiful, they can cause the game to slow down, especially when you start getting stronger with better abilities. In endless mode, my frame rate dropped below 60 FPS, and the game became less responsive, which made it harder to play. This is a big problem for a game that relies on fast reactions. I also tried playing on a Steam Deck, but it didn’t run very well. Hopefully, the developers can improve the optimization in future updates.

The game’s progression system also felt a bit weak. There’s a talent tree that you upgrade between runs, but the upgrades don’t make a huge difference, especially with the final level’s stat bloat. I think this system could be expanded to offer more meaningful changes to help with the game’s difficulty spikes.

Even with these issues, Realm of Ink has a lot of good things going for it. The game is still in Early Access, and it’s clear the developers have built a solid foundation. The art style is great, with smooth animations that make the combat feel satisfying. One feature I really liked is the ink pet system. You get a companion that helps you in battle and evolves based on the skills you choose. This pet can distract enemies, which gives you some breathing room during tough fights, and it adds some depth to the combat.

The story has potential, but right now it feels a bit underdeveloped. The idea of Red fighting against her fate is interesting, but I didn’t feel very connected to the characters or the plot. I hope future updates will add more depth to the storytelling.