Another day, another roguelike early access launch. However, this one stands out to me. Not only does Realm of Ink look gorgeous, but it is clearly influenced by Hades. Since I wasn’t able to put Hades 2 down when it launched earlier this year, today’s early access launch of Realm of Ink is exciting.
Realm of Ink is developed by Leap Studio and launches in Steam Early Access today. The developers have detailed what to expect from early access and beyond. Today’s version includes four act levels, eight bosses, and the game’s final boss, the Book Spirit. Your player character, Red the Swordswoman, also has nine distinct forms, each with different weapons. Therefore, much like Hades and its varied weapons and aspects, Realm of Ink will have plenty of options to make runs play differently.
Where Realm of Ink really stands out among the roguelike games competition is in how it uses Momo, your adorable pet companion in the game. Depending on which abilities you have equipped, which are known as Ink Gems, Momo will have a different passive effect and active skill that’ll alter how you can approach various combat encounters.
If you want to challenge yourself in early access, the launch version also includes an endless mode. Don’t expect an easy ride though, so we’d recommend getting familiar with the base game first.
Realm of Ink is out now, with a 10% launch discount until Thursday October 10 meaning it’s priced at $15.29 / £12.86. You’ll find it right here.
In the coming weeks and month, Leap Studio also promises to release frequent game optimizations and content updates. There will be more character forms added, alongside expanded weapon sets, play styles, more Ink Pet gameplay mechanics, new areas, bosses, and more.
I can’t wait to see how it compares to Hades 2, especially as we await the full Hades 2 release date of Supergiant’s masterpiece. You can read our Hades 2 review to see what we make of that its early access launch.
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