Inkbound Reviews

Inkbound appeals to the parts of my brain that enjoy Hades, Slay the Spire, and Torchlight simultaneously, while in many ways remaining its own unique thing. I wish there was more content in development, but the amount of content that IS here feels acceptable and I genuinely enjoy it (enough to want more).

Steam says players like me love this game.... well alright I like the game... but not love!! Beware, however, as the devs have already said they will no longer support the game. Therefore, once you've given enough hours to this there will be nothing to look forward to (which is a real bummer if you actually like the game). Which is bad because once they decide to take down the online server, then you will have no way of ever playing this game ever again... unless they decide to create an offline version (which as I stated earlier they won't be) TLDR: Great game with addicting gameplay. However, no more updates or anything new.

What a hugely pleasant surprise. I love making builds in this, and I am very interested in getting groups together for some fun tactical battles. Turn based is a very weirdly incorrect way of describing how battles work, but I get it, there's not a better way to describe it.

Great roguelike. Unique in its design: think turn-based Hades. Not an endless game like some others in the genre. For me it remained interesting for 20 hours or so. It's main drawback is Hades story influence, I love these devs but please focus on the mechanics, not plot or characters next time! 8/10. Highly recommend

I don't think I can recommend Inkbound unless you really like the combat that is on offer. While the game is finished (as per the devs) it doesn't feel complete. I paid ~$8 for this game and after having played 4 hours and defeating 2/3 bosses I feel like I've seen most of what the game has to offer and am done playing it. The main offender is that this game suffers from lack of variety. There are 6 areas/biomes, 6 total minibosses (unique to each area) and 3 main bosses. The general enemy variety is also quite low which leads to runs feeling quite similar. Depending on the character you pick you're generally limited to approximately 2 obvious builds and directions to go in. While this can be helpful to determine what you can build it's also quite limiting and makes many choices feel underwhelming. Somehow there are too many stats even with this lack of variety meaning you really have to specialize and get punished if you don't. There are also some encounters that are an immediate loss if you encounter them while having a specific build. My main gripe really comes down to the lack of variety in enemies and bosses (plus the lack of different music tracks). The runs are relatively fast which is nice but much of this feels like it's due to the lack of choices to pick from to make your run interesting. Even after just 4 hours runs felt very similar to one another. The hub area also feels incomplete and many NPCs essentially do nothing but add more items to the pool. Overall the game feels like it's lacking several systems, more abilities per character, and a good amount of polish that could really make it shine. Inkbound gets a thumbs down from me. The game won't be getting any more content updates so what you see is what you get. I had the same feeling about lack of boss variety with Monster Train 2 and I hope Shiny Shoe addresses this and other similar complaints in whatever they make next.

A really enjoyable roguelike turn based game! Many different ways to build your character and a level up system with many rewards. It truly shines when playing with friends

If you like BG3 and/or MoBAs, this game is a treat! It's got all the power building of a good rogue-like with the turn-based arena combat of a Larian game. I've been addicted for weeks!

Fun game to waste an hour or two on every now and then. Although it's quite addictive when you get started so there's a good chance you'll return to it often.

Highly enjoyable turn-based roguelite. Started getting a little repetitive around the 20 hour mark, but still overall a good game

Inkbound: The Roguelike That Loves You and Kicks Your Butt Into Roguelike Addiction Spiral. TLDR Below. I went into Inkbound expecting a cute little turn-based rogue-something to kill time while my main games were in timeout. What I got was an emotional rollercoaster that made me question my friendships, my tactical intelligence and occasionally my sanity. In my opinion Inkbound deserves way more love. It’s an underrated gem that deserves better visibility and a bigger playerbase. At first glance, it’s like Hades had a baby with Slay the Spire then let it had way too many fantasy novel and The Pagemaster movie. The combat? Turn-based in real-time-adjacent with fast movement but has enough decision making to make you sweat like you’re defusing a bomb! It feels so good and satisfying. Now here’s the game wants you to win, but not without gas-lighting you into thinking you’re a God for two runs and then slamming you into a wall so hard you start wondering if your build or your soul was condemned. Everything work is part of the game learning process, this is how you master and manoeuvre your build as whatever RNG throw at you. The Co-op? Amazing! Team Synergy builds? Chef’s kiss! Be it solo or multiplayer is wildly fun but also sometimes it feels like the RNG gods just threw your hopes in the shredder. One run you're an unkillable death machine chaining explosions and melting bosses. Next run? You're a slightly magical wet sponge wondering why you do much lesser damage. Now the graphic and artstyle was phenomenally immersive. Vibes? strong. Lore? actually is interesting, though I’ll be honest...I did read through most of it and skip some because there moments I had that “one more run” "I'm gonna get it this time!". Despite some of those BS moments and the occasional "how the freak did I did end with such crappy built there??!" Inkbound somehow keeps pulling me back with their mesmerising aesthetics and deeply satisfying turn based fights especially in Multiplayer. TLDR: Inkbound is a criminally underrated roguelike that looks charming, plays smooth, and secretly drags you into a tactical addiction spiral. It mixes Hades-style flair with Slay the Spire brainwork, then lets RNG slap you around until you learn to outsmart it. Combat feels amazing, co-op synergy is chef’s kiss, and the art and vibe are straight up gorgeous. One run you're a God of destruction, next run you're a soggy sponge questioning life and you’ll still queue up again. Alas sum it up Inkbound is stunning, chaotic, and stupidly fun and deserves way more love.