Summary
There’s nothing wrong with copying a winning formula, as long as there is some innovation. That’s exactly whatRealm of Inkhas done withthe iconic roguelike formula ofHades:copy and innovate. Taking inspiration from the mythology-heavy hit,Realm of Inkadds interesting twists to the formula without changing the core mechanics, and presents it all in a refreshing Chinese setting.
There are many aspects that make roguelikes fun, butreplayability is one of the key factors. The way most games add replayability is by offering more ways to play the game, in the form of new characters or weapons, and that’s exactly whatRealm of Inkdoes. Forms are this game’s version of weapons, which the player can unlock as they progress.
9General Gor
Strength-Focused Form
This is one of the last forms that players can unlock, requiring the player to defeat the final boss once. However, General Gor is a bit disappointing when it comes to features. It is unique, giving the player high damaging attacks, but it comes at a cost.
The buff from this form is less of a buff and more of a debuff.Reducing movement speedin favor of damage reduction might not sound that bad, but it’s a death sentence in roguelikes, where every small nick in the player’s armor adds up slowly. It is possible to circumvent the movement speed debuff with clever use of the dash, but it’s difficult to do, making this form bad for beginners. The upside is that it has the highest damage output out of all the forms, making it a lethal weapon in the hands of true masters.
8Red
Balanced Melee Form
Red is the original form that players start the game. Red uses a simple red sword that does a standard slash combo, alongside a heavy attack. The heavy attack needs to be charged before being unleashed to deal the highest possible damage. However, players can use the heavy attack at any point in their light attack combo.
Quick heavy attacks don’t deal as much damage as fully charged heavies. However, these attacks make the player’s moveset a lot more dynamic, and increase the player’s overall DPS, as it can be used after a light attack combo to reduce the player’s downtime. All in all, Red is an average form without any standout characteristics, and is agood base for any build.
7A’kuan
Flexible Form
The most important part of a roguelike is not getting hit, and the dash mechanic helps the player accomplish this goal. Anything that improves the dash is something worth having, and A’kuan’s ability does just that. Being able to deal damage with a dash doesn’t sound that impressive, but the little things add up. Small damage sources can be improved slowly with perks and elixirs, andincremental upgrades will take the player to victory.
A’kuan’s heavy attack and light attack synergize well with her dash ability. Her additional damage buff passive isn’t a bad deal either. She only costs 2 Jade Ink to unlock, meaning players can get her as early as their second run.
6Miss Lee
Balanced Ranged Form
A well-rounded ranged form, Miss Lee is themed after the ancient game of go. Her light attacks take the form of alternating white and black go pieces, accumulating in a big heavy attack buff,called Checkmate mode, after 8 hits. Her heavy attack is a large AoE attack that deals damage in a cone around the player.
This form is good for crowd control, even for the newest players. It will take a couple of runs before players can unlock her, but she’s worth the price considering her range, damage potential, and attack synergy.
5Dr. Suen
Ink Pet Focused Form
The cute little pet that follows the player around, Momo, becomes a staunch ally in battle when.Momo can deal a lot of damagewhen properly evolved. There are scenarios in which the player’s own damage is abysmal, but the damage of their Inkpet is enough to carry them through.
The Dr. Suen form is tailored for this exact kind of build. This form isn’t the best at everything, but its attacks synergize well witha powerful Ink Pet, making it great for that specific build.
4Monk Jin
Long Range Form
Monk Jin isthe last unlockable form, and can only be purchased after the player completes a run and beats the final boss. This form reimagines the player as an in-game monk favored by the gods. It is one of the best in the game for many reasons, one of the most important ones being the range it has.
Being able to deal damage from afar without worrying about any pesky attacks interrupting the flow is great, and having the option to rush in to deal a burst of damage makes it feel even better. The reduced HP isn’t that bad of a debuff either. It can be difficult to unlock, but once the player has it, runs become a lot easier.
3Violetta
Agility Focused Form
A form based on the fox lady giving you different forms to experiment with, Violetta’s essence is quick lethality. Players might think that it doesn’t deal much extra damage compared to other forms, but the heavy attack can be spammed without any cooldown, and it grants the player a buff on their light attack when timed properly.
This combination, when used in conjunction with the reduced dash cooldown and faster movement speed, makes the playera tornado of whirling bladesand high damaging combos. Violetta’s damage output potential is much higher than most other forms, even without taking perks and elixirs into consideration.
2Six
Luck Focused Form
Asa genre that thrives off of randomness, characters that utilize the element of chance to their advantage have a distinct advantage over those that don’t. There’s something to be said about getting powerful ink gems without needing to grind down dozens of them for the upgrade material, and the one saying that is Six.
Since the light and heavy attacks of Six hit multiple times, they’re great for getting critical hits. Combined with the inherent buff to effect trigger chance that Six has, it creates a wonderful synergy that uses the laws of probability to take the player to the outside world.
1Grace
Skill Focused Form
There’s no doubt that movement speed is thebest possible thing to have in a roguelike, right after damage. Players have two goals: deal damage, and don’t get hit. When combined, these two factors create the ultimate formula for never losing a game: dish out attacks while moving fast.
Grace’s light attacks only reduce the player’s movement speed slightly, making it much easier to dodge attacks. Additionally, these light attacks increase the damage of ink skills, giving them an extra 15% oomph when they get out of cooldown. Combined, this creates the best damage to movement ratio found in the entire game.
