INK (2015)

 PC
Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. DarkZero
    Aug 7, 2015
    80
    It is a charming stylish endeavor that mixes the joys of experimentation, with the satisfaction of solving puzzles, whilst not forgetting to remain fun in the process. You cannot ask for much more than that.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 14 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 14
  3. Negative: 2 out of 14
  1. TitaniumDragon
    Feb 18, 2016
    4
    INK is a very basic 2D platformer game whose central premise is that the entire level starts out invisible to the player. You play a square –INK is a very basic 2D platformer game whose central premise is that the entire level starts out invisible to the player. You play a square – some sort of ink sponge? I don’t really know – who can double jump and wall jump. Every time you touch any surface, you put ink on that surface, revealing it. Every time you double jump, you spurt out ink, revealing nearby surfaces. There are also some square enemies which slide around the level, revealing surfaces, and some things which shoot triangles or circles at you, which explode into bursts of ink when they strike surfaces. And if you die, you shoot out a bunch of ink, revealing the area around where you died.

    The goal is to navigate through each level without dying, either by touching any of the edges of the screen (including the top and the sides) or by touching an enemy’s sides or a projectile. If there are enemies in the level, you must stomp on all of them to make the exit open up.

    Ink is persistent in levels between deaths, meaning that successive attempts on each level get easier as the level gets increasingly revealed. While this is convenient, it also means that the exploration aspect of the game is lessened. This isn’t really a bad thing per se, but it means that the mechanic has less of an impact than it might seem at first glance.

    Deaths are, thankfully, extremely short, with the square respawning within a second or two at the start of the level. This is very convenient, and is a good feature for a game like this. The game is quite easy at the start, but gets progressively more difficult; it is never TOO hard, though, and always feels fair.

    The game is extremely simplistic. The enemies all just slide along the ground, wandering back and forth like square goombas. The projectile things shoot rhythmically. Platforms are platforms. There are some moving platforms later in the game – some helpful, some of which try to crush you to death – as well as some spiked walls, which are instant death to touch. Some of the levels also have keys, which get rid of “lock blocks”, squares with keyholes on them which are instantly banished when you collect the appropriate key.

    There are also 20 little circles with hearts in the middle of them hidden throughout the game; collecting one, then completing the level with it, collects it permanently.

    There ae three bosses in the game as well, at levels 25, 50, and 75. Each has their own unique mechanic. None are particularly difficult, and I beat the final boss without dying while fighting it.

    All the levels are very short, as is appropriate for a game like this. There are 75 levels in all, though, and I beat the game in 78 minutes – and collected 17 of the 20 collectables in that time, without any sort of guide at all. It took me another 5 minutes to collect the last 3 collectibles, giving me a total playtime of 83 minutes, during which not a single Steam trading card dropped.

    Some might think that the game being so short is a bad thing, but this is inaccurate; the game is as long as it should be. Frankly, the mechanics were pretty much exhausted by the end of the game, and the central mechanic of revealing the levels as you went through them with ink just didn’t lend itself to certain sorts of complicated puzzles. And indeed, in many of the later levels, the projectiles constant motion and spattering meant that the level was often largely revealed by the time I went through it anyway, sort of nullifying the central mechanic.

    Indeed, in the end, the central mechanic of revealing the levels with ink is really a visual gimmick to make the game look more visually interesting. It succeeds at that; despite the game’s very basic visuals, it never really felt like it was visually boring in the way of many cheap 2D indie games.

    The main problem with this game is that it is simply utterly unexciting. Once you realize that the ink thing is just a visual gimmick, you’re down to basic 2D platformer gameplay with bog-standard mechanics. I’ve played lots of 2D platformer games which are fundamentally exactly the same as this game, and while this game isn’t terrible, it is generic and completely unremarkable.

    All in all, I can’t recommend it, but not because it is bad. It is simply thoroughly mediocre. The only thing it has going for it is the ink gimmick, but after a while you stop even noticing it so much, and when you get to the end, you’re probably going to be left feeling like you did a thing, and that was that.

    If you DO get this game for some reason, keep in mind its very short length while purchasing it; if you are looking for something which is going to last you a while, this is not the game for you.

    All in all, unremarkable, but inoffensive. Not worth buying, but if you got it as part of a bundle, it wouldn't be a terrible thing to try.    … Full Review »
  2. Memulatron
    Oct 27, 2015
    5
    The problem with games like these is that there is one central gameplay gimmick that they tend not to deviate from. The puzzle-platformer isThe problem with games like these is that there is one central gameplay gimmick that they tend not to deviate from. The puzzle-platformer is in need of innovation, and this game certainly presents some, but the problem with it is there's no variation within the game itself. It's worth a play, but it's not worth 5 dollars.… Full Review »
  3. MaddoxWhite
    Apr 24, 2021
    5
    You're a little tofu cube that splashes paint to reveal where you're supposed to be going. Too short, and the game basically makes you die atYou're a little tofu cube that splashes paint to reveal where you're supposed to be going. Too short, and the game basically makes you die at some points to reveal some of the level.

    Weird, little game. I like how the paint looks, though. I give this game a pat on the back.    … Full Review »
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