Dead Ink Review (PC)

good
key review info
  • Game: Dead Ink
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: Yes  
  • Reviewed on:
Dead Ink key art

I’m dodging pistol shots easily, rolling at just the right time, and getting close to the enemy who’s taking potshots at my avatar from off-screen. When I’m in sword range I slash him twice, then dodge once again to make sure I take no damage. This brings me perilously close to an edge so I dive back as soon as possible and deliver the killing blow.

I’ve printed my current build with two repair kits, none of which were needed so far, and a pretty expensive small key. I use it, after a period of futile searching, to open access to a new ledge. From there I climb up and move across a big and empty room, before again climbing using exterior stairs. I move cautiously, making sure I don’t execute any rash moves when I’m close to the edge.

Another corridor awaits. It seems empty but a spear-wielding opponent is ready to engage at its end. The good idea was to pull back and fight him in an already familiar space. But I roll forward and that unfortunately attracts the attention of a few more enemies. It’s three against one now and I don’t love my chances. The spear guy breaks my shield while I manage to deal with two of the other attackers. He then parries another strike and I roll again. My character dies when I fail to take into account the space I’m in and get speared through while my sword gets blocked by the wall.

Dead Ink is developed and published by Offwidth Games Ltd. I played it on the PC via Steam and there are plans to bring it to other platforms in the future. The title uses a ton of Dark Souls-inspired mechanics but takes players to a very different world, defined by its verticality.

Dead Ink
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Players will be whisked to the year 2207 when technology is advanced enough to scan a human brain and then encode that image inside a photon stream that can be beamed across the universe. It’s unclear how it would be then decoded into a replica of the human being left back on Earth.

Our unnamed hero arrives inside a massive vertical tower where everything is made up of greenish ink that powers advanced 3D printers. This means he can infinitely re-create an avatar of himself as long as he has ink (permadeath is possible) as he tries to find the departure area and a path away from this massive structure.

The world is seen from a top-down perspective, with the player’s avatar at the center of the screen. This allows players to see the vertical layers he has to move through, glimpse potential ways to move forward and experience the dizzying high of the tower. It’s the game’s biggest innovation and creates both opportunity and danger.

Exploration and combat work in familiar ways. Enemies have clear attack patterns and the gamer’s avatar will be able to eliminate them using judicious use of a roll, potentially a shield, and good timing of attacks. But swing too close to a ledge and the momentum will carry you over.

To make progress players need to find the 3D printers, activate them and supply them with the ink required to print more avatars upon death. This involves moving through the rooms and open spaces, looking for ways to climb down to new levels, and potentially opening shortcuts to make traversing an area shorter and easier.

It’s tempting to explore the various ledges that conspicuously poke out of an area but a wrong step will lead to death and the loss of ink. So I stuck with the safe ladders and corridors, fighting off enemies, gathering ink, and trying to deal with bosses.

I understand that tough boss fights are a staple of this genre. But with a limited ink supply and the vertical perspective, they generate a lot of frustration, although I’m sure fans will appreciate how they are forced to adapt to overcome.

Dead Ink is a game with strong mechanics and a cool unique idea. I found it best to play a few runs at a time, setting a clear goal, like moving all the ink from one printer to another. It also helps to develop a good mental map of all visited areas to gain more insight into what risks are acceptable and which route offers the best chance to push forward with little risk.

Dead Ink’s presentation is good but with a severe lack of variety. The first challenge is to adapt to the top-down view, which is unusual for a game that uses so many Dark Souls-inspired ideas. It can be a challenge to always re-orient the camera during the tenser battle moments. The second challenge is to accept that this world does not offer much in the way of variety. Doors, some greenery, plenty of locked games, a few enemy types with limited detail, and plenty of blue skies to contemplate when accidentally walking off a ledge.

The game does not have much of a soundtrack, with the constantly whistling wind becoming the player’s main audio companion. It fits the general atmosphere and underlines the constant danger of doing something dumb next to a ledge and plummeting to one’s death. The sound effects aren’t bad, especially in combat.

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The Good

  • Vertical structure
  • 3D printing avatars
  • Combat mechanics

The Bad

  • Limited narrative
  • Boss battle difficulty spikes
  • No jump ability

Conclusion

Dead Ink’s core gameplay is built on ideas inspired by the very popular Dark Souls but it is not part of the forgettable recent wave of titles that simply copy them. The vertical layout of the tower is a big twist with major consequences for exploration. Players need to move carefully and pay close attention to ladders and ledges that will lead to new places.

Combat is all about careful dodging and strikes delivered at just the right time. The narrative is pretty limited. But I like the feeling of discovery and how the game encourages players to create mental maps and unlock shortcuts. Dead Ink should have tried to tweak the formula it’s working with a little more but it has enough unique elements to keep fans engaged.

A review key was provided by the publisher

story 6
gameplay 8
concept 9
graphics 8
audio 7
multiplayer 0
final rating 7.5
Editor's review
good
 
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Dead Ink Screenshots (21 Images)

Dead Ink key art
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