The roguelite space is completely saturated at this point. Ever since Hades raised the bar for how good the genre could feel when story and gameplay actually click together, everyone’s been trying to chase that same magic. The problem is, a lot of them blur into each other pretty quickly.
So when I started Realm of Ink, I didn’t expect much beyond the usual loop. Isometric combat, dodge rolls, upgrade paths, repeat runs — it all looked familiar on paper. And honestly, for the first few minutes, it kind of felt familiar too.
But the more I played the PS5 version, the more it started to show its own identity.
It doesn’t reinvent roguelites. It doesn’t really try to. What it does instead is lean hard into style and just enough smart ideas to make it stick. And weirdly, that’s enough here. I kept coming back to it more than I expected, not because it was doing anything radically new, but because it was just enjoyable to be in.
Story and Narrative
The story follows Red, a swordswoman chasing down a Fox Demon. Pretty standard setup at first glance. Then it throws in the twist — Red isn’t really “free” at all. She’s a character inside a story, trapped in something that’s already been written.
That’s where things get more interesting. She starts realising she’s not fully in control of her own fate, and the whole thing shifts into this idea of breaking out of a narrative you were never meant to question in the first place.
It’s a solid concept, even if it doesn’t always hit as hard as it wants to. I wouldn’t put it anywhere near Hades in terms of character writing or emotional punch. Some of the dialogue is fine, some of it is a bit forgettable. But I still wanted to see what was coming next, which says something.
What actually works better than it should is how the story ties into the roguelite loop. Normally repetition in these games can start to feel like grind, but here it kind of fits. Every failed run doesn’t feel like you’ve been punished — it feels like you’ve just hit another page in the story. You die, you reset, and it somehow still feels like progress.
That alone made it easy to keep going.
Visuals and Art Style
Visually though, Realm of Ink is doing something special.
The ink-wash art style isn’t just a gimmick — it genuinely shapes how the whole world feels. It looks like a moving painting, all brush strokes and flowing ink textures, almost like someone’s animated traditional artwork rather than built a 3D game world.
And it works. Really well.
One minute you’re moving through calm, almost quiet landscapes, and then suddenly you’re in these chaotic battle scenes splashed with blacks, whites, and deep reds. It never looks generic, which is rare in this genre.
I actually slowed down more than I usually would in a roguelite just to look around, which is not something I normally do when everything is trying to kill me.
Performance on PS5
On PS5, it holds up nicely too. Even when the screen turns into chaos — enemies everywhere, effects going off constantly — it stays smooth. Load times are quick, so you’re straight back into runs without sitting around waiting. I even tried it on PlayStation Portal and, surprisingly, it still felt good to play.
Screenshots don’t really sell it. The ink effects moving during combat give it this flow that static images just miss completely.
Gameplay and Combat
Gameplay-wise, it’s solid.
Movement feels responsive, combat has weight, and dodging at the last second gives you that usual roguelite rush. It didn’t take long before I stopped thinking about controls and just got into the rhythm of it all.
Build Variety and Progression
The upgrade system is where things start to open up. You get a decent amount of variation between runs, and builds can shift quite a lot depending on what you pick up. Some runs turned into pure melee aggression, others leaned into ranged setups or status effects, and occasionally you get something completely off the wall.
That variety helps stop things from getting stale, even after a few hours.
I was still finding combinations I hadn’t tried yet, which is always a good sign in this genre. It keeps that “just one more run” feeling alive longer than you’d expect.
Momo Companion System
Then there’s Momo.
This is probably one of the more interesting systems in Realm of Ink. It’s not just a passive companion tagging along — it actually matters. Momo can be built into different forms and styles, and it starts to shape how you approach runs in a pretty meaningful way.
At a certain point, I found myself planning builds around Momo rather than just my own character. That’s not something I expected going in, but it works.
It gives Realm of Ink a bit of identity in a genre where a lot of systems can start to feel interchangeable.
Difficulty and Balance
If there’s one thing that holds it back slightly, it’s balance.
Once you understand how everything clicks together, it’s very easy to become overpowered. Some runs get to the point where enemies just melt, including bosses that probably should’ve lasted a bit longer than they did.
It’s fun, don’t get me wrong. There were moments where I absolutely enjoyed being ridiculously strong. But it does take away a bit of tension, especially in fights that are meant to feel like big moments.
That said, if you’re newer to roguelites, you might actually prefer that smoother difficulty curve.
Technically, though, it’s very clean on PS5. No major issues, no performance drops that I noticed, and everything just runs the way it should. It feels stable, which is always good to see in a game like this where things can get hectic fast.
Final Verdict
In the end, Realm of Ink doesn’t try to outdo the giants of the genre. It just focuses on what it does well — strong combat, a distinctive visual style, and systems that keep you engaged longer than you expect.
It’s not perfect, and it doesn’t need to be. It just needs to be fun enough to keep you coming back. And for me, it did that.
Realm of Ink Trailer
This review was based off a PlayStation 5 playthrough.
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The game was provided to us for the express purpose of reviewing.
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