We’ve all seen the various paintings and manuscripts from the medieval ages that are adorned with absolutely insane nonsense. Depictions of goblins, bizarre dog people, and people playing trumpets with their butts are just some of the wonderful delights that can be found in archives. Now, you can play in this bizarrely drawn world in the turn-based strategy game Inkulinati in early access from developers Yaza Games.
The Inkulinati are people who can conjure beasts into battle by scribbling them on parchment. You play as a burgeoning Inkulinati master, learning how to battle, and I assure you that you will need to learn. Make sure you do at least some tutorial Academy lessons before embarking on your first journey. Inkulinati is a roguelite strategy game where you play through maps and choose your path through random battle encounters and events. I would also like just to add here that Inkulinati is, for some reason, impossible for me to say. Even thinking it makes my tongue feel like it has been tied up in a bow. This has no bearing on the game.
Despite Being Difficult To Say, Inkulinati Is A Blast To Play
There is a plot beyond just bizarre little inky guys having fights. Death accidentally kills your Inkulinati teacher during a party, and to resurrect him, you have to defeat other Inkulinati masters until you eventually face down Death. Although…something isn’t quite right here. It all seems a bit rehearsed. What are the Master and Death actually up to? To find out, it’s a matter of live, die, repeat.
When a battle begins, your “Tiny” appears on the paper. This is the itty-bitty painted version of your character. There are a couple of different characters you can choose. I chose to play as Loony. Loony is a medieval blue Yoda, as seen in the picture below—such Yoda, much blue. Of course, as with everything in the game, Loony is based on weirdos from art found in the medieval period and not a green space goblin. Loony was first, and don’t you forget it.
There are a couple of different battles that can be encountered. Some will just be beasts versus beasts, some will aim to destroy a beast lair, and the final boss fight will be up against another Inkulinati. To deploy units, you need to collect living ink, which you can obtain through several methods, most obviously by moving your units onto ink splodges on the paper and ensuring they are still there at the end of the turn. Each unit will cost a certain amount of ink to draw, and there will be a limited area around your Tiny where they can be placed. In battles where there is no Tiny, the Living Ink isn’t going to be of any use, though.
Inkulinati Offers A Charming Take On Strategic Gameplay
To win, you have to eliminate all enemy beasts, either destroy the beast’s lair or finish off the opposing Tiny. An array of oddly drawn little freaks with different benefits is at your disposal. There are up-close tank swordsmen, long-range archers, and explosive bean-throwing units, and right as I got hold of the game, the new class of Frenzy Apes was added. Not only can you attack the other team, but they can also be pushed. Get a unit close enough to the opposing Tiny, and you could push them off the edge to their death. Be careful, though; the same applies to you and your beasts.
Each class of animal/horrible medieval mutant has its strengths and weaknesses. The hares are pious and unpushable and can show off their butts to enemies, giving them a headache. Some pigeons can fly up levels, expanding their movement range. There are a lot of classes, with more to come, and getting to grips with all the mechanics and abilities can be a bit overwhelming. My favorite unit is the snail, whose only real move is to munch anything before him, like an old Twix. On top of that, your Tiny also has hand movements it can play, like pushing, swatting, and healing. As is usually the case with this type of game, the best way to learn what works is to play.
As well as being an extremely solid strategy game, the unique visual style of Inkulinati quickly sets it apart from other games in the genre. Lately, they are all starting to look pretty similar, and having such an offbeat visual style makes the game feel fresh. Alongside the art style is a delightful smattering of Monty Python-style inclusions. During play, if one of the Tinys uses a hand action, a real human hand pops into the frame and performs it. As my chosen Tiny was Loony, a blue hand appeared. When battling the monkey Professor, his hand was a monkey paw.
Wrapping Up
Inkulinati is very silly. Units have randomly assigned names, so you end up with a battle page full of beasts called Dave, Sir Toot, and Feeglack. After a battle ends, the Tinys will have a smack talk screen. Loony frequently says “ME LIKEY!” when he wins, which is a thing that I say in real life. It’s nice to be represented in the media. Inkulinati is a lot of fun. The learning curve is a bit steep, but once you get it, it’s hard to stop playing, and as there is more to come, that’s only a good thing.
Inkulinati is available now in early access on Steam, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and Mac.
