Inkbound Early Access Impressions - A Great Little Roguelike

mmorpg.com:

There was a moment in Inkbound when I stood in The Atheneum Library and the narrator explained to me that all the books and stories within were made of different materials, had different purposes for being there and contained different content.  Then he said, “...but they all share the same sickness.”  The books and stories in The Atheneum have come under attack from a few very powerful villains.  I stand, a Needless with my Kwill, ready to liberate The Atheneum from these villains and restore the pages that are slowly fading away.  

The very concept of Inkbound is wildly intriguing.   As someone who enjoys a good hack and slash, I wondered if a turn-based roguelike, such as Inkbound, was going to be a good fit.  I am happy to say that Inkbound may be the best roguelike game I’ve ever played. That’s not to say that I’ve played every single roguelike out there but I’m also not a newcomer to the genre. If anything, Inkbound has made me want to jump in and play more roguelikes.  From the first few minutes of the game all the way until a few minutes ago when I had to tear myself away, I have enjoyed every single minute.

Every roguelike has a run. In Inkbound , a run is a hunt for a villain of the player’s choosing and success is down to whether or not the villain is slain. Currently in Early Access, there are three villains to choose from: Argolath, Cynder, and Shadow of Ruhnstone. These villain battles are easily the hardest in the game with good reason but it will take several combat instances before being ready to take on a villain.

Entering a combat instance, enemies appear from the ink in a circle. This ink is no ordinary ink; it’s poisoned and will hurt to touch.  The longer a battle draws on, the smaller the