Inked Reviews

Inked is ranked in the 48th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
5.5 / 10.0
May 10, 2018

There is a lot of potential here for a great idea and certain moments are truly awesome, but the whole experience just doesn't hold up and ends on a low point. If you have a stronger stomach for finicky controls, though, Inked might just be the game for you.

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7.5 / 10.0
Aug 31, 2021

Short, undemanding and nicely constructed, Inked: A Tale of Love is a couple of hours well worth exploring.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 28, 2021

Simple but satisfying platform puzzles combined with some stunning hand drawn artwork make for a brief but emotional and entertaining adventure which dares to try something new.

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78 / 100
Sep 11, 2021

Uniquely hand-drawn and detailed, Inked is a love story set in a beautiful world that feels minimalistic and simple, yet full of life and stories to tell. A comforting tale that touches on deeper life meanings while introducing creative puzzles to solve, this short and sweet game demands just the right amount of attention from the player. Unpredictable movements and controls make the experience feel less smooth, but the linear paths make it easy to know where our hero needs to go. It is a rewarding couple of hours well spent for those looking for a soothing and wholesome adventure.

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7.5 / 10.0
Jun 12, 2018

Inked is a puzzle platform with a unique artistic direction which suffers, however, from a very inaccurate control system.

Review in Italian | Read full review

84 / 100
May 18, 2018

A Visual and Storytelling Delight

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8 / 10
Oct 17, 2021

By the time the credits roll you'll likely still have some hidden paintings to find, and even if you leave them behind, this is a thoroughly pleasant and satisfying experience on Nintendo's system. With smart puzzles, beautiful presentation and a story full of emotive moments, Inked: A Tale of Love is well worth your time.

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6.5 / 10.0
May 2, 2018

The value of Inked lies above all in the ability to stage a small story of love and suffering by means of a very personal style and excellent visual impact. The Journey of the Hero - and, in parallel, of its creator - is a magnificent oriental painting in motion to which the refinement of a few touches of digital ink is enough to shape a truly enchanting glance.

Review in Italian | Read full review

GameByte
Top Critic
Unscored
Jun 5, 2018

Overall, the different gameplay elements blend together to create something quite unique.

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6 / 10.0
Feb 11, 2019

Visually and audibly gorgeous, Inked battles to maintain its level of quality through an awkward camera, occasional obtuse puzzles and fumbled story

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7 / 10
Apr 29, 2018

Bold, distinctive and flawed, Inked is nonetheless a worthy addition to your puzzle library.

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7 / 10.0
Jul 24, 2018

Inked offers up a selection of well constructed logic puzzles set alongside a well made, though potentially familiar feeling plot.

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7 / 10.0
May 7, 2018

Without spoiling any more of the story, Inked will take you on an adventure of grief, loss, and healing. It does, as stated in the beginning, what good art should do: provoke thought and feeling. It is gorgeous in its presentation, but flawed in some of the execution of its gameplay features and controls. Even with its flaws, Inked is a satisfyingly paced game with a descent length of around 4 - 5 hours that throws new challenges at you as you play.

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7.5 / 10.0
Sep 17, 2021

While it can be a downgrade and mimicry of the original 2018 release, Inked: A Tale of Love is a pleasant experience due to its superb artistry and laid-back puzzling. It may only be a few hours long, but it does not outstay its welcome, letting you finish mostly satisfied.

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80 / 100
Sep 18, 2021

Inked: A Tale of Love is a dynamic game that evolves without delay, with constant gameplay innovations and challenges at a reasonable level of difficulty. It is simple and short (maybe too little and too short) and has a beautiful story that many can relate to, and manages to convey morale and a little hope at the end.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

7 / 10.0
Aug 31, 2018

Its clever premise, powerful narrative (flawed though it may seem at times), and enjoyable mechanics - Inked's flaws come across as mostly minor nitpicks.

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60 / 100
Jul 1, 2018

Inked tries in earnest to make a small folk tale into a wider allegory about creative expression, and though admirable in theory, the self-reflexive bent ultimately hinders the sense of unease it creates through its pleasantly hand-drawn realm.

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7 / 10.0
Mar 22, 2021

Inked is a simple mobile game to make your free time more enjoyable. In addition to beautiful graphics and pleasant background music, it will also offer you a strongly emotional story, at the end of which you may not be able to avoid a little tears. It's just a pity that we didn't get more challenges in the form of harder puzzles or longer game time. You can finish the title in 2-3 hours, which isn't much, but it's quite enough to convey a strong message. No matter what bad things happen to you in life, you just have to move on and not wallow in your pain forever.

Review in Czech | Read full review

8 / 10
Nov 9, 2021

Inked: A Tale of Love is a moving, if rather short, puzzle adventure that does not attempt to revolutionize the experience but delivers a lovely time through very well designed levels and a unique visual world. The difficulty does not stand out, as the purpose is not to present players with a painstaking challenge, but the way this relaxing and touching experience is implemented is nothing short of remarkable. Pity for its very short length.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

Thumb Culture
Martin Hosking
8 / 10.0
Oct 5, 2021

Here are my final thoughts of Inked: A Tale of Love. It is most definitely a great little puzzle game and I enjoyed playing it. The graphics and audio are really good in the game. The only thing was I felt I could only play an hour or so at any one time. Otherwise, I felt as if I was getting bored, even though I was enjoying the game. Of course, this is no fault of the devs or the game itself, it’s just me. I give Inked: A Tale of Love the Thumb Culture Gold Award

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