Inked Reviews
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.
Short, undemanding and nicely constructed, Inked: A Tale of Love is a couple of hours well worth exploring.
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.
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.
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
A Visual and Storytelling Delight
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.
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
Visually and audibly gorgeous, Inked battles to maintain its level of quality through an awkward camera, occasional obtuse puzzles and fumbled story
Bold, distinctive and flawed, Inked is nonetheless a worthy addition to your puzzle library.
Inked offers up a selection of well constructed logic puzzles set alongside a well made, though potentially familiar feeling plot.
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.
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
Its clever premise, powerful narrative (flawed though it may seem at times), and enjoyable mechanics - Inked's flaws come across as mostly minor nitpicks.
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.
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
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
Nevertheless, Inked: A Tale of Love is a good addition for those people who likes solving puzzles and want to keep their brain working.
Overall, the different gameplay elements blend together to create something quite unique.
Inked is a lovely looking game with an interesting narrative idea. However, the story within the story is bland and generic. The game is much too long and if you are playing on a mouse and keyboard, you are in for a tough time. That being said, you might find it an interesting game about how to cope with trauma and the relationship between creation and the creator.