Inkulinati

This indie game by Yaza Games looks like Pentiment, but its anthropomorphic battles are silly and tactically challenging.

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"Inkulinati" is a comedic turn-based strategy game, available for single-player and local multi-player . It features exceptional game mechanics and fabulous visuals inspired by 700-year-old medieval manuscripts, bringing to life bizarre art pieces filled with humorous elements such as sword-wielding rabbits and human-eating snails. Prepare to build your own bestiary, defeat medieval superstars, and climb the ranks to become the greatest Inkulinati of all time.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 198 reviews

gameplay23 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

The game features a unique and charming art style that beautifully mimics medieval manuscripts, enhancing the overall experience.
Gameplay is strategically deep, with a variety of units and mechanics that encourage creative tactics and replayability.
The humor and whimsical nature of the game, including funny animations and dialogue, add to its charm and make it enjoyable.

The tutorial is excessively long and convoluted, making it a slog to get through before engaging with the main gameplay.
The game suffers from pacing issues, with slow animations and a lack of meaningful progression that can lead to boredom.
Balancing issues, particularly with certain units being overpowered, can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences and diminish the challenge.

gameplay
59 mentions
39 % positive mentions
56 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a mix of strategic depth and convoluted mechanics, leading to a varied but sometimes frustrating experience. While the unique unit variety and tactical elements offer engaging challenges, the slow pace and certain punishing mechanics can detract from enjoyment, making it feel repetitive at times. Overall, the game presents a charming aesthetic and innovative ideas, but many players feel it lacks the polish and excitement needed to sustain long-term engagement.
- “The massive unit variety, with each race having wholly unique mechanics that get crazier the further you go on, is of course key to a wide variety of levels.”
- “The fact that you can draw both next to you, but also above and below you, as well as a great variety of terrain features, movement ranges, mechanics like headaches that don't allow taking an action after moving, etc. all make for a great strategic experience.”
- “The gameplay is easy to learn, but with a high skill ceiling that has almost endless potential for shenanigans of all kinds.”
- “Unfortunately, like many turn-based games, the gameplay is slow and boring, like chess, watching cricket, or waiting in line at the grocery store.”
- “The visuals are great but the gameplay loop is repetitive, at times offering a fair challenge; sometimes you're just matched against enemies that are way too hard.”
- “I like the aesthetics, but I found the gameplay boring and the unlocks uninteresting.”
graphics
39 mentions
41 % positive mentions
51 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are widely praised for their unique and charming art style, which draws players in and enhances the overall experience. Many reviewers appreciate the whimsical and medieval aesthetic, noting that it adds a refreshing touch to the gameplay. However, some critics feel that while the visuals are appealing, they can become repetitive and may not compensate for gameplay shortcomings.
- “The style and aesthetic of the game is definitely on point.”
- “The art style is incredibly charming, the gameplay is surprisingly deep, and its roguelite journey mode can be pretty engaging.”
- “In short, the aesthetics and design are absolutely flawless.”
- “The visuals get old fast; or at least the humor does.”
- “I like the aesthetics, but I found the gameplay boring and the unlocks uninteresting.”
- “Once I got past the novelty of the art style, I realized how the art style actually makes the game look robotic and clumsy, at least on the characters.”
humor
27 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its omnipresence, featuring a mix of clever dialogues, whimsical character designs, and a blend of toilet humor and medieval references. Players appreciate the engaging and funny campaign, with many noting that the humor enhances the overall experience, despite some feeling it may become repetitive over time. Overall, the game's art style and humorous writing contribute significantly to its charm and enjoyment.
- “That said, I do think that the game stands on its own: the animations are of great quality, the humor is omnipresent, the gameplay is engaging, and the theme is integrated in every mechanic (I especially got a chuckle from the fact that hitting the cat bishop makes you a heretic; how fun!).”
- “As a medievalist, I find it both hilarious and incredibly fun to play it!”
- “The humor captures the nature of the marginalia of medieval illuminated manuscripts perfectly, and reminds me of the Terry Gilliam cartoons in The Holy Grail.”
music
15 mentions
40 % positive mentions
40 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players enjoying its unique style and thematic elements that complement the art design. While it effectively evokes tension and excitement during gameplay, some reviewers feel it lacks the "oomph" needed to elevate the overall experience, suggesting that it could benefit from more dynamic sound effects. Overall, the soundtrack is considered pleasant and fitting, though not the standout feature of the game.
- “The tone, art, and music are spot on.”
- “Loving the music, the style, the sounds.”
- “The soundtrack evokes tension and excitement as the player battles enemy inkulinatis and races to finish a fight before bonfires consume their beasts.”
- “Because in the end it's yet another roguelike with a different twist on the genre, and we already have tons of that. Besides, the sound effects and music are simply lacking that 'oomph' to make the turn-based gameplay exciting. Once I got past the novelty of the art style, I realized how the art style actually makes the game look robotic and clumsy, at least on the characters.”
- “The music and writing are decent enough—not the star of the show, but certainly not standing out as negatives.”
- “(Needs more recorder music though, in my opinion.) The only negative I have to say is that like many others have said, there is a lot of camera movement, zooming in and out, but it seems the developers are aware of this feedback and are looking to make a change.”
story
11 mentions
27 % positive mentions
45 % neutral mentions
27 % negative mentions
The game's story is often criticized for being minimal and lacking depth, with players feeling disconnected from the narrative during gameplay. While there is a humorous and straightforward plot that connects battles, many expected a richer storytelling experience given the game's artistic presentation. The journey mode offers some narrative elements, but overall, the story feels underdeveloped and secondary to the gameplay.
- “Hence, the story-based 'journey mode' is the main draw for this game.”
- “The plot is funny and a lot of random stuff can happen during your journey or battles, both helpful and not helpful.”
- “The story is very straightforward and short, but its simplicity lets the characters you encounter shine in their perfectly absurd ways.”
- “There is a story in the background going on, but you can't take the time to read it or see what is happening there.”
- “My one sort of disappointment is the absence of a proper story. I thought the art style and the fact that everything happens inside a book would mean there would be a proper story written with illustrations, where battles are just part of the narrative.”
- “Cons: you don't really feel the development during adventure mode; there isn't much story; there are a lot of talents, but most aren't very useful.”
replayability
5 mentions
40 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
60 % negative mentions
The game "Inkulinati" features a solid level of replayability, enhanced by its rogue-lite elements, procedurally generated maps, and a variety of creatures and difficulties. While some players feel that the incorporation of rogue-lite mechanics detracts from the game's original strengths, many agree that the diverse content and challenges provide ample replay value, especially as the game continues to expand.
- “With all the different creatures, the procedurally generated maps, four different difficulties, and the huge catalog of extra courses and riddles, Inkulinati offers a decent amount of replayability.”
- “I can see a lot of replay value already from the get-go.”
- “In a world where games weren't expected to be replayable to no end, and where rogue-lites weren't so popular, I think Inkulinati would have been able to push forward with its merits instead of incorporating these expectations, sullying an otherwise great meal.”
- “The main mode has decent replayability thanks to its roguelite formula (it will be higher as the game expands more).”
- “With all the different creatures, the procedurally generated maps, four different difficulties, and the huge catalogue of extra courses and riddles, Inkulinati offers a decent amount of replayability.”
character development
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Reviewers highlight that the character development is engaging and enjoyable, noting the unique art style and humorous character designs that enhance the overall experience.
- “The character design is fun and interesting.”
- “The music and art style are so unique, and the character designs are hilarious!”
grinding
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding in the game to be tedious and arbitrary, leading to a sense of excessive padding that detracts from the overall experience.
- “Unfortunately, the game itself is tedious, arbitrary, and just feels too padded and drawn out.”
- “The grinding mechanics are overly repetitive and make the gameplay feel like a chore.”
- “I found myself spending hours on mindless tasks that offered little reward or satisfaction.”
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players express a desire for more diverse content and features in the game, indicating that the current monetization strategy may not be effectively promoting the game, as it lacks visibility and engagement from larger content creators.
stability
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Overall, users express a positive outlook on the game's stability, with initial skepticism about potential bugs being dispelled by a smooth and enjoyable experience.