Realm of Ink PS5 Review - An Artistically Flowing Roguelite

Developed by Leap Studio and published by 4Divinity, Realm of Ink hit the PlayStation store on May 26,2026. Starring the swordswoman Red this roguelite game steeped in Chinese mythology finds the heroine of the unfolding tale in an amnesiac state of mind trapped in a spiritual realm loop of reincarnation with her pet partner Momo, an inkling spirit that acts as an extension to her combat capabilities. As she wanders realizing she's been here and done all this before a harassing voice taunts her inability to remember the who, what, when, where, and why of her predicament. Only through chance meetings with other Ink Realm dwellers is she able to piece together the truth of her existence.

Unlike most roguelites of this pedigree, Realm of Ink innovates with a pet and item/orb based skill system that has Red growing in power alongside her pet pal Momo as they battle through mobs of demons, and bosses sent by the mysterious voice following her. Utilizing a sword and buffed elemental skills in the form of Elixirs, Abilities, and Curios she effectively enhances her available skill set alongside the joining Momo as Momo levels up according to their own upgrades. The latter gifting in kind two special attacks on cool down, and one ultimate attack on slower cool down. 

Gameplay in Realm of Ink centers around randomly generated gated arenas that gift rewards dependent upon the branching path chosen, beforehand. Each path is cut off, but interconnected with only the boss characters remaining in sequence as you progress with Red and Momo. These branching paths include basic currency and varying rewards dependent upon the attached challenge. Each named path choice having it's own type of enemy mob waves and payouts per challenge. Leaving the intermittent hub worlds that take place in the Ink realm, and the Spirit Fox Inn between every set of gated arenas to be places to spend collected currencies to obtain things like food buffs, upgraded Elixirs, upgraded weapon/equipment Abilities, Curios buffs and even pet buffs of different rarities. Hub offerings differ in each location and appear multiple times during a full playthrough. Expanding their vendor offerings as you progress to offer main character skins, and other options of interest like a bestiary, and pet leveling playground.

The more you play the more Realm of Ink opens up with ways to upgrade, and enhance each run. Your goal, of course, is to do a full playthrough by going through all the mobs, taking advantage of the hub vendors, and ultimately beating all the bosses in order including the one behind the abusive voice that seems to know more about your situation than you. This is only possible when the in-game offerings are fully opened up to you to the point you are equipped enough to come out victorious.

At your disposal, as Red, is a light and heavy attack as well as two special skills tied to collected elemental Curios of four different rarities, and a third Curios designated as your ultimate attack. These Curios will visually transform Momo, and gift Momo it's own support attacks as well. Throughout a playthrough you can level up your weapon via Abilities, adding buffs and perks to your light and heavy melee attacks. Sometimes weapon Abilities of different rarities also come with bonus abilities that automatically play out when a light or heavy attack is used. In the way of Curios they do elemental damage, and gift screen clearing ultimates/summons that last for a limited duration. The Curios can also be upgraded up to Legendary rarity like other equipment making the attack more aggressive and damaging in nature. Cursed and enhanced legendary variants of Curios/Abilities sold by special NPCs can offer extreme power, but at a cost.

As Red, though, your arsenal and equipment won't save you if you poorly manage your limited pool of health. Health is what allows you to continue onward, and if you are ill-equipped for a battle that health will deplete quickly. Learning enemy and boss patterns is key to avoiding damage, and thanks to an evasive dash on cool down and the ability to upgrade movement speed this is possible. You'll also find hidden health vials in broken pottery along the way as well as from arena completions/rewards and the food buffs from the food vendor. Some Curios rewards also harbor HP upgrades expanding upon your health pool, allowing for longer outings in the world. Should you die in your attempt at any point stats, and mainstay currencies will transfer over to the next reincarnation run allowing you to upgrade permanent upgrades that effect Red's performance via separate skill trees with attribute boosts which can be leveled up multiple times each. Making her stronger from the start.

The Presentation ...

As the title suggests Realm of Ink is a roguelite complimented by an Asian Calligraphy art style wherein everything from the protagonist to the surrounding realm are reflective of the brush strokes and appropriately painted details. It is very Asian by design leaning heavily into a Chinese inspired mythology. It comes complete with voice overs in the native Asian tongue as well as English given to lightly animated cartoon stand-ins of key characters. Conversations between vendors/characters of interest initially includes voice acting, but later includes only non-vocal sounds of acknowledgement when clicking through and reading the accompanying text. The soundtrack is a blend of instrumentals fitting of the Asian setting with weapon and skill impact sounds for added effect.

The Verdict ...

More straightforward than most roguelites of this kind, Realm of Ink drops you straight into the action giving brief tutorials, and letting you enjoy the combat and minimal storytelling told through character context, and item lore. It is here where it shines as a decent "pick up & put down" action adventure that can be enjoyed in short or long sessions depending on player preference. The art style, voice acting, and combat all come together as a complimentary package deal that does not overwhelm the attention span or undermine the game's overall value. It's a grind, but an enjoyable and challenging one due to scaling difficulty settings that become available as you play.

I recommend Realm of Ink for any roguelite fan or fan of Chinese mythology. The characters, and their quirks also make for an interesting time as you seek out to help Red remember who she is. It is a character filled combative romp of mixed personas that add to the simple yet complex mission objective. Anyone willing to brave this journey alongside Red and Momo will greatly enjoy their time in the Realm of Ink!