Press release:
Guangzhou, China – February 15th 2024.
Following on from the huge success of the demo in the recent Steam Next Fest, indie publisher 663 Games has released the first in a series of behind-the-scenes Devlogs for their upcoming action roguelite “Realm of Ink“.
Realm of Ink is an Ink-style action roguelite game beautifully brought to life with a distinctive mix of 2.5D Chinese-style ink painting, modern art direction, and a rich combat system using multiple playable characters.
Join developer Leap Studio’s CEO Dai, and Lead Artist VC as they introduce the studio and team and talk about how they met, the concept behind making the game and the decisions behind the beautiful ink-style art used to create the game.
Fans can still experience the fantastic full first level in the Realm of Ink Steam demo, transporting them to the frigid Ape Kingdom and introducing the three major schools of combat and Ink Pets, your loyal allies throughout your perilous journey. The demo can be downloaded from Steam now.
About Realm of Ink
During the hunt for a cunning Fox demon, the heroine and expert swordswoman Red, discovers that she is a fictional character in the short story collection Realm of Ink. Only by unlocking the dark secrets of the Book Spirit will Red discover the truth of her existence and defy her fate.
The story unfolds in a virtual realm called “Realm of Ink” where inhabitants unknowingly exist as mere fabrications within a fictional world. Controlled by the mysterious Book Spirit, they obediently follow predetermined fates, oblivious to their cyclical lives.
In the Realm of Ink, the puppets awaken – Begin your journey as the swordswoman Red, gradually unlocking additional characters as you progress. Utilizing the Fox Demons’ immortal power, traverse treacherous ‘Story Relics’ and confront four bosses with unique backgrounds to escape from the ever-changing Realm of Ink. By surmounting the various challenges and obstacles ahead, you will redefine your ‘destiny’ through the constant cycle of rebirth, wielding your sword with resilience.
Exquisite Ink-style Art – From the verdant Buddhist forests, the frigid enchanted Monkey Kingdom, and the gentle yet terrifying waterland to the ancient and reverent ruins of Mausoleum, the four major levels each have a guardian, and their mysterious pasts await your exploration. Wielding a sword, venture alone through the dim world and overcome formidable foes. Explore and conquer over 20 creatures with distinctive Chinese characteristics, including the Fox Demon, Peony Fariy, and Mirror Sprite. Each of them comes with a unique backstory.
Fierce battles with infinite creativity – Embark on thrilling battles and explore diverse combinations to craft your unique combat style. Choose from 3 playable characters: Unparalleled Swordswoman Red, Nightmare Hunter Wang Ding, and Fox Judge Ning Ye; and equip yourself with 9 powerful weapons, including the Scarlet Sword and the Shadow Twin Blades. Further enhance your abilities with over 20 distinctive Ink Gems such as the Tiger Ink, Venom Ink and Curse Ink and discover a vast array of over 120 Artifacts including the Shadow Kite, the Lamp of Seven Stars and the Doom Gauge.
Various combinations and builds – Ink Gems have assorted appearances, and they will reinforce one another. Use them to explore diverse builds of martial arts schools and master powerful skills of Yin and Yang to defeat enemies with a single strike.
Discover rare magical treasures – Hundreds of rare magical treasures trigger various unique effects and provide distinctive attribute bonuses, empowering your martial arts schools and allowing you to effortlessly defeat all enemies! You can also engage in long-term character development outside of combat and unlock new combinations of moves and combat styles. With a dual-cycle system inside and outside combat, you’ll have a fresh experience every time!
A journey into the unknown, composed of distinctive stages – Explore a variety of battle stages and routes where you can collect Ink Relics, fortune and magical treasure as well as duels with bosses. In this exhilarating journey into the unknown, you will enter various stages and encounter a diverse cast of NPCs, making the entire journey full of surprises!
Fight alongside your intimate Ink Pets – Mysterious in origin and adorable in appearance, the Ink Pets will be your companions. As the Ink Gems level up, your Ink Pets will also undergo a transformation, becoming more powerful to fight alongside you!
Realm of Ink will be released in 2024 for PC and consoles. Fans can download the PC demo and Wishlist the game on Steam now.
Follow Realm of Ink on social media – Facebook | Discord | X . Hashtag for social posting #realmofink
About 663 Games
663 Games is a newly established publishing label committed to premium and indie game publishing on PC, consoles, and mobile platforms. The company, headquartered in China, was founded by a team of passionate gamers and industry veterans. The team had a proven track record of achieving global success with several titles previously, offering extensive experience and resources for worldwide publishing, along with unique advantages for a strong presence in the Chinese market. The team empathises with the financial challenges that independent developers and small teams often encounter, and 663 Games is dedicated to providing them with funding support to help bring their creative visions to life. As a new, ambitious and trustworthy global publisher, 663 Games collaborates closely with developers to ensure commercial success.
Jonas “O.J” Ek
The Gaming Ground
Twitter: @TheGamingGround
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Tags: Action, Anime, Indie games, ink-style, Leap Studio, Maple Leaf Studio, Nintendo Switch, PC games, PS4, PS5, Realm of Ink, Roguelite, Xbox One, Xbox Series X