[h1]Inkslinger gives the "writing's in my blood" a whole new meaning[/h1]
[i][b]Inkslinger[/b][/i] was a very short, but strange experience. I don't think I've ever played a game quite like this. It's a text-based typing game, very minimalistic in presentation, and yet manages to tell a low-key, tragic story and paint a peculiar, but vivid picture of this alternate Victoriana.
You play as [b]Inkslinger[/b], a wordsmith at [i]Brassknee's Wordshop[/i], whose job is to transcribe people's wishes, desires, inner thoughts, to put into words what they can't. Your clients, residents of [i]Isle Shammer[/i], come to you when they want letters written, as well as speeches, death notices, poems, even art interpreted. Inkslinger is not only a class, but appears to be a different race, even species. Ink runs through your veins, you literally type with your blood. Your life depends on it; you must write lest your [i]inkveins[/i] wither and you become a dry shell.
This is something you slowly piece together from the story fragments and the way clients treat you. You're not actually outright told anything; the game is quite cryptic in that way. You're just thrust into this alternate 19th century, chained to your desk, with only a white paper before you. And then you meet the clients, one by one. The clients tell you how they want to sound and you're offered 3 or more keywords from which you pick the one that describes their intent the best.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2480281861
If the first task was meant to be a tutorial, welp, I must admit it just confused me. Probably because only one word was offered, but when I saw 'POLITE' and was told to write a polite excuse, I thought I should write the whole sentence or at least keywords and synonyms for the given word. But nope, just type the exact same word. It just didn't cross my mind that it's so... simple. Not the first time I confused myself expecting something complicated and overthinking things.
When you type the word, the whole paragraph appears that corresponds to it, reflecting its vibe. You usually get 3-4 word choices for each paragraph. If you manage to find all the right words, you will see the flashing sentence: "Your inkveins thrive" after a job well done. If you miss everything, your inkveins wither. So this is what determines what ending you'll get. There are no game overs, whether your inkveins thrive or shrivel, you will get to the end and read the whole story.
Is it hard? Well, no! But, ultimately the answer to that question depends on your vocabulary and overall literacy. This is especially true for the first few clients where the words offered are all epithets, descriptive words which are not hard to recognise from the client's request. Things might get 'tricky' when some other terms are presented, so brush up on your stylistic figures, rhetorical arguments etc. Those well versed in Arts & Humanities won't have problems here. In general, the most important thing is reading comprehension and most requests can be solved with a bit of intuition and association. Also, it should be noted that only one client adds a ticking clock, otherwise you have all the time in the world to carefully choose the right word. If you're not sure, and if the written paragraph doesn't match the spirit of what was asked, before confirming your choice, you can delete the word and try another one. Easy!
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2480288800
[b]Clients[/b] are quite colourful, even eccentric. Their requests, and especially their words in passing, reveal a lot about them, their lives, milieu and social status, thus slowly weaving together a pretty striking tapestry of the life on Isle Shammer. There's a mother who asks you to tell her son that she loves him, but in a way that he won't hate; a cointaker wants poetic justice in the form of witty revenge poem; you will interpret the scribble (erm, art) of a three-year-old girl; write death notices and speeches for guild masters engaged in a turf war. The most fun were Humstrum (!), the whimsical poet/musician, whose request needed quite a bit of INTuitION to be solved; and my favourite Neverswoon (!), a young, extremely verbose woman with a grudge against her father. I don't think her request has the right answer, but you're offered a mini game which can get you a bit of her respect, just a bit...
Some clients' tasks are connected and form a larger picture. You, as the [b]Inkslinger[/b], are at the center and on the side at the same time, like a witness who has to transcribe everything lest it be forgotten in the passage of time. What's interesting is how the world sees you. As I said, Inkslinger is like a different race and there are clear hints of discrimination: you're chained to your desk (maybe quite literally like a slave), you have no name, just Inkslinger and that can be a derogatory term for a writer; you're even called creature one time. It's like people need your services, but still regard you as the other. Is that how the world sees writers, artists, weavers of dreams, revealers of inner thoughts, barers of souls?
There is a [b]bigger story revealed in flashbacks[/b] during which Inkslinger remembers slowly her tragic fate and trauma. Dealing with clients will sometimes trigger this, when Inkslinger gets sort of spirited away and has a vision of a young man trying to make her recollect her past. The trigger is a highlighted word you must type to enter a trance (which I totally didn't see at first).*1 This part resembles a visual novel with its short story segments that piece together not only a personal story, but reveal quite a bit of this alternate Victorian world which isn't so different from ours. Industrial revolution and new technologies brought with it heavy smog and Smoglung, almost like a vengeance of Mother Nature. Somewhere there, amidst the trauma, is a tragic, unfulfilled love story. This story, of how Inkslinger found herself on Isle Shammer, is told in reverse which becomes much clearer when you get to the end and especially in subsequent playthroughs. It also feels like there's a loop, with the last client being the one you offend to whom you have to write a letter of apology at the start of the game. So that means every new game brings merciful amnesia.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2480299201
Technically, there are 4 [b]endings[/b], which are really just poems you unlock depending on your performance as Inkslinger, but the story plays out exactly the same. The only distinction are different reactions from clients to your writings. One playthrough is around an hour, so even with multiple ones this is a very short game. It would be even shorter if there was a skip button. Another thing I would've liked is a bigger text, or an option to enlarge it. It's just too small. My eyes hurt.
If I could use one word to describe the game, it would be minimalistic. [b]Minimalism[/b] permeates everything, from the writing to the visuals. Even though the 19th century Romantic prose can be quite poetic and verbose, even whimsical and obscure, the way the story is told is rather sparse and yet it's quite evocative. Visuals are even more minimalistic; just you and the paper, character portraits above and a dominating white.
Overall, I can't say that I especially loved it. I did enjoy my brief time with it and there's nothing wrong with it; in fact it works really well. But I wish there's more to it, not just in length, but in variety if not complexity. As it is, it feels like just a taste of some longer, more elaborate and fully fledged typing game, one I would very much like to play.
[h3][quote][b]Follow [url= https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40848670/]Drugoja In The Dreaming[/url] for Narrative Games Reviews[/b][/quote][/h3]
