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Inkulinati is a turn-based roguelike game where you control a group of beasts to duel medieval knights, alewives, and more. Battles take place in the pages of parchment, where you draw your Beasts using Living Ink, using your hand to control them.

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Inkulinati's combat is easy enough to understand, but the mechanical depth behind each Beast, Talent, Hand Action, and area effect can be daunting. Below, we'll take a look at several tips that will help you as you begin your first journey.

Inkulinati is currently in Early Access on Steam, so the content in this guide is subject to change as the game is updated.

Pushing To Win

pushing the enemy tiny-inkulinati off the edge to win

Pushing is a major mechanic in Inkulinati that can be used to great benefit. Your Tiny-Inkulinati (or simply just Tiny), and several different Beasts can both use pushes to move enemies or objects around the battlefield. If a Tiny or Beast is pushed off the edge of the arena, they will instantly die.

Because of this, you should always be mindful of which enemies you can push and which enemies can push you. Because a pushed Beast will travel to the next open space, you can set up paths for your Beasts to push enemies down, making them fly past their defenses and into the depths below.

Always try to push your enemies when possible, as this will allow you to cut down on the time it takes to attack an enemy normally, especially against enemy Tinies that are dangerous to keep alive.

Don't Get Bored

miller the tiny-inkulinati getting bored drawing two beasts at the end of a battle

Boredom is another major mechanic in Inkulinati that will change up how you tackle each encounter. After a battle, the Beasts that were involved will gain Boredom, causing their Living Ink cost to increase for the next battle. This means repeatedly using the same Beasts will become more difficult in later battles, as the cost to summon them continuously increases.

To combat this, swap out your current Beasts for different ones. Beasts that take a break from battle will have their Boredom decreased. There are several other ways to decrease Boredom, like taking lessons at various special encounters. To keep things simple, remember that Beasts used in battle gain Boredom, and Beasts not used in battle lose Boredom.

Keep in mind that in Beast vs. Beast duels, no Boredom will be inflicted. Here, you should bring your strongest Beasts to face off against the enemy team.

Plan Your Turns

a battlefield with several beasts, laddes, and obstacles

Although you only have a few choices each turn, Inkulinati's various stage effects, Beast attacks, and Hand Actions make every choice matter. Because of your often limited decision-making process, you'll want to think carefully about each turn.

For example, is the enemy Tiny-Inkulinati within pushing range? Or perhaps you could set up your Beasts so that next turn, you have the option to push them. By the same token, is your Tiny safe from being pushed? Is there anything you can do to ensure your Tiny is safe while putting yourself in an advantageous position next turn? As you can see, there are always several mechanics to keep in mind during each turn, which leads to deep and varied encounters.

If the depth of each encounter gets overwhelming, try to keep things simple. Remember to keep yourself safe and attack the enemy, and you'll be fine.

Synergize Your Loadout

character screen allowing you to choose beasts, hand actions, and talents

As you progress through your journey, you will gain Prestige for successfully completing battles and special activities. With this Prestige, you will unlock new Beasts, Hand Actions, and Talent abilities at the end of a journey. All of these things work together to form your loadout. To that end, a loadout with lots of synergies will do much better than one without.

For example, there are several Beasts, Talents, or Hand Actions that revolve around granting Halos. Using these in conjunction with each other can buff up your Beasts. There are tons of different builds and playstyles to play around with in Inkulinati, and the choices are all yours. Just be sure to keep in mind effects that might work well together.

Don't Be Afraid To Flee

fleeing from an enemy after defeat

If you fail a battle, rather than rematching the Beasts or Tiny Inkulinati, you have the option to flee, letting you move onto the next step of your journey. Although you won't gain rewards for fleeing, it can be a good option if you come across an enemy that you're no match for.

Fleeing will also save your precious Quills, which let you "revive" if you fail a battle. If you feel like rematching the enemy will end in the same result as the first time, be sure to flee and keep your life, giving you a chance to get a bit stronger for the next encounters.

Beware The Apocalypse

apocalpytic fire beginning to spread on the edges of the arena

After a certain number of turns, an Apocalypse will begin, causing incremental changes to the arena. For example, Apocalyptic Fire will cause flames to appear on the edges of the arena. At the end of each turn, these will spread by one tile. This fire will also instantly kill any Beast or Tiny that ends their turn in it, forcing you and the enemy to slowly move toward the center of the arena to avoid it.

There are a number of different Apocalypses to encounter, and they all function as a way to begin closing out the match. When an Apocalypse begins, that is your opportunity to go on the offensive and put the enemy Tiny into an unfavorable position. Just remember, however, that they can do the same thing to you.

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