INKY app review: difficult, original, and a joy to play for a few minutes a day

20 Jan 2014 Reviews

Introduction

It’s always hard to judge an app on its name, especially when it’s called INKY like the app developed by Shiny House Games. I had no idea what to expect, but it was hidden under Arcade Games in the App Store and I thought I might find something really fun. What I found was, at first, frustration, then wonder, and underneath that I found an original addictive game for the iPhone and iPad with tons of replay value and a very clear “one more time” mentality. Once you get it, you won’t drop it anymore.

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Blue Blob

So, Inky, the main character of INKY, is a blue blob. He bounces off lines that you draw with your finger. Kind of like Doodle Jump, except you don’t have to jump higher and higher. You simply have to make sure that Inky doesn’t fall on the pirate ship below. There is a catch though: if you don’t steer Inky towards the ink blobs on the playing field, you will run out of ink, and you won’t be able to keep Inky up in the air. Inky also has many friends, all individually animated. These friends can be unlocked by collecting crystals during the game or can be bought straight from the in-game store.

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Power-Ups

A free iOS game wouldn’t be complete without the use of power ups. All kinds of power-ups, eight in total, can be found while bouncing our friends around. However, only three of these will show up during one game. You can use the aforementioned crystals to unlock new power ups and play them during a game. If Inky or his friends touch a power up in game, you will automatically use it and all kinds of crazy stuff might happen, like Inky will grow into GIANT INKY, or he will be stuck in a bubble for a while, so he will bounce off the pirate ship. A full tutorial mode is also included in the game in case inexperienced players need any help.

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Pros and Cons

Pros

A great game to play for a few minutes at a time
Fun power ups
Nice graphics
A nice twist on Doodle Jump

Cons

Why pay for characters?
Hard to master in the beginning

Conclusion

Don’t get me wrong, I really love INKY, but I can imagine a lot of people would remove the game after the first session, simply because it is really hard to grasp in the first session. I had to try at least 20 times before I actually beat the 100 points mark. After a while you will get better at it and know how to draw lines. Crystals are easy to get by, but in case you really need them you can dish out some dollars to get to them quickly. The app is compatible with both iPad and iPhone. The game is just over 32 MB in size, so it should be an easy download for everyone.