Ink Review – A Cosy Change of Pace

Disclaimer: Ink was provided for free by VR Distribution, although the writing and opinions of this article are my own.

Last time I played a Kasper Lapp game it ended up as my game of the year. However, Ink is a far cry from the hilariously torturous memory game of That’s Not a Hat. This time around, the game is much more sedate. Trying to find that cosy gameplay, where turn up your favourite tunes, sip tea between tunes and try and make the prettiest (and winning-est) board on the table.

How to play

The difference between pencil and pen is that once the ink hits the page, there’s no turning back. Same goes in Ink the board game. Each turn, you’ll add one tile to your player area, and once it’s placed, it stays. No takebacks. But there’s a kind of beauty in that, isn’t there? The mistakes you make become the foundation for shapes and patterns you wouldn’t have created otherwise.

And that’s what Ink is all about. That, and racing to remove all your little bottles of ink. First player to clear those out wins.

To do that, you’ll draft a tile from a central market each turn. Each tile is divided into four coloured spaces and might include some white spots. Some of these spots are blank, and others have numbers. Either way, these spots are where your ink bottles will end up.

The numbered spots are objectives. The number tells you how many spaces of the same colour need to be connected to complete it. So if you place a red tile with a circle that has a five, you’ll need four more red spaces connected to it. Complete the group, and you get to place one of your ink bottles on that numbered tile, plus any blank white spots in the same group.

The larger the group and the more white spots it includes, the more ink you get to place. If the group is four or more spaces, you also unlock a one-time special ability. These let you bend the rules or rearrange things in your play area, so they’re worth the effort to collect.

When it comes to the ink bottles, you start the game with two types. Half are tied to a pair of colours shown on your player card and can only be placed on matching colours. The other half can go anywhere. This gives you a reason to prioritise some tiles over others and adds a bit of planning to your turns.

The last thing we need to cover is the drafting.

Tiles are drafted from a shared market arranged in a circle. On your turn, you can move any amount of spaces clockwise around this circle, and take the tile you land on. But if you pass the twelve o’clock spot, you have to take a negation token. These annoying little tiles cover up two spaces in your play area and may break up a group you were working on or make future placements trickier.

That’s the game. Get rid of your ink before anyone else, and you win. And even if you don’t, you’ll finish with a colourful little mess that’s still gorgeous to look at.

The mysterious bag of tiles awaits

Despite the rulebook’s best efforts, Ink is an easy game to learn, play and settle into. It is the kind of game where you can easily lose track of time deciding which tile to grab, where to place it, and which objectives to chase. It hits that sweet spot where it never demands heavy strategy, but still keeps you engaged. Capturing the cosy feel of other pattern-matching games and delivering an experience that is, all in all, a good time.

And that’s intentional.

In Ink there is rarely a truly bad move. As long as your tile connects with something already in your play area, it will either open new opportunities straight away or set you up for later. Even the worst outcome, circling the market and picking up an X tile, hardly sets you back.

It is a low-stakes, easy-going game that is perfect for a Sunday afternoon or any time you want to relax while still keeping your brain ticking over.

That said, there is more to Ink than just a pleasant pace. The power-ups you unlock from completing objectives are where the real strategy lies. They can change how you approach your turns, open up clever plays and sometimes completely flip your priorities. Because they are randomised during setup, you can’t return to the same approach each game. Instead you must combine these power-ups with your pattern matching and drafting decisions to come up with a fresh strategy each game.

Another design decision I liked was the balance between joker ink tokens and patterned ink tiles. It nudges players to focus on their own objectives, so you are not all chasing the same pieces, but it still leaves room for opportunistic grabs when the perfect tile turns up or when your layout has plenty of connections ready to go.

Now, if there is a weak spot, it is the rulebook. A few more passes could have smoothed out some awkward explanations. Some things only clicked after several rereads… Then again, given how clumsy my own attempt to explain the rules above has been, I may not be in a position to criticise.

The theme could also have been tied in more strongly. The oozing ink artwork is striking on the box cover, but that look fades once you start playing. The tiles are bold, full colour and missing the inky style that works so well on the front. It almost feels like a different game. Granted, this is an abstract puzzle game so theme is never the main focus, but the shift is noticeable enough to feel a little jarring.

Beyond that, Ink hardly puts a foot wrong. I don’t think it will blow anyone away, but it is a satisfying pattern-building game that does exactly what it promises. It gives you just enough to think about without becoming overwhelming, and every game ends with a board full of tiles forming a pattern you will be proud of. If you are a fan of Harmonies (and who isn’t?) this is another title in that same satisfying vein.