Inklings is sort of like what you’d imagine Lemmings would be like if it was invented in 2016. It’s mobile, it’s a little gentler than the Amiga classic, and it eases you into its ideas over time.
But there are some good ideas here. There’s less experimentation than some people might be looking for, especially early on, but the game does push you to try new things with challenges.
It’s nice to see an underrepresented genre getting a bit of love, and while it won’t smash you in the face with its brilliance, it is an entertaining diversion all the same.
I’ve got an inklingTo start things off there’s a brief tutorial that explains what you need to do. Basically you’re moving a series of the titular creatures from A to B.
There are plenty of obstacles in your way though, and you’re given a series of tools to bypass them.
You start off trying to get just a few Inklings to safety using simple things like pick axes to cut down through the level to get to your goal.
Soon though you’re messing around with gravity, firing your Inklings out of cannons, and using bugs to let them walk on walls.
The levels are small and tightly paced, and they have challenges that will push you to think more about the tools you’ve got to play around with.
There’s usually a pretty simple solution to the problems, although the deeper you get into the game the more time you’ll spend figuring out what you need to do.
There’s a simple restart system, and you can keep a check of whether or not you’ve got all of the Inklings you need to complete the level.
You’ll move blocks, scratch your head from time to time, and for most of the experience you’ll be enjoying yourself a decent amount.
Lemming explainThere isn’t a lot of free-form experimentation to be done around here, but you’re unlikely to be too bothered by that.
Inklings offers a chunk of entertainment that’s wonderfully balanced for mobile play. It’s a game that lets you plough through a couple of levels in a short sitting, or allows you to push on further if you’ve got more time.
And it’s likely you’re going to make time for it. It’s not destined to be a classic, and it’s unlikely in 20 years we’ll remember its name, but it’ll keep you engrossed for a few hours and that’s not too shabby.