Medieval manuscript strategy game

Inkulinati is a free strategy game from Yaza Game that lets you play as Ink Master. You will have the power to breathe life into the drawings on the margins of medieval manuscripts and send them into battle. The game has single-player and multiplayer campaigns.

Inkulinati is your typical turn-based strategy game. Squads of around four-to-seven characters will battle on the opposing pages. The goal is to knock out the players off the book. It is basically a battle to the death, only with doodles. However, while the combat is easy to understand, it is actually hard to master. 

What is Inkulinati?

Inkulinati is a game that proposes its own imaginative interpretation of medieval marginalia—the marks in the margins of books or documents. As mentioned, you play the role of the Ink Master, a special illuminator who uses Living Ink to draw creatures and breathe life into them. You can draw armies of various creatures then arm them with weapons and powers useful for defeating the opposing army.

The combat is turn-based, in which squads will battle on the opposing pages. The goal is to knock the enemy out of the book. You can use the battlefield obstacles to your advantage and collect on-page ink to create more fighters or power up your existing ones. However, the unit you command will only have a handful of options, and their movements will be limited. Every decision will matter.

While the gameplay looks serious, the graphics and animations are not. Your army will be composed of animals, such as dogs, rabbits, snails, and arm-snakes. Not only that, but the ink drawings attack each other in the silliest ways. Moreover, you can interfere and smash your hands on the enemy. Players should know that some beasts are an accurate representation of real-life drawings from real-life medieval manuscripts.

Should you play it?

If you are looking for a unique game to play, Inkulinati is worth picking up. Gameplay-wise, it is your typical turn-based strategy game. However, what makes it different is its artwork and characters. It lets you battle others using doodles found in medieval books. Overall, it is a game that will live and die based on its visual charm and humor.