This entry in our classics series decided 2016 wasn’t the year of the pinball wizard – it was the year of the pinball artist.
INKS, with paint splats and trails.
What was INKS?
At a glance, INKS looked like pinball stripped back to the bone. The single-screen tables seemed almost too basic, with simple geometry, few features, and a handful of targets. This was in stark contrast to increasingly realistic (and often complex and chaotic) recreations of real-world tables that had found their way onto Apple devices.
But in paring things down, INKS made pinball instantly approachable. And each of those simple tables became a bite-sized challenge to fill a few moments – and that you could later attempt to master with a single ball, or even with a single shot. At least, if you could figure out how.
Why was it a classic?
Beyond its pick-up-and-play nature, which was a perfect fit for iPhone, INKS had a great vibe. Developer State of Play already had form, with games like KAMI and Lumino City setting themselves apart from ostensibly similar titles through their distinctive artistic flair. INKS followed suit.
Every hit target blasted paint across the canvas. As your ball trundled through the splatters, its path was traced. Your efforts became miniature works of art – at least until you launched a fourth ball, which trailed black, hinting that you should start again.
Mastery felt fulfilling, but so did simply playing around and creating trails. It’s rare for pinball to feel almost meditative, but INKS managed it.
Alas, there was only one full-sized INKS table, housed in the developer’s office.
Where is it now?
INKS was complete from the start. Aside from picking up iCloud support, minor optimizations for new devices, and adjustments to the (largely pointless and easily ignored) in-game currency system, it’s remained unchanged ever since.
And that’s a good thing. The game was almost an artistic statement. It still is – and it plays beautifully on modern devices. Its mix of minimalist art and elegant table design gives INKS a timeless vibe that beats tech wizardry and lurid flashing lights any day.
Visit the INKS website or get INKS ($2/£2) from the App Store. INKS is also available on Apple Arcade.