Demo 1.3.3 – Colour, fire and drawing together

INKBORN Demo 1.3.3 is available for Windows and macOS. Since the previous public version, we have reworked the introduction, drawing, the world and playing together.

Prepare a glyph, then aim and cast

• Trace a learned glyph using its visible template to prepare a single-use charge. Close the book, move freely and aim before casting.
• Prepare up to three charges, one per glyph type. A glyph slot only appears after you have learned that glyph.
• On PC, use 6, 7 and 8 to cast. Ink is spent only when a cast succeeds; rejected attempts keep their charge.
• Ember sends an animated burst of fire up to 30 metres ahead. Its flames remain visible for roughly 3.5 seconds, with bounded damage per enemy and obstacles blocking hits.
• Shield and Span have matching drawn effects. Effects are prepared during world loading to reduce the first-use hitch.

More from your drawings

• Weapons and tools now have Normal, Rare and Legendary quality. Rare costs 10 times and Legendary 50 times the materials. Drawing uses the normal amount of ink, but demands greater accuracy.
• Five failed Rare or Legendary attempts start a ten-minute wait.
• Rare equipment lasts longer and has a subtle moving colour gradient. Legendary equipment has an animated outline and never breaks. The original shapes remain intact.
• Legendary equipment can be previewed in the demo, but cannot be crafted.
• Ink Torch hits briefly set enemies on fire. The second mouse button lets you aim the bow with an adjusted field of view and sensitivity.

A livelier comic world

• A giant eraser temporarily wipes natural parts of the world, including trees. Exploring draws them back in. The world does not permanently shrink.
• Ground textures, the safety ring and the transition from grey to colour have been improved. Rocks and ink springs sit more naturally on the terrain.
• Ink springs provide water and ink independently; ordinary lakes provide water only. Cooldowns and exhausted ink supplies are explained.
• Thirst decreases more slowly, while colder nights make campfires more useful.
• Elite enemies are tougher and more rewarding. Enemy attacks and the Quill Warden beam telegraph have been corrected.
• The demo continues beyond the Blot King with further quests and bosses.

A clearer introduction

• The current tutorial drawing stays at the top and is highlighted, even if you already crafted that tool.
• Hotbar placement, inventory controls, the bow, ink use and sleep are explained more clearly. The first-evening sleep tip does not block the main quest.
• The merchant quest explains special trade goods, and inventory items show short usage hints.
• A full experience bar explains any remaining level-up requirements.
• The hotbar, chat, language picker and character selection fit the drawn style. Loot messages and interaction prompts no longer overlap the hotbar.
• Long names stay inside their panels. Saves can be deleted with confirmation.
• Six new characters, the skull icon and a visible wishlist link complete the update.

Drawing together

• Steam friends, invitations and presence work alongside code-based co-op. LAN co-op is also available.
• Joining players can choose a name. Other characters look and move more cleanly.
• Sleeping requires a shared confirmation. Normal host departure and lost connections now have clear notices.
• Co-op menus, chat focus and online pause have been cleaned up. Opening the host menu does not pause the shared world.
• Guest progress is tied to player identity and does not overwrite local single-player save slots.

New game text is included in all 31 supported languages. Linux support is deferred until testing on native hardware.

Thank you for your feedback, and enjoy drawing!