Ink Reverie

Ink Reverie

Released Jul 2025

Ink Reverie is a casual city-building game set in a fictional historical era with art inspired by the Tang and Song dynasties. As a diligent manager, you'll guide hardworking villagers to transform a remote village into a prosperous home through exploration, construction, production, and trade.

79% positive · 214 reviews
Done
All announced content has been released
Medium confidence
Done
All announced content has been released
Medium confidence

Where to buy

Steam $9.99 IndieGala Steam key $9.99
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Evaluation

Ink Reverie launched on July 16, 2025 after more than two years of development by Rolling Cat Studio, a small two-person team. The game shipped with five distinct regions and over 500 hand-drawn buildings and ornaments as a complete product. In the launch post on July 16, 2025, the developers mentioned that if sales allow, they hoped to develop new content and release standalone DLCs in the future — explicitly framing this as sales-contingent aspiration rather than a firm commitment. Following launch, the studio was actively patching the game through August 8, 2025, addressing bugs, balance issues, and quality-of-life features. The July 25, 2025 update post outlined near-term quality-of-life features being worked on, most of which shipped within days (e.g., batch building selection shipped July 26, 2025). The last developer communication was on August 8, 2025. As of today (September 24, 2026), the studio has been silent for over 13 months. There is no established pattern of major content releases beyond launch — there is only one major_content event in the entire news history (the launch itself). No DLC beyond the soundtrack has been announced or listed on the store. The developer never made a firm commitment to future content; the DLC mention was conditional on sales and framed as an aspiration. With no announced content, no unreleased DLC, no post-launch content cadence to extrapolate from, and more than a year of silence since the last developer communication, the game is best assessed as a complete, launched product with no outstanding content commitments.
Evidence
Batch building selection feature shipped, fulfilling one of the specific items listed in the July 25 update post.
news post · Jul 26, 2025 source content shipped
medium
Post-launch update outlines near-term quality-of-life features being worked on (batch building selection, controller support, expanded scenery range) and promises regular updates in the coming days.
news post · Jul 25, 2025 source development ongoing
medium

Content

1 of 1 released · no outstanding content
Released
Jul 2025

Media

Details

Publisher
indienova
Achievements
84
Platform
Windows, macOS
Controller
full support
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player

About this game

Ink Reverie is a casual city-building game set in a fictional historical era with art inspired by the Tang and Song dynasties.

As you gradually unfold these scrolls, you traverse through the shifting sands of time and the rise and fall of history, returning to a secluded town from a thousand years ago. As a diligent manager, you'll guide hardworking villagers to transform a remote village into a prosperous home through exploration, construction, production, and trade.

  • Five distinct regions and human environments, each with unique gameplay mechanics: Jiangnan Mountain Village, Dunhuang and the Western Regions, Citong Sea Area, the Four Seasons of Jincheng, and the ancient capital of Chang'an.

  • Traditional Chinese style hand-drawn art: Utilizing detailed literature research and field investigations, combined with fictional elements, to recreate the styles of the Tang and Song dynasties in a unique way.

  • Unique match-3 synthesis gameplay: By clicking and dragging, you can freely adjust the building layouts. Adjacent low-level buildings will merge into high-level buildings, unlocking more gameplay and content.

  • Goal of increasing prosperity: Through exploration, construction, production, and trade, gradually build your ideal home.

"In the south of the Yangtze River, I meet you again in the beautiful scenery as flowers fall."

A small village nestled in the picturesque Jiangnan area, perched on a mountain, maintains simple trade relations with the town at the foot of the mountain. The tea and peach blossom brew produced here are considered real treasures. Starting from a small piece of wasteland, you will establish basic production facilities and expand the village through trade with the town, aiming to create an ideal and prosperous home. Tea and peach blossom brew are the village's specialties, and you need to use these resources wisely to acquire more types of buildings and increase the village's prosperity.

"Beneath the moon of Dunhuang lies a sea of sand; the ancient road witnesses poplars through the years."

Dunhuang, a vital trade hub on the Silk Road linking East and West, serves as the starting point for you embarking on your trade journey. You can construct relay stations and organize caravans, choosing to trade eastward or westward to acquire diverse resources. Besides regular resource production, you must build relay stations and organize camel caravans to establish trade routes with cities in both directions. Through these extensive journeys, you can obtain precious materials and resources, facilitating the development and expansion of your town.


"The waves are calm, and great whales rest; the sails shine as treasure ships arrive."

Citong ancient port (now Quanzhou) is the starting point of the ancient Maritime Silk Road. You will begin a new chapter of maritime trade here. The sea area is filled with unknowns and challenges, and you need to plan resources wisely to increase the success rate of merchant voyages. Besides regular resource production, you need to build merchant ships and form fleets for maritime trade with other regions.

"In spring, returning to thickly shaded tall trees; in autumn, arriving at late blooming fragrant yellow flowers."


Jincheng, located at the foot of North Heng Mount in Shanxi, experiences four distinct seasons and notable climatic characteristics. You need to strategize resource management according to seasonal changes, ensuring successful crop harvesting and material storage. Each season brings unique production priorities and resource demands, necessitating careful planning of crop planting and storage techniques. Focus on large-scale production activities in autumn, and ensure adequate material reserves to endure the winter cold.

"Looking back at Chang'an city, the embroidered piles of mountains open in succession."

Chang'an, the capital of thirteen dynasties, was the center of ancient China's politics, culture, and economy. In this chapter, you will develop various markets, experiencing the grandeur of the Tang dynasty. Buildings are classified into 4 types: scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. As these buildings upgrade, their attributes will improve. By strategically combining different buildings within various market areas, you can unlock unique benefits.

Last evaluated Sep 24, 2026
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