When I’m playing games, I don’t mind being a loser

This might sound strange, but one of my favorite things about video games is failure. It’s not that I like losing, exactly; I just appreciate having a safe environment to screw up in. The consequences of a game over are never very steep, so I’m free to experiment and take risks that might not pay off.

That’s probably why I’m obsessed with games that are built around failure, like roguelikes. Some of the best roguelikes are punishingly hard, but with every new defeat, I know I’m one step closer to victory. Every mistake is a chance to hone my strategy. The more I lose, the more satisfying it’ll feel when I finally clear a run.

I’m always playing one roguelike or another, but the game that’s had my attention lately is Inkbound, a new game from the devs that made Monster Train. It’s a colorful roguelike that feels a little like a turn-based version of Diablo. Like Diablo, it’s built around character classes and offers single-player and co-op gameplay.

So far, I’ve only played Inkbound solo, and I’ve only tried out one of its classes: the spell-casting Weaver. Like most magic users, the class has some elemental spells in its arsenal, but its most powerful spells are a little more unusual. The Weaver is able to thread enemies together and unleash attacks that take out all of its opponents at once.

I have yet to successfully complete an Inkbound run, but I’ve made it right to the end, which is probably my favorite place to lose. It’s a little frustrating to get taken out when I’m on the cusp of a win, but once I get to that point, I know victory is in my grasp. Once I’ve made my way to the final boss, I can make it there again, and next time around, I’ll put up a better fight.

Mistakes are an unavoidable part of being human. It can feel crushing to mess up in the real world, but in video games, failure can be kind of fun. Sometimes it sucks to get a game over screen, but in my favorite games, dying is just part of the journey. 

In the meantime, I plan to get back to the Inkbound grind. It launches in early access on May 22, and I’d like to clear at least a few runs before then. Check back to see my full impressions and a deeper dive of the game’s features.