British indie MMO The Missing Ink enters open alpha

By Tom Phillips Published 24 February, 2012

Pencil yourself in for RedBedlam's fantasy sandbox.

Free-to-play indie MMO The Missing Ink is now available to try in open alpha form, UK developer RedBedlam has announced.

Register at the The Missing Ink's official website to sign up for the game and go hands-on straight away.

The Missing Ink sees players saving a fantasy world gone wrong while building up the game's 3D sandbox setting.

Characters and enemies take the form of living stickers, akin to Paper Mario's wafer-thin population.

New footage of The Missing Ink's world creation tools (taken from a pre-alpha build of the game) lies below.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Phillips

Tom joined Eurogamer in 2010 and has quickly made his mark writing news and columns and coming up with puntastic straplines. Questionable beard. @TomPhillips151 on Twitter.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Phillips archive page.

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Comments (16) Latest comment 3 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • DrStrangelove #1 3 months ago

    First I thought this looked interesting, but when I recognised it uses a WOW-like button-clicking "combat", I was out. That was shit 20 years ago, and it's even shittier today.

  • Kremlik Verified Co-Founder, Crash To Desktop #2 3 months ago

    @DrStrangelove You are being extremely harsh for no reason, it's an indie title and that 'WoW-like' combat has been standard since the Everquest days, it works it's been proven to do so for years now.

    If they can't afford to build a brand new system to keep you happy because you've burnt yourself out on those combat systems doesn't mean you can treat them like trash.

    Power to the indie devs at least they make games they want and not just throw out anything that makes money.

  • DerpSalad #3 3 months ago

    I'll try anything that's free. Count me in.

    edit: the link in the article is borked
    Edited by DerpSalad at 24/02/12 @ 12:28

  • zegerman1942 #4 3 months ago

    That looks awesome! love the simple characters and combat! Really keen on trying the player created stuff - building my own area and content! Hope they keep the music too - wicked tune :)

  • persus-9 #5 3 months ago

    I have to agree with DrStranglove in my boredom with that sort of combat. Anyway, looking at the video for the Alpha on the website it looks like it has some pretty neat world customisation options. Looks a little similar to the Lego MMO in that it seems to promise your own little corner of the world to build stuff in, if they get that right then might be very cool. My guess is that that is how they're getting round the problem of making enough content for an MMO, they're relying on the players to help out. I think it could be very neat even if the combat is a bore, I'm going to sign up for the alpha and check it out anyway.

  • RiversOfSand #6 3 months ago

    Love the art style of the characters/enemies. Wish the environment matched it though with outlines and bold colours. Looks fun :)

  • DrStrangelove #7 3 months ago

    @Kremlik
    it works it's been proven to do so for years now.
    It doesn't. You're lying, you're lying *blocking ears*

  • Gambit1977 #8 3 months ago

    @DrStrangelove

    so proven that WOW etc still sells by the bucketload.

  • Zaiz #9 3 months ago

    @Gambit1977
    other things that sell by the bucketload:

    CoD
    Surgery
    Female Circumcision
    the Daily Mail

    just saying

    (this is called "argumentum ad populum", or argument from popularity. the gist is, every human on the planet can agree on something, and every human on the planet can be wrong about that something.)

  • Ranger101 #10 3 months ago

    Haha, the Missing Ink, is missing a correct Link.

  • JamieR #11 3 months ago

    Based on that video im gonna be honest it looks really really shit but then alot of mmo games are, still i think this isn't gonna do well ill perhaps give it a ago at some point see how stupid i am for writeing this off.

  • JamieR #12 3 months ago

    @DrStrangelove As blunt as you are i kinda agree, I find having to use the number keys on a keyboard very unconfatable in that way its ok if its weapon selecting but to have to keep pressing them like you do in wow its horrable! i liked dc universe where you could use a controller and it was designed with the controller well for the pc.

  • jogyourmind #13 3 months ago

    WoW like clicking combat is the only (real time) combat I have ever known that requires some thought. If it's not like that, then it's probably mindless button spam crap.

  • stee1gargoyle #14 3 months ago

    I played through Lands of Lore (via GOG) the other day, and that had button-clicking combat. Better than Skyrim.

  • jogyourmind #15 3 months ago

    @stee1gargoyle

    LoL rocks.

  • stee1gargoyle #16 3 months ago

    @jogyourmind

    Absolutely.