Inkulinati seems like a steady, fun-yet-challenging adventure until running into the final boss. Death is completely overpowered and imbalanced when compared to the fights that escalate at a normal pace before him. Many in the community have dismissed this boss as an impossible task, having every advantage in the books over the player.
There is, admittedly, some merit to these criticisms. The steep climb toward victory is tedious and negates almost all strategies. Unlike most games that can be beaten with any strategy, Inkulinati essentially demands that players use a very particular method to win this fight. It can, however, be done.
Use The Devil Army
When peeking at the best beasts in the game, the devils round out the top four slots due to their immunity to Hell's Maws and fire sparks. Death hits from all angles, making it impossible to negate every effect, but the devils are resistant to his most deadly moves.
It must be noted that the Bellow-Wielding Devil, the best unit in the game, must be unlocked during the campaign. Keep an eye out for him as a reward from elite fights. Always target elite battles until unlocking this unit. Collecting all the devils will be handy in the fight.
Ideal Talents
- For The Love Of Fire
- Scorching Flames
- Cheaper Beasts
- Cheaper Than Cheap
The odds of getting all four of these talents in a single run are low, but even just a few of them will do nicely. Death is immune to every status effect and Hell's Maws, but his army is weak to fire sparks, so filling up the map with flames that the player's own army is immune to works well.
When the game offers talents that aren't these, that's alright, there are some amazing talents in the game that will help with a variety of situations in the final boss fight. One or two of these makes the battle that much easier.
Best Hand Actions
- Move Right
- Move Left
- Awakening
- Greater Healing
- Draw Fire Sparks
Much like the talents, players don't get to simply choose the best hand actions in every run, they've got to get a bit lucky. Still, if players keep the final boss fight in mind, they know what kind of moves Death definitely doesn't want to see.
Move Left and Move Right are already given, but because all Death's units inflict Danse Macabre, requiring a move to remove (or else take damage), these talents need to be relied on even more here. Awakening gives a beast an extra turn which can prove to be the difference-maker in the final battle.
Keep Five Beasts Up At All Times
Players that have a steady supply of living ink should find that having five units up as often as possible isn't an entirely difficult ask. With some help from talents, the Saw-Wielding Devil can cost only three living ink and his compatriots aren't much more expensive. This is a cost-effective, stout army.
These units will be killed frequently due to a steady stream of Danse Macabre from the skeletons. Make sure to replace them as soon as possible. Don't save up for expensive units, with this strategy, Death will be more pushed for time than the player.
Set The Field On Fire
The reason to farm up prestige is to gain access to the complete list of beasts, hand actions, and talents. By unlocking the devils, the whole field being on fire is fine with them, they take no damage from it. Death's units are just the opposite.
The player's Tiny Inkulinati will still take damage from fire sparks and Hell's Maws, so gamers will need to navigate these traps a bit. But the rest of the army can safely ignore them while Death's minions can't. Take the first half of the battle and concentrate on making fire sparks in every empty space on the right side.
Go Last
If players have kept their boredom stacks low, the advantage of having five beasts isn't just a large army. Having the ability to go last with the Tiny Inkulinati means that Death is not able to respond to any of these final movements.
If his units get pushed into a Hell's Maw, they're dead, he can't respond. Defensively, players don't have to worry about an inopportune Danse Macabre (which both Death and his minions can cast). By having more creatures than Death and saving the Tiny Inkulinati for the final move of each chapter, players gain a strategic upper hand.
Get Underneath The Right Platform
Of course, beating the toughest fight in the game isn't going to come easily, even on the easy difficulty. Death is going to fill up the ladders to him with so many traps that walking up there is a suicide mission. So don't walk up there at all.
After using up all their quills and losing dozens of times, gamers found that the better way to get to the top is by spawning a unit at the top. This requires the player's own Tiny Inkulinati to be located directly underneath the platform. It's recommended to slide forward, create a beast at the top, wake it up if possible, and then slide on back to safety.
Instant Death Against Death
Trying to wear down Death isn't wise. While Death doesn't heal, he also doesn't bleed or take any damage over time. These ranged hits for a few points simply aren't quick enough. The best way to take out Death is to kill him instantly.
Ideally, the Bellow-Wielding Devil can do this. If players are following the advice in this guide and going last, then Death can't do anything about a newly spawned Bellow-Wielding Devil that has been woken up. If Death is on flame sparks, simply use the Bellow ability to kill him in one move.
Inkulinati is available now for PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.