Ink Studio: Tattoo Artist Simulator

Ink Studio: Tattoo Artist Simulator is a combination of simulation and management game that drops players into the challenge of opening and running their very own tattoo studio. The core gameplay loop is deeply satisfying - you meet clients, consult with them to design custom tattoos based on their requests, actually tattoo the art onto them via simple minigames, and then collect payment to upgrade your shop.

As someone who enjoys creative simulation titles like PC Building Simulator and House Flipper, I was eager to try my hand at the tattoo artist life. It captures the major beats of running a real tattoo studio without getting bogged down in some of the nitty-gritty details.

Inked to Perfection

The actual process of tattooing a client is streamlined into quick, repetitive minigames that walk the line between simplicity and challenge. Tracing the outline of the tattoo design feels reminiscent of surgery simulations in Trauma Center, while the shading portion captures the delicate concentration needed.

It’s impressive how well these short moments evoke the real focus and steady hand required for ink artistry. The whole process becomes almost zen-like after tattooing a dozen or so clients. There's a difficulty system in place that makes the game a bit easier for new players, but I recommend going for the harder difficulties if you really want to challenge yourself.

Killer Customization

For the artistic types out there, the custom tattoo design element should be a big draw. An extensive selection of tattoo elements like fonts, flowers, tribal designs, animals, and more can be layered, scaled, rotated, and tweaked endlessly.

The possibilities are dazzling, especially once you unlock additional gear for your tattoo gun. It’s a robust editor that provides the backbone for the video game equivalent of tattoo portfolio padding. You'll need to come up with all sorts of designs, though – there comes a moment when customers will get very specific with the type of tattoos they want.

Stylin’ Studio Upgrades

While Ink Studio starts you off modestly, with each tattoo session finished and paycheck in your pocket, you steadily accumulate funds to purchase studio upgrades. Everything from new tattooing equipment like machines and ink to décor and furniture to populate your shop is unlockable. Slowly enhancing my shop’s aesthetics via these upgrades gave a nice sense of progression reflective of a real tattoo studio working to build up its reputation over time. It’s not as deep as a mobile tap-building game but provides the same hooks.

Overall, Ink Studio: Tattoo Artist Simulator aptly captures the broad strokes of running and building up your own tattoo shop - creative design work, steady clientele, and constant equipment upgrades to work towards. The relaxing, almost meditative cadence of performing tattoo after tattoo makes it easy to lose hours in.

Pros:

• Satisfying gameplay loop
• Robust custom design options
• Nice sense of progression

Cons:

• Can get repetitive over long sessions
• Some bugs and glitches still need ironing out