This review contains spoilers
Thoughts on Inscryption are a bit complicated, which is weirdly a good start? As someone who straight up did not like Pony Island, I felt like Inscryption might leave a poor taste in my mouth specifically because the "strengths" of Pony Island were, to me, window dressing that distracted from what was otherwise a pretty miserable and uninteresting game to play. Those "strengths" also didn't really serve any purpose to me any different from pop culture references--it was meta for the sake of being meta. [I have not yet played The Hex, for the record.]
Even knowing that it might pivot in ways that I ultimately found uninteresting, Inscryption's forward-facing pitch as a deck-building roguelike played within an escape room was still appealing, and this is far and away the strongest act of the game. The deck-building mechanics are genuinely strong and the cards have great art--aesthetically this act in general is primo. It's refreshing to see a relative health system instead of one that deals in absolutes. Card upgrading can feel satisfying both in that fun sense of breaking rules as well as just exploring what works for your playstyle. Everything just works really well, with interesting "boss" fights and so on, and the escape room adds a great deal of intrigue.
But eventually you complete this part of the game, and of course then it's "more than it seems." At this point there are FMV lore dumps sprinkled across two further acts with "evolutions" of the first act's card mechanics, and the point was lost on me, unfortunate since I would say that first act might have only been like a quarter of my playtime. It adds two significantly different energy mechanics to the two that the first act already had, and card availability gets completely out of hand, I guess in the hopes that one of those energy mechanics will appeal to you? But instead of being a true evolution that makes things more interesting, it feels muddled in a way that I just got the vibe that the developer really wanted to play with all these mechanics.
Suddenly it's an overcomplicated TCG? Is this a critique of how out-of-control card mechanics can get? I can tell you it's not that fun to experience, and that if it's actually meant to be a critique where "you're not supposed to enjoy it" it was probably a bad idea to make it numerous hours. It didn't take long for me to decide to use an auto-deck option in the menu because I was completely uninterested in spending more time here, in an act that is additionally pointlessly placed in a throwback 2D gameplay style.
And then the third act, framed in a similar 3D space to the first, but now with a new aesthetic and instead homing in on the two new mechanics from the previous one. Act 1 has you select branches for encounters similar to something like Slay the Spire, and act 2 has you walk around a mediocre 2D RPG world to find card battles, so how would act 3 frame playing this card game yet again? Apparently a holo-space in which you select cardinal directions to move around ANOTHER map for hours on end, in a completely unsatisfying way, except now there's a shop, encounter respawning and waypoints, a bizarre "recover your souls" mechanic, uh... an outlaw/bounty system where stronger enemies will seek you out sometimes? Yet again, it's just strange noise that doesn't feel transformative at all, just busy as hell and ultimately uninteresting.
It's fun to see devs experiment, but it feels like I'm playing through a design riff session that has no sensible progression. If this was a test for what card mechanics work, hey, I would say any 1-2 put together and expanded upon would probably be fine! I would look forward to a tight version of any of those permutations, or even an extension of the escape room from the initial portion of the game. But of course it's not a mechanics test, because I've played Pony Island and I know that it's really about Shock And Surprise fueled by meta for the sake of meta, which I think is ultimately confirmed by the empty and cynical ending, if it hadn't already been by the "edgy" items from the first act like the pliers and knife.
It did provide a unique sensation for me though. I played the entirety of this game in a single day on-and-off, which I'm not even sure I've played a game for 10 hours in a day in recent years outside of the very rare RPG I get super excited about. But I only kept playing it in that way because I thought, surely, it couldn't be that much longer before it was complete. It was always that much longer. I wish that was exciting to find out.
Even knowing that it might pivot in ways that I ultimately found uninteresting, Inscryption's forward-facing pitch as a deck-building roguelike played within an escape room was still appealing, and this is far and away the strongest act of the game. The deck-building mechanics are genuinely strong and the cards have great art--aesthetically this act in general is primo. It's refreshing to see a relative health system instead of one that deals in absolutes. Card upgrading can feel satisfying both in that fun sense of breaking rules as well as just exploring what works for your playstyle. Everything just works really well, with interesting "boss" fights and so on, and the escape room adds a great deal of intrigue.
But eventually you complete this part of the game, and of course then it's "more than it seems." At this point there are FMV lore dumps sprinkled across two further acts with "evolutions" of the first act's card mechanics, and the point was lost on me, unfortunate since I would say that first act might have only been like a quarter of my playtime. It adds two significantly different energy mechanics to the two that the first act already had, and card availability gets completely out of hand, I guess in the hopes that one of those energy mechanics will appeal to you? But instead of being a true evolution that makes things more interesting, it feels muddled in a way that I just got the vibe that the developer really wanted to play with all these mechanics.
Suddenly it's an overcomplicated TCG? Is this a critique of how out-of-control card mechanics can get? I can tell you it's not that fun to experience, and that if it's actually meant to be a critique where "you're not supposed to enjoy it" it was probably a bad idea to make it numerous hours. It didn't take long for me to decide to use an auto-deck option in the menu because I was completely uninterested in spending more time here, in an act that is additionally pointlessly placed in a throwback 2D gameplay style.
And then the third act, framed in a similar 3D space to the first, but now with a new aesthetic and instead homing in on the two new mechanics from the previous one. Act 1 has you select branches for encounters similar to something like Slay the Spire, and act 2 has you walk around a mediocre 2D RPG world to find card battles, so how would act 3 frame playing this card game yet again? Apparently a holo-space in which you select cardinal directions to move around ANOTHER map for hours on end, in a completely unsatisfying way, except now there's a shop, encounter respawning and waypoints, a bizarre "recover your souls" mechanic, uh... an outlaw/bounty system where stronger enemies will seek you out sometimes? Yet again, it's just strange noise that doesn't feel transformative at all, just busy as hell and ultimately uninteresting.
It's fun to see devs experiment, but it feels like I'm playing through a design riff session that has no sensible progression. If this was a test for what card mechanics work, hey, I would say any 1-2 put together and expanded upon would probably be fine! I would look forward to a tight version of any of those permutations, or even an extension of the escape room from the initial portion of the game. But of course it's not a mechanics test, because I've played Pony Island and I know that it's really about Shock And Surprise fueled by meta for the sake of meta, which I think is ultimately confirmed by the empty and cynical ending, if it hadn't already been by the "edgy" items from the first act like the pliers and knife.
It did provide a unique sensation for me though. I played the entirety of this game in a single day on-and-off, which I'm not even sure I've played a game for 10 hours in a day in recent years outside of the very rare RPG I get super excited about. But I only kept playing it in that way because I thought, surely, it couldn't be that much longer before it was complete. It was always that much longer. I wish that was exciting to find out.
This review contains spoilers
Hello! I've noticed you've clicked through the spoiler warning. What follows is a summary of Inscryption, but you really should play it first. I will warn you when things really get into big spoiler territory but the best way of playing Inscryption is completely blind.
Inscryption is a spooky card game set in a mouldy cabin. Opposite you sits a figure shrouded in darkness, only visible by his shining, hypnotic eyes and the occasional reveal of a gnarled hand. He introduces you to a 4-lane Hearthstone-esque card game, where you place creatures to attack your opponent, and their creatures. Victory is tracked by a set of scales - as soon as it tips too far one way, the match is over.
But you don't have a pool of mana like Hearthstone - to summon stronger monsters, a price must be paid. Perhaps you have drawn enough squirrels (and have enough free lanes) to summon the 3-blood wolf. Perhaps you don't - but you do have two creatures you already placed sat there doing little. Sacrifices must be made to win.
Using this system, you journey through a simple roguelite map, getting exciting new abilities for your cards, deckbuilding and obtaining last-ditch items to save your skin. Eventually, you'll reach a boss with a unique mechanic and two "lives" - maybe you'll meet the Prospector, and I hope you didn't have two many cards down when you took his first life. If you did, well. See you in the next run!
The deckbuilding in Inscryption is the first time I've ever been remotely interested in the concept. There are so many mechanics and all of them are genius, and each can be combined with another to create something absolutely brutal. Maybe you'll find the black cat, who has a rune that marks it as unkillable. It doesn't do any damage, and only has one hit point, but if you hide it behind a rock... now you've got a free sacrifice every single round. Maybe you'll get a mantis, who doesn't attack directly ahead but to both the spaces to the left and right of that. Combine that with the fan consumable, and now you have free win just when you might need it most.
That's the core of Inscryption and if you haven't played it yet, you really, really should. I promise there's much more to see than just what I've described, and I can tell you it is flat out the best game of 2021. Please go and enjoy it.
OK, have they gone? Cool. Let's get into the fucking weeds here. Big spoilers from here on out.
Inscryption is a 16-bit deckbuilder inspired by Pokemon: The Card Game. Inscryption is an FMV adventure. Inscryption is a techno-horror card game with impressively in-depth systems. Inscryption is an ARG. Inscryption is the most mechnically dense game I've played in some time. Inscryption is a time vacuum.
It's impossible to talk about how good Inscryption is without completely spoiling it. There are effectively 3 entirely different games here - the initial sacrifice card game, the middle's deck-size limited RPG, and the final few hours' energy-based system. Each could support an entire game on its back by itself, but Daniel Mullins instead relegates each one to a few hours, then kind of tosses it away. The way these systems fold together in the second part generate some really interesting plays - I picked the P03 deck and so my economy was based around the same mechanic you work with later on. But early on I found a sacrifice card that when played, granted me an extra energy cell. Instantly my economy was improved. Each part is full of synergies like this waiting to be discovered. I kind of wish I'd picked a different starter deck - I will likely go back and try the two mechanics that are briefly seen at the end. I doubt we'll see DLC (the game is pretty final) but there's so much potential in the other two scrybes getting their own full adventures. It's such a good game, god. Play Inscryption.
Inscryption is a spooky card game set in a mouldy cabin. Opposite you sits a figure shrouded in darkness, only visible by his shining, hypnotic eyes and the occasional reveal of a gnarled hand. He introduces you to a 4-lane Hearthstone-esque card game, where you place creatures to attack your opponent, and their creatures. Victory is tracked by a set of scales - as soon as it tips too far one way, the match is over.
But you don't have a pool of mana like Hearthstone - to summon stronger monsters, a price must be paid. Perhaps you have drawn enough squirrels (and have enough free lanes) to summon the 3-blood wolf. Perhaps you don't - but you do have two creatures you already placed sat there doing little. Sacrifices must be made to win.
Using this system, you journey through a simple roguelite map, getting exciting new abilities for your cards, deckbuilding and obtaining last-ditch items to save your skin. Eventually, you'll reach a boss with a unique mechanic and two "lives" - maybe you'll meet the Prospector, and I hope you didn't have two many cards down when you took his first life. If you did, well. See you in the next run!
The deckbuilding in Inscryption is the first time I've ever been remotely interested in the concept. There are so many mechanics and all of them are genius, and each can be combined with another to create something absolutely brutal. Maybe you'll find the black cat, who has a rune that marks it as unkillable. It doesn't do any damage, and only has one hit point, but if you hide it behind a rock... now you've got a free sacrifice every single round. Maybe you'll get a mantis, who doesn't attack directly ahead but to both the spaces to the left and right of that. Combine that with the fan consumable, and now you have free win just when you might need it most.
That's the core of Inscryption and if you haven't played it yet, you really, really should. I promise there's much more to see than just what I've described, and I can tell you it is flat out the best game of 2021. Please go and enjoy it.
OK, have they gone? Cool. Let's get into the fucking weeds here. Big spoilers from here on out.
Inscryption is a 16-bit deckbuilder inspired by Pokemon: The Card Game. Inscryption is an FMV adventure. Inscryption is a techno-horror card game with impressively in-depth systems. Inscryption is an ARG. Inscryption is the most mechnically dense game I've played in some time. Inscryption is a time vacuum.
It's impossible to talk about how good Inscryption is without completely spoiling it. There are effectively 3 entirely different games here - the initial sacrifice card game, the middle's deck-size limited RPG, and the final few hours' energy-based system. Each could support an entire game on its back by itself, but Daniel Mullins instead relegates each one to a few hours, then kind of tosses it away. The way these systems fold together in the second part generate some really interesting plays - I picked the P03 deck and so my economy was based around the same mechanic you work with later on. But early on I found a sacrifice card that when played, granted me an extra energy cell. Instantly my economy was improved. Each part is full of synergies like this waiting to be discovered. I kind of wish I'd picked a different starter deck - I will likely go back and try the two mechanics that are briefly seen at the end. I doubt we'll see DLC (the game is pretty final) but there's so much potential in the other two scrybes getting their own full adventures. It's such a good game, god. Play Inscryption.
This review contains spoilers
(I will contain spoilers to the end and mark them)
I like Inscryption. It is a super solid exploration of a few unique card game mechanics that come together in very interesting ways. The meta-narrative, surprises, and ending of the game didn't really land for me, unfortunately, which brings it down quite a bit.
The card mechanics in Inscryption are the strongest part. The game starts out with a single mechanic (blood) and introduces more as the game goes on (bone and some others). The approach here is super interesting... it has a lot of similarities with Magic the Gathering's mana, but in Inscryption each mana type is generated in a unique way. For Blood you have to sacrifice your cards, you get Bone any time one of your cards dies (even if you sacrifice it... synergy!), and there are a couple of others that are impressively unique and thematic to their type as well as introducing mechanical interest.
These mechanics on their own are pretty straightforward, but when used together become really compelling. You can combine strategies to generate resources in interesting ways and use those to play in multiple types at once, similar to making a deck of multiple colors in Magic.
The individual card mechanics themselves are cool and well done, with each card type having a fairly unique use that still feel good to combine with other types. This game is highly breakable in terms of straight mechanics, basically on purpose, which makes it an interesting puzzle to solve, but lacks some staying power once you understand the mechanics.
Visually, Inscryption is really impressive. I like the style of the 3D as well as how hard it leans into atmosphere and wierdness/creepyness. The characterizations and world building in the game are really well done and compelling, unfortunately the game undermines itself trying to be clever.
I had a good time with Inscryption and exploring all the card mechanics and how they interact with each other was really fun!
The narrative shortcomings definitely left me with a more negative feeling than I otherwise would have, but I think this game is worth playing for any fan of card games.
*Spoilers start now*
Part 2, with the 2d sections were less effective to me, just because it loses a lot of the atmosphere and unique feel. The meta-layer of exploring an overworld also isn't as interesting as Leshy's cabin
I did like getting back to the 3d and seeing the Robot's take on the playspace, even if the actual execution of that space is definitely not as impressive and fun as Leshy's.
The game definitely loses steam in parts 2 and 3. There are a lot of extraneous (unneeded) mechanics and the game just drags in a way that can start to feel tedious rather than fun.
The final portion of the game hints at the style of the other two Scrybes, which is a cool view into their mechanics and themes. Their mechanics don't stand as well on their own, which makes that part feel more like a narrative exercise than a gameplay one.
The broader narrative in Inscryption didn't stand up for me at all. The ending is abrupt and the ARG elements feel unearned to me. I just don't have any investment in the character based on these vlogs and the larger story of the game doesn't appeal to me at all, even after looking up some of the deeper secrets after playing -- it basically just reads as pretty dumb to me.
Honestly the four Scrybes and the internal world of the game are far more compelling, and the meta/ARG layer just detract from and undermine that, unfortunately. I was really impressed with how each Scrybe's resource mechanic fit their style and personality as well as with each Scrybe's unique board mechanics.
The eventual combination of all four types is a really impressive piece of game design that is worth looking at by itself.
I like Inscryption. It is a super solid exploration of a few unique card game mechanics that come together in very interesting ways. The meta-narrative, surprises, and ending of the game didn't really land for me, unfortunately, which brings it down quite a bit.
The card mechanics in Inscryption are the strongest part. The game starts out with a single mechanic (blood) and introduces more as the game goes on (bone and some others). The approach here is super interesting... it has a lot of similarities with Magic the Gathering's mana, but in Inscryption each mana type is generated in a unique way. For Blood you have to sacrifice your cards, you get Bone any time one of your cards dies (even if you sacrifice it... synergy!), and there are a couple of others that are impressively unique and thematic to their type as well as introducing mechanical interest.
These mechanics on their own are pretty straightforward, but when used together become really compelling. You can combine strategies to generate resources in interesting ways and use those to play in multiple types at once, similar to making a deck of multiple colors in Magic.
The individual card mechanics themselves are cool and well done, with each card type having a fairly unique use that still feel good to combine with other types. This game is highly breakable in terms of straight mechanics, basically on purpose, which makes it an interesting puzzle to solve, but lacks some staying power once you understand the mechanics.
Visually, Inscryption is really impressive. I like the style of the 3D as well as how hard it leans into atmosphere and wierdness/creepyness. The characterizations and world building in the game are really well done and compelling, unfortunately the game undermines itself trying to be clever.
I had a good time with Inscryption and exploring all the card mechanics and how they interact with each other was really fun!
The narrative shortcomings definitely left me with a more negative feeling than I otherwise would have, but I think this game is worth playing for any fan of card games.
*Spoilers start now*
Part 2, with the 2d sections were less effective to me, just because it loses a lot of the atmosphere and unique feel. The meta-layer of exploring an overworld also isn't as interesting as Leshy's cabin
I did like getting back to the 3d and seeing the Robot's take on the playspace, even if the actual execution of that space is definitely not as impressive and fun as Leshy's.
The game definitely loses steam in parts 2 and 3. There are a lot of extraneous (unneeded) mechanics and the game just drags in a way that can start to feel tedious rather than fun.
The final portion of the game hints at the style of the other two Scrybes, which is a cool view into their mechanics and themes. Their mechanics don't stand as well on their own, which makes that part feel more like a narrative exercise than a gameplay one.
The broader narrative in Inscryption didn't stand up for me at all. The ending is abrupt and the ARG elements feel unearned to me. I just don't have any investment in the character based on these vlogs and the larger story of the game doesn't appeal to me at all, even after looking up some of the deeper secrets after playing -- it basically just reads as pretty dumb to me.
Honestly the four Scrybes and the internal world of the game are far more compelling, and the meta/ARG layer just detract from and undermine that, unfortunately. I was really impressed with how each Scrybe's resource mechanic fit their style and personality as well as with each Scrybe's unique board mechanics.
The eventual combination of all four types is a really impressive piece of game design that is worth looking at by itself.
This review contains spoilers
this game threatened to delete my copy of Twilight: New Moon (2009) and is thus the greatest & most terrifying horror game of the 21st century
The first 2-3 hours of inscryption are wonderful. A creepy, thoroughly atmospheric dive in this weird, creepy card game, played in a small little cabin against some weird guy who pantomines the parts of the bosses and kills you with a camera at the end. There's so many little touches in this part, and coming off the table and solving all the little puzzles of the cabin with an aim to escape/win, its awesome. There's a great occult, macabre vibe to it all, and then it all comes together for a neat resolution as you and your talking cards hatch a plan.
Its sad for me to say that whilst it would have been dissapointing in it's own right, the game would have been better stopping right there. It would have left me wanting way, way more and the game would come out at about an hour and a half long, but that's a better world than the one we live in.
Because Inscryption really just could not help itself from going down the creepypasta meta rabbit hole for the latter two thirds of it's runtime. It's not as bad as the dev's previous game Pony Island and is presented pretty well, but is ultimately just way less endearing and interesting than the first act.
Sadly the game also gets less mechanically interesting. Part of this is definetly a psychological element - i'm less interested in getting into the minutae of the mechanics when its obvious the game's now committed to throwing the baby out with the bathwater every 20 minutes, but I also think there's an elegance to the creature sacrifice emphasis of the first act that nothing that comes after comes close to matching.
I understand there is meant to be a point to this, at least somewhat, as the soulful roleplay-driven gameplay gives way to more mechanically deep or whatever gameplay, but I do think it just falls flat and the non-card gameplay of the latter sections are particularly weak in comparison.
And the story? It's thankfully told with fantastic production values and editing and is pretty well paced, and pulls those good old 4th wall meta game tricks which honestly im a bit tired of by now even if they're very cute in this one. But it's just really not interesting and there's not really much more to it than Sonic.exe at the end of the day. It's well told and the presentation is outright incredible throughout, but on a personal level it's really just where I wish the story didn't go after such an incredible opening.
It also really drags near the end. The final section prior to the ending is way too fucking long and not much even happens in the story. If it didn't so blatantly feel like a "final act" I probably would have dropped it about halfway through.
So yeah, if I stopped playing the game after 2 hours the score here would probably be a 4.5/5, maybe even a 5 if i was feeling particularly generous. And it's not like the rest of the game is offensively bad or anything, it's just profoundly dissapointing, especially in the light of what's clearly a mountain of effort and attention to detail that's gone into it that feels in service of completely the wrong way for the game to go.
Inscryption truly took me down the rabbit hole. I wish it didn't bother.
Its sad for me to say that whilst it would have been dissapointing in it's own right, the game would have been better stopping right there. It would have left me wanting way, way more and the game would come out at about an hour and a half long, but that's a better world than the one we live in.
Because Inscryption really just could not help itself from going down the creepypasta meta rabbit hole for the latter two thirds of it's runtime. It's not as bad as the dev's previous game Pony Island and is presented pretty well, but is ultimately just way less endearing and interesting than the first act.
Sadly the game also gets less mechanically interesting. Part of this is definetly a psychological element - i'm less interested in getting into the minutae of the mechanics when its obvious the game's now committed to throwing the baby out with the bathwater every 20 minutes, but I also think there's an elegance to the creature sacrifice emphasis of the first act that nothing that comes after comes close to matching.
I understand there is meant to be a point to this, at least somewhat, as the soulful roleplay-driven gameplay gives way to more mechanically deep or whatever gameplay, but I do think it just falls flat and the non-card gameplay of the latter sections are particularly weak in comparison.
And the story? It's thankfully told with fantastic production values and editing and is pretty well paced, and pulls those good old 4th wall meta game tricks which honestly im a bit tired of by now even if they're very cute in this one. But it's just really not interesting and there's not really much more to it than Sonic.exe at the end of the day. It's well told and the presentation is outright incredible throughout, but on a personal level it's really just where I wish the story didn't go after such an incredible opening.
It also really drags near the end. The final section prior to the ending is way too fucking long and not much even happens in the story. If it didn't so blatantly feel like a "final act" I probably would have dropped it about halfway through.
So yeah, if I stopped playing the game after 2 hours the score here would probably be a 4.5/5, maybe even a 5 if i was feeling particularly generous. And it's not like the rest of the game is offensively bad or anything, it's just profoundly dissapointing, especially in the light of what's clearly a mountain of effort and attention to detail that's gone into it that feels in service of completely the wrong way for the game to go.
Inscryption truly took me down the rabbit hole. I wish it didn't bother.
play this game
Fucking excellent, just a beautifully designed game.
Rogueshit
This was a rollercoaster ride for me of being completely in and out of where the game was taking me. There were definite disappointments and downturns regarding onslaughts of new mechanics and the meta story that got me really close to dropping the game, but ultimately I am glad to have seen it through, even if I wish that this was the moody horror card-game/escape room hybrid it is on the box, because these are definitely the best bits of the experience. It has some tricks up its sleeve that still turned it around for me in the end and if you haven't experienced any other game from the developer you will probably quite enjoy the surprises the game has in store for you. If you know what direction I am hinting at a lot won't be as effective anymore, but it is definitely more refined in what it does than many other similar games. If you are at all intrigued by this game, absolutely try it, if nothing else it absolutely entertains in every minute.
The one good card game.
This review contains spoilers
Inscrpytion is a game that subverts expectations and reinvents itself, all the while employing a fundamental gameplay mechanic that is enjoyable throughout. The ingenuity wanes, however, as you progress through the game's three acts.
Nothing is as thrilling as trying to escape the old hut in the first act, and Leshy's descriptions are gripping. This is the game at its best, a robust deck builder roguelike within a tense escape room puzzle box.
The second act relies on the subversion of genre to drive the interest, while adding gameplay elements that keep things fresh, if a little overwhelming. The tension of escape from the previous act is replaced by a curiosity of exploration, as I found myself trying to connect the dots of how this act eventually becomes the first.
The last act is in similar structure to the first, but with all of the vivid description disappointingly stripped. At one point, this removal of narrative description is lampshaded - your captor mentions that "Leshy was better at that." It makes sense for the character - P03 is driven by the strategy of card games - it still makes for a duller experience than the rich world of Leshy's cabin.
Overall, Inscryption is an incredible game that never quite hits the peak of its first act. You should play it.
Nothing is as thrilling as trying to escape the old hut in the first act, and Leshy's descriptions are gripping. This is the game at its best, a robust deck builder roguelike within a tense escape room puzzle box.
The second act relies on the subversion of genre to drive the interest, while adding gameplay elements that keep things fresh, if a little overwhelming. The tension of escape from the previous act is replaced by a curiosity of exploration, as I found myself trying to connect the dots of how this act eventually becomes the first.
The last act is in similar structure to the first, but with all of the vivid description disappointingly stripped. At one point, this removal of narrative description is lampshaded - your captor mentions that "Leshy was better at that." It makes sense for the character - P03 is driven by the strategy of card games - it still makes for a duller experience than the rich world of Leshy's cabin.
Overall, Inscryption is an incredible game that never quite hits the peak of its first act. You should play it.
I'm shook.
This review contains spoilers
It's good.
This review contains spoilers
I'm a bit baffled by how well-reviewed this game is. The first act is great, everything about it works. The atmosphere is cool, creating the cards after you die is a great way to keep stay engaged when it's clear you won't win a run, and the puzzle room stuff works to break things up. When I got to the end of that act and it was clear everything would change I was excited to see what came next.
Then after that it's just... not very good at all. I would say act 2 is straight up bad. The mechanical changes are complicated without being very exciting and the puzzles just seem designed to pad the length. Act 3 is better, but it's still just a worse version of act 1.
During all this it feels like it's trying to say something about game design or the act of making games. I kept expecting some reveal that would make some thesis clear, but that just never comes. Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't really think that's the case. It just feels like the work of someone who thinks making something "meta" makes it interesting.
All of this is disappointing after such a strong start. I'm seeing a playtime of 11.5 hours and I think at least half of that was spent just waiting for it to get good again. It feels like there's probably a short 1-2 sitting length game in here that's really fun.
Then after that it's just... not very good at all. I would say act 2 is straight up bad. The mechanical changes are complicated without being very exciting and the puzzles just seem designed to pad the length. Act 3 is better, but it's still just a worse version of act 1.
During all this it feels like it's trying to say something about game design or the act of making games. I kept expecting some reveal that would make some thesis clear, but that just never comes. Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't really think that's the case. It just feels like the work of someone who thinks making something "meta" makes it interesting.
All of this is disappointing after such a strong start. I'm seeing a playtime of 11.5 hours and I think at least half of that was spent just waiting for it to get good again. It feels like there's probably a short 1-2 sitting length game in here that's really fun.
So is there like a Geek Squad Ed and Lorraine Warren in the Mullins-verse handling all these demonic video games
Pretty good. You'll quickly notice that there's issues with the game's balancing, but there's reasons for that you'll come to understand as you play. Worth a buy, the demo's free on Steam if you're on the fence about it!
This game is the ultimate love letter to card games and fans of card games.
Even though I wanted just a tiny bit more spark to the story, it's so damn well done throughout every aspect that I can't not give 5 stars. Reminds me of Toby Fox's games in how much tangential fun bits are respected as part of the game, and how it reframes a core experience. Sensational.
This review contains spoilers
This game is neat for sure but I just couldn't get into it for some reason.
I beat act 1 then the game took a turn which I really thought was cool! However, for some reason, I can't bring myself to keep playing.
Like many other beloved games, I will probably come back to this in a year or 2 and wonder why I didn't keep playing when it was new.
I beat act 1 then the game took a turn which I really thought was cool! However, for some reason, I can't bring myself to keep playing.
Like many other beloved games, I will probably come back to this in a year or 2 and wonder why I didn't keep playing when it was new.
This review contains spoilers
When this game suddenly seemed to erupt into the zeitgeist I was a little skeptical that it would be as interesting as everyone loudly declaring that you should avoid spoilers at all cost were selling it as. Seeing that it was from the same developer as Pony Island solidified that in my head.
What this is is a solid deck builder with a bit of light escape room style puzzle solving and a story that I feel like will only land if its your first "what if a video game creepypasta BUT REAL" experience.
What this is is a solid deck builder with a bit of light escape room style puzzle solving and a story that I feel like will only land if its your first "what if a video game creepypasta BUT REAL" experience.
Inscryption é mais um daqueles deckbuilding roguelike que encheram as lojas de jogos nos últimos anos (e nenhum, incluindo Inscryption, é melhor que Slay the Spire, btw). Mas apesar de ser um estilo de jogo que, na minha opinião, está bem saturado, esse aqui tem muita personalidade.
O jogo tem uma estética bem assustadora, as regras são simples e flexíveis, a maneira como você pode "roubar" usando itens para receber pequenas vantagens é bem única e em alguns momentos muito surpreendente. Algumas das cartas possuem regras ocultas ou até mesmo segredos que você precisa descobrir enquanto joga.
Você começa o jogo sentado em uma mesa num lugar escuro. Um par de olhos se acendem na outra extremidade. Você recebe algumas cartas e uma partida se inicia. Inicialmente o jogo é mais limitado, com regras simplificadas e, conforme você progride, mais opções e possibilidades vão sendo introduzidas.
Depois de um certo ponto, você pode se levantar da mesa e explorar a pequena cabana onde está preso. Alguns puzzles te recompensam com novas cartas e itens para escolher. Talvez você também encontre algumas coisas interessantes para interagir.
Minha maior crítica é que, apesar de uma variedade decente de cartas, a pool começa a dar uma sensação de ser limitada após alguns loops. Acredito que levei umas 3 horas para conseguir escapar da bendita cabana e, chegando nesse ponto, eu já estava querendo que o jogo me desse mais variedade.
O jogo tem uma estética bem assustadora, as regras são simples e flexíveis, a maneira como você pode "roubar" usando itens para receber pequenas vantagens é bem única e em alguns momentos muito surpreendente. Algumas das cartas possuem regras ocultas ou até mesmo segredos que você precisa descobrir enquanto joga.
Você começa o jogo sentado em uma mesa num lugar escuro. Um par de olhos se acendem na outra extremidade. Você recebe algumas cartas e uma partida se inicia. Inicialmente o jogo é mais limitado, com regras simplificadas e, conforme você progride, mais opções e possibilidades vão sendo introduzidas.
Depois de um certo ponto, você pode se levantar da mesa e explorar a pequena cabana onde está preso. Alguns puzzles te recompensam com novas cartas e itens para escolher. Talvez você também encontre algumas coisas interessantes para interagir.
Minha maior crítica é que, apesar de uma variedade decente de cartas, a pool começa a dar uma sensação de ser limitada após alguns loops. Acredito que levei umas 3 horas para conseguir escapar da bendita cabana e, chegando nesse ponto, eu já estava querendo que o jogo me desse mais variedade.
I've been chasing an indie game high for a while now, and Inscryption is one of those games that completely validates that whole endeavor. A narrative-driven deck building card game drenched in a horror aesthetic. A love letter to trading card games and tabletop RPGs. Incredible. Haven't stopped thinking about it since I picked it up.
Take the ouroboros.
* Played flawlessly on Linux via Proton 6.3-7
Take the ouroboros.
* Played flawlessly on Linux via Proton 6.3-7
Una verdadera experiencia.
An incredibly unique game that I will probably not see anything similar in the years to come. With a strong style and gameplay driving the majority of the game, you often don't care about resetting deck (since this is a roguelite to some extent) because the game looks and play so great. The second act adds more variety and allow the user to have more flexibility with their deck.
Combined with this great gameplay and visual styles is the very interesting narrative. While some elements definitely buckle in the last third or so and end with a rather abrupt ending, there is a good amount of ARG that fleshes out the narrative.
Definitely one of my favorite games I've played this year. If you're a fan of meta-narratives, horror and/or card games, don't miss out on this game.
Combined with this great gameplay and visual styles is the very interesting narrative. While some elements definitely buckle in the last third or so and end with a rather abrupt ending, there is a good amount of ARG that fleshes out the narrative.
Definitely one of my favorite games I've played this year. If you're a fan of meta-narratives, horror and/or card games, don't miss out on this game.
The opening few hours of Inscryption are legitimately fantastic. I always liked a lot of what was going on in Slay the Spire but that game is dragged down so much by its incredibly bland aesthetic that just makes me think back to playing Flash games on Newgrounds as a teenager. Inscryption takes that deckbuilder core, adds a really cool, evocative spin on it with the sacrifice mechanic, but most importantly nestles this within a deeply unsettling, intense aesthetic that really sells the whole experience on its own. There are a couple moments that didn't land perfectly for me in these opening few hours, but overall I was very excited to see where the game would head.
I'm not going to spoil any actual story content from this point, but I will be talking about mid and late-game gameplay mechanics changes. I think there are people who will be suitably put off from the whole experience once they know the direction these mechanical changes head in and may value getting to read about these ahead of time, but if knowing anything about the direction the game's mechanics head in is going to upset you then stop reading now.
At the end of these first few hours of the game Inscryption's gameplay becomes markedly worse. It turns into a trading card game, as opposed to the first section's deck-builder nature, a genre that is just a lot harder to make actually work. A part of the problem is that the sheer elegance of the game's original mechanics is hurled to the wayside as it becomes bogged down under the weight of a bunch of new mechanics, whilst constantly tuning and retuning your deck from a vast pool of cards makes for an unbelievably worse gameplay loop than what came beforehand. Arguably an even bigger part of the problem is that the aesthetic is just so much less compelling in this second part too, and the aesthetic was so much of what sold the first part of the game. Taken outside of the context of existing inside a larger whole this second part of the game is something I would consider at absolute best mediocre, and would be upset to have spent money on had something like this been expanded into a full game.
Another major mechanical shift comes later on, and this third part of the game returns to something closer to where the game was originally at. It lacks much of the earlier tension and magic, and the aesthetic is much worse too, but it acts as a fine enough diversion and has a few genuinely very enjoyable moments.
So there's one outright great section, one just barely passable section, and one third that is decent enough. So why am I not higher on the game, does this first act being so impressive not justify the latter mediocrity? A part of the problem is how disappointing the whole affair ends up being, never fully living up to the promise it shows early on. A bigger part of the problem though is what I gather is very much Daniel Mullins' schtick.
Inscryption has a lot of meta content that takes an increasingly larger presence on the game's stage. I knew this going in, as I'm sure anyone familiar with Mullins' name would be, and was curious to see it all in action. Whilst there are certainly some cute, enjoyable moments to it, especially early on in the game, so much of the meta content in this game is just shocking and weird for the sake of being shocking and weird, rather than having any actual substance to it. The whole experience just felt very hollow to me, and at its very worst the game can feel anywhere from scattered and unfocused to actually just downright childish.
It's just so frustrating because there's something wonderful in that early part of the game, and then it goes and turns into this.
I'm not going to spoil any actual story content from this point, but I will be talking about mid and late-game gameplay mechanics changes. I think there are people who will be suitably put off from the whole experience once they know the direction these mechanical changes head in and may value getting to read about these ahead of time, but if knowing anything about the direction the game's mechanics head in is going to upset you then stop reading now.
At the end of these first few hours of the game Inscryption's gameplay becomes markedly worse. It turns into a trading card game, as opposed to the first section's deck-builder nature, a genre that is just a lot harder to make actually work. A part of the problem is that the sheer elegance of the game's original mechanics is hurled to the wayside as it becomes bogged down under the weight of a bunch of new mechanics, whilst constantly tuning and retuning your deck from a vast pool of cards makes for an unbelievably worse gameplay loop than what came beforehand. Arguably an even bigger part of the problem is that the aesthetic is just so much less compelling in this second part too, and the aesthetic was so much of what sold the first part of the game. Taken outside of the context of existing inside a larger whole this second part of the game is something I would consider at absolute best mediocre, and would be upset to have spent money on had something like this been expanded into a full game.
Another major mechanical shift comes later on, and this third part of the game returns to something closer to where the game was originally at. It lacks much of the earlier tension and magic, and the aesthetic is much worse too, but it acts as a fine enough diversion and has a few genuinely very enjoyable moments.
So there's one outright great section, one just barely passable section, and one third that is decent enough. So why am I not higher on the game, does this first act being so impressive not justify the latter mediocrity? A part of the problem is how disappointing the whole affair ends up being, never fully living up to the promise it shows early on. A bigger part of the problem though is what I gather is very much Daniel Mullins' schtick.
Inscryption has a lot of meta content that takes an increasingly larger presence on the game's stage. I knew this going in, as I'm sure anyone familiar with Mullins' name would be, and was curious to see it all in action. Whilst there are certainly some cute, enjoyable moments to it, especially early on in the game, so much of the meta content in this game is just shocking and weird for the sake of being shocking and weird, rather than having any actual substance to it. The whole experience just felt very hollow to me, and at its very worst the game can feel anywhere from scattered and unfocused to actually just downright childish.
It's just so frustrating because there's something wonderful in that early part of the game, and then it goes and turns into this.
This is what Yugi Moto played to train up for his upcoming macabre children's card game tournaments.
Pretty solid game overall. Played around with my expectations throughout my time with it, though I was not as interested in the "haunted game" lore after seeing similar creepy stuff out on the internet for over a decade.
The actual card games in here are actually easy to understand and thankfully chose to not copy the Slay the Spire playbook. Things get more complicated as the game progresses, but I never felt too overwhelmed by the expansion of its rules. Each match felt fair and every "boss" had some neat tricks up their sleeves.
If you're interested in a creepy ten hour game to play, this might be the card...game to pick!
Pretty solid game overall. Played around with my expectations throughout my time with it, though I was not as interested in the "haunted game" lore after seeing similar creepy stuff out on the internet for over a decade.
The actual card games in here are actually easy to understand and thankfully chose to not copy the Slay the Spire playbook. Things get more complicated as the game progresses, but I never felt too overwhelmed by the expansion of its rules. Each match felt fair and every "boss" had some neat tricks up their sleeves.
If you're interested in a creepy ten hour game to play, this might be the card...game to pick!
few low points here and there for me personally (not really the game's fault, i am just an idiot and i got stuck in a loss loop that i was sure was going to be my joker origin story) but other than that hoooly shit. holy fuck. oh my god
Ever since I played Pony Island several years ago, I have been a fan of Daniel Mullins' dark and twisted meta-horror style. 2018's The Hex proved he was a jack of all trades, specifically in his use of writing and parody. Coming into his third outing, Inscryption lays the foundation for a rogue-lite deckbuilder, which are two of my least favorite elements. That said, the core gameplay of Inscryption is immediately accessible, and allows for a simple, yet unnervingly addicting loop with cards, sacrifice, and intrigue. It is that intrigue that carries the game past its opening hours, when it transforms into an amalgam bigger than the game can potentially handle. The aforementioned early moments of Inscryption are its strongest, and while I love the meta-gameplay and mechanics introduced later on, the third act slows the card battles down significantly, and what feels like an interesting changeup results in an elongated period of nostalgia for the game's tighter first act. That said, puzzles and cards are excellently designed, bolstered by a sinister soundtrack that resounds monstrously behind every step towards your escape from your seemingly faceless captors. Subtle hints and clues as well as the thin string of narrative elements beckons the player to continue down the rabbit hole. I don't want to say more at risk of spoiling the amount of good the game achieves, so if you liked Dan Mullins' previous games, or are a fan of deckbuilders/roguelites/metahorror, this is a win.
Great card game that is more than what it seems. I still think chapter 1 is the best chapter and 2 falls pretty flat but 3 brings it back and the ending pays off.
This review contains spoilers
The first third of the game is amazing, but I couldn't care less about the ARG or the rest of the game. If the game gets an expanded / endless Act I patch, this is easily a 4 - 4.5 game, but I'm very disappointed with the game as it stands right now.