This review contains spoilers
I will split the review into 5 segments, if you are yet to play this game, DO NOT read anything past Chapter 1, as this game's twists and turns are one of the main selling points, I will rank each segment of the game independently to give you an idea of my feelings towards them even for spoiler-free reading.
CHAPTER 1: 9/10 AMAZING
I adore the aesthetics of this game, the creepy atmosphere and intrigue of what's to come are really well done. The gameplay loop also works great, The fundamentals of the card gameplay is really fun, and have a lot of depth to it with deck building, and optimal move planning, whilst keeping the fundamentals relatively straightforward, slowly expanding the more loops you go through. The only downside is the lack of much replayability, especially once you have unlocked all of the hidden upgrades, you usually just end up sweeping every single run, but thankfully this has now been remedied by the free DLC which expands Chapter 1 to be basically the entire game, which is awesome!
CHAPTER 2: 2/10 POOR
I was honestly insanely disappointed by chapter 2. It takes the great gameplay of chapter 1, and throws you in the deep end, adding in magic, battery and dividing the blood and bone cards into more distinct categories. All of which is relatively useless, considering all the bosses and enemies are painfully easy now that you can create your own deck entirely at your own will, picking any cards you like any moment. The graphics are replaced with the most uninspired "RETRO" "8 BIT" "So retro!" style that every half-assed nostalgia bait £1 steam game has, and the gameplay loop is changed from a randomized roguelike, to a straightforward, kill X enemies then boss, 4 times, loop. There is very little in terms of non-linearity, there is a few hidden rooms that have what is equivalent to nothing in them, and you can choose between 2 bosses what order you do them in, but that is it, meaning there is little to no replay value at all. The dialogue from the characters in this chapter is also painfully boring.
CHAPTER 3: 7/10 GREAT
Thankfully once Chapter 2 ends we get back to the good stuff, the aesthetics are returned to be more close to Chapter 1, but now with a techno/computer theming to it, and the card types are pulled back to be focused on the battery typed ones. Now that we are limited to one card type again, it actually gives you time to learn how they work, and actually master the gameplay, rather than just sweeping everything with OP decks every game in chapter 2. The gameplay loop is kind of similiar to chapter 2, but, just better, as now the map is more open and theres more player choice involved in where you go, or atleast it gives the illusion that, that is the case. The bosses are also much better, having pretty cool gimmicks in concept, however in execution, alot of them do not really put up much of a challenge, and a lot of the time actually cause the fights to be easier rather than harder. The dialogue is also a lot more bearable than in Chapter 2 aswell. The way that chapter 2 is sandwiched between the fantastic Chapter 1, and then the great Chapter 3, just makes it stand out even further, and really highlights how shit it was, considering Chapter 1 and 3 are much much more similiar to eachother.
END GAME: 4/10 OK
In the finale we are given a brief glance at what the other types of cards could look like, if they were given the Chapter 1/3 treatment, (again showing how chapter 2 sucks in comparison), starting off with Bone cards and then magic. This segment is kind of cool, watching everything be deleted as you play, but, its really just a super long, boring cutscene where you pretend to play, but its honestly rather boring as you very quickly realise, for example, in the magic fight, that there is no way this game is gonna end anytime soon. I feel like this segment is mainly ruined due to my opinions on the overarching plot, but I will get to that shortly.
PLOT: 2/10 CRINGE
The actual plot of each chapter with you and the card master, things, is actually pretty great, especially the writing of Leshy and P03, and the idea of these cards being alive within the game inscryption and fighting over controlling it, is pretty cool, and the fourth wall breaks linking to your computer files and the like are super cool, or atleast, they would be, if they actually WERE fourth wall breaks, but no, for some reason the devs decided to make this contained within its own universe, having you actually be seeing the game from some random guys perspective, that being Luke, I have to just ask, why? I could suspend my disbelief and buy into the idea of this really being the game itself on my computer for the sake of the game splot, but instead I have to see some other random guy react to the events playing out on my game, with insanely cringe """horror""" elements thrown in. Not to mention the demands of the company to the random guy in question dont even make any sense, he emails them saying he has their game, and they respond saying "We know nothing about that game, we have nothing to do with it, also we own it and if you dont send it to us we will sue you" ????. Having to sit and watch 4 minute long videos of practically nothing happening for the sake of "lore", lore that is not even well written or entertaining was insanely boring and a real pace breaker. Not only that, but the terrible "retro" graphics and font from chapter 2 are carried over into the UI of watching the videos, which are meant to be like, saved on a computer? But it doesnt even look like a computer video players UI, its super jarring and does not work at all. Overall, insanely cringe, and ruined the ending for me entirely.
OVERALL: 8/10
The good elements of this game carry it a ton, even if for some moments the quality, really really dips. The lack of replayability also dampens the experience for the type of game it seems to be on the surface, but as a one time playthrough its a great time, and I would recommend playing it through to the end to see the high moments.
CHAPTER 1: 9/10 AMAZING
I adore the aesthetics of this game, the creepy atmosphere and intrigue of what's to come are really well done. The gameplay loop also works great, The fundamentals of the card gameplay is really fun, and have a lot of depth to it with deck building, and optimal move planning, whilst keeping the fundamentals relatively straightforward, slowly expanding the more loops you go through. The only downside is the lack of much replayability, especially once you have unlocked all of the hidden upgrades, you usually just end up sweeping every single run, but thankfully this has now been remedied by the free DLC which expands Chapter 1 to be basically the entire game, which is awesome!
CHAPTER 2: 2/10 POOR
I was honestly insanely disappointed by chapter 2. It takes the great gameplay of chapter 1, and throws you in the deep end, adding in magic, battery and dividing the blood and bone cards into more distinct categories. All of which is relatively useless, considering all the bosses and enemies are painfully easy now that you can create your own deck entirely at your own will, picking any cards you like any moment. The graphics are replaced with the most uninspired "RETRO" "8 BIT" "So retro!" style that every half-assed nostalgia bait £1 steam game has, and the gameplay loop is changed from a randomized roguelike, to a straightforward, kill X enemies then boss, 4 times, loop. There is very little in terms of non-linearity, there is a few hidden rooms that have what is equivalent to nothing in them, and you can choose between 2 bosses what order you do them in, but that is it, meaning there is little to no replay value at all. The dialogue from the characters in this chapter is also painfully boring.
CHAPTER 3: 7/10 GREAT
Thankfully once Chapter 2 ends we get back to the good stuff, the aesthetics are returned to be more close to Chapter 1, but now with a techno/computer theming to it, and the card types are pulled back to be focused on the battery typed ones. Now that we are limited to one card type again, it actually gives you time to learn how they work, and actually master the gameplay, rather than just sweeping everything with OP decks every game in chapter 2. The gameplay loop is kind of similiar to chapter 2, but, just better, as now the map is more open and theres more player choice involved in where you go, or atleast it gives the illusion that, that is the case. The bosses are also much better, having pretty cool gimmicks in concept, however in execution, alot of them do not really put up much of a challenge, and a lot of the time actually cause the fights to be easier rather than harder. The dialogue is also a lot more bearable than in Chapter 2 aswell. The way that chapter 2 is sandwiched between the fantastic Chapter 1, and then the great Chapter 3, just makes it stand out even further, and really highlights how shit it was, considering Chapter 1 and 3 are much much more similiar to eachother.
END GAME: 4/10 OK
In the finale we are given a brief glance at what the other types of cards could look like, if they were given the Chapter 1/3 treatment, (again showing how chapter 2 sucks in comparison), starting off with Bone cards and then magic. This segment is kind of cool, watching everything be deleted as you play, but, its really just a super long, boring cutscene where you pretend to play, but its honestly rather boring as you very quickly realise, for example, in the magic fight, that there is no way this game is gonna end anytime soon. I feel like this segment is mainly ruined due to my opinions on the overarching plot, but I will get to that shortly.
PLOT: 2/10 CRINGE
The actual plot of each chapter with you and the card master, things, is actually pretty great, especially the writing of Leshy and P03, and the idea of these cards being alive within the game inscryption and fighting over controlling it, is pretty cool, and the fourth wall breaks linking to your computer files and the like are super cool, or atleast, they would be, if they actually WERE fourth wall breaks, but no, for some reason the devs decided to make this contained within its own universe, having you actually be seeing the game from some random guys perspective, that being Luke, I have to just ask, why? I could suspend my disbelief and buy into the idea of this really being the game itself on my computer for the sake of the game splot, but instead I have to see some other random guy react to the events playing out on my game, with insanely cringe """horror""" elements thrown in. Not to mention the demands of the company to the random guy in question dont even make any sense, he emails them saying he has their game, and they respond saying "We know nothing about that game, we have nothing to do with it, also we own it and if you dont send it to us we will sue you" ????. Having to sit and watch 4 minute long videos of practically nothing happening for the sake of "lore", lore that is not even well written or entertaining was insanely boring and a real pace breaker. Not only that, but the terrible "retro" graphics and font from chapter 2 are carried over into the UI of watching the videos, which are meant to be like, saved on a computer? But it doesnt even look like a computer video players UI, its super jarring and does not work at all. Overall, insanely cringe, and ruined the ending for me entirely.
OVERALL: 8/10
The good elements of this game carry it a ton, even if for some moments the quality, really really dips. The lack of replayability also dampens the experience for the type of game it seems to be on the surface, but as a one time playthrough its a great time, and I would recommend playing it through to the end to see the high moments.
this game makes u feel like a genius
j'ai platine
I have no words. One of the absolute greatest games I have ever played.
worst part of the game is that i can't talk about it without ruining it for someone else
Combat Design: 10/10
Level Design: 10/10
Sound Design: 10/10
Narrative Design: 8/10
Art & Animation: 10/10
Overall: 10/10
Indie darling of 2021, Inscryption is a unique blend of TCG and escape room, with some fun ARG blended in for good measure. If you like finding extremely broken combos and not sleeping, this is a good game for you.
Level Design: 10/10
Sound Design: 10/10
Narrative Design: 8/10
Art & Animation: 10/10
Overall: 10/10
Indie darling of 2021, Inscryption is a unique blend of TCG and escape room, with some fun ARG blended in for good measure. If you like finding extremely broken combos and not sleeping, this is a good game for you.
this took a huge turn i was honestly not expecting in the slightest. unfortunately one section of the game is kind of tedious to play, although that's intentional i believe
If you like card games even a little, this is a must play. Go into it as spoiler free as possible.
This review contains spoilers
What starts as a unique and fun deck building card game with a cool mechanics turns absolutely crazy with interesting story, continuously good gameplay and puzzles and an absolute banger of an ending. While the gameplay does fall off after the first act it continues to be engaging enough to see the story through. The guy is definitely one of the unluckiest carders though, contrary to his name.
Inscryption is a game that captivates you right from the start. From the opening moments, with the title screen that has something off about it; you can tell that this is a game that is going to be something special. It oozes style, it presents mystery and intrigue with some horror undertones and has you pondering the entire time while you're treated to excellent deck building gameplay that never gets stale. Everything is fantastic from the presentation across the whole game, to how the narrative is unveiled slowly as you build your deck up, to the cards themselves and amount of options available.
Would that I could type more without spoiling, though it's definitely a unique experience that I won't forget anytime soon. Also Daniel Mullins is a madman for that post-game ARG, legit blew my mind.
Would that I could type more without spoiling, though it's definitely a unique experience that I won't forget anytime soon. Also Daniel Mullins is a madman for that post-game ARG, legit blew my mind.
as pessoas acham que eu sou pc master race pra jogar com o gráfico no talo mas na verdade é pra jogar rpg maker e coisas tipo inscryption
Average
Very unique game. It looks pretty straight forward at first, but it just keeps changing and getting weirder. The card game is interesting, it takes some strategy, but it can not be compared to a heavy strategy game like slay the spire. This is more of an interesting mystery game. Once you beat the game and see the whole story, there is not much replay value. There are options to keep playing, but the card play is not good enough to want to keep playing for me. This was an interesting mystery that I enjoyed, but the mystery is what makes the game, because it keeps changing, it is hard to see where it will go and that is fun.
Very unique game. It looks pretty straight forward at first, but it just keeps changing and getting weirder. The card game is interesting, it takes some strategy, but it can not be compared to a heavy strategy game like slay the spire. This is more of an interesting mystery game. Once you beat the game and see the whole story, there is not much replay value. There are options to keep playing, but the card play is not good enough to want to keep playing for me. This was an interesting mystery that I enjoyed, but the mystery is what makes the game, because it keeps changing, it is hard to see where it will go and that is fun.
played with my fiance watching me. he could not handle my big brain hyper aggressive playstyle but it’s okay i love him. thank you to the 12 damage triple strike wolf card i made for carrying me through act one
very unique card game it had a lot more surprises than i thought it would so i would recommend going into it as blind as possible
A great time, just a shame it's so short- oh hang on there's another part. TH-THERE'S MORE AFTER THIS!?
This game is like Lost. I mean that in a bad way.
Game #42
Almost perfect. Absolutely addicting from start from finish, this was the most fun I've had playing a card game. The gameplay is simple but the systems all work together so well that there is infinite depth beneath the surface as you get better at the game. Highly recommend playing this one, even if you aren't typically into card games.
Almost perfect. Absolutely addicting from start from finish, this was the most fun I've had playing a card game. The gameplay is simple but the systems all work together so well that there is infinite depth beneath the surface as you get better at the game. Highly recommend playing this one, even if you aren't typically into card games.
Here's a crazy idea; imagine if all of those soulless deckbuilding games on Steam had some kind of POINT to them. Imagine if that point was about games themselves. Imagine if it actually had an interesting story that you could get invested in. Wouldn't that be nuts?
Anyway play Inscryption, best card game of the 20s so far.
Anyway play Inscryption, best card game of the 20s so far.
Banger
This review contains spoilers
Really interesting and original game that does things I haven't seen done in a game before. The story, although a bit cliché with its ARG and meta- elements, is very intriguing and cute and honestly it would have been really good even without the ARG aspect of it.
The core gameplay of the card game is probably one of the best card games I've played because of how simple it is, but I wish the gameplay changed a bit more between acts, just as the visual style does.
Sound design was amazing, acting was really fun and the blending of visual styles was really impressive.
Overall this is an incredibly unique experience and probably one of the best games of 2021. Close to a 4.5 for me
The core gameplay of the card game is probably one of the best card games I've played because of how simple it is, but I wish the gameplay changed a bit more between acts, just as the visual style does.
Sound design was amazing, acting was really fun and the blending of visual styles was really impressive.
Overall this is an incredibly unique experience and probably one of the best games of 2021. Close to a 4.5 for me
Neat card game. Loved the ever-changing game mechanics and semi-ARG storyline.
a game genuinely ruined by its ending being so horrible.
Hayatımda ilk ve son oynadığım en iyi kart oyunu olabilir.
Şunu söyleyim, oyunun kart oynamakla alakası yok.
Bu oyunu oynamak için kendime 3. bir beyin oluşturmak zorunda kaldım. Güzeldi.
Şunu söyleyim, oyunun kart oynamakla alakası yok.
Bu oyunu oynamak için kendime 3. bir beyin oluşturmak zorunda kaldım. Güzeldi.
Considering that I think Inscryption is a game best enjoyed if you go into it knowing as little as possible, it's difficult to write a detailed review. Inscrytpion was not only a fun time, but it constantly surprised me along my entire journey with it. A real one-of-a-kind game that I enjoyed while playing, and now that it's over, I can't stop thinking about it.
I’ll come back to this one day maybe
Narrative: 4
Gameplay: 3.5
Graphics: 4.5
X-Factor: 5
Overall: 4.5
Gameplay: 3.5
Graphics: 4.5
X-Factor: 5
Overall: 4.5
This review contains spoilers
creepypasta whining on this one is way overblown imo but also the story involves a secret code hidden on hitler's corpse by the devil so who's to say. really fun all the way through too
This review contains spoilers
watched (and helped) my fiancee play. i liked watching her go from saying "i like the stoat" to "FUCK the stoat"
spooky
This review contains spoilers
Compared to Mullens' previous game, Pony Island, this would be a full five stars of improvement in almost every way. Not only is it much longer and more fleshed out, but it handles many mechanics and themes way better as well. One of my biggest gripes with Pony Island was how hard it tried to be cool and meta, and really just ended up ruining the emotional aspect of it.
Inscryption has memorable characters, a gripping visual style, fantastic sound design, and still manages to be meta and thought provoking.
As a standalone game without any comparisons, it's still fantastic but loses a couple of points for a few reasons.
The first act is pretty much rock solid and anything I could complain about would essentially be nitpicks. The introduction to Inscryption and its mechanics is carried out flawlessly in a way that manages to drive curiosity.
It's no secret that act two is not fantastic, it introduces way too many new mechanics in a visual style that ends up feeling cramped and much too overstimulating. I don't mind the departure from the pseudo first person perspective into more of an RPG, but it feels almost too out of place, even if it was for atmosphere.
Act three is also pretty solid, giving a good juxtaposition compared to the first tabletop segment while introducing mechanics that actually are handled well and spaced out.
The ending is also very good and hits in a way that is almost the exact opposite of Pony Island; rather than the characters begging you to delete the game, they're scrambling to play what games they can before everything is deleted.
The ARG parts of the game don't really...take away from the experience, but they don't add much either. If you're interested in it, great, but if not it's fairly easy to ignore and separate from the rest of the game.
And i already said it but; damn Jonah Senzel never misses.
Inscryption has memorable characters, a gripping visual style, fantastic sound design, and still manages to be meta and thought provoking.
As a standalone game without any comparisons, it's still fantastic but loses a couple of points for a few reasons.
The first act is pretty much rock solid and anything I could complain about would essentially be nitpicks. The introduction to Inscryption and its mechanics is carried out flawlessly in a way that manages to drive curiosity.
It's no secret that act two is not fantastic, it introduces way too many new mechanics in a visual style that ends up feeling cramped and much too overstimulating. I don't mind the departure from the pseudo first person perspective into more of an RPG, but it feels almost too out of place, even if it was for atmosphere.
Act three is also pretty solid, giving a good juxtaposition compared to the first tabletop segment while introducing mechanics that actually are handled well and spaced out.
The ending is also very good and hits in a way that is almost the exact opposite of Pony Island; rather than the characters begging you to delete the game, they're scrambling to play what games they can before everything is deleted.
The ARG parts of the game don't really...take away from the experience, but they don't add much either. If you're interested in it, great, but if not it's fairly easy to ignore and separate from the rest of the game.
And i already said it but; damn Jonah Senzel never misses.