Inscryption Review – Layered Horror

Warning: contains partial text and graphic spoilers of the game.

I was very worried about how to write about this game. One of its most distinctive features is the possibility of fundamental surprises and changes during the game, which I would compare for insiders, for example, with the classics. Doki Doki Literature Club! or the previous title of the creator of Inscryption, pony island. In practice, this means that the game changes its rules and, to some extent, the genre several times, which this time it supports with dramatic visual changes. For such experiences, it is clear that the less you know in advance, the more fun you will get from the game. So, if you already had Inscryption on the radar and you want to give it a shot, don’t read this review, wait until dark and then jump straight to it. The game is absolutely great and will not disappoint you.

• Platform: PC
• Publication date: 19. 10. 2021
• Producer: Daniel Mullins Games (Canada)
• Genre: card adventure
• Czech location: Not
• Multiplayer: Not
• Data to download: 3 GB
• Game time: 15+ hours
• Price: 514 CZK (couples)

Scary cottage in the night forest (no spoilers)

You are locked in a small ramshackle hut deep in the woods, with a wild night storm raging outside. But even if you want to go outside, the door is locked. Your attention is riveted to a formidable silhouette hiding in the shadows on the other side of the table, lit by several candles. The inhumanly low voice of the owner of the cottage offers to play a game with him. Card game. He will explain the rules to you as you go. What is at stake besides teeth or eyes? A one way trip to the basement, of course.

What is at stake besides teeth or eyes?

A one way trip to the basement, of course.

Card games are by no means my favorite genre (although I have a lot of respect for Gwent or Triple Triad, for example), and while Inscryption is a card game at first glance, I latched on to it without a second thought – even when it was revealed during a Stream. Devolver Digital at E3, they can confirm to you newsroom colleagues that I jumped to the ceiling and celebrated it as one of the most exciting games of the year. Why? Because there are actually very few horror films – most of them are B-copies or Hollywood exaggerated hero stories. But from the first trailer, Inscryption made it clear that it contains the right kind of horror: the elusive and utterly ruthless unknown, completely free from the tinsel of commerce.

Credit must be given to the creators for the overall creative direction of this project, from the story through poignant dialogue charged with deadly arbitrary “humor” to the game mechanics of individual maps or rooms or the minimalist frosty sound of the game. While the focus of the game is on a roguelite card game with creative rules (where you can create your own cards with unique properties on the go), equally important is the “quest game” principle, where you can get up off the table and from time to time. time to walk around the room to solve the puzzle in it and get help or direct help for the next card battle. By the way, if you die, the game will only kind of “reboot”, in fact, you are constantly progressing and becoming stronger and stronger.

Here are the (partial) spoilers

As befits a game like this, you will initially feel desperately helpless and helpless. But with each pass, you will discover new ways to make a difference. Your own cards will speak to you and guide you, because in fact they are much more than just cards. But what is probably the biggest surprise for most players is what happens after you manage to escape the cottage. Not only are you waiting for relatively different “two more games”, but also a full-fledged demolition of the fourth wall, in which you are drawn into the story of a “real” YouTuber involved in unique card games.

Here, in my opinion, lies the only weakness of the game: the middle “phase” of the game is graphically very different from the first and third, and its visual simplicity steals its atmosphere in many ways. Although it makes up for this by adding many interesting mechanics and fits in with the general lore of “old, forgotten PC games”, I still had to work a little to continue playing. Fortunately, after about an hour I got used to the new style, and then I was completely amazed by the new mechanics (charging robots with energy, magic stones on the playing field, etc.). The last third of the game is then very similar to the first, although it lacks its own charm. But the important thing is that all this forms one organic whole, with a relatively deep mythology, which is a pleasure to reveal. The author will surprise you until the very end of the game, and there will be tricks like getting data on your computer (Psycho Mantis might say). If you’re fluent in English and love creative, atmospheric, and completely original gameplay, you simply shouldn’t miss this indie game of the year.