Inscryption: The Brutal Card Game
You open your eyes. A room cascade in flickering candlelight surrounds you, and a looming pair of eyes stare at you, intrigued, from across a shabby oak table. It has a voice, and it speaks directly to you: “Another challenger. It’s been ages”.
You’re immediately presented with a board designed to hold cards, and several of these papers are slipped into you hand, all of which depicting a different beast of varying power and lifespan. You’ve been challenged to play. All sacrifices from here on are absolutely necessary.
Imagine if Dungeons and Dragons was a card game. That’s Inscryption in a nutshell, released for Steam on October 19th in time for Halloween 2021. Except, instead of dice, you play only with cards and your move-set is paved on a strict path.
You are completely alone, aside from the Game Master who stands to oppose you almost every step of the way. And fairness is highly dependent on your ability to strategize and sacrifice every utility you possess.
A consistent tone is set within the world of Inscryption; nothing feels quite right. Trapped in a closeted space of an old, worn cabin with only a shadowed figure sitting right across from you can be unnerving on an initial run-through. Not knowing exactly what comes next leaves you at a disadvantage right from the get-go, though that’s what articled guides are for.
The game begins immediately. As stated, you are handed a small deck of cards to be built upon the further you progress. You’re given squirrels, a stout, and a wolf card. The stout and wolf are your starting offensive cards, but they can only be played if a “sacrifice”, or a certain number of sacrifices, are paid. That’s what squirrels are for.
You can draw one each turn after the start, or a different card from your main deck, and play as such until you beat the Game Master all the way until the end. You’ll find many other creatures can be discovered, all of which have varying power, lifespan, cost of sacrifices, and special abilities.
To further the experience, and to add several advantages to the experience, when you’re not participating in a card match, you may get up from the table and wander around the limited space of the cabin. It’s here that Inscryption’s most interesting appeal comes into play: its secrets.
There are a few puzzles featured within the cabin, so it’s advised to pay heed to all objects of interest. A couple of these will grant you a great hand in the latter part of the story.
What you really need to watch out for, however, are the Bosses. Boss battles are fundamental for any video game, especially RPGs. What makes Inscryption’s battles so painful is the brutality you are served with each and every one.
Depending on your card draw, you can either defeat the opposing deck with ease or be beaten several times over due to the restarting purgatory of the game’s formatting. There’s something of a learning curve to get over, but once you fully adapt to it, Bosses are a breeze.
What started off as a short demo with basic graphics and a simpler level of playing cards has been expanded into a full project with exponentially improved graphics.
Several more boss battles, and card decks that span from inexpensive and handy to grossly overpowered if you’re lucky enough to find them.
Several of these cards are an absolute joy to play in a pinch—the satisfaction is what makes the experience so enjoyable three times over.
All the nitty-gritty details within Inscryption is best discovered on your own. Playing the game on those first few runs allows you to gain useful knowledge on how to work around the mechanics and use what you can to your advantage, in spite of any frustrations that may come from it. You’ll start for the creepy tone and refreshing gameplay, but you’ll stay to conquer its ruthlessness.
RATING: ★★★★★