Inscryption

Inscryption is a roguelike deckbuilder that innovates on the genre through tight mechanics, escape room-style puzzles, and loads of spooky psychological-horror atmosphere. The intricacy of the deckbuilding mechanics creates puzzle-like scenarios that require deep tactical thought.

The matches feature two opposed rows of four card slots, one belonging to you and one belonging to your opponent, plus an additional preview row showing what cards your opponent will play next turn. The player can play any number of cards on their turn, but most cards have a blood cost that must be played by sacrificing 1, 2, or 3 friendly cards from the board, creating a constant trade-off between playing more powerful cards and losing the abilities of the cards already on the board. When friendly cards die by any method, they generate bones; some cards have a bone cost instead of a blood cost.

On your turn, each card attacks whatever is directly across from it. If there’s nothing on the opposing side, the damage is dealt directly to you or your opponent in the form of counters placed one side of a double-pan balance. You win when you tip the balance far enough to your opponent’s side. Because the win condition doesn’t require clearing the board, the general strategy to curb randomness and defeat your opponent involves finding a balance between taking out enemy cards and dealing direct damage.

The metaprogression uses a clever conceit. You are playing the game in a cabin full of puzzles, which you can freely explore at any time. Finishing the puzzles unlocks cards and items that can be used in future runs. Several cards with the mysterious ability to speak provide running commentary that blends story, hinting, and metagame elements. While this provides a very holistic experience, it also keeps the game on fairly strict rails (for instance, there’s no way to turn off the hints).

The story unfolds through these hints and occasional FMV cutscenes, but remains open-ended, focused more on building an atmosphere of mystery and suspense than answering all your questions. The scope of the game is larger than it initially appears, with a major midgame twist that dramatically alters the gameplay.

While the formal puzzles are a small portion of the gameplay mostly weighted towards the beginning, the complex geometric tactics also satisfyingly scratch that puzzle-solving itch. And piecing together the story is a puzzle in and of itself.

This description was written by Gwen C. Katz and edited by Oriane Tury.