2021: Inscryption
Inscryption
Release Date Developer Publisher 19 Oct 2021 (PC) Daniel Mullins Games Devolver Digital
Like Undertale, Inscryption is a hard gave to discuss in words alone. Partially because of the excessive amount of spoilers, though also in part because so much of the experience felt like it needed to be told in video game format, which is common for some of Dan Mullins’ other games like Pony Island and The Hex.
I would describe the game (spoiler free) as a roguelite deck-builder with some escape room elements thrown in. The cards in your deck talk to you as the player (sometimes even calling out your misplays) and give you hints to progress in both the micro-level cardgame and the macro-level “room” you must escape from.
To avoid any major spoilers, I’ll instead focus on the character design of the game’s three main bosses: The Trapper, The Angler, and The Prospector.
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|---|---|---|
| The masks of the three core bosses. |
The first boss, The Trapper, the player will have already met during their adventure. Pelt cards can be purchased (as a random event) from The Trapper and sold to The Trader for strong cards at the short-term cost of adding the “useless” pelts in your deck.
As the player sees when facing off versus The Trapper, those pelts can also be used to remove enemy cards from the board. This is because, as revealed during the battle, The Trader is the same person — they even use the same upside-down mask! The pelt mechanic is well-designed for the first boss, since the player will already be aware of the existing mechanic but can now consider this twist for future runs. Maybe it’s worth keeping a pelt in the deck to use for the boss battle?
Next we have The Angler, an almost monstrous humanoid that frequently states, “Go fish” before using their signature hook to steal the most recently-played player card. Aside from a great pun, players will also have to watch out for the hook and play their cards carefully, always following up a strong card with a weak one that can afford to be hooked. While most of the battle is otherwise straightforward, a two-card swing is a big obstacle to constantly overcome when battling The Angler, forcing fresh decisions, regardless of the deck.
Finally, The Prospector is, in my opinion, the most difficult boss as he uses his pickaxe to immediately destroy your played cards (before following up with a powerful Bloodhound card). To counteract this, he also starts with a Pack Mule card in play that the player will want to quickly target, as it is chock full of cards to replenish your arsenal after it’s turned to gold by The Prospector’s axe.
Each boss requires the player to win two rounds (instead of the traditional one) and will follow-up with a powerful play after their first life is lost. This makes the game feel swing-y and satisfying to defeat a boss that has just recently wiped your entire board.
As my short description above demonstrates, the game has put in the work to create an enticing, replayable deck builder. And I didn’t even touch on the escape room antics and class, Dan Mullins’ meta-narrative! I would recommend this game spoiler-free, though find that the mechanics carry the game, even if you’re aware of the narrative.