Inscryption Reviews
Inscryption is as consistently fun as it is surprising, with a wonderfully creepy story cleverly tying its ever-evolving mechanics together.
A bold, stand-out, knockout of a card game that drips with imagination and menace.
At its best when it's strangest, Inscryption doesn't know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em.
The card combat is engaging, and the larger narrative elements make Inscryption incredibly hard to put down
If first-person self-violence sounds like too much, approach this game with discretion.
Inscryption is an excellent deck-builder that fades after an astonishing start.
Inscryption manages to combine an expertly-crafted card game, a nail-biting tale of horror and enjoyable escape room adventures into another genre-defying gem and easily one of the year's best games.
A sinister and excellently crafted card game with a darkly comic underbelly
It's hard to talk about the specifics of Inscryption without diluting some of its magic. However, its ingenuity is mind-boggling, its mood is devilishly haunting and its presentation is first-rate. As a deck builder, it's stretched about as far as it can go, and by jumping around between concepts it sometimes asks for a lot of from the player. The pay-off, however, is one of the most impressive feats of video game storytelling there is. If you're new to Daniel Mullins Games then you're in for even more of a treat, but existing fans, too, shouldn't think they have the measure of what awaits on Inscryption's dusty old floppy disk.
Fun, addictive and mysterious. It superbly mixes concepts from card games with roguelike and escape rooms. A continuous surprise that sneaks among the most interesting independent games of the year.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Behind the solid card game mask hides a special, original experience, to be lived in one breath until the last surprise.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A work of devilish cleverness that's both a mockery and celebration of collectible cards games and an increasingly disturbing horror story about the cost of victory.
With that said, I did enjoy Inscryption. Part of me is tempted to dive back in to see if I can scrape any more secrets out of its cracks. Really, that’s where it excels: not the misdirection, but the hidden crawlspaces where it hides all the bodies. At its best, it feels like you’re actually uncovering a deeper plot. At its worst, it feels like you’re watching a magician pull handkerchiefs out of their sleeve. It’s cool, I guess, but you know they’re just screwing with you.
Inscryption is an amalgamation of deck-builder and escape room games, and is unlike anything I have ever played before. In an age of video games where uniqueness is at an all-time low, it was amazing to be so surprised at regular intervals. Inscryption will test what you think a card battling roguelite is and its constant twists and turns will keep you on your toes. It's a game where I fully feel like I have sculpted my deck myself; it's wild, it's dark and it's utterly brilliant.
Inscryption appears to be a very niche roguelite deck-building card game. But it turns into so much more. It’s a must play for anyone who is a fan of experimental videogame storytelling. Anyone remotely curious, who enjoys a great mystery, should also play without hesitation. This is the highest review score I’ve given in a while, and I wasn’t drawn to the base gameplay at all. Inscryption is a special game, and a wholly unique experience. It’s going to be remembered as a benchmark of videogame storytelling years from now. I could not be more shocked or impressed.
Inscryption is a great card battler, but to even call it that sells what is a truly unique experience short. If you're at all interested in what else it has to offer, close this webpage, boot up your PS5, and buy the game. Keep yourself in the dark. You're better off for it.
All I can really say is that I think the narrative is extremely well done and I should have expected that coming from the guy who also created Pony Island which I thoroughly enjoyed as well. The art design and the audio design are also top notch.
Don't judge a book by its cover. Inscryption sells itself as a roguelite card game immersed in an anxious atmosphere, but it is actually much more than that. With an intelligent narrative, simple but surprising staging effects and mechanics that are renewed as much as the artistic direction, the game hides a lot of surprises and turns out to be a most singular experience, which does not care about the 4th wall.
Review in French | Read full review
On top of all of that, Inscryption’s arrival in mid-October makes for a perfect Halloween game. What seems most vital for the game's success will be to casually get it to people who won’t know what to expect, like fans of deckbuilders just looking for another to add to their pile. Still, even if players go into Inscryption expecting the unexpected, there’s entertaining depth to its mechanics and narrative, a form of storytelling that could only exist in a video game.
All in all, Inscryption is a great–and spooky–game that is constantly expanding and re-inventing itself, and I recommend it to anyone who loves horror. As long as you approach it with an open mind, a strong stomach, and the willingness to keep trying, you should have a great time with this title. Just remember: if you think the game is over in the first few hours, it’s time to hit the New Game button and see what you’ve unlocked.