Inscryption - Gameclub

Play the game, then come back and listen to this podcast.

How to talk about one of the more peculiar games of the last decade… Inscryption is a lot and it’s hard to describe it without spoiling it. It’s a deck-builder, it’s an escape room, it’s a roller coaster of a roguelike (sort of).

You can approximate this game’s vibe by combining the strategy of Slay the Spire, the wonder of Myst, the adventure of Jumanji, and the weirdness of Adaptation.

Perhaps it’s best to say Inscryption could not be experienced any other way than as a video game. It is a testament to what the medium is capable of. Play it! The great transcendence awaits.

Our next game for the gameclub is going to be Chrono Trigger from 1995: https://store.steampowered.com/app/613830/CHRONO_TRIGGER/

Happy gaming.

Everywhere that you can find us: https://linktr.ee/wideflank

Timestamps:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 01:45 - Inscryption facts
• 03:41 - Spoiler alert!
• 05:23 - Deck-builders and roguelikes - we’re in!
• 06:54 - Act 1 and the ambience of the cabin.
• 14:10 - The health scales.
• 15:10 - Sacrificing as a theme.
• 17:00 - Kaycee’s Mod and the card game mechanics.
• 20:33 - Deck consistency, lack of synergies, card removal and comparing it to other card games.
• 34:43 - The game cheats so you can cheat too. And how that works with roguelikes.
• 35:56 - Best Death Cards.
• 38:05 - Inscryption isn’t a roguelike deck-builder really…
• 41:09 - I thought I got it. Act 2.
• 43:34 - Blair Witch Project type videos in a SD card and fantasy as an adult.
• 49:10 - Getting back on board with the game.
• 53:46 - A game for card game players.
• 56:50 - The conversation in Discord about the game.
• 58:37 - Another new world! Act 3.
• 01:02:42 - The bosses of Botopia breaking the fourth wall. The circular wall.
• 01:14:10 - The climax of the bosses through the end of the game.
• 01:20:11 - Why is Luke playing this game and why am I playing this game?
• 01:21:18 - Secrets.
• 01:24:25 - Luke playing the game vs. you playing the game.
• 01:28:03 - Video games are art and a unique medium.
• 01:33:46 - Ratings.
• 01:39:28 - A game and revelation about the experience of playing video games.

Show Notes:

• Slay the Spire - https://store.steampowered.com/app/646570/Slay_the_Spire/
• Daniel Mullins episode on Eggplant - https://eggplant.show/84-digging-the-rabbit-hole-with-daniel-mullins-inscryption
• A Circular Wall? Reformulating the Fourth Wall for Video Games - https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/a-circular-wall-reformulating-the-fourth-wall-for-video-games
• Frog Fractions - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1194840/Frog_Fractions_Game_of_the_Decade_Edition/