Saturday Morning Gaming: Inscryption
Back in 2017, I finally broke down and picked up Pony Island after being told to get it for months and months and found myself entranced and delighted and kicking myself for not having gotten it earlier.
It was a game that pretended to be one game but, in truth, was a different game entirely. The surface game wasn’t particularly fun or notable but the game under the game was absolutely amazing and I couldn’t believe how rewarding it was (as well as how entertaining the lore was).
A few years later, I picked up Inscryption based on nothing but the fact that it was made by the same guy. And then, of course, I failed to play it. “I’ll get to it later”, I said.
I was, once again, an idiot.
The first thing I noticed when I booted up the game was that “new game” was not an option. You could only load a previous one.
And when you load it up, you’re greeted by a pair of eyes sitting across the table from you pleased that someone has finally reloaded the game.
And then he teaches you a card game. Sort of similar to Magic: The Gathering, I guess, where instead of “mana”, you’re using blood. One of your cards is cheeky, though. He keeps explaining stuff about your opponent to you as you play. You quickly learn that if your avatar dies on the board, your character dies in the game.
Your character follows a map and, along the way, the eyes across the table sometimes put on a mask and plays the part of one of the entities on the board.
And you are going to lose multiple times and your various avatars will die multiple times and your character in the game will die multiple times.
Are you stuck in a loop where you’re just playing this Magic: The Gathering knockoff?
Much like Pony Island, you shouldn’t get hung up on the surface game. Your cards will talk to you and explain what’s going on. You’re in a cabin. The cabin has secrets to find.
Once again, it’s not a game about playing the game. It’s a game about stopping playing the game. Learning the secrets of the clock, of the knife, of the camera.
Then, at one point, finding yourself hopelessly stuck… and then discovering that “New Game” is now an option from the start menu. At which point the game *REALLY* begins.
This is another AMAZING misdirection of a game.
So… what are you playing?
Wishlisted both games. They sound interesting.
Persona 5 Royal is done, though I might go back for NG+ in the future. Now I plan to finish up some shorter games before getting back to Elden Ring.
Right now I am trying to finish Gundam Breaker 4. I’m over halfway through. I might not make it though. The premise of the game is fun (fight Gundams, break off parts, use parts to build Gundams), but the missions all feel the same and the difficulty is pretty low. I haven’t quite gotten bored with it, but that might happen before I finish. We’ll see.
Next, after discussing it the other day, I decided to finally play through Orcs Must Die. It looks like a pretty quick one, maybe a game I can beat in a week or so. I have plenty of other options after that to keep me occupied until I decide I’m ready to dive back into a 100+ hour game.Report
Oh, good! Orcs Must Die is freakin’ amazing.
I recently decided to replay (just a few maps, I told myself) with a focus on the Main Character rather than with a focus on the traps and there are a *LOT* of combos.
The first time I threw the bombs from the alchemist satchel, I boggled and asked “wait, they do *THAT*?!?!?”
Of course your main dude doesn’t have a third of the mana he’s eventually going to need, but that’s what getting good is all about, I guess.Report