Launching back in 2021 on PC and later in 2022 on the Nintendo Switch, ‘Inscyrption’ is now available on Xbox One including optimization for Series X|S. So here we will go through any notable changes and my opinions on my adventure. You can check out our other fully comprehensive reviews here.

• Inscryption (PC) – Review | MKAU Gaming
• Inscryption (Nintendo Switch) – Review | MKAU Gaming

Developed by Daniel Mullins Games, Inscryption is a deck-building rogue-like, with a dark and deep story, along with escape-room style puzzles. It’s just you and a dark mysterious figure named Leshy in a cabin seemingly in the middle of nowhere. What dark secrets lie in this ominous place? Find out as you challenge Leshy and the many obstacles he lays out in front of you in the form of what seems like a simple card game. Not all is as simple as it seems in this log cabin.

Starting out Inscryption seems very minimalistic, only to find out that it isn’t so. At first, I thought this seems quite simple enough, play my cards, preferably the ones with higher numbers because we all know bigger is better in most situations but that definitely was not the case, as I was quickly shown otherwise. I need to be more strategic if I want to win.

Everything worked great. With a fresh port to a major console, I had no issues, controls were displayed perfectly, graphically looked and sounded great, and achievements unlocked flawlessly as I did the requirements. Now for any achievement hunters out there, a large percentage of these are secret, so you might need a guide or play through the game as much as possible, which by all means is never a bad thing if you thoroughly enjoy a game.

As you play through building your deck, you’ll come across an assortment of different types. For example, I’ll describe a few. From flying types marked by a wing that will attack over enemies dealing direct damage to your opponent or them to you. These can be blocked by a card with a wing and shield symbol, still keeping in mind one of the basics in card games. Make sure your defence is higher than their attack or your card will be defeated. One of my favourites was the ability to attack multiple enemies marked with arrows splitting off in two directions, which came in handy for trying to clear your enemy’s hand.

Now usually, I’m not a fan of these types of games, however, I was drawn in by its unique style. I thought after I failed my first run I would throw in the towel, but this is where things got even more interesting. Here you have the option to make your own card from a few of the cards you managed to gather. So I managed to make a pretty powerful one myself, with a very low amount of blood needed but having decently high damage and defence. The ability to sacrifice an unlimited amount of times, keeping it in play for as long as possible added to the enjoyment. The ability to make your own card on death was balanced well by not giving it to you straight away, but giving you the chance to earn it like any other card.

With the ability to get up and walk around to solve puzzles, making it feel like there might be some sort of escape from this nightmare, was an enjoyable process. Whether or not I will get out is a whole question in itself. Only time will tell as you continue to play. This was a great change from the gameplay of just sitting there, navigating the map laid out by Leshy, and versing him in cards. Moving around the cabin felt very retro-like, but not overly sluggish which was good. Only moving one place at a time and turning in 90-degree increments didn’t take away from the game at all.

Inscryption has a unique feel, overlaid with a pixel-like texture making it feel quite retro, but having such in-depth mechanics feeling very modern. All brought together by its very dark and ominous setting, which is quite thrilling when you walk around the cabin with Leshy’s beading eyes always on you as he sits in the darkness. The graphical appearance isn’t the only thing bringing such an atmosphere to life on Xbox, having a spooky soundtrack and a bunch of key sounds really sets the mood. Getting up and walking around stops the music and all you can hear is the ambiance from outside and a strange noise from a locked door.

As I mentioned before, Inscryption is not the type of game I’m usually a fan of, but the dark atmosphere and the drive to escape really drew me in. For a fan of deck-building games and one with a rogue-like nature to not feel the same all the time, a deep and dark story, with escape-room puzzles, I couldn’t recommend this more. It has so much to offer.

Written by: MrVibeAU