View source for Software:Inscryption

'''''Inscryption''''' is a 2021 [[Software:Roguelike deck-building game|roguelike deck-building game]] developed by Daniel Mullins Games and published by [[Company:Devolver Digital|Devolver Digital]]. Directed by Daniel Mullins, it was originally released for [[Software:Windows|Windows]] on October 19, 2021, and on [[Software:Linux|Linux]], [[Software:MacOS|macOS]], [[Engineering:PlayStation 4|PlayStation 4]], [[Engineering:PlayStation 5|PlayStation 5]], [[Engineering:Nintendo Switch|Nintendo Switch]], [[Engineering:Xbox One|Xbox One]] and [[Engineering:Xbox Series X and Series S|Xbox Series X/S]] over the following two years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wales|first=Matt|date=2021-09-27|title=Pony Island dev's deck-building horror Inscryption gets October release date|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-09-27-pony-island-devs-deck-building-horror-inscryption-gets-october-release-date|access-date=2021-10-19|website=Eurogamer}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Mullins|first=Daniel|url=https://blog.playstation.com/2022/07/07/psychological-horrors-stack-in-devilish-deck-builder-inscryption/|title=Psychological horrors stack in devilish deck-builder Inscryption|website=[[Engineering:PlayStation#PlayStation Blog|PlayStation Blog]]|date=July 7, 2022|access-date=September 16, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.destructoid.com/inscryption-playstation-ps4-ps5-devolver-release-date-august/|title=Inscryption hits PlayStation near the end of August|first=Eric|last=Van Allen|date=July 18, 2022|access-date=July 18, 2022|website=[[Social:Destructoid|Destructoid]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Lane |first1=Gavin |last2=Norman |first2=Jim |date=November 9, 2022 |title=Critically Acclaimed 'Inscryption' Draws December Release Date On Switch |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/11/critically-acclaimed-inscryption-draws-december-release-date-on-switch |accessdate=November 9, 2022 |website=Nintendo Life}}</ref> The game puts the player in a cabin where a mysterious gamemaster makes them play a tabletop game.

''Inscryption'' blends various genres, including deck-building, [[Software:Roguelike|roguelike]], [[Software:Turn-based strategy|turn-based strategy]], [[Software:Escape room video game|escape room]], [[Software:Puzzle video game|puzzle]] and [[Software:Adventure game|adventure]], while drawing inspiration from, among others, tabletop role-playing games, [[Engineering:Board game|board game]]s, [[Software:Horror game|horror]], vlogs, and found footage. Its presentation is a combination of [[Computer animation|computer animation]], pixel art, drawn art, and [[Engineering:Live action|live action]], as well as first person, third-person and [[2.5D|2.5D]] perspectives. It provides no context nor backstory at its start; its cryptic, [[Philosophy:Metafiction|metafiction]]al narrative must be put together from subsequent story elements and various optional clues. A real-world [[Alternate reality game|alternate reality game]] (ARG), embedded both in video from the game and outside of it, offers additional story elements via many easter eggs that must be decrypted.

The game originated as '''''Sacrifices Must Be Made''''', a much shorter and simpler game made by Mullins in 2018 for a Ludum Dare game jam, which used a deck-building system in which the player had to kill their own creatures to summon others. After publishing the prototype to itch.io in December 2018, the positive response led Mullins to significantly expand on the original game, resulting in the making of ''Inscryption''. The game received positive reviews upon release, winning several Game of the Year awards and selling 1&nbsp;million copies by January 2022: its originality, card battle system, visuals and narrative were particularly praised, although changes in the later parts of the game received some criticism.  A free expansion titled ''Kaycee's Mod'', allowing players to focus on the tabletop game without ''Inscryption''{{'}}s various other elements, was released in March 2022.

== Gameplay ==
[[File:Inscryption_gameplay_screenshot.png|left|thumb|The player can choose which way to move on the map, which affects the next encounters.]]
''Inscryption'' is a [[Software:Roguelike deck-building game|roguelike deck-building game]]. The game itself is broken into three acts, where the nature of this deck-building game changes, but the fundamental rules of how the card game is played remain the same. The card game is played on a 3x4 grid which is later expanded to a 3x5 grid during the third act; the player plays their cards into the bottom row, while their opponent plays cards ahead of time into the top row, which are automatically moved into play into the middle row on the next turn. Each card has an attack and health value. On either the player's or opponent's turn, after their cards are played, each of their cards attacks their opponent's card in the same column, dealing their attack value to that card's health. If that attack reduces the card's health to zero or less, that card is removed. If the attacking card is unopposed, then the card attacks the opponent directly with that much damage. Damage is tracked on a [[Engineering:Weighing scale|weighing scale]], using teeth to represent each point of damage taken by that player. The goal is to tip the opponent's side of the scale by a difference of five teeth before they can do the same to the player's side. In addition to attack value, each card has various sigils representing special abilities such as the ability to fly past a blocker or to attack multiple columns each turn.

Each card has a cost to play, which depends on which of the Scrybes created that card. Those created by P03 use energy; the player starts with 1 energy at the start of each game, refilling and gaining an additional bar each turn. Those created by Leshy require a blood sacrifice from cards already in play on the board. The cards from Grimora require bone tokens to play, earned when cards are defeated or sacrificed. Cards from Magnificus require one of three gems to be present on the board to be played and remain in the game, and are lost if the gem leaves play.

During the game's first act, in which Leshy has taken over the ''Inscryption'' code, the player sees the game from the first person perspective, facing against Leshy in his cabin, though this information is not told to the player. During this act, the game plays as a [[Software:Roguelike deck-building game|roguelike deck-building game]], where the player is given a simple starting deck, based only on Leshy's and Grimora's card types. The game proceeds through four randomly generated maps of various encounters presented by Leshy, which include card battles with Leshy and opportunities to add or remove cards from their deck, or gain items that can be used during card battles to tip the odds in their favor. Each of the first three maps ends with a mini-boss encounter, while the final map is a battle with Leshy. If the player loses twice on a map, or once during a boss battle, they are taken by Leshy and made into a death card with his camera, which can appear on later runs. Between encounters, the player can also get up from the table and look around the cabin, solving puzzles similar to an escape room, discovering clues to locate the card forms of P03, Grimora, and Magnificus. Upon defeating Leshy, the game enters the second act.

During the second act, representing the original version of ''Inscryption'', the game is presented as a pixel art-stylized top-down role-playing game, similar to ''Pokémon''. The player is instructed to pick one of the four Scrybes to replace, and then must explore the game's [[Software:Overworld|overworld]] to collect card packs to expand their card collection, used to challenge each of the other four Scrybes and their various underlings in card battle. In this act, cards from all four Scrybes are available to collect, and decks can consist of cards from each of the four Scrybes. During this phase, the player can lose a card game without any penalty, simply not progressing the story. Once the player has defeated all four Scrybes within this act, the game moves into the third act.

The third act is similar in style to the first act as a roguelike deckbuilder, but now the player faces against P03 in a robot factory as it takes over the ''Inscryption'' code in an attempt to achieve "Transcendence" by publishing ''Inscryption'' on the Internet. P03 and its underlings have access to several of the death cards that the player may have created during prior runs of the first act, making battles in this phase more challenging. The player progresses through various encounters by moving through a series of rooms in a grid-like layout, similar to ''[[Software:The Binding of Isaac (video game)|The Binding of Isaac]]'', with battle encounters occurring between rooms, while other encounters to gain, improve or remove cards taking place within the rooms themselves. While losing a card match in this act does not restart the game, it does reset the player to their last collected checkpoint, which are represented as antenna towers within the map.

== Plot ==
The game is presented as found footage recorded by Luke Carder, an [[Internet|internet]] [[Social:Content creation|content creator]] who specializes in collectible card games under the [[Pseudonym|pseudonym]] "The Lucky Carder". Before the beginning of the game, Carder, while opening a pack of old, little-known out-of-print cards known as ''Inscryption'', finds inside a set of handwritten coordinates indicating a location near his own. There, he finds, buried under the dirt in a forest, a box containing a [[Floppy disk|floppy disk]] titled ''Inscryption''. The disk turns out to be an ''Inscryption'' video game, although Carder cannot find any trace of its existence on the internet. He turns on the game,<ref group="Note" name="Start">The [[Real life|real life]] ''Inscryption'' game begins at this point, with the player originally unaware that they are playing Carder as he plays the disk game. This part of the game is also technically found footage, as Carder [[Let's Play|records his playthrough]], occasionally reacting vocally to its events; [[Engineering:Live action|live action]] videos made available later in the game gradually reveal both Carder's backstory, and the fact that ''Inscryption''{{'}}s playable sections are all a game within a game with Carder as the [[Software:Player character|player character]].</ref> but finds he cannot start a new game, and is instead forced to select the "Continue Game" option.

In-game, Carder's unnamed [[Software:Player character|player character]] interacts with a shadowy dealer named [[Religion:Leshy|Leshy]] within a cabin, where they must play a card-centric tabletop game with Leshy as gamemaster. Every time Carder loses, Leshy uses a magic camera to capture the character's soul into a "death card", and Carder restarts as another character. Between rounds, Carder's character can move about the cabin and solve puzzles to obtain various advantages in the tabletop game; they also find three [[Philosophy:Sentience|sentient]] cards, the Stoat, the Stinkbug, and the Stunted Wolf, who work together with Carder's character to find a roll of film and beat Leshy's tabletop game. Upon their win, Carder's character steals the camera, uses the film roll to capture Leshy inside a card, and finds the previously missing "New Game" button. Upon acquiring it and selecting this new option, Carder is able to play the ''Inscryption'' disk game in its original form.

In its original form, the disk game is radically different from when Carder first started playing, although it revolves around a card system similar to the tabletop game's. It is set in a world ruled by the four "Scrybes": Leshy, the Scrybe of Beasts who had taken over the game in the save Carder originally used, P03, the Scrybe of Technology, Grimora, the Scrybe of the Dead, and Magnificus, the Scrybe of Magicks. P03, Grimora, and Magnificus were previously encountered as the Stoat, the Stinkbug, and the Stunted Wolf respectively, having been trapped into the Leshy-led version of the disk game and turned into cards. Carder's player character arrives in this world seeking to challenge the Scrybes; after defeating all four, they pick one Scrybe to challenge again in the hopes of taking their place, but P03 appears and fights the player regardless, using a [[Glitch|glitch]] to defeat them and take over the game as Leshy did. Between play sessions, Carder, growing increasingly obsessed with the disk game, continues his investigation of its origins and contacts the publisher of the ''Inscryption'' cards, GameFuna; GameFuna denies the game's existence while also forcefully demanding its return, repeatedly sending a representative to reinforce the demand, whom Carder sends away. He also learns that a GameFuna developer, Kaycee Hobbes, mysteriously died while working on the game, and notices that his camera is experiencing an increasingly large number of uncanny malfunctions.<ref group="Note" name="Kaycee">A Kaycee death card appears in the Leshy-led version of the game, while an [[Software:Non-player character|NPC]] named Kaycee Hobbes featured in the disk game's "normal" and P03-led versions claims to have been named after one of the game's developers. Several optional story elements expand on Kaycee's key role in events prior to Carder's playthrough.</ref>

Carder continues to play the disk game following P03's takeover, finding that the game has once again been radically altered: Carder's player character is now trapped in a factory, with P03 acting as gamemaster in a tabletop game of its own design, which emulates the game's original form, and in which the goal is to defeat four "Uberbots" to achieve "The Great Transcendence". Over time, P03 accesses elements from Carder's computer to use them in its tabletop game, such as using his Internet connection and accessing his files;<ref group="Note" name="Transcendence">In some of those occurrences, the game uses elements from the real life player's device; within ''Inscryption''{{'}}s setting, those elements are all from Carder's computer.</ref> after the last Uberbot is defeated, P03, directly addressing Carder by name, reveals that its version of the game was all a ploy to gain access to Carder's computer and that The Great Transcendence is an upload of said version to a digital game storefront to spread it worldwide. Before the process completes, the other Scrybes appear and kill P03, aborting his plan. Grimora uses the opportunity to start a full wipe of the ''Inscryption'' disk, believing that the deletion of all of its contents, including the Scrybes themselves, is for the greater good. As the game is progressively wiped, each of the three Scrybes has a final card battle with Carder. First Grimora who justifies her actions for deleting the game and all its content. Carder then has one final game  Leshy back at the settting of the first act, where Leshy thanks him for a good game. Magnificus battles Carder while the game collapses and continues on until he is deleted. Despite having been warned by the disk game's characters not to, Carder opens an in-game [[ZIP (file format)|ZIP file]] titled "OLD_DATA"; upon witnessing its contents, he panics and smashes the disk with a hammer. He contacts a journalist, trying to explain his story and claiming OLD_DATA would expose severe wrongdoing on the part of GameFuna, but is interrupted mid-call by the GameFuna representative who shoots him dead and enters his house to retrieve what remains of the ''Inscryption'' disk.<ref name="gamespot story"/>

=== Alternate reality game ===
The alternate reality game (ARG) expands further on narrative elements hinted at in the main game via many cryptic easter eggs that must be decrypted, and led fans to receive floppy disks in real-life by mail after ordering an unknown item on a website that could be found by decrypting the ARG easter eggs. The ARG notably reveals that Kaycee had acquired the "Karnoffel Code", a computer algorithm reportedly created by the [[Place:Soviet Union|Soviet Union]] during the [[History:Cold War|Cold War]] after gaining possession of [[Biography:Adolf Hitler|Adolf Hitler]]'s corpse and discovering a connection between him, the game of Karnoffel, and the [[Philosophy:Occultism in Nazism|occult]]. A spy named Barry Wilkinson had gotten a copy of the Karnoffel Code from the Soviets and hid it on a floppy disc among other empty floppies, which eventually fell into the possession of Kaycee, leading to the video game that would later be found by Carder. Parts of the ARG point to narrative connections between ''Inscryption'' and Mullins' previous game, ''[[Software:The Hex (video game)|The Hex]]'', with characters from ''The Hex'' helping P03 or GameFuna.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/22785437/inscryption-arg-explainer-mystery-lore-gamefuna-scrybes-narrative|title=Inscryption fans solved the game's wildest puzzles, but it's just as brilliant without them|first=Cass|last=Marshall|date=November 18, 2021|access-date=November 18, 2021|website=Polygon}}</ref>

The clues from the ARG lead to a short live action video acting as an epilogue to the main game, which starts with the sound of Carder hitting the ''Inscryption'' floppy disk with a hammer at the end of the original game, before showing Carder's computer turning back on by itself and completing P03's upload of ''Inscryption''. The video ends with a winking [[ASCII]] image of P03, revealing that it survived the wipe of the floppy disk by uploading itself onto Carder's computer and succeeded in achieving The Great Transcendence; this seemingly indicates that the real life ''Inscryption'' game made available worldwide online (and played by the real life player) was P03's cursed version all along.<ref name="gamespot story">{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/inscryption-ending-explained-arg-secrets-and-whats-going-on-in-the-story/1100-6497568/|title=Inscryption Ending Explained - ARG, Secrets, And What's Going On In The Story|first=Phil|last=Hornshaw|date=November 1, 2021|access-date=November 5, 2021|website=GameSpot}}</ref>

== Development ==
[[File:Daniel Mullins GDC 2022.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Daniel Mullins at the [[Game Developers Conference]] in 2022]]
The game started as a small project that Daniel Mullins built during the Ludum Dare 43 game jam in 2018, where the theme was "sacrifices must be made". At the time, Mullins had gotten back into ''Magic: The Gathering'' and took influence from the sacrifice mechanic there to create the approach where the player would sacrifice creatures to play other ones. This idea extended to the player virtually sacrificing parts of their own body as well to influence the game with negative effects that may come from that, such as sacrificing an eye that would limit their field of view.<ref name="gamerant interview">{{Cite web |last=Kapron |first=Nicola Jean |date=October 28, 2021 |title=Inscryption Interview: Developer Daniel Mullins on Bringing New Life to 3D Retro Horror Games |url=https://gamerant.com/inscryption-interview-developer-daniel-mullins-3d-retro-horror-games/ |access-date=November 6, 2021 |website=Game Rant}}</ref> His entry to the game jam was thus named ''Sacrifices Must Be Made'' after the jam's theme.<ref name="gamerant interview"/> Following the game jam, Mullins put the game up for free on December 31, 2018, on itch.io, where it drew interest from players.<ref name="PostJam">{{Cite web |last=Mullins |first=Daniel |date=December 31, 2019 |title=Post Jam Version! |url=https://dmullinsgames.itch.io/sacrifices-must-be-made/devlog/62019/post-jam-version |access-date=October 13, 2023 |website=itch.io}}</ref> As he had just finished releasing ''The Hex'', Mullins decided to expand out ''Sacrifices Must Be Made'' into a full game. Initially, Mullins had considered expanding the game out into an anthology work as he did not immediately see a path for fleshing out the Ludum Dare version into a full game, but as he came up with ideas for this larger game, he saw a route to expand out the base game in multiple directions, including the incorporation of full-motion video.<ref name="gamerant interview"/>

Leshy is based on the [[Religion:Leshy|entity of the same name]] in Slavic mythology. Mullins had considered that the dealer was a type of "forest demon" and while searching online, came across the mythos of Leshy, which he believed fit well with the horror theme of the game. From there, the other three Scrybes fell out as he had compared them to ''Pokémon'' gym leaders, each with a different theme; since Leshy was associated with beasts, the other three were associated with robots (P03), wizards (Magnificus), and the undead (Grimora).<ref name="gamerant interview"/> Mullins recognized that the game spends most of its time around Leshy and P03's stories, but felt that it would have made the game too long to include additional acts to explore Grimora's or Magnificus's backgrounds, although he made Grimora central to the game's conclusion.<ref name="gamerant interview"/>

Daniel Mullins Games released a free update in December 2021 that included a beta version of a mini-expansion to the game called "Kaycee's Mod". In this mode, the roguelike deck-building game from Act I can be played endlessly, with the player able to unlock new cards and starting abilities to take on more difficult challenges.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/inscryption-mini-expansion-kaycees-mod-play-roguelike-endlessly|title=Inscryption's 'Mini-Expansion' Kaycee's Mod Lets You Play its Roguelike Deckbuilder Endlessly|first=Rebekah|last=Valentine|date=December 14, 2021|access-date=December 14, 2021|website=IGN}}</ref> The mini-expansion was released on March 17, 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/22979320/inscryption-kaycees-mod-release-date-expansion|title=Inscryption's Kaycee's Mod expansion is coming this week|first=Austen|last=Goslin|date=March 15, 2022|access-date=March 17, 2022|website=Polygon}}</ref>

== Reception ==
{{Video game reviews
| MC = PC: 85/100<ref name="MCPC">{{Cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/inscryption/critic-reviews/?platform=pc|title=Inscryption for PC Reviews|website=Metacritic|access-date=16 September 2022}}</ref><br/>PS5: 87/100<ref name="MCPS5">{{Cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/inscryption/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-5|title=Inscryption for PlayStation 5 Reviews|website=Metacritic|access-date=October 25, 2022}}</ref>
| Destruct = 7.5/10<ref name="Destruct">{{Cite web|last=Handley|first=Zoey|date=October 18, 2021|url=https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-inscryption-pc-devolver-digital/|title=Review: Inscryption|website=[[Social:Destructoid|Destructoid]]|access-date=October 18, 2021|url-status=live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220705190600/https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-inscryption-pc-devolver-digital/|archive-date= July 5, 2022}}</ref>
| EuroG = Essential<ref name=EG>{{Cite news |last=Purchese |first=Robert |date=2021-10-22 |title=Inscryption review: a wonderful nightmare, and a vividly memorable game of cards |language=en-gb |work=Eurogamer |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-10-22-inscryption-review-a-wonderful-nightmare-and-a-vividly-memorable-game-of-cards |access-date=2023-04-10}}</ref>
| Fam = 34/40<ref name="Famitsu">{{Cite web |last=Romano |first=Sal |date=2022-09-28 |title=Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1765 |url=https://www.gematsu.com/2022/09/famitsu-review-scores-issue-1765 |access-date=2022-10-11 |website=Gematsu |language=en-US}}</ref>
| GI = 9/10<ref name="GI">{{Cite magazine|last=Reeves|first=Ben|url=https://www.gameinformer.com/review/inscryption/inscryption-review-engraved-secrets|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122215227/https://www.gameinformer.com/review/inscryption/inscryption-review-engraved-secrets|url-status=live|archive-date=November 22, 2021|title=Inscryption Review|magazine=Game Informer|publisher=[[Company:GameStop|GameStop Corp.]]|date=November 22, 2021|access-date=September 16, 2022}}</ref>
| GSpot = 8/10<ref name="GSpot">{{Cite web|last=Wildgoose|first=David|url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/inscryption-review-house-of-cards/1900-6417788/|title=Inscryption Review - House of Cards|website=GameSpot|date=November 15, 2021|access-date=September 16, 2022}}</ref>
| HCG = 4.5/5<ref name="HCG">{{Cite web|last=LeClair|first=Kyle|url=https://hardcoregamer.com/reviews/review-inscryption/412818/|title=Review: Inscryption|website=Hardcore Gamer|date=October 18, 2021|access-date=September 16, 2022}}</ref>
| IGN = 9/10<ref>{{Cite web|last=Marks|first=Tom|date=October 28, 2021|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/inscryption-review|title=Inscryption Review|website=IGN|access-date=September 16, 2022|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220208032728/https://www.ign.com/articles/inscryption-review|archive-date=February 8, 2022}}</ref>
| PCGUS = 69/100<ref name="PCGUS">{{Cite web|last=Macgregor|first=Jody|date=October 21, 2021|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/inscryption-review/|title=Inscryption review|website=PC Gamer|publisher=Future plc|access-date=September 16, 2022|url-status=live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211025080328/https://www.pcgamer.com/inscryption-review/|archive-date=October 25, 2021}}</ref>
| PSQ = {{Rating|8|10}}<ref name="PSQ">{{Cite web|last=Croft|first=Liam|url=https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps5/inscryption|title=Mini Review: Inscryption (PS5) - The Most Unique Game You Will Play All Year|website=Push Square|date=September 2, 2022|access-date=September 16, 2022}}</ref>
}}

''Inscryption'' received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.<ref name="MCPC"/><ref name="MCPS5"/>

''Rock Paper Shotgun'' praised the scale mechanic, writing that, "You lose and gain momentum, deliver killer blows, claw back from a near-loss by being aggressive...  It's a compelling twist".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Caldwell |first=Brendan |date=2021-10-18 |title=Inscryption review: a sinister and excellently crafted card game with a darkly comic underbelly|website=Rock Paper Shotgun|url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/inscryption-review |access-date=2021-10-19|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020155201/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/inscryption-review |archive-date=October 20, 2021}}</ref> ''[[Social:Destructoid|Destructoid]]'' liked the art style and the horror elements of the game, but criticized the later chapters' gameplay changes, stating, "Maybe it was a good idea to change things up before it had the chance to grow stale, it's just nothing gripped me as firmly as the first chapter."<ref name="Destruct"/> ''PC Gamer''<nowiki/>'s Jody Macgregor liked the beginning of ''Inscryption,'' specifically praising how the world feels "off-kilter and grotesque", but criticized the later part of the game "In its initial hours, Inscryption is an eerie delight full of mystery. That feeling fades long before it ends".<ref name="PCGUS"/> Eurogamer enjoyed the visuals of the game, describing them as "a cursed reincarnation of something you'd play on a floppy disc in the '90s: a low fidelity-but-trying kind of adventure, but hijacked by some kind of evil and then twisted and gnarled by malevolence."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Purchese |first=Robert |date=2021-10-22 |title=Inscryption review: a wonderful nightmare, and a vividly memorable game of cards |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-10-22-inscryption-review-a-wonderful-nightmare-and-a-vividly-memorable-game-of-cards|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303181935/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-10-22-inscryption-review-a-wonderful-nightmare-and-a-vividly-memorable-game-of-cards |archive-date=March 3, 2022 |access-date=2021-10-28 |website=Eurogamer}}</ref>

''Inscryption'' was nominated for Best Indie Game and Best Sim/Strategy Game at The Game Awards 2021.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/the-game-awards-2021-nominations-1235047268/ |title=The Game Awards: 'It Takes Two,' 'Deathloop' Among 2021 Nominations |last=Beresford |first=Trilby |website=The Hollywood Reporter |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |date=November 16, 2021 |access-date=November 17, 2021|archive-date=November 17, 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117000556/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/the-game-awards-2021-nominations-1235047268/}}</ref> ''Polygon'' named ''Inscryption'' their best game of 2021,<ref>{{cite web |last=Mahardy |first=Mike |date=December 19, 2021 |title=Inscryption is the best video game of 2021 |url=https://www.polygon.com/22843002/inscryption-best-video-game-2021-polygon-goty|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707174245/https://www.polygon.com/22843002/inscryption-best-video-game-2021-polygon-goty |archive-date=July 7, 2022 |access-date=December 19, 2021 |work=Polygon}}</ref> while ''Time'' and ''[[Ars Technica]]'' listed ''Inscryption'' as one of their best games of 2021.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last1=Dockterman |first1=Eliana |last2=Austin |first2=Patrick Luxas |last3=Fitzpatrick |first3=Alex |date=December 14, 2021 |title=The 10 Best Video Games of 2021 |url=https://time.com/6126797/best-video-games-2021/ |magazine=Time|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220726092516/https://time.com/6126797/best-video-games-2021/ |archive-date=July 26, 2022 |access-date=December 26, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=December 26, 2021 |title=Ars Technica's top 20 video games of 2021 |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/12/ars-technicas-top-20-video-games-of-2021/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220713071506/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/12/ars-technicas-top-20-video-games-of-2021/ |archive-date=July 13, 2022 |access-date=December 26, 2021 |work=[[Ars Technica]]}}</ref> In the 2021 Steam Awards, it was nominated for Most Innovative Gameplay. During the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, the [[Organization:Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences|Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences]] nominated ''Inscryption'' for "Game of the Year", "Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year", and outstanding achievement for an "Independent Game", "Game Design", "Game Direction", and "Story".<ref>{{cite web |last=Fanelli |first=Jason |date=January 13, 2022 |title=Ratchet & Clank Leads 2022 DICE Awards With 9 Nominations |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ratchet-clank-leads-2022-dice-awards-with-9-nominations/1100-6499612/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615083931/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ratchet-clank-leads-2022-dice-awards-with-9-nominations/1100-6499612/ |archive-date=June 15, 2022 |access-date=January 29, 2022 |work=GameSpot}}</ref> ''Inscryption'' won both the Game of the Year at the 22nd Game Developers Choice Awards and the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the companion 2022 Independent Games Festival in addition to Excellence in Design, Narrative, and Audio; this is the first time a game won both top prizes.<ref name="GDCA 2022 wins">{{cite web |last=Dealessandri |first=Marie |date=March 24, 2022 |title=Inscryption wins big at GDC and IGF Awards |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-03-24-inscryption-wins-big-at-gdc-and-igf-awards-gdc-2022|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220324103851/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-03-24-inscryption-wins-big-at-gdc-and-igf-awards-gdc-2022 |archive-date=March 24, 2022 |access-date=March 24, 2022 |work=GamesIndustry.biz}}</ref> ''Inscryption'' had also been nominated for the Innovation Award for the Game Developers Choice Awards.<ref name="thr noms">{{cite web |last=Beresford |first=Trilby |date=January 11, 2022 |title='It Takes Two' and 'Deathloop' Among Nominees for Game Developers Choice Awards |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/it-takes-two-deathloop-game-developers-choice-awards-nominees-1235073199/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220112054028/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/it-takes-two-deathloop-game-developers-choice-awards-nominees-1235073199/ |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |access-date=January 11, 2022 |work=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Rousseau |first=Jeffrey |date=January 7, 2022 |title=Unpacking and Inscryption lead 2022 IGF Awards nominations |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-01-07-unpacking-inscryption-lead-2022-igf-awards-nominations|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107230701/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-01-07-unpacking-inscryption-lead-2022-igf-awards-nominations |archive-date=January 7, 2022 |access-date=January 7, 2022 |work=GamesIndustry.biz}}</ref>

By January 2022, the game had sold more than one million copies.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kerr|first=Chris|date=January 6, 2022|title=Demonic deck-builder Inscryption passes 1 million sales|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/demonic-deck-builder-inscryption-passes-1-million-sales|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331202829/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/demonic-deck-builder-inscryption-passes-1-million-sales|archive-date=March 31, 2022|access-date=January 10, 2022|website=Game Developer}}</ref>

Fans of the games have worked to physically replicate elements of ''Inscryption''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=March 11, 2022 |title=Real Deal |url=https://www.theverge.com/22960552/real-deal-inscryption-creators-gaming|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313042853/https://www.theverge.com/22960552/real-deal-inscryption-creators-gaming |archive-date=March 13, 2022 |access-date=March 11, 2022 |work=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>

=== Awards and accolades ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Award !! Category !! Result !! {{Refh}}
|-
| rowspan="3"|18th British Academy Games Awards
| Best Game
| {{nominated}}
| rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{Cite web|last=Purslow|first=Matt|date=March 3, 2022|title=BAFTA Games Awards 2022 Nominations Announced|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/bafta-games-awards-2022-nominations-announced|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313232442/https://www.ign.com/articles/bafta-games-awards-2022-nominations-announced|archive-date=March 13, 2022|access-date=March 6, 2022|website=IGN}}</ref>
|-
| Game Design
| {{won}}
|-
| Original Property
| {{nominated}}
|-
| rowspan="6" | 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards
| Game of the Year
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="6" style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web |last=Fanelli |first=Jason |date=January 13, 2022 |title=Ratchet & Clank Leads 2022 DICE Awards With 9 Nominations |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ratchet-clank-leads-2022-dice-awards-with-9-nominations/1100-6499612/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615083931/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ratchet-clank-leads-2022-dice-awards-with-9-nominations/1100-6499612/ |archive-date=June 15, 2022 |access-date=January 29, 2022 |work=GameSpot}}</ref>
|-
| Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
| {{nom}}
|-
| Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game
| {{nom}}
|-
| Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
| {{nom}}
|-
| Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
| {{nom}}
|-
| Outstanding Achievement in Story
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2" | The Game Awards 2021
| Best Independent Game
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web |last=Hafford |first=Hayden |date=December 7, 2021 |title=The Game Awards 2021: Nominees, start times, and where to watch |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-game-awards-2021-nominees-start-time-where-to-watch|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220906210205/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-game-awards-2021-nominees-start-time-where-to-watch |archive-date=September 6, 2022 |access-date=December 8, 2021 |work=Rock, Paper, Shotgun}}</ref>
|-
| Best Sim/Strategy Game
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3"| 2021 SXSW Gaming Awards
| Indie Game of the Year
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2022/02/sxsw-gaming-awards-nominees-ember-lab-kena-leads-1234923601/|title=SXSW Gaming Awards Final Nominees: Ember Lab’s ‘Kena: Bridge Of Spirits’ Leads 2022 List|first=Alexandra|last=Del Rosario|work=Deadline|date=February 1, 2022|accessdate=January 11, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2022/03/sxsw-gaming-awards-winners-list-2022-final-fantasy-kena-honorees-1234976625/|title=SXSW Gaming Awards Winners: ‘Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker’ Scores Video Game Of The Year; ‘Kena’, ‘It Takes Two’ Among 2022 Honorees|first=Alexandra|last=Del Rosario|work=Deadline|date=March 12, 2022|accessdate=January 11, 2026}}</ref>
|-
| Excellence in Game Design
| {{won}}
|-
| Excellence in Audio Design
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2" | Game Developers Choice Awards
| Innovation Award
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |<ref name="GDCA 2022 wins"/><ref>{{cite web |last=Van Allen |first=Eric |date=11 January 2022 |title=Nominees for the 2022 Game Developers Choice Awards have been revealed |url=https://www.destructoid.com/nominees-for-the-2022-game-developers-choice-awards-have-been-revealed/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328135603/https://www.destructoid.com/nominees-for-the-2022-game-developers-choice-awards-have-been-revealed/ |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |access-date=13 January 2022 |website=[[Social:Destructoid|Destructoid]]}}</ref>
|-
| Game of the Year
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="4"| Independent Games Festival Awards
| Seumas McNally Grand Prize
| {{won}}
| rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;" |<ref name="GDCA 2022 wins"/><ref>{{cite web |last=Van Allen |first=Eric |date=January 11, 2022 |title=IGF 2022 nominees include Inscryption, Unpacking, and more |url=https://www.destructoid.com/igf-2022-awards-nominees-list-unpacking-inscryption-indies/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514055919/https://www.destructoid.com/igf-2022-awards-nominees-list-unpacking-inscryption-indies/ |archive-date=May 14, 2022 |access-date=January 29, 2022 |work=[[Social:Destructoid|Destructoid]]}}</ref>
|-
| Excellence in Narrative
| {{won}}
|-
| Excellence in Design
| {{won}}
|-
| Excellence in Audio
| {{won}}
|}

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=Note}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://dmullinsgames.itch.io/sacrifices-must-be-made ''Sacrifices Must be Made''], the free early version of ''Inscryption''

{{Seumas McNally Grand Prize}}
{{GDCA GOTY}}


[[Category:Adventure games]]
[[Category:Dark fantasy video games]]
[[Category:First-person adventure games]]
[[Category:Psychological horror games]]
[[Category:Puzzle video games]]
[[Category:Turn-based strategy video games]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]
[[Category:Windows games]]

{{Sourceattribution|Inscryption}}