Bravery in video game development is rarely rewarded. Most people do not want games that break the mold of what a game is. Most people want to open a game and shut off their brains for a few hours. Most people want something comfortable, or familiar. While casual and competitive gaming are becoming more and more accepted as a part of our collective gaming culture, it seems gaming as a form of art still lags behind its more popular brothers.
Independent game producers have been churning out the highest quality experiences for the last decade, to no mainstream appeal. These games are low-priced, detailed, original, and create some of the most immersive experiences available today. Just look at Hollow knight, a game I would gladly call the greatest of all time. It is a perfect blend of everything you'd want from an entertainment experience. Hollow knight looks like art, sounds like art, and plays like art. Yet, it seems far away from being treated as art. Team Cherry will never be treated as other artists are. Video gaming is young in comparison, and I understand this will take time. However, it is still infuriating to see the collective consciousness ignore the value that they can bring.
Now I understand that this is a very long windup for a game I haven't even mentioned yet, but there is a reason for this rant. When a game takes risks that pan out, they seem to achieve no mainstream appeal. Every other form of mass media seems to reward the risk-takers on a much grander scale. Every media-consuming human being has heard of the Oscar's but the litany of nameless rewards that go to brilliant Indie games mean absolutely nothing. Every year, there is one indie game that reminds me vividly of my frustrations. This year, that prestigious 'title' goes to Inscryption. A deck-builder that mixes well-known mechanics with its original air of discovery and immersion. Their success in taking the known and adding their own original twist to it is astounding.
Calling Inscryption a strange game does not even scratch its surface. There is no experience like it. While there are many deck-building games out there, Inscryption brings in a variety of familiar deckbuilding mechanics and blends them in a way that somehow still makes a cohesive and enjoyable experience. To find game balance among the many elements is a nigh-impossible task. Deck-building games are balanced by their ability to become unbalanced. Their enjoyment stems from creating powerful combinations, limited only by one's own creativity and understanding. It is difficult to balance that level of freedom with a game that always feels competitive. I'm not even sure that it should. Discovering strong combinations adds to the heightened sense of discovery that this game is powered on, even if they can make the game feel trivial at times. The game does something far better than creating a well-balanced game. It creates an enjoyable experience.
The sense of discovery that the first act creates is brilliant. From the deck-building, to the environment you are immersed in, and even its mysterious plot. There are puzzles littered around the tiny room you are locked in, which need to be understood to finish the first act. Along the way, you can pick up advantages that are powerful enough to encourage further exploration and deeper attention to detail. Making discovery a meaningful mechanic is difficult enough in most games. It's difficult to make the audience feel like they should get distracted from the main plot. Inscryption does this with ease. The setting loses its incredible sense of discovery after the first act, but you are driven forth by the curiosity that the plot has instilled in you by this point.
The second and third act are weaker, mostly through losing the same depth of discovery that the first act had. It is the storytelling that serves as the primary motivation at this point. The story splits into two parts, a real-life and in-game story. The real-life story is captivating at first, but slowly loses its pull, all ends in a spectacularly unsatisfying ending. The in-game plot however, is much stronger. I was completely invested in the characters and their fates. The in-game plot stays strong throughout, with an ending that is emotionally powerful. While I felt the game would've been better served without the real-life plot. I appreciate the drive behind its inclusion. It solidifies its identity as a game that takes risks. While not every risk is successful, it is the game's ambition that makes it such a special and immersive experience.
I don't recommend getting into the game without some familiarity with deck-building games. Not because it will be too difficult, but some of the brilliance of the confluence of mechanics may be lost on you without an understanding of the genre. The intelligent combination of deck-building mechanics alongside an incredible sense of discovery created by this game makes what is one of the most unique experiences I've ever partaken in. This is not a great video game, as video games are understood today, but it is a great interactive, immersive experience. I wish the distinctions were already clear to us, because Inscryption feels more like Art, than a game at times.
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