Devolver Digital's upcoming title Inscryption takes full advantage of how creepy some gamers find old playing cards. This card-based indie game began life as Sacrifices Must Be Made, a short game developed by Pony Island creator Daniel Mullins for a game jam. Devolver Digital picked it up and now it's being expanded into a much larger--and apparently more chilling--horror game.
In the original build, Mullins managed to pack an incredible level of horror into a very short game with just two endings, touching on the creeping fear of being alone with a stranger, the dread of slowly realizing that something is terribly wrong, and the terror of learning a horrible truth at the worst possible time. If this announcement trailer is anything to go by, the final game will be even more intense. While Inscryption won't let players fight monsters like Chernobylite, it will force them to play an intricate card game to save their lives, which may end up being even more stressful.
The announcement trailer showcases some of Inscryption's gameplay, including specific cards--most of which are based on animals, all of which have a variety of strange and potentially deadly effects--and pays close attention to the revamped board. Sacrifices Must Be Made had a simple, table-sized board and only a few species of animal players could use against the stranger, who played cards of significantly more ominous and effective varieties. Inscryption has expanded that straightforward set-up to an enormous, evolving board that seems to incorporate much more than just cards. Though true tarot cards like the ones in this Martha is Dead trailer have yet to make an appearance, just about everything else has.
Inscryption's announcement trailer shows off the original animal cards, a little hunter-shaped playing piece traveling down a path, a stone that players can sacrifice cards to, a live rat, and of course the scales that determine whether players are winning or losing. Gamers who take an interest in this title should be very aware of those scales. Even more concerning, however, is the fact that cards appear to speak to the player and give advice in this build. While Sacrifices Must Be Made was already a psychological horror game, Inscryption seems to have taken some nods from the Amnesia series' brand of psychological horror and incorporated actual monsters. Unfortunately, players will be unable to flee from the stranger--at least, not if they want to survive.
This is one of the four new games Devolver Digital planned to reveal at Summer Game Fest. If the others are unveiled with similarly immersive trailers, they will probably catch the attention of indie game fans worldwide--particularly if the much anticipated Hotline Miami 3 is among their number.
Inscryption will be available on PC in 2021.