Free Inscryption Demo is Scary, Funny, Cardbattling Excellence

Deckbuilding? Roguelike? Horror? That's all you had to say!

Inscryption sounds like a combination of all of indie gaming's biggest buzzwords right now, but our time with the demo assured us that this game is wholly original. Just from the start menu alone, you get a sense of atmosphere and tone with fuzzy VHS artifacts and low-framerate animations. Once you begin the demo, you are greeted by your unnamed, mysterious captor and game master.

The goal? Escape his clutches and the cabin you find yourself in by participating in a simple yet engaging card game filled with sacrifices and talking rodents. You progress through the map like a roguelike title with branching paths filled with rewards and compromises as you continue to win games. The entire time, the game's spooky narrator is filling you in on new and fun mechanics that weave gameplay and story masterfully.

A mysterious figure looms across the table giving entertaining, yet unsettling, expository dialogue and instructions.

A highlight of the Inscryption demo was how intuitive the controls and UI were. Most actions are done using the mouse buttons and scroll wheel, making games quick and straightforward. Frequently, card games get bogged down by annoying UI, overcrowded menus, and minor bugs when making actions. In Inscryption, movement and actions are incredibly natural, and inventory items are presented in the world to not ruin immersion - which is always a nice touch.

There is so much more to the Inscryption demo not covered in this article, but it is really a game that you need to experience yourself. We are sure that the full game, which releases October 19th on Steam, will have even more spooky and silly tricks up its sleeve that will keep players hooked - just in time for the spooky season, too! We highly recommend giving this one a shot. Just please be kind to the Stoat card; he's having a tough time.