Inscryption Playthrough Journal

When I continued playing Inscription after finishing the first part of the game I thought that it would be easy to write about. I was wrong.

Instead I have decided that the only way for me to write about it is in more of a journal format. With all the twists and turns I will just write a brief little bit to sum up what I have experienced from the end of the first part to where I am now.

The second part of inscryption starts off telling you about more of the history of the characters. You learn more about your captor and his back story along with his three other “associates” or other scybes as they are known. The four different people who helped create the world and all 4 use different methods to do so. Grimora, scrybe of the dead, PO3, scrybe of technology, Magnificus, scrybe of technology, and Leshy, scrybe of beast (your captor).

You get the choice of any one of the creators “decks” to start off with in order to get through this second part of the game. I chose to start off with PO3’s deck (the scrybe of technology) and worked my way through the game. As you go you collect more cards from all 4 decks allowing you to pick and choose which ones you want to have in your active deck. The game isn’t nearly as nerve wracking as the first part of the game since losing a card battle doesn’t mean death. All that happens is that you’ve lost and you are able to instantly challenge them again. I would do so against some characters in order to keep chancing getting a good enough deck shuffle to make it work. Eventually it always did.

After working my way through all four domains I was finally able to challenge a scrybe in an attempt to take their place. I chose to challenge Leshy and, with the assistance of PO3, was able to defeat him. During this encounter is when I found out that the helpful cards from part 1 of the game are actually the other scribes that had been trapped by Leshy’s camera.

Upon Defeating Leshy there were more scenes from the lucky carder and then I found myself strapped down to the table in a dark room much like the first part of the game. Only this time my opponent was PO3 instead of leshy.

The board is a little different from the first part of the game as well. Your path doesn’t change upon death but you do have to start at the beginning each time. Currently this is where I have gotten to but I am extremely excited to continue my way through this enticing game.

So I have continued making my way through this new map. I have died several times only to be brought back to my most recent save location (beacons you find on the map). In dying you lose all your money but are given the chance to recover it if you can return to that location without dying. I am unsure if that means the money disappears if you die before getting there but reach that location afterwards.

I have also encountered cards that can change between robot and beast form (a robotic version of the beast at least). Speaking of encountering cards I have also found a wizard card and the fish guy card that both are able to talk.

There have been a few opportunities to upgrade my cards so far giving them more abilities which means a lot more when the cards don’t disappear at your death.

Getting back into this game after having stepped away from it for a little while. I have been so busy that taking the time to delve into the the crazy world they've created is tough. Especially since once I've started down the rabbit hole it gest extremely difficult to walk away.

I managed to take out one of the minor bosses, the archivist, fairly easy after logging in but I had a lot of difficultly moving forward after that.    

Managed to build a hell of a bank roll, especially after defeating the Archivist. With $50 to spend I started my way down another path on the map.

I may have built up too much confidence having taken out that boss too easily. I failed to beat a boss on another path three times over. Much like a "rouge like" game, I had to fight my way back to where I died just to pick up my money, and die again. after the third death I decided to just spend the bank roll so I wouldn't have to worry about fighting my way back to it again and again.

Perhaps it was the fear of losing all the money that was causing me to lose. I managed to take out the minor boss on the next attempt. I left it at that and logged off while I was still feeling great about the win.

Well I jumped back in, I couldn't help myself. Immediately arriving at a boss that I don't understand.

A boss that takes photo (well gets me to take them using his "friend") of the playing area. I don't understand what it was supposed to lead up to but I beat them anyhow.

With a little more jingle in my pocket and a lot more of the map cleared I started feeling a lot more confident about the progress I have been making. Starting to get a real handle on how the game is played and getting good at using the power bar to my advantage. Even better still, with each boss I've defeated my "empty vessel" cards are gaining more power. Now they not only give me an extra power bar letting me hit the max faster. They also cause damage to anyone that hits them. I really thought I had this under wraps, until gems were introduced.

I'm forced to make my way through the lab again to find the gem add on for him. I tried my hand at another puzzle along the way but I honestly don't know if I just couldn't solve it or if I had previously and have forgotten.

So now there are gems associated with different cards. The Empty Vessel cards are all assigned different gems that I can change before a battle to better suit my strategy (I probably won't). There are even other cards that add more gems to the playing field. I've also come across some areas that have allowed me to upgrade a few of my cards so they will get gem bonuses as well. Assuming that there are gems on the field that is.

I will openly admit that although the gems could add major bonuses to my cards, I am not going tot try too hard to use them. I just want to get my way through this game as quickly as I can. Not that I am not loving it but that the story behind where the game comes from is so intriguing, I want to know more.

Where I decided to end my game yesterday was right before an area that looked as if it would hold another boss to face. I was correct. There were actually two mini bosses (I use that term lightly here) and a major boss.

Although the first mini boss was kind of cool, it was stupidly easy to beat.

From there I found an area to buy things. Spent some of the funds that I have been collecting and went forward to the next mini boss. Also easy to beat and not super interesting.

From there I got to another save point and Uberbot. The area's actual boss. I have to say it might be the most interesting boss for this stage of the game so far.

The extremely interesting development with the next boss that I had to face. There wasn’t one. Well not really that is. I was given the task of “building” the boss and as the match went on I had to assign it more and more “skills”. Unfortunately I ended up making it so that every time that I played a card a random card would get 5 damage. Also and time a card was defeated a random card got damage. Basically I set up a system where it was impossible for me to keep cards on the field. I was doing pretty good until I hit the third rule and from there it was just inevitable that the damage against me would slowly stack up until I died. I just couldn’t keep anything on the field long enough to use as a defense.

It only took a few attempts but I realized that the better option to beat him it to not allow him to put cards down. There is an option that makes them put down a card with no attack every time I put down a card. It fills his field meaning that he can put down anything of value until I open a spot. Makes it way too easy to just chip away at his defenses.

From there I found a few satellites that were turned to connect to something. I think they opened up the way for me but I am not entirely sure. Continuing on there was another thing to add to my deck to make the game more complicated still. I didn't hardly use it at all but the addition of conduits that can power up some of your cards.

Not that they are nearly as complicated to understand as the gems were but honestly I am just lazy. There are so many interesting mechanics to this game but I don't think it would be fun trying to utilize them all.

I mean in this playthrough as well I also ended up being able to build a few cards of my own to add to my deck. The mechanic behind building your own cards is a little flawed but still an interesting thing to be able to do.

With new cards in my deck. New mechanics behind using the cards I have. It was finally time to go up against the boss, Golly.

Now Golly is able to connect with the internet. The first card they throw down in the "mole man" card but with an actual picture of a mole instead. This is cute and all but honestly would be very easy to do.

The interesting thing that they've done is add my friends into the game. Now I'm not sure exactly how they've done it but it does give you a strange feeling while playing.

Of course there are a few cards that aren't from my friends list but I'm assuming that they've pulled those names from other peoples lists. It really threw me off at first. Luckily the powers on those cards are low enough that it wasn't much of a challenge.

After taking out that boss and seeing that all four plaques were lit up I was ready to face the next challenge. Unfortunately for me there were other issues that came up first.

Apparently one of the cameras in the facility went down. I was sent on a mission to fix it and taken away from the game board. Before I made my way to where the supposed camera was, I ran into the trapper. Or at least a digital version of him.

Trading the cyber pelts that I had collected through the game I was able to get some information that I wouldn't have had otherwise. A lot less exciting than dealing with the trapper previously but probably useful I guess.

Continuing on my hunt to find the broken camera I clicked a "not a robot" icon on the only computer in the facility that I hadn't had success with yet. Doing so activated an elevator taking me down to another level. A level where I got to see some old friends.

I don't know if "friends" is the right term for these people honestly. None the less I'll need their help to get out of here. Apparently they need mine as well to stop PO3's plan to take over everything. All they need from me right now is to keep playing along with him, keep him distracted. I guess we'll have to see what happens.

Before I get started, so before you get much further, there are a lot of spoilers ahead. There is no way for me to talk about what my last session was without giving away a lot of details from the end of the game. If you're not interested in knowing how it ends I would suggest stopping at the spoiler mark.

I do have to mention that the ending I'm still unsure about. I don't know exactly how I feel about it. It wasn't bad. It was very fitting to the game itself. I just don't feel like I "beat" the game. Just that I completed it.

That being said, it was still a lot of fun getting to that point. There are parts in the finally that I wish were able to have been flushed out a lot more. Aspects that could have been a lot of fun to play with it they were more of a part of the game.

Totally worth the time that I put into the game and I am very happy I played it.

!!!Spoilers Ahead!!!

I'll start with something that I did look up. This stupid puzzle in the Lab. It's not crazy complicated and it's not something that really mattered. It just really bothered me that I couldn't figure it out. The one thing in the room that was unsolved, at least that I was aware of.

Not that it was anything super exciting once I did solve it but it was nice to get it done. That weird green slime thing in the tube? Aparrently it's like his area? He made some artwork and has it there.

The artwork being a picture of him and his master. He just sits there starring at it and questions if you like it or not. Not that you get to choose your answer. Nice to get the puzzle done but doesn't really add anything to the story at all.

So the whole time that you're making your way through Po3's game he's apparently using you. Using you to connect to the net. Using your files to transfer Inscryption. Using your screenshots to promote the game. He's been manipulating you to transfer the game from a single floppy disk to the entire globe. Being a sentient being, he wants freedom. Once he can get the game out to the masses he says that even in the odd file where the other Scrybes can defeat him, he'll be in control of all the rest. That once it's uploaded there will be no stopping him.

Luckily Leshy has other ideas.

After removing the head, Leshy and the other two Scrybes appear in front of you. Magnificus and Leshy want you to start a new game that will reset the damage that Po3 has done. Grimora on the other had just hacks into the floppy disk files and starts deleting your save. And then the game itself.

Of course this sends the other two into a frantic state. Grimora is able to calm them explaining that there is more, far worse, evil on in this game that must be deleted. Things that no one should bare witness to.

As the deletion process is happening you get a chance to play cards against each scrybe one by one. Their own board and cards as you go. 

Facing off Against Grimora was not difficult. Her battles were actually rather easy to get through. I think that was meant to be since you're supposed to be racing against the clock. She will be deleted soon.

It did make me wonder what it would have been like if she had been able to have a fully flushed out game mechanic like the other two. Going through her "room" (probably a crypt) to solve puzzles could have been extremely interesting. Alas we will never get to do so.

Next you come up against Leshy for the last time. Things start to disappear as you face off against him. The nice thing is that you actually get to face him with the deck that you built against him before. Unfortunately for me, it had been so long since I used it that I didn't really remember the nuances of the deck that I had built.

Then there was Magnificus. I think out of everything, his game would have been extremely interesting to get into. With 3D manifestations of the cards that you place it feels super cool. Kind of reminds me of watching Yugio as a kid. On a giant pedestal with this weird arm contraption that you wear to get your cards out onto the field. it felt really interesting.

Unfortunately your time with Magnificus is cut short far too quickly. He attempts to crawl his way across the map to shake your hand before he's deleted, just as the other two have done. He isn't able to make it.

From here the game lets you find a door that apparently shows you something? It flashes a bunch of stuff far too quickly for you to make anything of it before it jumps to Luke Carder. He's smashing the floppy disk on the desk. Next he's talking to a reporter on the phone about the game and the company that produced it. How he has proof that they have done something immoral. Not only that but the game also took over the computer. Then there's a knock on the door.

The Lucky Carder wasn't so lucky after all.