I recently beat Inscryption, which might be my new favorite game of all time. In the first act of the game, the player awakens, locked in a log cabin with a mysterious figure shrouded in darkness. This mysterious figure teaches the player the rules for a card game called “Inscryption”, reminiscent of Trading Card Games like Magic: The Gathering. The player proceeds through many levels or card combat with the mysterious figure, building a more powerful deck along the way. At the same time, the player is able to get up from the table and inspect the log cabin, where they can find clues that will lead them to their eventual escape. Cleverly, these clues are only revealed through the card game with the mysterious figure, so players are proceeding through a gameplay loop of card combat and a loop of puzzle-solving that takes them through the arc of their escape.
