Described as a story about “a phantasmagorical voyage through time, myth, divinity, and video games” and escaping the “lordly deities of the underworld with your soul, and your sanity, intact.” However, it’s explicitly not a game about ponies, so you can rest assured of a pony or two showing up at some point.

The gameplay starts as a 3D first-person adventure, with the protagonist accessing an arcade cabinet to play a retro title. It’s not long before the scripts and files appear, and there’s some live-action footage thrown in. Then the cabinet turns sentient, and the player must battle in the real world…we think? We’ll have to wait and see for more details.

The original Pony Island is 85 percent off on Steam, so that may be a place to start. Stay tuned for more announcements and reveals from The Game Awards 2023.

It all started with a tweet by Geoff Keighley, creator and host of The Game Awards, who told Mullins that the YouTube link he sent was broken. Opening the link reveals the message, “This video isn’t available anymore”, prompting Mullins to reply with a different link. It’s a troll, but he then told Keighley to disregard it.

While this entire exchange could be an elaborate joke, the fact that it’s coming up so close to The Game Awards on December 7th is a little too convenient. Stay tuned for more details and potential teases in the coming days. You can also check out the nominees for the awards here, with Alan Wake 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3 leading the pack with eight nominations each.

Hey @DMullinsGames link you sent for that video is broken? https://t.co/zmxJOKytAi

— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) November 26, 2023

https://twitter.com/DMullinsGames/status/1728577945273610353

nope, disregard that

— Daniel Mullins (@DMullinsGames) November 26, 2023

Inscryption starts with a person trapped inside a decrepit cabin. They must play a tabletop rogue-like card game against Leshy, where losing means a fate worse than death. Players eventually discover talking cards like the Stoat, which provide hints on how to escape, which involves solving escape room-style puzzles.

Of course, there’s much more to the story behind the card game aspect, so it’s worth checking out. Though the Xbox Store listing doesn’t indicate whether 4K resolution is supported on Xbox Series X/S, Inscryption is “optimized” for the consoles. Expect fast loading times (which helps after each “death”), if nothing else.

The inscrutable Inscryption from @DMullinsGames is now available on @Xbox!

Watch out for the stoat. pic.twitter.com/YpgW3Sn8aR

— Devolver Digital (@devolverdigital) April 10, 2023

Inscryption is a difficult game to describe, starting as a roguelike deck-builder. Players are trapped in a cabin and must play a deck-building card game against their mysterious jailer. By sacrificing cards, you can summon stronger ones and take different routes to upgrade cards, acquire new ones, and so on.

Eventually, talking cards, macabre puzzles, and escape room-like mechanics come into play. Pliers are eventually introduced, and that’s not even when the real mind-melting stuff begins. For more details on the mechanics, as explained by creator Daniel Mullins, head here. Stay tuned for further updates on the Nintendo Switch version, including the price, in the coming weeks.

The story begins with the player waking up in an unknown cabin with no memory of how they got there. They’re invited to play a card game by a mysterious individual, all while talking cards warn him that things aren’t as they seem. As the player engages in card battles and learns more about the cabin, they’ll solve different puzzles and ultimately look for a way out.

Of course, there’s more to Inscryption than that, but you’ll have to play it to find out. On PS5, audio from various cards like the Stoat will play through the DualSense’s speakers. Haptic feedback is also supported, and the controller’s lighting changes based on the cabin.

The sensationally bizarre Inscryption from @DMullinsGames is now available on @PlayStation.

Good luck. pic.twitter.com/b77UxHglKF

— Devolver Digital (@devolverdigital) August 30, 2022

Taking to Twitter, the publisher announced that Inscryption will launch for PS5 and PS4 on August 30. Pre-orders for the game are also open. The announcement was also accompanied with a trailer offering a few glimpses at the bizarre, unique experience that is Inscryption. Check it out below.

Previously, it was also confirmed that Inscryption will feature support for various DualSense’s features, including the controller’s lighting, speakers, and haptic feedback.

Inscryption is currently available for PC. As of January of this year, the game had sold over a million units worldwide. It’ll hopefully make its way over to Xbox and the Nintendo Switch as well, but no announcements have been made on that front.

Preorder Inscryption on @PlayStation or wait until it comes out August 30.

Doesn't matter to us, Leshy will get you either way. pic.twitter.com/UwGK5aNNZy

— Devolver Digital (@devolverdigital) July 18, 2022

Currently available for PC with over one million copies sold, Inscryption is a weird mix of rogue-lite deck-building (with cards that can talk), escape room puzzles, and psychological horror. Players essentially wake up in a mysterious cabin and come face-to-face with Leshy. Sitting at the table and playing card games under increasingly gruesome circumstances, one must unravel the mystery of their entrapment and ultimately escape.

Inscryption will take advantage of features like the controller speakers, allowing the voices of cards to be heard through them. The lighting on the touchpad also changes in tune with the cabin. On PS5, haptic feedback on the DualSense is supported. Ever wanted to feel the pliers in that one particular instance? Now you can. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.

The incomparable Inscryption comes to @PlayStation 5 + PlayStation 4 later next month and is available to preorder now!

Earlier we said it was coming this month which was a total misplay. pic.twitter.com/EHLWqzEVa0

— Devolver Digital (@devolverdigital) July 15, 2022

Inscryption presents itself as a deck-building rogue-like where players must win games against a stranger named Leshy in a secluded cabin. As time goes on and more talking cards are discovered, one examines different parts of the room to escape. Along with sacrificing cards for more powerful plays, you’ll also unlock newer cards that can provide an edge.

On PlayStation, Inscryption offers some exclusive features. Audio from the Stoat card, for example, can be heard from the controller’s speakers. The controller’s lighting will also change to reflect the cabin’s interiors and on PS5’s DualSense, haptic feedback is supported (which isn’t the best news given some of the more visceral things that happen). Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.

Inscryption is currently available on PC with over one million copies sold as of January 12th.

Last year, the game launched exclusively for PC, but it seems it’ll soon become available to a much larger player base. The game recently received a classification rating for the PS4 in Australia, suggesting that a port could be announced soon. Though the rating only mentions PS4, there’s a chance that the announcement – if there is one – is for multiple additional platforms. It wouldn’t be the first time that that has happened with Australian ratings.

We’ll be keeping an eye out on any new updates, so stay tuned.

Inscryption is a mix of rogue-like deck-building and escape room puzzles combined with psychological horror. You’re trapped in a cabin with a mysterious entity that administers the game and must play to survive. Several of your cards are alive and must be sacrificed to win, which is only the beginning of the macabre dealings. Along with strong critical acclaim, Inscryption has an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating on Steam with over 48,000 user reviews.

Inscryption is currently available for PC. For more details on the gameplay, check out the overview trailer by Mullins himself here (which contains a fair bit of Fourth Wall breaking). Kaycee’s Mod recently went into open beta for the game and adds an endless rogue-like deck-builder option for fans. Learn more about that here.

The stoat wants you to know that Inscryption has crossed one million copies sold.

Thanks to all of you, the brave squirrels, and the brilliant @DMullinsGames! pic.twitter.com/gC8TQi2Ol6

— Devolver Digital (@devolverdigital) January 5, 2022