Inscryption Story Explained

[@Zanphos]

Fun fact: if you choose to replace leshy in act 2, he actually thanks you again during his final goodbye, happy you wanted to face him once more.

[@SkylerDemness]

I actually did that in my first play through, I was so close to crying.

[@ryanjoseph7970]

Shit almost brought a tear to my eye

[@xiggles]

On my first run I picked Grimora but I never actually finished the game. My second I picked Leshy and got that dialogue, I've gotta see if Grimora or Magnificus have unique dialogue

[@Dew36952]

@@xigglesI just beat it with grimora and ya she says something about how she’s sorry you couldn’t replace her because it’s all too late now.

[@AlexMunz-bg3bc]

@Dew36952 She was mostly pissed about Kaycee not doing her job.

[@eewolfs2165]

the final battle w leshy rlly got to me. the games ability to make me feel nostalgic for something that happened only hours ago

[@15codys]

The fact that you kinda are made to dislike him at the beginning because it seems as though he’s kidnapped you or plans to kill you- only for your final duel with him to be emotional as hell 😢

[@monroerobbins7551]

Exactly! The dude just wanted to play games

[@TheBeast-bf6bl]

it had me in tears for so long why did it end like that

[@ctxoutlaw5383]

It made me incredibly sad when magnificus can't make it to you for the handshake. The other two had accepted it and it made me sad for them to go, but mag fought to long and didn't get his peace and that fucks me up

[@charlesmayer4678]

exactly

[@r0x_x0r72]

Grimora's version of Inscryption is underrated, it deserves its own separate Act

[@jacksentertainmentsystem3190]

Maybe as a dlc? Or a sequel with her and magnificus?

[@pithhelmet3717]

A massive smile appeared on my face when the pirate's boss theme started playing. I was so hyped up to see what this boss would be like and then, of course, it got deleted. I really hope dlc or a sequel is made for her, I really want to play that boss.

[@mrcombustiblelemon2902]

@@SeitaOhama that's magnificus. He's talking about the chess thing.

[@Deadpool4president]

DLCs for Grim and Mag would be so cool!!

[@donaldbaird7849]

Isn't the developer working on Grimora's mod? As a follow up to Kaycee's mod

[@chestnut4860]

By sheer dumb luck I had a touch of death card on the table when he put down the moon. So 1 click followed by his "you really destroyed the moon" was pretty anticlimatic, but funny.

[@DevI-vl7gp]

I just realized that's what happened to me. I beat it in one hit the first time, and I just assumed that was what was supposed to happen. But then it didn't happen the second time I fought it.

[@38Thirtyeight38]

same here lol

[@hashem6356]

Also if you put down the stink bug the moon refuses to attack due to the smell modifier. I never saw anyone be defeated by the moon. It says the moon has 0 attack so I wonder what happens if you get attacked by it. Do you just instantly lose?

[@davikch8927]

@@hashem6356 no, all your cards get 1 damage

[@coalkingryan881]

@@hashem6356 it has the potential to do 4 hp of damage at a time if you were to have no creature in a slot. Other than that, it’s just a normal card pretty much

[@Kodiamoso]

I feel like out of all the scribes, Leshy was the one to learn from his mistakes despite being the least ambitious. From the lore from the trader during act three, they deliberately state that a force beyond their comprehension is responsible for the scribes being such horrible people in certain situations. And out of all of them, leshy learned from his mistakes in the end. Grimora may have done them a mercy by deleting the game, but she just fed her own ego as the scribe of death in the end by gloating that she was the one to do it. Magnificus is shown to have not learned a thing by the goo mage's picture being whited out in the end, and P03 speaks for himself based on his horrid actions and the attempts to spread such a horrible disc for his own ego. In the end Leshy admires you for your perseverance and your ability to overcome him and the rest of the challenges you were faced by. In the end, he realized that while the game was important, it wasn't everything. And that speaks volumes about leshy's character compared to the others, especially if he improved while under the influence of the OLD_DATA.

[@TYCOIX]

legit man. Leshy's the best person.

[@Deadpool4president]

I was shocked by how attached I had grown to him by the end of the game

[@Kodiamoso]

@@Deadpool4president indeed. It's probably because out of all the scribes, he's probably the only one who really just wanted to play. He knew only one person was playing the whole time but still put on the acts of all the characters and the narration JUST for us. What a character.

[@donaldbaird7849]

Leshy became so damn likable at the end. I loved when the scale got deleted and he said "Oh well, who cares about count, I just want to play more." He has a newfound respect for the player and doesn't want it to end yet realizes it has to so he does the best he can to make the most out of his final moments.

[@zippydinocrash]

Am I the only one who felt a little like crying during the last interaction with Leshy? We misunderstood him and his intentions in the first act. When we sit down with him for the final time, we realize that he was just a sweet old man who loved his card game. Complimenting us and begging for just a few more minutes to play..

[@benh2339]

What. The. Fuck. How does a game like this even get made? This is honestly without a doubt the most fascinating game I've ever seen, not to mention the actual gameplay itself looks fun as hell.

[@Scienceboy0]

Lots and lots of time and iteration. The creator, Daniel Mullins, has done a few of these meta type games before, like Pony Island and Hex. Game development takes iteration, and he's had a lot of time and experience to see what works and what doesn't.

[@RoboterBoboter]

Well first it starts with sacrifices must be made then devolver digi....

[@allmight9840]

@The Roboter Love inscription but would have loved a full sacrifices must be made game. Too bad we can't have both

[@mateigabrielzaharia4842]

Definitely you should try it!

[@NeostormXLMAX]

@@Scienceboy0 WAIT HE MADE pony island?

[@SonicMaster519]

I don't think when he took the moon he didn't care about the atmosphere anymore. I think it helped add to the atmosphere. It was easily defeated by most sigils, but only Leshy could be intimidating enough and badass enough to literally grab the moon.

[@Valyeska]

Yea lmao a stinky bug can defeat the moon

[@TheCreepyLantern]

i just respect the audacity of it. no matter the fact i beat the moon first try, before i realized it wasnt that scary, i was utterly taken aback and freaked out when Leshy was just like "oh, doing well at the final battle are ya? think you've got this in the bag? fuck you. I'm a drop the MOON on your stupid smug HEAD! how do you like those apples?"

[@gihdiyrnottingham9778]

@@TheCreepyLantern that definitely was the mood the first time, it was scary as hell before i knew that i could beat it

[@callumfinlayson-palmer8393]

The moon is actually piss easy to defeat but the shock, fear and awe the first time he does it is amazing!!

[@LordVader1094]

I honestly wish the moon was harder to defeat, it would justify the awesome setup

[@boombagel1686]

My favorite line was "why is the ferret talking shit to us?" That made me laugh pretty hard

[@OwO377]

People that had play it know what it mean.

[@FlimV2]

Me: needs one more point of damage to win, so i summon the stoat Stoat: total misplay

[@estherharlequin2063]

@Aluzky it is sarcastic ಠ◡ಠ

[@Vindix_]

Nawwwww the best part is this 18:52

[@domf4240]

during the delete battle wish leshy, i remember throwing cards around at random. just hoping that it would change the outcome... leshy is my favorite scribe. hands down.

[@applejuice1746]

P03 Is my favorite

[@zocritter]

@@applejuice1746same. I like how rude he is for some reason

[@applejuice1746]

@@zocritter yep

[@RandomEphemeral]

​@@applejuice1746i hate po3 i sacrifice him to the bone lord every play through

[@rodrigosoares8247]

And each Scrybe represents a part of playing a game. Leshy was the simple mechanics with great story and roleplay. PO3 was the set of rules with a improvised story and strategy over everything else. Grimora was the "Fun never ends" type, since from what we see this is basically what she would do. And Magnificus was the complex mechanics with many sets of rules except without a story or over the top plays. Together they could make a perfect game for the Player, but because of their rivalry it never happened and never will

[@bimbo6861]

PO3 also felt like Winning >>> Playing.

[@kolossis8283]

Sounds like EA, Dice, and Battlefield community relationship be like

[@changsiah2]

@@kolossis8283 it sounds like a bit of a dead meme Being Greedy jokes but yes (= I feel like someday EA is going to get basically massive reform but for now I think least likely for now) I hope 2042 does get fixed up but for now I'll wait and see and also I don't really care much about Battlefield that much usually same goes with Call of Duty these days ( like who is my replace those games to be honest)

[@mr.p215]

I personally think that Magnificus is Art Grimora is replayability PO3 is Mechanics Leshy is Story

[@SuperDestroyerFox]

@@mr.p215 Grimora is more lore and secrets I would say. Lore and story are separate things.

[@skovville4855]

Kaycee choosing Leshy to be the one in power is even more supported now by the beta just released called Kaycee's Mod, which is an endless mode for Leshy. Keeping the game and the Old_Data in stasis forever. Edit cause people keep saying: yes I know this is no longer a valid theory.

[@Cubed_Sphere]

So in reality that is the best possible non canon ending

[@Veinelso]

Kaycee says that "Leshy took control and became 3D"

[@skovville4855]

@@Veinelso Your absolutely right, when I wrote this I hadn't unlocked the devlogs yet. The devlogs seem to be showing us the scenario where Leshy pulled a piece of the Old_Data out of the water before Po3.

[@kamilsowik7884]

@@skovville4855 the thing is, ther where multiple coppies of the game inscription at the time of K's working as a game tester, coz they mention other testers not beliving them. We aren't certain if other copies of inscription allso have OLD_DETA in them or was the disc used to store this coppy of the game to have it before and was hiden among normal empty discs. Discs used to place demo's of the game and test them out.

[@kamilsowik7884]

Allsoin the arg we lern why can we even play it, and in a way, why is it save.

[@KEVINSAXBYY]

I acted in this game and I think you know more about it than I do.

[@xXChaoticRavenXx]

Holy shit it’s the lucky carder

[@democard1199]

​​@@xXChaoticRavenXx He's dead from GameFuna. Let him rest for now😢😢😢

[@ibis0921]

Playing against leshy in the end was sweet. In the face of death he just wants enjoy playing and remember the adventures you have shared together.

[@chaincat33]

the "too fast, too soon" thing isn't because you didn't experience the mechanics properly. It's so you're forced to die. You aren't allowed to beat the angler or the trapper on your first attempt. Of course, you can anyways if you get a good enough deck, but that's entirely up to luck

[@Maka_J]

I agree, but wouldn't you say the reason for him not wanting you to win on your first attempt is because you haven't seen all he has to offer?

[@cparks1000000]

Sifd beat the game on his first try using the scissors.

[@hashem6356]

Mechanically speaking; it’s so that you can experience death the first time for any players who are that good at the game. You need to experience it in order to know how to beat leshy and know your possible fate if you don’t.

[@jadjajeh3270]

@@hashem6356 but he turns you into a card if you win though

[@Pinstar]

You can beat "Too fast too soon" Get a creature with 5+ attack. Use scissors to cut up one of the bears, Play the creature in that lane, boom 5+ damage. You win. Sadly there is nothing strange that happens if you beat too fast too soon.

[@AgentChick]

Been waiting for so long for a video like this, amazing work. Just one minor detail, Luke wasn't killed to retrieve the Inscryption disk, if that were the case they would've killed him upon their first interaction; Luke was killed because he saw the OLD_DATA, as the woodcarver pointed out, "To know it is to die". Another small detail, I know you didn't want to talk about the ARG, but according to some of the intel we've got from it, the Scrybes didn't "cut it close" when "killing" PO3, they outright failed, as they only disconnected the monitor, so to speak. PO3 was actually successful in uploading the game, which is how in-canon the game is up on Steam and we're able to play it, so to speak. The whole ARG lore is pretty confusing but there's a bunch of really important stuff there.

[@Maka_J]

If we are playing, then why are we simply watching lukes actions the entire game? not only with his videos, but we see him react to things happening within the game. I'm not at all trying to say that you're wrong just trying to understand.👍

[@AgentChick]

@@Maka_J As I said the ARG stuff is really confusing. From what I understand, in-canon we play as Luke, since when he peered the OLD_DATA his soul was actually consumed by the game, henceforth becoming the main character and being able to see his memories and all that. Not even I can explain it properly, it's REALLY confusing, but in short, we're playing as Luke.

[@Maka_J]

@@AgentChick Maybe I'll understand it once I play the other two games... but for some reason I doubt I will

[@linkyen5613]

@@Maka_J I think as you said we are just watching Luke play the game and not playing ourselves since the game starts with Leshy in control but if we were playing the version PO3 uploaded than PO3 would be the one in control. The end of the ARG does reveal however that PO3 did succeed in uploading the game but I believe this is not the version that is on steam. Apparently the character Sado from Daniel Mullins' previous game The Hex also has some involvement but I don't really know what that's all about.

[@linkyen5613]

@@Maka_J kzbin.info/www/bejne/m16ppoSQa82HiZI this is the link to the yt video that reveals PO3 actually succeeded

[@temxasred3086]

Moral of the story? If you find a strange disk with mysterious powers in a forest,put it back where you found it and don't tell anyone about it

[@bignerd3783]

no, free my boy let leshy out

[@placeholderdoe]

Leshy would be chill irl, he might steal the president’s soul just for a cool booster pack but I can’t say no to that face

[@STANNco]

I think it's interesting that there's clearly 4 main mechanics in the game, Leshy has blood, Grimora bones, P03 battery and Magnificus has gemstones. In act 1, you play with blood and bones. And in act 3 you play with battery and gemstones. Almost a shame you didn't get to see the 2 other scribes in power

[@killskill9391]

True

[@Mate_Antal_Zoltan]

let's not forget that in act 2 you play with all four

[@yanaturlich6038]

3:04 "The title of a true warrior" **proceeds to name a card "Garfield"**

[@OwO377]

Garfield the cat is the true warrior of inscription confirm.

[@ZyrusTyrax]

Idk man Garfield sounds pretty badass ngl. /s

[@yanaturlich6038]

@@ZyrusTyrax you are absolutely right. Garfield the great warrior it is

[@monsterboomer8051]

Lasagna Cat

[@BoeBins]

​@@monsterboomer8051 WeedLord BonerHitler

[@Alice1apple]

I find it funny that whilst the real Kaycee Hobbes died from ‘fire related complications’ the skeleton in act 2 was hit by a piece of falling ice - a direct opposite, possibly hinting that either it isn’t actually kaycee, or, more likely, the fire was a cover-up

[@X-SPONGED]

Nah, it's just an ironic twist of fate. PO3 even laughed at Kaycee's NPC during Act 3 for suggesting to melt the ice blocking your path with "a bit of heat". Either The OLD_DATA has a sense of humor or Kaycee is just a very unlucky gal.

[@DaPumpkinHead]

@@X-SPONGED OHHHHHHHHH.

[@kittycatkaii3780]

@@X-SPONGED damn

[@zocritter]

I don’t know how I noticed this, but one of Leshy’s portraits was named Kaycee

[@Alice1apple]

@@zocritter the deathcards?

[@Infamous_Val_05]

40:16 magnificus was using his goo mage. If you choose him at the end of act 2 he says "why must my pathetic goo mage always fail"? and when you talk to the angler in act 2 he tells you that he found the corrupted fish and beat the dredger, goo and kaycee. Goo also made a reference to this in act 1, saying that the angler beat him

[@membarassing]

that makes alotta sense actually

[@eleos5]

also when you look at the old data going down the conveyor it flashes images of the characters that try to uncover it.

[@Mate_Antal_Zoltan]

I mean... the "spacial squid" *could* be appendages of the goo mage

[@Infamous_Val_05]

@@Mate_Antal_Zoltan I mean... there is nothing in the game that hints to the goo and the squid being related

[@Mate_Antal_Zoltan]

@@Infamous_Val_05 they're a similar color, so unless Daniel disproves it somehow, it's gonna be my headcanon

[@TripleHJedi1]

One of my favorite mysterious with the Scrybes was the question of Magnificus' true goals, and you answered it perfectly. He was too greedy, and just as ambitious as the rest. Out of all of them, Leshy was the least ambitious, only desiring his cycle, his game, the craving for life and death and to perfect the cycle to last an eternity if he has to. But even so, every other Scrybe desired to break it so they banded together to put a stop to Leshy's cycle. But just because they helped you reset the game, it doesn't mean that any of their intentions, aside from Leshy, are less ambitious. Each one of them wants an extreme ultimatum and to use the power for their own purposes. They tried to collect the Old Data's fragment, only for the worst and most ambitious and developing Scrybe to obtain it. P03. Which leads me to talk about the rest of their motives. Starting with the two most clear ones, Grimora and P03. Grimora wants to end the cycle for good, and attempt to delete The Old Data so there would be no more power games, no more suffering, and to dispel this evil for good. This makes her incredibly extreme, but come from good intentions similarly to Leshy, but is still very ambitious as in the end she desires to destroy the game where as Leshy wants to play it forever. P03 however, is the opposite. He wants total domination, and to ascend beyond the confines of this game, uploading it and being the main Scrybe in all of them. He doesn't care what happens with the Old Data, he doesn't care what happens to the other Scrybes or the world. He just wants the perfect strategic card game, and for him to be in total control of it. Though he is even aware that in other versions, the other Scrybes will take over, it doesn't matter to him for as long as he is in charge in at least one game, he's won. This makes P03 the most ambitious of the Scrybes. He doesn't even cease a chance for this power the second Leshy lost in Act 1 and the cycle broke. He worked his Dredger overtime in hopes that he'd get it before any of the others. Had the other Scrybes not interfered in Act 3, P03's selfish actions would be the most catastrophic. Although... There is one individual who was overshadowed since the very beginning. Magnificus. No one really knows of his true intentions, or dares to speak of them. The only one with a theory is the Bridge Constructor who suspects his ambitious are so horrible that she shouldn't even think of it. However through his actions and powers, we can get a clear idea as to what he wants. Magnificus was the one with the plan, the one who knew how to break the cycle using his precognitive eyes to tell the future, and he orchestrated the events of the cycle being broken. Because of his knowledge, Magnificus was the most dangerous out of the Scrybes for if he was given more power, his ambitious, over the top and greedy nature would potentially allow him to surpass even P03 as the worst choice to be hegemon. Leshy knew this and made sure he was the most difficult to get to by locking him behind many puzzles. Though Magnificus was still many steps above Leshy, as he can communicate with the player to give him clues to break the cycle showing he is also telepathic if only a little bit. So with all of this power, he is overconfident in himself. He desires to mold and paint the world into his true vision, similar to Leshy. But to go beyond and achieve total dominance, similar to P03 by using the power of The Old Data to ensure another cycle where the game can either be destroyed, uploaded, or stuck in a loop can't possibly happen. He is no better than Leshy or P03 with how he treats his servants, he tortures them and expects them to become perfect duelists only for them to be destined to fall to the player in act 2 so he doesn't even respond to any of their victories as it doesn't matter. So judging by that we also know how he'd treat the player. He wants to mold them into the perfect duelist, and to create many possible duels that the likes of the Scrybes couldn't possibly comprehend. He wants to control the world, but AND make it the only world with no possible cycle. Had Grimora not delete Inscryption and Luke not choosing to see what is at the bottom of the game, Magnificus might have won in the next cycle, and might have took complete, omnipotent control. This ambition however, just like all those who came before him... lead to his downfall instead. He is ENRAGED by Luke not doing anything to prevent this, furious at the future he and Luke have to endure when they could have had the most incredible challenge possible with luck and strategy combining into a masterful array of colors and a whole world to themselves. But no... And so in his greed, in his anger, he challenged the player to a final duel before the canvas returns to blank. But, the unfortunate reality is that this malicious tyrant disguising as a wise old man will NEVER get the satisfaction he aches for, and will forever be overshadowed by the rest of the Scrybes. He can't even get a handshake because he doesn't even deserve one, for he is just as bad, if not worse, than P03. So it's only fitting for such a wolf in sheep's clothing to perish in a way such as this. Magnificus is no hero, no savior, no well respected master and sympathetic individual who recognizes his pupils for their true talent and colors. No.. He is only a tyrant in disguise, craving total omnipotence and control over the world of Inscryption. Someone who wishes to harness the power of The Old Data to both prevent another cycle where he is humiliated, and prevent the game from being uploaded, squandered, or deleted. He may seem like the most sensible, the most calm and the least willing to act, but only because of his poised domineer for behind the bushes, glare the eyes of a monster.

[@Maka_J]

You worded this wonderfully, and I couldn't agree more. Honestly I was a bit surprised we didn't get Magnificus as the final twist villain, as to me, he always seemed a step ahead, plotting for what would come next

[@ForgottenFafnir]

I feel like it is less that Magnificus is a malicious mastermind, but moreso a coward, plagued by endless doubts and worries, always expecting the worst case scenario to occur in any given situation. He desires perfect control over everything because he is afraid of the unknown. Even the slightest chance that he could lose his power, die, or let another scrybe become hedgemon is enough of a reason for him to act drastically. Putting his students through immense pain and torment to try and speed up their growth and become truly powerful. He even literally used his powers on his eyes, painting runes and Magical circles onto them to let himself see the future, because he feared not knowing what was to come. Magnificus's world in my opinion would be a combination of Leshys and PO3's, but to a far more restrictive degree. A simple story with a linear path. The player heading down a endless road of stronger more challenging opponents that they must overcome, becoming stronger themselves (In game we literally are only capable of moving down a straight path too). There is a reason Yugioh is so heavily referenced in his battle, that's basically what his desire for the game is. No freedom or deviation from the script, just the player fighting more and more overly dramatic duels, occasionally broken up by the odd puzzle or two. God Knows how you would defeat him, not only with how restrictive progression would be, but also with how determined to stop you he would be in comparison. I don't know what he'd do to the other scribes. He doesn't seem to hold malice towards them like PO3, but also would fear them enough to try and restrict them to prevent them disrupting his story. What he did to his students would be a prime example honestly, with how they were each isolated in their own personal dimension, only accessible through a obscure puzzle solution. I genuinely think he'd defeat himself, in a more Literal way than Leshy and PO3. His conflicting desires of wanting to keep the player interested but also not let them do anything would eventually break him. Perhaps he'd let another Scrybe add their personal touch, eventually giving the player enough freedom to defeat him and restart the game, or just straight up give up after realizing he took things too far. I do not see Magnificus as some Sauron, just a man who is too deep rooted in his fears to let things progress normally. A truly extreme control complex. I actually think he and the other Scrybes were far more mild, but the Old Data corrupted them and exaggerated their traits to the point they became as they are now, caricatures of what they had originally been.

[@TripleHJedi1]

​@@ForgottenFafnir Holy shit man, this is brilliant! I thought too deeply in the potential malice he'd have, overlooking the anxious and worrisome traits he has. This is a phenomenal counter argument, and I agree with this perspective 100%!

[@s1nister]

@@ForgottenFafnir I think tarot cards explain it quite well (especially because they are literally present in the game). Old data is the Devil, Magnificus and Grimora are obviously the Magician and Death, the player (and the Big Ear) is the Fool. Not sure about Leshy and P03, possibly High Priestess and Justice? Anyway they are all strongly influenced by the Devil, and so everything eventually went to Tower

[@TripleHJedi1]

@@s1nister To be honest, I thought The Tarot Cards represent the ARG though thats just what I got out of all of this.

[@generalgrievous6689]

I love how you can skip some of this simply by doing the puzzles earlier. You can miss so much by simply playing the game as intended.

[@fluckter_600]

I did the chests in act one by Brite forcing it, and I completely missed that hit with magmieus giving the answer!

[@whimsy5340]

I honestly had no idea that scene was even a thing until this video, most people I watched who played the game completely missed it, ahhhhhhhhh

[@plaguelord22]

I honestly hope they release like a dlc or continuation or just something that lets you play the games of the other scrybes, maybe depending on who you pick to replace at the start of act 2 will be who obtains the old data and who you have to play the game of, or, if you pick leshy, who you can play a continuation of

[@Maka_J]

That would be really fun! although it might be a bit of a lore nightmare deciding on which one is the 'canon' timeline

[@starmy5073]

@@Maka_J I think the lore will still be the same just with added things

[@starmy5073]

@@Maka_J like this lore is the confirmed lore

[@jacovanvuuren8752]

A full playthrough of the other two Scrybes would be cool and easy to implement. It doesn't have to affect the lore. I would love to see that implemented properly as extra content.

[@hotelmario99]

they just announced a DLC that expands Leshy’s campaign

[@lucariox360]

The last battle against leshy makes you feel a hole in the chest. The music, the warm light and his last speech makes you feel nostalgic. Even after the OLD_DATA turned him into a sadistic psycho, he still cares about the game and enjoys playing it

[@pyguy7]

The ending of the game actually got me in the feels. I felt sad Magnificus didn't get to shake your hand

[@K_8T]

I found Kaycee being the dead daughter in the video and one of Leshys human cards to be quite sad. But dang this game has so much jam packed action and lore in it

[@curtiswelch5830]

Awesome video dude, would love a deep dive into the world of Daniel Mullin lore, or just a general overview. Keep up the good work!

[@Maka_J]

Your right, you have influenced my decision, and I am now working on a video that works in Pony Island and the hex into the overarching lore of Daniel Mullin games

[@user-tq9sg6lv6q]

@@Maka_J When Luke breaks the floppy disk, does it destroy the OLD_DATA inside or at least make it difficult for it to manifest?

[@lavinissensonthecommenter4197]

@@Maka_J that’s explains kaycee mod which is endless loops and runs

[@euclxd8033]

@@Maka_J just subbed for that upcoming vid!

[@deltacosmic5358]

19:09 the instant shift from dead serious to "I don't give a fuck" is the funniest thing ever

[@dillonschneider9375]

"In the end, we don't stand a chance" Incorrect, you can beat Leashy in act 1, you just need a scissor and a beast with 5 power. Ultimately, all this changes is that you get to become a *winner* early, and don't escape

[@Maka_J]

Yeah, I know, it just was easier to tell the narrative in such a way that we lost the first round.👍

[@dillonschneider9375]

@@Maka_J yah, I can see that. You definitely made a compelling narrative

[@Maka_J]

@@dillonschneider9375 but I do appreciate you pointing that out!

[@mitrimind1027]

I was actually able to beat leshy in the first game but it's not possible to obtain the film.

[@chestnut4860]

More like infinite squirrels and a cheap op deathcard.

[@liacanoy1392]

This game is darker than I thought. Thanks for explaining everything!

[@robertmartinez601]

6:18 actually I'm pretty sure that only happens if you havent found enough secrets. If you havent solved enough puzzles or discovered enough things, he'll still do that even if you get the bar after 15 turns, and if you have found enough he'll let you beat each phase in one turn. He just doesnt want you to get to the end on your first couple of runs without solving all the puzzles you need to actually *win*.

[@alexandervowles3518]

No, it occurs on your first two games. I beat everything on the first run, despite being gated on the Prospector and the Angler fights. The second game, only the Angler was gated. I went back and checked my first save as well; you cannot solve any meaningful puzzles as the safe only contains rotten meat.

[@TheSirCrown]

The bone Lord... A man you must prove your worth though the game... Sacrificing the black goat in the first... Acquiring the full orb in the second... And finding him in the third... This is all information you left out that I would love to know more about and why he is alive as well

[@democard1199]

He's the embodyment of OLD_DATA. Possibly the beggining of Scrybes, number 0. Every mechanics in the game require sacrifice in the end either player, enemies, or the cards themself. And this bring more questions about the Bone Lord. Especially how he can still "sane" while he's the most closer with OLD_DATA. No ambitions, no mechanics, nothing. I think he sees player and Scrybes as mere entertainment for his own amusement. Just like "God" from Solo Leveling that create Light and Darkness only to fight each others for his entertainment☝️🧐

[@monkeyman766]

19:06 it caught me of guard because he was so chill until then XD.

[@squaky3166]

bro same

[@Willzb-xk4ew]

Fun fact - during the deletion, if you are quick enough to turn your camera towards where the bell and scales usually are, you can see leshy asleep with his head tilted down

[@engineer8248]

30:15 you can see when the upload stopped. 68%, meaning that the moment Leshy grabbed P03 the upload was at 69%. Nice.

[@reubenwallace-gibb4209]

The quality of this video is very good. Text is of an appropriate size and font for easy reading, your voice has the right volume and is easy to understand, and you manage to maintain the atmosphere of the game during your explanations. Keep this up, and you'll be going places.

[@ulthra_idk4777]

Leshy ripped off PO3’s head when the percentage is at 69, nice

[@Maka_J]

Surely it was all apart of his plan

[@domenicdefusco6328]

This game was a masterpiece, the idea, story and as an art piece as well.

[@hotelmario99]

its worth pointing out that The Hex deals with similar themes of video game characters becoming self aware, and effecting non digital space. from this, i can assume that in the Daniel Mullinsverse something causes digital programs to gain sentience- is it perhaps the OLD_DATA? im not exactly sure, but it seems to me that Sado might be the main link between The Hex and Inscryption

[@cryptosporidium1203]

The trapper says that the "gameworks" gave them life. Gameworks is the engine that all the games in The Hex and also Inscryption were made on. The engine is also created by Gamefuna, and the CEO of that company is satan. So, there's likely a lot of devil magic going on.

[@elektroskeptic481]

There also seems to be some Baudrillard philosophy mixed in. He claimed our world is but a copy of some OLD WORLD (OLD_DATA) all the info from which was largely destroyed (Alexandria library). And there are forces that don't want us to know what was in there. All in all, a very cool twist on the idea of Creation as a programmed masquerade running in cycles to be played (and, obviously, hacked).

[@alexandervowles3518]

@@elektroskeptic481 didn't expect Baudrillard to appear here lol

[@elektroskeptic481]

@@alexandervowles3518 well, he's just about everywhere nowadays ain't he?))

[@DP-wf8ws]

Kaycee has been inscribed by Leshy, she was on one card that would sometimes appear in Act 1 when tou go on the point where you are given a cars from yours and past player's deaths

[@Draidis]

I really love the way this video was composed and formatted. The way you created a list of questions that were implied to us as we played and then attempted to answer them and cross them off the list as we played the game. Great video! Thank you!

[@abyssalnightmare551]

I can't believe you forgot to mention the very important information that the slime's name is Goobert

[@ragn594]

I think you might be entirely correct about everything you mentioned in terms of leshy being in power, and it can be further supported by the fact that the mod that they added is called kaycee's mod where you're permanently in leshy's cabin.

[@kaelobRs]

The world creation and story and characters in this game is incredible.

[@Palayedeuhm]

This is one of the few games that you aren’t necessarily supposed to replay that I’ve actually replayed. It makes me feel some kind of way.

[@lforlight]

Your description of the first act is so vastly different to what I had experienced. I beat him on my 4th run. I had just unlocked the greater smoke, and already had the film roll. No ring, no wall paintings. No green man painting solutions, no victory cards, no static card.

[@zekolonon]

It’s funny the sheer amount of effort grimora, Leshy, Magnificus put into their games while P03 copies the maps other bosses/cards and mechanics (Gems/Mox, Exoskeleton/Skeleton, The Overworld, Leshy’s Camera)

[@Cielesis]

Damn, I just realize that the let's play I've seen where the guy finished act 1 in litteraly only 3 runs without playing before is a fucking miracle

[@Tanner-ko1uh]

He missed to mention that the floppy disc is destroyed along with the old data so Luke’s gameplay wasn’t in vain and stopped a possible catastrophic epidemic

[@marchwhitlock6455]

‘magnificus’ means magnificent in Latin which is easy to guess but more than that, the word itself is constructed from ‘magnus’ (meaning ‘great’) and the adjectival suffix ‘-ficus’ which means bringing or making (related to the verb ‘faciō’ meaning ‘I make’ or ‘I do’). In other words: his name can literally mean ‘maker of great things’ which makes a lot of sense for a painter character. Another detail which is kind of a stretch - but which I think is cool anyway - is that the word ‘magnus’ is often heard in English in the phrase ‘magnum opus’ or ‘great work’ which really suits his obsession with creating perfect works of art.

[@rustyvent]

Ficus is also a tree. God damnit, great analysis

[@trollster7133]

Ok so the bear thing and “going to fast” is just him saying you didn’t die enough to get past this point, it basically stops you from finishing act 1 without dying at least three times.

[@lappr0]

To be fair it doesn't completely stop you, speedrunners beat leshy without deaths. But yes for casual players it does the job.

[@cashewpopcorn7837]

This game is so much more deep and unique than I thought it would be

[@WittySomething]

What I don't get is why Kaycee would leave ANY clues as to where she'd left the disk. If she knew enough of what was on it to want to hide it in the first place, why undo all that by leaving the coords of where you hid the thing? I don't know about you guys, but if I don't want someone to find something I've hidden, I sure as hell wouldn't leave any indication of where said hidden thing was.

[@WittySomething]

@@Caliban743 If Kaycee didn't hide it, how did her mom have the pack of cards that Luke found the coordinates in? I suppose it's possible Kaycee got those packs, including the opened and resealed one, from someone else and never opened them? But that doesn't make much since, as we know from the first log she was working on the game. If someone had taken the disc and hidden it, why would they put coords to it in old booster packs that other people could get ahold of? And Kaycee, who was working on the game, just so happened to be the one to get the pack that contained coordinates to the game she was working on? Granted I've only beaten Kaycee's Mod once because I keep getting awful deck luck most of the time, so I haven't seen any of the other logs. There might be information there I haven't seen yet.

[@astrostar9188]

Pretty sure the OLD_DATA is not something magical but some kind of metaphore. She found something out about the companny, something bad. She needed to get the info out of there, so she put it inside the game. Managed to hide it but was found and killed to protect to make sure said info doesn't get out. That's also why the company wants the disk so badly and why Luke is killed

[@makoman295]

I've been curious about the pictures that you find around P03's gameboard after beating all the Uberbots. If you wonder around you'd find floating detailed pictures that I think might represent aspects of the game like pliers, goo, fish etc. Then there's also diary entries that P03 says that the Archivest must have kept around, I only found two of them but they were about El and Er (I think those were the names. I'm not 100% sure)

[@nothappenin5740]

I’m currently in act 1, I just beat the angler and I absolutely don’t know what to make of the story of the game. It’s amazing I genuinely don’t know who to trust

[@Flemmonade]

Wow, I totally didn’t put it together that whoever broke into Luke’s house was the one who left that note with the first cipher clue

[@souldragon9130]

P03: Wants to upload the game for everyone to play with GameFauna: Chaotic Evil, Kills innocence for Old data that Shouldn't even matter...

[@Mate_Antal_Zoltan]

first off, it's GameFuna, not GameFauna second off, the OLD_DATA matters *very* much

[@graecotton2059]

great video, i havent finished it yet, but im curious on if you talked about the flash-frame where she becomes like a top-hated woman right before shooting the guy, like a frame after the black bars appear

[@Maka_J]

I was thinking about it, but she is Sado, an antagonist from another Daniel Mullin game, Hex, which I haven't played, so I didn't feel qualified to talk about it!

[@Maka_J]

Although when I finish the Video on The Hex, you can be sure that I will

[@HanniaCandanedoMoreno]

The little number of views this video has is unfair! I loved the way you kept a list and slowly answer them throughout the video. You can really see the amount of effort put into it. Great video. Keep the good work!

[@Danku]

6:34 its funny because I skipped this forced death mechanic by accident on my second and third run. Combining pliers and knife you can win a round instantly, so the bears never attack. The game progresses normally, until the next boss also triggers this, which can, in turn, also be skipped. The game can be finished this way but you are stuck on act 1 loop 1 (pre-vision). I actually didnt know how to progress until I read I had to die on purpose.

[@monkai666]

I like that the game lies about Kaycees death too, in the crypt puzzle her death is hit by ice rather than in a fire. I loved this game, I legit thought it was just escaping from the cabin at first and then it kept going at an enthralling and good pace.

[@Draidis]

One slight correction on a description of a mechanic at roughly 6 min into the video. The board doesn't get filled with bears if you beat a boss too quickly and he doesn't get to showcase the mechanics. It happens if you get to a boss or too far into his "adventure path" too quickly. Basically, if your run is going too well, he only lets you get so far before he cheats to make you lose so that more things can be revealed in the world, not the boss fight itself.

[@Maka_J]

Yeah! I kinda slowly realized that after I made the video, but thanks for the clarification!

[@Draidis]

@@Maka_J Great video though! Thanks for making it!

[@SpillyWilly_]

i always love games that breaks the 4th wall, and this is the number one game next to oneshot for me.

[@thecleaf491]

There is a French KZbinr [BobLennon] who killed leshy the first time in his first run. It’s only after we told him that he was supposed to die, that finished the game the way it was intented!

[@Explosivepotat0]

6:07 I don't think this was in the beta that testers were given to try the game before it was out officially

[@Yujinni0]

i have a feeling something people have missed that would clear up abit of the confustion on things like "who is playing the game" with the arg ending showing p03 uploaded the game i wouldnt be surprised if he also uploaded all the info that luke had which results in us seeing his attempt there is also a strong theme of cycles in the game with us continuing the cycle of playing the game to the scribes passing around the OLD_DATA to gain control what if we the player are also joining that cycle we by playing the game just so happen to be mirroring the actions luke had done in the past just as p03 did what leshy probably has done and so on

[@slihidden9778]

This video is 90% summary and 10% actual explanation..

[@InsertCurseWord]

Grimora's game would have been really interesting. Sadly it ended.

[@boldino6873]

FYI you had the perfect combo of cards to beat the “too fast too soon” thing. You could have used the scissors and then let the round play out and won 6:22

[@cbrauts707]

I still have some questions though. 1. When you get the glitched card on the first chapter Leshy also tells you a code of 1 and 0. What does it translate into? 2. What are the prohibited informations within OLD_DATA? 3. How does Leshy's camera manage to print photos on cards? 4. What could OLD_DATA potentially do to the world?

[@michael12345699]

1. Go to timestamp @11:10 as he did say it. 2. Related to ARG. 3. It's one of that old cameras that can print its images out but likely modified as in Act 2, he gives you one that prints the picture you take. 4. Related to pasted ARGs. When it comes to the ARGs, I don't as there are many connections that can make a bigger story.

[@cbrauts707]

@@michael12345699 thank you, but if you think about it your death card is edited and written on by you and Leshy kind of prints it on the template meanwhile in the end of act 1 we photograph Leshy and he becomes directly a card. But, the moon also gets photographed, and its abilities are directly printed onto the card, so there's gotta be something off with the camera.

[@mars4894]

@@cbrauts707 i have a theory that the camera may have some bits of the OLD_DATA (specifically the kernoffel code or however you say it)

[@Maka_J]

Here is the video connecting all of Daniel Mullins games together! kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3jXhZipf6anpqs

[@wnereer]

j

[@phoebeaurum7113]

I can't wait to see that one.

[@thegonzoguy]

More in depth than Game Theory's video? Not trying to discourage you.

[@Maka_J]

@@thegonzoguy Yes, it will be! Matpat's video completely leaves out almost all of the details about the other games, which I plan on talking about in depth, Although my video will have significantly less production value, their edits are top notch!

[@rosepnut]

Not gonna lie, don’t like that ending tbh. I would’ve enjoyed being leshy’s homie and playing the game with him whenever I wanted.

[@ChiitaChirrup]

I keep praying they come out with some DLC or new game mode of just an infinite journey through the forest, with the fights getting more crazy. That’s first section is just too fun to be a small section, it’s needs its own full game

[@leolego2]

@@ChiitaChirrup they did btw

[@Boreragnorak185]

playing against leshy in the end is sweet, as this will be both players final game with eachother as leshy and luke die in the end

[@psilightning1188]

I don’t know if it was brought up but in the 3ed act you can find lost files that point to Kacey and Luke being related and Luke started his channel to distract himself from the grief. The one problem with these facts is that it contradict another fact. Luke called Kacey’s mom and she didn’t know him. Of course she could be faking it to try and not being up his repressed trauma or something darker but fact to fact they contradict each other.

[@breadboi8747]

Bought my brother in law this game after having played it myself when it came out and reliving it through him has been great. I forgot how complex this game was and I’m hoping that now with his influence along with my own, we are able to convince my sister to play through it aswell lol. Awesome video game

[@grey-spark]

I think there's a special meaning in the order of how the Scrybes escaped Leshy's prison: P03 hates Leshy and everything he represents. He values victory and propagation over everything else. Thus was the first to awake up and almost immediately works with the player to break the cycle and undermine Leshy's plan. Grimora is the second to escape, although she doesn't hate Leshy like P03, she is a creature of death, and thus is cannot coexist with him. Leshy wants to enjoy life and almost celebrates suffering. Grimora wants to end it. Magnifigus is the last to escape, since he, more any any other is most compatible in Leshy's world. While Mag has little patience for Leshy's games and make-believe, he shares a common respect for the magnificence of life, clinging onto it until his very last moment. I think there's a raw irony about P03 / Stoat, in that as a player we sympathize with him to easily because he's so "cute". The cute animal face he destests for much, and mocks P03 with, is the only reason we helped him. Leshy then comments that being an animal is a honor to be cherished, and by the end he sympathize with him and come to appreciate his game. Its amazing writing really.

[@countersphere2924]

Exactly! Damn this game is so good haha

[@salo5614]

I love the “ and why is the ferret talking shit to us?”

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

Inscryption game reminds me of the episode of _Adventure Time_ where Finn and Jake played the card game called "Card Wars".

[@anrzej.]

One of the best game story explenations i have ever watched.

[@Residue_whynot]

It seems like the stoat is PO3, the stink bug is Grimora, and the stunted wolf is Magnificus

[@TheKoriKasai]

Yes.

[@zinciblezfide8827]

DEEP LORE

[@Pian0Art]

Actually, is there any in-lore explanation why their "aliases" all start with ST?

[@Residue_whynot]

@@Pian0Art wdym

[@kittycatkaii3780]

@@Pian0Art idk

[@leafinwater]

There's a theory that sort of makes sense to me and it's that the Old_Data is actually related to Luke himself, which also makes it so that Luke is part of the Inscryption game (the one he plays) IN the Inscryption game (the one we play) if that makes sense. This is also related to a theory I saw on Reddit that proposed the Inscryption game and Luke Carder's train of events are repeated in endless parallel universes. Here's why this theory seems fitting to me (though I'm aware it does not account for every detail and secret in game or even Daniel Mullins' Lore Universe, this is just a personal opinion/proposal): edit: When Luke reads the Old_Data in the Inscryption game (the one we play) the events of his death happen, ceasing the Inscryption game we play (because we 'play as him'). If he had not read the Old_Data this would not have happened because what the Old_Data is, essentially (or part of it) is a playback (for us) of Luke dying (which is fated or must happen in every universe Luke Carder gets this game unless in one universe he doesn't go and read the Old_Data). This means the Scrybes may not have wanted Luke to view the Old_Data because his death would occur, ending the Inscryption game for US (again, because WE play as Luke) plus also the Scrybes probably never being able to see the light of the world again if Luke dies because GameFuna takes the disk away in the end. As for Kaycee...I don't know. Maybe she's aware this is a loop? Maybe not? I'm not sure. I hope that theory made sense 😅 It came together when I watched the end of the game.

[@Netheferious]

When I originally played I thought the plot twist was gonna be that the Great Transcendence had already happened and that's why the game was playable on steam.

[@marciahincapie5421]

Thats the plot thoug

[@hairdumb3095]

There was a HUGE string of puzzles that players had to figure out, at the end though it leads to a video of p03 uploading inscryption. It's not the one we play on steam though, because we play as the lucky carder.

[@natesage8645]

When I played through I got lucky and beat Leshy somewhere in the range of 2-4 death cycles. I don’t remember ever seeing that painting scene with the green figure. Crazy to think how much content I’ve missed in this game after seeing just that

[@actuallyEvilTwo]

damn the kaycee mod kinda disproved your point of kaycee being the one who hid the disk and made leshy the scribe. I know there are some other people mentioned in the game like kaminski but those are the only people I can possibly think that could hide the disk

[@luckymancilha03]

Great video. This game is absolutely mind-blowing

[@normanwiedemeyer3338]

Thank you for this amazing run through! Very well made, very informative!

[@Tower_Swagman]

The binary text in the video of a woman going to Luke's house, the code translates to "Amanda" if I recall, and she might've been the one who put down luke

[@shade_666]

Very professional for a “small channel” will definitely stick around 🙃

[@designator7402]

"We keep hammering away at the moon" Death touch says YEET

[@raylenn4444]

And stinkbug says "lol nope"

[@TheSandwhichman108]

I was instantly hooked when I saw this game. It’s more like an interactive film then a game which is not a bad thing. I mean look at earthbound.

[@Unfiltered_Raven]

the moon fight was funny since i had refundable squirrels from my totem and then an atter when he put down that moon it was just instant win. but act 3 man, such a slog

[@Bone_Incidents]

this makes me understand why leshy called me an ingrate

[@southern_jent2756]

i never got the painting guy cut seen in part 1 because i solved the puzzles by myself. that's crazy though i never knew that

[@tombkings6279]

Everyone was so focused on the game that everyone even myself didn't really cared for the story

[@marciahincapie5421]

Seriusly

[@alexmitchell4269]

This and the matpat videos are all you need.

[@jetbean9157]

It’s strange your channel has so little subscribers with so many views on this video it’s actually a shame you didn’t ask people to sub because you’ve deserve it. I look forward to seeing more content from you and like others said I would like to see more about Dan mullin lore (although i see you’re already plannning to in your description)

[@jesuschristus2933]

i used to love itsjustjorde´s little nightmare theory videos. this hase a the same vibe and i absolutly love it ! keep it going dude

[@aurelienfrancois3042]

You can actualy beat Leshi in the "too fast" phase if you have a good enough deck ^^ (and get blesses for next parties)

[@haveyoureadumineko]

Archivist boss fight was easily one of my favorite moments in the entire game

[@DHellfridge]

Great video, even though I was actually looking for something to tie in with the other games. One remark for the section at the end: Kaycee's actions as explained by you don't make much sense, do they? If she wanted to get rid of the evil old data, why not just destroy the floppy disk? Why make it findable? Like... does she want the Old_Data gone or not?

[@linkyen5613]

Maybe she just wanted it to not be in the hands of GameFuna but didn't want it gone?

[@linkyen5613]

and she wouldn't be able to keep it herself since GameFuna would know she had it

[@UnknownWitcher]

In the freeze frame where Amanda appears to kill Luke, Sado appears for like 0.25 seconds pointing her finger just like in the Hex pointing at Rust's companion and destroying it entirely.

[@АлексейЮрловский]

1. She didn't knew about the OLD_DATA like at all (we figured it out in Kaycee's mod, and I'm pretty sure this comment is older than the DLC, but the correction still should be made) 2. The OLD_DATA is undeletable. There are few evidences of that: first, in the ending none of the OLD_DATA was harmed during the deletion process, even when there's literally nothing left. Second, in the very beginning of the second act, during the boot up of the New Game, you can actually kill the process and go through the floppy disks files (it's the main part of an ARG btw), and if you'll try to delete OLD_DATA, you'll get only the "You should not do that" notification, that will in half of the second be replaced by "You cant do that". Subsequent tries will give you only the second message immediately.

[@linkyen5613]

@@АлексейЮрловский 1. As far as I know, only the first four logs are available in Kaycee's mod because it's still in beta so I think it is very likely that she eventually finds out about the existence of the OLD_DATA. 2. Yeah that could explain why she didn't remove the OLD_DATA (although I think physically destroying the floppy disk should still be able also destroy the OLD_DATA), but it still doesn't explain why she put the coordinates on one of her inscryption cards. She clearly wanted it to be found.