ARG Recap

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Inscryption ARG Recap

By Jeck0_0

Credits:

Public Secret Finding Document by Gli7ch

Private Secret Finding Document by 9802

DaBigKahuna’s Big Ol’ Catch-Me-Up Inscryption Guide by DaBigKahuna

Special thanks to Cyantist#0402 for carrying the ARG

Huge thanks to them and the discord community.

I only reorganized content from those documents after the ARG was over.

Other Daniel Mullins ARGs

Inscryption Console ARG (canon)

GameFuna ARG (discord ARG)

Kaycee's Mod ARG (discord ARG)

Pony Island 9th anniversary ARG (discord ARG)

If you are on Mobile

Click the three dots in the top right corner and make sure Print Layout is ON

Walkthrough video by Flemmonade: The Inscryption ARG: What is the K̵̘̈́a̵̛̮ŕ̵̩n̴̆͜ó̸̗f̴̻̀f̷̞̃ě̶̻l̷̩̍ ̶͈̒C̷̢̍ō̸͖d̶̗̂è̵̲?

Spanish translation: INSCRYPTION ARG (EN ESPAÑOL) by elalmuado98

Cool analysis of Daniel Mullins’ games: Daniel Mullins: An Exhaustive Analysis

Official Daniel Mullins Discord server:

https://discord.gg/danielmullinsgames

-> SPOILERS FOR THE GAME AHEAD <-

(obviously)

Secret Command Console

When loading into a new game as a command prompt appears loading it, you can press CTRL+C to interrupt it and open a usable command line interface.

You can use any command you want (command list below) to navigate the in-game system.
Typing “cd OLD_DATA” and then “ls” will print a list of the files in the OLD_DATA.

Many of the files are unable to be displayed since they are images and the console is only a text interface. (you can see the images here though)
“log.txt” can be opened but is encoded into random gibberish. Using the “decode” command, you can discover what is actually written. But it will require a cipher to decode. It’s divided in 4 parts, each with a different cipher.

Each step requires you to decode with the cipher, then “save” the “log.txt” followed by decoding with the next cipher code. Then decoding and saving it again, revealing it piece by piece.

Command List:

help shows a list of the available commands
ls shows a list of files inside the current folder
cd [folder] open subfolder (or go up one folder with “cd ..”)
open [file] shows the content of the file
rm [file] deletes the file
echo [message] repeats the [message]
decode [file] decodes an encrypted file (e.g. log.txt). It will ask for a cipher
save [file] saves an edited file (e.g. decoded log.txt)
Secret commands (easter eggs from other Daniel Mullins games):

lionel.exe returns Go fish. (select the gray box to read)
sarsaparilla returns Lionel wanted this. (select the gray box to read)
ponies returns Wrong game. (select the gray box to read)

[ Part 2 map (completely unrelated but might be useful idk) ]

Cipher Code 1

MYCOLOG1ST12|P3RHAPS??|BLOOD$L3TT3R8OX

(unrelated note: the numbers in the code add up to 69, nice)

Code found in the second to last video entry in Act 3.

This kind of code has been used before in another Daniel Mullins ARG, The Hex, so we knew that the format would use three strings separated by | marks:

MYCOLOG1ST12
P3RHAPS??
BLOOD$L3TT3R8OX

It’s used to decrypt log.txt for new clues, but each part of the code has to be solved first.

[1.1] MYCOLOG1ST12|P3RHAPS??|BLOOD$L3TT3R8OX

This code can be interpreted as Mycologist 12.
There is a secret Mycologist boss in Part 3

Here’s a save file just before the bossfight: [Download]

After you win, the Mycologists combine two cards to make a card with a new name “9182344890109280129” which they refer to as a fragment of the old_data.

There is a png with the same name in the OLD_DATA folder.

The second part of the clue is the “12”. This means we need to take the first 12 characters of the card’s name.

And that’s the solution of the first part of the cipher

Solved Code: 918234489010

[1.2] MYCOLOG1ST12|P3RHAPS??|BLOOD$L3TT3R8OX

Found inside the credits, there is a credit for a Beeper asset by Louis Nathas. The link for the asset is not a valid link.

Lou Natas is the name of the GameFuna CEO (known from The Hex)

Natas is Satan backwards with “Lou” possibly being short for Lucifer.
This would also confirm Louis (4th death card already present in Inscryption) to be Lou Natas.
This is related to lines in both Pony Island and The Hex, “A Beeper Perhaps?”.

Inside the link, a string of numbers can be seen after the asset name and before “??”. The number of characters is the same number of characters as the clue.

Solved Code: 8339344??

[1.3] MYCOLOG1ST12|P3RHAPS??|BLOOD$L3TT3R8OX

This code can be interpreted as Blood Letterbox.
By setting your screen into a letterbox mode (4:3 resolution), you can see extra text in the Bone Lord Cutscene in Part 3.
This extra text is the code. (8043!$702D!!$666)

Text is “Bone Lord 666” in leet speak

Solved Code: 8043!$702D!!$666

<- Part 2 bonelord

Part 3 bonelord

(letterbox resolution)

MYCOLOG1ST12|P3RHAPS??|BLOOD$L3TT3R8OX

Solution:

918234489010|8339344??|8043!$702D!!$666

log.txt Decoded #1

Cipher 1: 918234489010|8339344??|8043!$702D!!$666

To use it:

Go in the in-game console (Ctrl+C while starting act 2)
Type the following commands:

cd OLD_DATA
open log.txt
decode log.txt

Type the cipher: 918234489010|8339344??|8043!$702D!!$666

save log.txt

[Discord chat link when this was found]

Raw text:

[1c] Yeah, it did. Poor old Barry Wilkinson (a.k.a. Big <SE:167B> Ear) was imprisoned literally hours after these words were written to the<P:TRU|23K> disk. He did eventually get back to the states but I have not had any luck conta<2F!00R|ARCH>cting him... There are actually a shit ton of Barry Wilkinsons! And it might not even be his real name...

[2c] Eureka! That explains so much actually. I could not figure out why this disk would be tossed into a crate with a bunch of blan<IV$NE>k ones. Barry's plan to smuggle it out this way seems contrived at best, but I can't imagine the pressure he was under over there.

[3c] Indeed, Barry, indeed.

[4c] Fuck you too Mr. Kaminski! They never told us that.

[5c] Yes, he is equally an<W#GAME?>gry in person.

Combined unusual text: SE:167BP:TRU|23K2F!00R|ARCHIV$NEW#GAME?

Cipher Code 2

SE:167BP:TRU|23K2F!00R|ARCHIV$NEW#GAME?

By taking the unusual text from the first cipher’s decoded log, we have found 3 more clues.

[2.1] SE:167BP:TRU|23K2F!00R|ARCHIV$NEW#GAME?

The clue can be interpreted as StoryEvent:167 BonelordPuzzle:true
Story events can be added by editing the SaveFile.gwsave

Be in Act 1
Open SaveFile.gwsave with any text editor

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Inscryption

Find “storyEvents”
You need to add 167 to the “$rcontent” list. Make sure there is a comma between it and the number before it. And increment the “$rlength” by 1.

→

“BP” refers to the Bonelord Puzzle and it has to be active. Meaning the Bonelord’s skull has to be visible in the room.
Getting up from the table triggers the following picture.

Code: IAMLRNED2MCH

[2.2] SE:167BP:TRU|23K2F!00R|ARCHIV$NEW#GAME?

“23K2” matches up with a series of sticky notes on Luke’s computer in one of the videos from part 2. Except the 2 are replaced by pig faces.

2 in Karnoffel is called a Pig. This refers to Daus (deuce), calling out the card with the same name.
3 refers to the Mantis God because it is the only card with a tri-attack
K refers to the King which is equivalent to the Rat King card.

By playing the cards that the clue is referring to in the given order, their names change to “S”, “T”, “O”, and “P”. This makes “STOP” the first part of the code.

Here’s a save file with only the needed cards in the deck

…

As for the “F!00R” part, the solution was initially found in an unintended (but cooler) way

How it was initially found:

In the same video as above, there was a sticky note with “M!RROR RORR!M”. “F!00R” reversed becomes “R00!F”.
Looking at the leshy’s house in Part 2, you can see the safe code and holes in the shack’s rooftop. By using the number of holes as numbers, you can make the code “27341”.

But it was later(~22/12/2021) found out that the real solution to this was hidden in the game file assets for the floor textures, and the holes in Leshy’s roof were just a coincidence.

Here’s a video on how to find the answer the way it was intended to (made by the guy who discovered it): Inscryption ARG Update: The Real Solution Nobody Found

(I summarized it in the next page)

How it was supposed to be found:

You can access all original file assets datamining the game (there are a couple of tools to do that easily for Unity games, such as AssetStudio)
Some floor assets have hidden numbers in the normals texture (the ones that make 2d images look 3d):

[part 1] 2 - Leshy’s cabin floor (woodenFloor_normals.png)
[part 2] 7 - Mycologist hut floor (mycologist_hut_floor.png)

This one is not a normals texture because Act 2 is 2D

[part 3] 3 - P03’s floor (Metal_plate_003_NRM.png)
[finale] 4 - Grimora’s crypt floor (Rough_rock_003_NRM.png)
[finale] 1 - Magnificus’ floor (Pavement_Brick_002_NRM.png)

None of these are visible in-game (because they’re too small)

Floor texture | Floor Normal | Floor Normal (zoomed in)

Code: STOP27341

[2.3] SE:167BP:TRU|23K2F!00R|ARCHIV$NEW#GAME?

Can be interpreted as Archivist New Game. These are two separate clues.
“Archivist” refers to the Archivist.zip Boss. During its fight, the music has a beeping morse code hidden in it.

The morse code translates to “BIGEAR”
Here’s a save file just before the archivist boss fight

“NEW#GAME” refers to the New Game button flickering inside the sealed box in Part 3’s incinerator room. Its flickers are morse code.

The morse code translates to “NOCHANCE”
We reuse the # for spaces, so the code becomes “NO#CHANCE”

Code: BIGEAR$NO#CHANCE

SE:167BP:TRU|23K2F!00R|ARCHIV$NEW#GAME?

Solution:

IAMLRNED2MCH|STOP27341|BIGEAR$NO#CHANCE

log.txt Decoded #2

Cipher 2: IAMLRNED2MCH|STOP27341|BIGEAR$NO#CHANCE

To use it do the same thing as the first cipher, but typing the new cipher

[1b] Nie udało mi się złamać tego szyfrowania.<BCK2B3> Nawet nie powinienem, ale co mogę zrobić, żeby zabić pieprzony czas?

[2b] Pieprzony idiota. Los ŚWIATA, jeśli weźmiesz pod uwagę dalej idące efekty... i wrzucisz go do skrzyni z mnóstwem identycznych dysków? Teraz musimy całować buty tych jebanych Rosjan lub zaryzykować<GNN!NG|MA> najgorszy pieprzony los. Z pewnością mam lepsze rzeczy do roboty niż czytanie i ponowne czytanie tego ściśle tajnego dysku. Ale <NATEE##|B1>nie, pieprzeni idioci z GameFuna muszą dokończyć swoją grę. TO KURWA <RCHK1N$>OKŁADKA, LUDZIE![4c] Nikt tego nie zagra. Po prostu daj mi klona Super Weasel Kid, żebym mógł go wydrukować żeby nie zapukał do moich drzwi o jedenastej wieczorem<$56-57M> Rosjanin o wzroście 8 stóp. [5c]

Translated From Polish

[1b] I couldn't crack that encryption. <BCK2B3> I shouldn't even be, but what can I do to kill the fucking time?

[2b] Fucking idiot. The fate of the WORLD if you consider the far-reaching effects... and throw it into a chest with lots of identical disks? Now we have to kiss these fucking Russians' shoes or risk <GNN!NG|MA> the worst fucking fate. I certainly have better things to do than read and reread this top-secret disc. But <NATEE##|B1> no, the fucking idiots at GameFun have to finish their game. IT'S A FUCKING <RCHK1N$> COVER, PEOPLE! [4c] Nobody will play it.

Just give me a clone of the Super Weasel Kid so I can print it out so I don't get a knock on my door at eleven o'clock <$56-57M> by an 8-foot Russian. [5c]

Cipher Code 3

BCK2B3GNN!NG|MANATEE##|B1RCHK1N$$56-57M

[3.1] BCK2B3GNN!NG|MANATEE##|B1RCHK1N$$56-57M

Can be interpreted as “Back To Beginning”.
The creator of the game participated in the Ludum Dare 43 game jam and created “Sacrifices Must Be Made”. The gameplay is what was turned into Inscryption.

You have to play the original game jam version of the game. If you place a file named “cipher.cipher” in the “Sacrifices Must Be Made_Data” folder filled with the code from Cipher Code 2, then the end the game will be slightly different, adding extra text that says “WHTL!ESAHEAD”

Code: WHTL!ESAHEAD

[3.2] BCK2B3GNN!NG|MANATEE##|B1RCHK1N$$56-57M

Manatee may be referring to a custom Smash Up faction the creator made: the Aqua Romans (Also mentioned in the game), which includes a card called Manatee Antony.

The code is simply the name of the card “ANTONY” with some trailing # to fill in the space.

Code: ANTONY###

[3.3] BCK2B3GNN!NG|MANATEE##|B1RCHK1N$$56-57M

“B1RCHK1N” can be interpreted as “Birchkin”.
Birchkin is a monster from Catch Monsters, a failed kickstarter by the creator.

The demo for that game has not been updated in years.

Birchkin has the ability Pacifism in the Catch Monsters game, which would make the answer “PACIFISM”

“56-57M” is referring to the game Beneath the Surface (also used for The Hex secret ending)
56-57M is the depth needed to find the Strange Disk in the game.
You need to have a cipher.cipher in your data folder, containing cipher 1.
The description has a series of words containing numbers (and an exclamation point) replacing some of the letters.
Pulling out these characters, you get “0044!3”

Code: PACIFISM$$0044!3

BCK2B3GNN!NG|MANATEE##|B1RCHK1N$$56-57M

Solution:

WHTL!ESAHEAD|ANTONY###|PACIFISM$$0044!3

log.txt Decoded #3

Cipher 3: WHTL!ESAHEAD|ANTONY###|PACIFISM$$0044!3

[1a] This is it. This transcribed journal page reveals the very location of Herr Hitler’s rotting corpse and, more importantly, the precious deck of cards in his jacket pocket (The Karnoffel Code). I cracked the encryption last night. My situation here in the USSR is delicate, but I believe this intelligence warrants an action that may blow my cover.[1c] I am now prepared to smuggle the disk out of Moscow to West Berlin, then on <DATA CORRUPTED. FOR ANY QUALITY CONCERNS PLEASE CONTACT KAMINSKI DATA STORAGE MFG. https://www.|kaminskim|fg.com/orderform> Boston. The disk is carefully concealed among many blank ones.[2b][2c] I believe this plan will work. And if it does not? Better to lose this old data than allow the Soviets an opportunity to use it.

[2a] How fitting.[3c]

Kaminski Website

Cipher Code 3 decoded into giving us a website. After removing the “|”s, you get the following link.

https://www.kaminskimfg.com/orderform

After a while of people spamming it, it has changed to the following.
People who put in their actual addresses received a floppy disk in the mail a few days later.

Mailed Disks

Images by user Uwawa, who was one of the three people that got a floppy disk mailed after putting their address on the website. [Twitch Clip opening it here]

3 floppy disks were mailed to 3 different people. Containing the following files:

backup_1##.txt

e-Fu#######

THANKYOUFOR#||

Th# ###

backup_#2#.txt

####QZ6h###

|PLAYING##|

##e E##

backup_##3.txt

########TS0

||NSCRYPTIONFRIEND

### #nd

Combined contents:

e-FuQZ6hTS0

THANKYOUFOR#|PLAYING##|NSCRYPTIONFRIEND

The End

Cipher Code 4

Clues:

THANKYOUFOR# | |

|PLAYING## |

| |NSCRYPTIONFRIEND

Solution: THANKYOUFOR#|PLAYING##|NSCRYPTIONFRIEND

log.txt Decoded #4

TOP SECRET INFORMATION

Me and my comrade Maxim took photographs of the corpse and buried it at the drop-off spot at: <DATA CORRUPTED. FOR ANY QUALITY CONCERNS PLEASE CONTACT KAMINSKI DATA STORAGE MFG.> [1a]. We are currently awaiting further instructions in a local tavern, playing a lot of Durak accompanied with a few glasses of vodka [2a]. We are full and satisfied, but about our accomplished we won't say a word to our work today. It seems to us that we have already come to The end of such a long journey. [1b]

CONCLUSION:

Kaminski YouTube Video

The first code from the disks is a youtube video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-FuQZ6hTS0

Combined log.txt

Looking at the decoded text, it seems like a chat log.

Combining it in the correct order here:

[a] = Barry Reginald Wilkinson
[b] = Maxim
[c] = Kaycee Hobbes (probably)

[x] = Unknown (Luis perhaps?)

April 30th, 1945

TOP SECRET INFORMATION

[1x] Me and my comrade Maxim took photographs of the corpse and buried it at the drop-off spot at <DATA CORRUPTED. FOR ANY QUALITY CONCERNS PLEASE CONTACT KAMINSKI DATA STORAGE MFG.>[1a]

[1a] This is it. This transcribed journal page reveals the very location of Herr Hitler’s rotting corpse and, more importantly, the precisely ordered deck of cards in his jacket pocket (The Karnoffel Code). I cracked the encryption last night. My situation here in the USSR is delicate, but I believe this intelligence warrants an action that may blow my cover.[1c]

[1c replying to 1a] Yeah, it did. Poor old Barry Wilkinson (a.k.a. Big <SE:167B> Ear) was imprisoned literally hours after these words were written to the<P:TRU|23K> disk. He did eventually get back to the states but I have not had any luck conta<2F!00R|ARCH>cting him... There are actually a shit ton of Barry Wilkinsons! And it might not even be his real name...

[1a cont.] I am now prepared to smuggle the disk out of Moscow to West Berlin, then on <DATA CORRUPTED. FOR ANY QUALITY CONCERNS PLEASE CONTACT KAMINSKI DATA STORAGE MFG. https://www.|kaminskim|fg.com/orderform> Boston. The disk is carefully concealed among many blank ones.[2b][2c]

[2b replying to 1a] Fucking idiot. The fate of the WORLD if you consider the far-reaching effects... and throw it into a chest with lots of identical disks? Now we have to kiss these fucking Russians' shoes or risk <GNN!NG|MA> the worst fucking fate. I certainly have better things to do than read and reread this top-secret disc. But <NATEE##|B1> no, the fucking idiots at GameFun have to finish their game. IT'S A FUCKING <RCHK1N$> COVER, PEOPLE![4c]

[4c replying to 2b] Fuck you too Mr. Kaminski! They never told us that.

[2b cont.] Nobody will play it. Just give me a clone of the Super Weasel Kid so I can print it out so I don't get a knock on my door at eleven o'clock <$56-57M> by an 8-foot Russian.[5c]

[5c replying to 2b] Yes, he is equally an<W#GAME?>gry in person.

[2c replying to 1a] Eureka! That explains so much actually. I could not figure out why this disk would be tossed into a crate with a bunch of blan<IV$NE>k ones. Barry's plan to smuggle it out this way seems contrived at best, but I can't imagine the pressure he was under over there.

[1a cont.] I believe this plan will work. And if it does not? Better to lose this old data than allow the Soviets an opportunity to use it.

[2x] We are currently awaiting further instructions in a local tavern, playing a lot of Durak accompanied with a few glasses of vodka[2a].

[2a] How fitting. [3c]

[3c replying to 2a] Indeed, Barry, indeed.

[3x] We are full and satisfied, but about our accomplished we won't say a word to our work today. It seems to us that we have already come to The end of such a long journey. [1b]

[1b] I couldn't crack that encryption. <BCK2B3> I shouldn't even be, but what can I do to kill the fucking time?

OLD_DATA folder

Trying to rm the directory OLD_DATA from the root gives the message “You must not do that” which quickly changes to “You cannot do that.” Doing it again only returns “You cannot do that.”
You can rm all of the files individually in the OLD_DATA folder, as well as the savegame file in the Inscryption\savegame folder, but it does not seem to have any effect.
Using rm on the Inscryption folder kicks you out of the game.

OLD_DATA contains the following files:

8019109810293812203.jpg

An image of the “Führerbunker”, the place of Hitler’s death.

Can be seen in the captcha during Act 3.

Image Source

9182344890109280129.png

Filename matches the name of the card created by Mycologist in Act 3. It can also be seen in the background of the same card.

Image Source

barry_wilkinson_id.png

An ID card for Barry “Reginald” Wilkinson, who worked for the Dept of Defense.

Seems to be a photoshopped version of Marilyn Monroe’s ID.

Can be found in a secret room on the first floor of Magnificus’ tower.

DCIM_99591901090221_AutoBackup.jpg

An image of a woman (presumably Amanda, El, or Kaycee). Can be found in a secret room near the pond in Act 2.

Speculation: The woman in the picture is likely not El, due to them having different colored hair.

Kaminski_logo.png

Logo of the Kaminski Website.

karn-daus1593.png

An image of a daus card from Karnoffel. The JPG name includes the number 1593.

Image Source

kc.png

Suspected to be Hitler’s jacket pocket containing the Karnoffel Code.

While commonly believed to be a shortened name of the character Kaycee, KC actually stands for Karnoffel Code.

location.png

Suspected to be the drop off location.

log.txt

See decoded content here

Extra

Buried Floppy Disk

This was useful for solving the ARG itself, but it’s still a very interesting fact

The coordinates written on the card lead to a place in Stanley Park, near Vancouver, Canada (49.301911, -123.141549)

That’s where the video where Luke digs up the disk was shot

Two fans (Nutsfornuts and MemesPraysnek) tried to go there on 10/21/2021 (3 days after the game release)

They were in the Daniel Mullins' Discord voice chat with their camera on

After looking for a while their phone battery was almost dead, so they looked for a power bank in the city.
In the meantime Daniel Mullins and Kevin Saxby (the actor playing Luke Carder) met them to help them find the right place
Then they went back to Stanley Park and found it
This is what happened after they dug the spot where the disk was buried (watch the clip before continuing reading):

[Twitch Clip] [Full VOD (They joined at 1:02:05)]

After that, Daniel gave the diggers two floppy disks:

A red one

is the one used to make the in-game videos
has been in the dirt at that location since March
does not contain any data

A black one

supposedly contained a “secret”

Opening the floppy disk was live streamed on Sunday the 24th of October (3 days later, when the floppy drive arrived)

(vod/clip unavailable)

The floppy disk contained a single text file, called file.txt, containing the text: thisguymoaned

This has been confirmed to be a hint for the MANATEE## clue.

Unfortunately the cipher had already been solved when the floppy drive arrived
ThisGuyMoaned is the name of an old account belonging to Daniel Mullins where (4 years earlier) he posted the “solution” for the cipher.

The account is now deleted to confirm there’s nothing more to it.

Lucky Carder YouTube Channel

[ not canon ]

09/15/2021 - 09/19/2021

The Lucky Carder YouTube channel was created for a Discord ARG before the game was released.
It is NOT canon.
The ARG revealed one of the game trailers saying the release date would be announced soon [link]
Document: Lucky Carder ARG (made by the Discord Community who solved the ARG)
This ARG was created by Secundus#0616 and MrInvizible#8900
To read the archived chats, react to the Inscryption ARG message in #choose-your-path in the discord server

Kaycee’s Mod ARG

[ half not canon ]

Document: Kaycee's Mod ARG (Inscryption)
It revealed the final boss for Kaycee’s Mod: Inscryption - Royal Teaser
This ARG was created by Secundus#0616 and MrInvizible#8900
To read the archived chats, react to the Inscryption ARG message in #choose-your-path in the discord server

Also check out my other Documents

You can contact me on discord:

Jeck0_0

If you’re looking for the conclusion/results, you can find them above