Are You Worthy Enough to Enter the Inner Sanctum?

There's a lot of knowledge out there, but most of the knowledge of the world is hidden away, because not just any person is worthy enough to have it. If you want to learn the deeper secrets of this life, then you'll need to work your way to success to enter the ultimate Inner Sanctum. Can you collect, blackmail, corrupt, and sacrifice in just the right moderation to come out ahead of you opponents? Time to find out.

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What Is It?

A set collection and slight bluffing game where you are working to raise your level inside your cult, while managing your corruption, so that you can make it into the Inner Sanctum. Gain favor to unlock additional actions, and, if times call for it, calling on The Dark One might be what it takes to win.

Who Is It For?

The game itself recommends ages 13+, which I think is fine because the game is not very difficult. If the subject is considered a little more mature to you (corruption, soul selling, et cetera), I might suggest adults/18+ myself. Other than that, I would also recommend it to Cthulhu-themed/dark-themed game lovers because it has those elements that are sure to appeal to those who are familiar with those games.

Quality of Components

So, my copy of the game is very near final, but there may be a few changes, so keep that in mind with my opinion here. I love the glossy box, cardboard pieces,  and player boards in this. I think they're really pretty for both the art and colors - very vibrant! The cards are a nice quality, but the art is a bit boring for me, which is unfortunate since the box is very enticing. I also have 3D printed level chips and a print out of the rules from a PDF, which I imagine will be very different in final production.

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PROS

• Light, simple, and pretty quick
• Nice quality for most components
• The hand balancing mechanic works well - adds a minor bluffing element because you don't want your opponent to know what you're collecting so they can't target it with action cards and you have to balance between going for larger or smaller sets; it seems like a lot, but it works well!
  
• Theme worked well with gameplay
• Images in rulebook as a convenient reference

CONS

• The goal is to get to level 7, but the player boards only go up to level 6 which annoyed me. I get that it's likely because once you get to 7 it ends, but I would have liked to see it, mostly for the consistency.
• It doesn't seem to work perfectly with only 2 players, from my plays, so I would recommend playing with at least 3, personally.
• The rules change slightly as your corruption increases, so you really have to keep that in mind so you don't forget what you can/can't do. It can be difficult, especially at first, but it's doable. There is also a handy reference card to assist with this. 

Difficulty

Overall, not too difficult of a game. There are those slight rules changes, and you can gain favor tokens which add additional options for actions, but other than that it is pretty cut and dry, drawing and playing cards. I'd rate it middle of the road at a 3/5, just because of those variations.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I thought this was a pretty neat game. The pieces seem to fit together well and once you get the hang of it, it moves pretty smoothly and quickly. For me, it might be hard to get to the table because I didn't think it worked great with 2, and my other players aren't much for this themeing, but if you have players who like dark style, corrupt themes and enjoy a light/medium level game, this will be great for you group! If you have the chance to try it out, I would definitely say to go for it!

Happy Gaming~


Additional Information:
Publisher - New Comet Games
Designer - Ben Burns
Artist - Andora Cidonia

*I was provided a copy of this game for this review*