Hand of Fate 2 Review

Hand of Fate 2 takes many different gaming styles and blends them successfully. The Dealer weaves a story from the traditional tarot cards as you move through other encounter cards, manage health and food, throw dice to determine success, and fight enemies in quick third-person combat scenarios.

Despite some flaws, such as bad luck that can derail a quest halfway through with a single poor dice roll, this is an immersive experience.

Gameplay

Hand of Fate 2 is a remarkable realization of the original game’s promise, bringing the conceit of maneuvering through tabletop role-playing conventions to vibrant life with unique deck building and fast-reflex action combat. While the roguelike element can sometimes be frustrating, and luck plays a large part in some of the more exciting adventures, this sequel is a fantastic experience.

While the main goal is always to kill a boss, many other gimmicks keep each challenge interesting. Low-impact additions like gambling, dice rolls, and spinning wheels are mixed with significant changes, such as a character being asked to escort an innocent potato farmer to safety. These changes add a lot of variety to the gameplay, which is a welcome change from the repetitive nature of most modern action-adventure games. Spiritual content is also a significant part of the game, with characters praying to gods and raising dead enemies. It’s not for everyone, but those who enjoy it will immerse themselves in the game world’s lore.

Graphics

Like the original Hand of Fate, this sequel to the Kickstarter surprise takes place in a world made entirely of cards. The campaign is broken down into 22 challenges, which present the Dealer with a series of encounters. Each card unlocks a different adventure, which combines recognizable RPG tropes such as weapons to equip and quests to undertake. Throwing dice adds a Dungeons and Dragons feel, while resource management (food) introduces another layer of complexity.

Combat is the game’s weakest point, with clumsy controls and unresponsive animations. The variety of enemies is decent, but a lack of defensive options relegates the game to rote button-mashing. Defiant Development has improved the combat in the sequel, adding more nuance and making the battles less predictable. Even so, they can still be a bit tedious and repetitive. Despite this, Hand of Fate 2 is an impressive sequel that successfully blends disparate gameplay styles into a compelling roguelike experience.

Soundtrack

Hand of Fate 2 is a worthy sequel that brings back the best of its predecessor and adds some exciting innovations. The tabletop and action-RPG elements fuse well in this unique game, which features some significant challenges that all feel different. While the gameplay can get repetitive, and the Dealer can be annoying sometimes, these minor issues don’t detract from the game’s overall enjoyment.

The game combines a Dungeons and Dragons-style text-based dungeon crawl with an Oregon Trail-inspired board game and real-time combat inspired by the Batman Arkham games. The Dealer deals out cards that describe the encounters, some of which result in dialogue and choices while others lead to a battle.

Combat can be repetitive, and the lack of enemy variety can sometimes make it tedious or laborious, but the equipment and companion card system helps keep things fun. The evocative setting and the Dealer’s ominous voice are also delightful aspects of the game.

Story

Hand of Fate 2 is a game that relies heavily on luck and chance, so even the most finely crafted deck and honed fighting skills can be defeated by a series of misfortunes. This penchant for gambling games – dice rolls, pendulum swings, betting coins on a possible outcome, stopping a spinning wheel of cards – can be frustrating but adds to the excitement.

A much-improved combat system is another of the critical elements that Defiant has added to this sequel. The original Hand of Fate felt a bit too simplistic, with players and enemies moving about in an invisible quadrant-like area, each resolving into one of four actions (attack, block, bash, or dodge).

Hand of Fate 2 adds new card types that allow for more variation in the game world and how the player interacts. Although repetitiveness can still become an issue, it also offers a meatier dungeon crawl and a more compelling story.