Hand of Fate 2 review
Deal with it.
Brisbane-based developer Defiant Development turned heads with its 2015 release Hand of Fate. A novel combination of deck-buiding card game, video and pen-and-paper RPG mechanics and arcade brawler, it provided a fresh take on the dungeon-crawler genre. And now, almost three years later, the mysterious Dealer is back for another round.
Hand of Fate 2 sticks to the same basic format as the original. Players embark on a series of standalone quests, with their progress represented by cards which depict a variety of situations. Some are fairly self-explanatory, such as ambushes, vendors and various environmental hazards. Others have brief vignettes that almost act like side quests — saving a village from rampaging undead, for example, or helping a lost child. Many can be resolved right then and there, often rewarding the player with resources such as gold, food and fame, which allows them to use some of the game’s more powerful items. Fulfilling all of a scene’s requirements also earns tokens, which unlock new cards for your deck — something that becomes vital very quickly as the difficulty takes a noticeable spike after the first handful of quests.
This part of the game revolves around various familiar RPG mechanics, but the hook is in the blend of RPG styles from which it draws. The basic movement is done with a counter representing the player, reminiscent of tabletop games, while the descriptions and frequent dice rolls are pure pen-and-paper RPG. Being asked to roll a D&D-style strength check early on was a genuine surprise — an aesthetic conceit for sure, but cool nonetheless.
Combat, however, is an entirely different story. When a scrap comes about the player is transported to an arena, where they battle with Arkham-style brawling, with the expected array of basic attacks, counters and finishers. The timing on the counters is noticeably tighter than in the first game, at times frustratingly so: unless your reactions are split-second sharp, it’s often possible to miss the counter window by the time you’ve even seen the icon, which can sometimes get lost in the jumble of enemies and pyrotechnics. It’s not quite as egregious as, say, the reversal icons in the newer WWE games, but an occasional annoyance all the same.
Thankfully, the player can get help from the game’s cast of companions, a new addition to the franchise. As you meet them over the course of the quests, they provide combat support as well as buffs to other mechanics, for example an optional die for critical rolls. Once met, the companion’s card is added to the deck for use in further adventures.
Hand of Fate 2 starts off easy, but quickly becomes fiendishly challenging, with two things vital to survival. The first is building your deck, especially with companions and magical items that will help your survivability. The other is keeping a close eye on your resources. Your food supply dwindles by one with each space moved, and can be depleted rapidly by environmental hazards or theft. Once depleted, further moves are taken off your health, and when you’re also dealing with event-related injuries and combat that health can disappear alarmingly quickly. If anything, the game can be a little too enthusiastic in dishing out the pain — one early quest involving frequent blizzards can effectively hobble even an otherwise strong playthrough, which can also lead to frustration.
That said, the game does an excellent job of drawing the player in, and the niggles never diminish its addictive qualities. It’s also a great ‘pick-up-and-play’ game, its D&D-style self-contained quests being very quick-session friendly. It’s a great-sounding game as well, with sound effects, music and voice work strong and atmospheric across the board. Graphically, the game is attractive if sometimes functional, though the lighting in particular is very much improved this time round.
Our verdict:
Defiant Development has taken what was already an inventive and original concept, and refined it to create a game that will appeal to RPG fiends of all persuasions. It’s challenging, even a little capricious, but an experience unlike any to be found in modern gaming.
Hand of Date 2 was reviewed using a code provided by Defiant Development.
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