Hand of Fate Reviews
From the graphical detail of each piece of equipment, to the dialogue of The Dealer which rarely repeats itself, Hand of Fate pays attention to every last nook and cranny, carving out a niche all its own and bringing Defiant Development into the much-deserved spotlight. This is one conceptual experiment that thoroughly works and anyone who clamors for innovation in gaming needs to sit down at the table and play a hand.
Fortunately the missteps in the combat do little to impact my overall enjoyment of the Hand of Fate, and my spats of bad luck did little to deter me from playing further. I was hard pressed not to immediately start up a new session right after I would die, just to see. Just to check what the deck might have in store for me. Some sessions would last less than ten minutes before my health was drained. Some would nearly see the hour mark before a stupid decision sent me cavorting to my death. And sometimes, just sometimes, I would successfully make my way through to the boss and defeat it, each victory feeling like a true triumph and another chapter closed on a tale that I was creating for myself, all with a mysterious man in a mask and a deck of cards. Hand of Fate may not be that game that is shoving the visuals and story down your throat, but Defiant Development is allowing my imagination to be a part of their development team in order to help craft my own tales of failure, success, and luck, and that right there is a fantastic hand to me.
Hand of Fate comes so close to being something really special – an unexpected concoction of genres and ideas that meshes together superbly to create a really fun experience that's both involving and rewarding, at least in short bursts. But, unfortunately, its potential is cut short by a lack of options and awkward third-person game segments that should really know better.
Hand of Fate has been made to appeal to many players quickly, and that it does. The only concern that sticks between your teeth is one that this desire to make people feel like their being forced to work hard without actually pulling any work out of them will hamper Hand of Fate's scale for replayability.
Discovering the secrets behind the cards and creating different dungeon mixes results in a well-designed, original experience
At the end of the day, Hand of Fate is a solid time waster because of it's sheer randomness offered by the decks you use. The more you play, the more cards you unlock, the more random the game becomes.
A fun, unconventional RPG with interesting new ideas that aren't entirely overshadowed by its repetitive nature and stale combat.
A perfect showcase for the power of indie developers; a deck building, roguelike, action RPG.
An intriguing, action-based card game that I would definitely recommend.
Hand of Fate is unique, offering an addictive and incredibly entertaining experience that anyone can enjoy.
Hand of Fate is an interesting game that will certainly appeal to those who want to see how the card-based approach could be expanded in meaningful ways in the coming years.
Although it's technically flawed in more than a few ways, Hand of Fate is an intriguing premise that delivers an old-fashioned choose-your-own-adventure style card game that's infinitely replayable.
Hand of Fate delivers a fun, atypical RPG experience that lets you act out the scenarios of a trading card game.
The best Deck Building video game around right now, as it works for veterans and casuals at the same time.
Defiant has certainly dealt a full house with Hand of Fate. It blends together two genres into one package, with well-paced battles and lots to do on the collecting side of things. Its battles can be overwhelming and at times not as polished as they should be, but this game still deserves your attention, especially if you seek something new on the role-playing front. Take a gamble on this Hand.
A brilliant mix of tabletop RPG, card game, deck building and real-time combat resulting in one of the best digital experiences of a physical board game.
Hand of Fate mixes deck-building with hack 'n slash dungeon crawling in a way that's fluid enough for casual fans to enjoy, but lacks the complexity for veterans of either genre to really sink their teeth into.
Hand of Fate isn't perfect, but its various systems click together with rare elegance. Few antagonists are quite so compelling or vexing as The Dealer, and his theatrics help to sell the game's odd conceit