Hand of Fate 2 Reviews
The sense of accomplishment is real when it happens, but it’s impossible to ignore the feeling that victory wasn’t entirely due to gaming prowess.
Hand of Fate 2 attempts to combine the fun of tabletop games with video games, but its commitment to that pitch is its downfall. The portals to combat filled me with nothing but grunts of exhaustion everytime as I drew my weapon. If you are able to look past the dreaded combat, there is a fun tabletop RPG here with interesting stories to tell, but I personally can't stand to do another one of those combat scenarios. Sorry, The Dealer wins.
It should be more of what made the first installment so interesting, but in the end, Hand of Fate 2 makes additions that turn the dungeon crawler into a story-driven adventure. It also has a major focus on luck-based challenges and fights, being more predictable and frustrating than its predecessor.
Defiant's hybrid action-RPG Hand of Fate 2 arrives to the Nintendo Switch.
Hand of Fate 2 captures some old-school RPG charm, but deals a few too many bad cards in the process. The game's appealing premise is marred by unsatisfying progression, punishing randomness, and clunky combat. Nostalgic RPG fans will find things to appreciate here, but given the popularity and diversity of actual tabletop gaming these days, it's hard to fully recommend the half-stacked Hand of Fate 2.
Probably best reserved for the most diehard fans, but even they should enter with caution.
Hand of Fate was quite good and I was waiting for sequel. I had hopes for much more adventure cards, but I've got game with many small broken things. It's not what I hoped for.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Ultimately, for those who prefer story to collecting better weapons, there isn’t a big enough incentive to keep progressing through the challenges.
Hand of Fate 2 is a well-rounded game that addresses a lot of the concerns that its fanbase had upon the release of its predecessor. Though essentially a replica of the first game, Hand of Fate 2 offers some unique, quirky additions that justify buying the second game
The quality of the overall experience is held back by the repetitive combat. It's a shame, too, as if this area of the game was improved, Hand of Fate 2 could have been something truly special.
Hand of Fate 2 improves on its solid predecessor, but it's a couple of cards from a royal flush.
A nice mixture of card RPG and real-time combat, Hand of Fate 2 offers near endless gameplay that's genuinely fun and atmospheric.
Hand of Fate 2 has stellar writing, fun deck building, and interesting stories. What it doesn't have, however, is good combat. While I have grown to find the combat manageable, it should be fun and exciting. It stands as an odd blemish that has been carried over from the original while everything else as been prettied up. Still, I recommend giving Hand of Fate 2 a chance, especially if you never played the original. Even with the lackluster combat there is plenty to enjoy here.
Hand of Fate 2 understands what makes a good sequel. It both improves and expands upon the core gameplay of its predecessor while staying true to its original recipe. Good efforts were made to retain as much freshness as possible with the addition of companions, a more narrative-focused campaign and, naturally, new cards and mechanics.
Hand of Fate 2 is a great game as a sequel and as a standalone game. Expand the proposal of the first part and improve everything previously seen. It's a lot of fun to dive into its mix of deck management, classic RPG, and combat. If you liked the first part or you are simply attracted to being able to recall those games of Dungeons and Dragons making decisions and throwing dice, do not stop trying it.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Hand of Fate 2 is one of the most diverse, unique games I've played in quite some time. It's rare to find a developer doing something new these days, but Defiant Development successfully mixes the 3D action genre with a card and board game. If you're looking for a weird, dark fantasy card game with intense action in between, don't sleep on Hand of Fate 2!
It's amazing to see a game like Hand of Fate 2 on the Switch, as it makes perfect sense for portability and presentation. While the sequel is everything from the original Hand of Fate and more, I'd still like the original end up on here for completeness. Defiant Development have done a great job at making the game work well on the Switch to be comparable to the other systems the game appears on. You'll likely not play anything like Hand of Fate 2, and is absolutely worth the purchase no matter where you can get it.
So overall, the surprise success has spawned a fitting sequel in Hand of Fate 2, with deeper RPG elements, interesting lore and some really great challenges which all feel different. The tabletop side and the new action elements blend together well to keep the excitement levels high, as do the new mini-games to test your nerve, skill and luck.
Offering more of the same, but for the better, Hand of Fate 2 is more of what you liked, none of what you didn't over the original. Defiant Development have done exactly what you need to do for a sequel, improve and cut out the fat. The improved missions and importance of character creation and development make it feel more personal and like your story, rather than playing someone else's. Hand of Fate 2 offers a lot of variety you would have to play several other games to get in the quality that's available here.
As a sequel, there are some solid improvements made that result in an overall better game. The deck building is better now and there is more variety of cards added. Writing feels more concise but the combat is still rather shallow and the load times for each battle don't really help the flow of the game. The effort to port it to the Nintendo Switch is a success without any major flaws or drawbacks holding the game behind compared to the other console versions.