Hand of Fate

88%
Game Brain Score Based on 4,583 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Hand of Fate Game Cover
Hand of Fate is unique, offering an addictive and incredibly entertaining experience that anyone can enjoy.
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Hand of Fate is an action RPG with deck-building mechanics, where you face off against the enigmatic Dealer in a game of life and death. Your choices and the cards you play determine your path through a series of challenging scenarios, while combat requires careful resource management and strategic attacks. With a unique blend of tabletop and roguelike elements, Hand of Fate offers a rich and immersive experience.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Linux
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

88%
Audience ScoreBased on 4,583 reviews
story281 positive mentions
grinding65 negative mentions
  • Unique blend of card-based gameplay and action RPG mechanics.
  • Engaging storytelling with a variety of quests and character interactions.
  • Great voice acting and atmosphere that immerses players in the game.
  • Combat mechanics are clunky and can feel repetitive.
  • Heavy reliance on RNG can lead to frustrating experiences, especially in later stages.
  • Final boss fight is poorly designed and significantly more difficult than previous encounters.
  • story1,276 mentions

    The story in "Hand of Fate" is delivered through a unique card-based system, where players navigate a series of encounters that blend combat, choices, and narrative elements reminiscent of tabletop RPGs. The game features a compelling dealer character who narrates the unfolding story, enhancing the immersive experience as players unlock new cards and quests through gameplay. While the overarching plot may feel vague and the combat can become repetitive, the dynamic storytelling and variety of quests provide a rich and engaging experience that encourages replayability.

    • “With its dark, fantasy setting and immersive storytelling, Hand of Fate offers a fresh, dynamic experience every playthrough.”
    • “The storytelling is well written, the randomness makes every game feel unique, and the combat is really enjoyable.”
    • “The story mode for the game is very well designed, with the player choosing what items and encounters they will experience in each 'level' of the story, encouraging risk-taking in order to unlock more and better cards.”
    • “The story isn't relevant or even exists really, and I'm assuming the sequel will have the same premise.”
    • “The story is as basic as it comes, where you defeat bosses to eventually defeat a final boss without much of a fulfilling ending.”
    • “The story itself has some cool design but poor execution; the stories are predictable and it takes too long to progress them because you can constantly get screwed by random chance.”
  • gameplay1,109 mentions

    The gameplay of "Hand of Fate" is a unique blend of roguelike mechanics, deck-building, and action combat, drawing comparisons to the Arkham series for its combat style. While the card-based mechanics and narrative elements are praised for their creativity and engagement, many players find the combat to be clunky and repetitive, often detracting from the overall experience. Despite its flaws, the game offers a compelling mix of strategy and chance, making it an intriguing choice for fans of both card games and action RPGs.

    • “Hand of Fate delivers a captivating gaming experience that seamlessly blends strategic card-based gameplay with thrilling action-adventure elements.”
    • “Mastering the timing and tactics of combat adds an extra layer of depth to the gameplay, ensuring that every battle feels like a thrilling duel of wits and reflexes.”
    • “The unique gameplay of the deckbuilding intertwined with the Arkham-style freeflow combat and great atmosphere results in a great experience.”
    • “The combat mechanic is terrible, with no ability to change the camera angle while you have mobs chasing you around.”
    • “The gameplay alternates between drawing cards (effectively rolling dice with no gameplay or strategy) and extremely bland combat.”
    • “The mechanics feel very Arkham-style but they are well built enough as to never get in your way; your skill is mostly always the determining factor for success, even though of course equipment and buffs/debuffs can make huge differences for the better or for the worst.”
  • graphics451 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally praised for their unique and stylized art style, particularly the card artwork, which many reviewers found to be impressive and fitting for the game's theme. While some noted that the combat graphics and animations could be lacking or feel dated, the overall presentation, including voice acting and atmosphere, received high marks, contributing to an engaging experience. However, there are mixed opinions on performance, with some players experiencing issues on lower-end systems despite the visuals being well-executed for an indie title.

    • “The graphics are vivid and the voice acting of the dealer is phenomenal.”
    • “The graphics and art of the game are amazing, and every game has a new story to tell.”
    • “The graphics are genuinely beautiful; with the exception of faces, this feels like a AAA quality game in terms of polish most of the time.”
    • “The graphics are really bad, and the story/lore tries to be deep and act like you're in kind of an afterlife, where winning makes you keep living, but it's not deep; there's no story hidden in this game.”
    • “The graphics are just okay as well.”
    • “The combat is a snoozefest and the graphics are subpar for a game released in 2015.”
  • replayability290 mentions

    The game exhibits high replayability, largely due to its randomized card mechanics and various game modes, including an endless mode that enhances the experience. Players appreciate the unique encounters and the ability to unlock new cards, which keeps each playthrough fresh and engaging. However, some reviews note that the reliance on RNG can lead to occasional frustration, and while the game offers substantial replay value, it may not be infinitely replayable for everyone.

    • “While Hand of Fate isn't without its flaws—the occasional repetition in card encounters and the learning curve of mastering combat—it more than makes up for them with its sheer depth and replayability.”
    • “The change in story from the cards being different for each playthrough makes this game have a lot of replayability and does a great job of making the card play a lot of fun with you being able to change what is in the deck and add new cards as you unlock more.”
    • “The randomized nature of the later rounds of combat helps to dramatically ramp up the challenge and the text adventure-like stories, that the extra class-based stories you can add, help to give the game a very large amount of replay value.”
    • “The gameplay is a bit repetitive but the replayability is huge.”
    • “My main complaint for this game is the lack of replay value.”
    • “It starts off slow and ramps up quickly with a very reasonable feeling difficulty curve, and the recent addition of an 'endless' mode adds a ton of replayability even after defeating the 12 bosses.”
  • atmosphere260 mentions

    The atmosphere of "Hand of Fate" is widely praised for its immersive and engaging qualities, driven by excellent voice acting, particularly from the dealer, and a rich, mysterious narrative. Players appreciate the game's unique blend of card mechanics and roguelike elements, enhanced by atmospheric music and visuals that create a captivating fantasy setting. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered its strongest feature, drawing players into a compelling world filled with lore and intrigue.

    • “The atmosphere and storytelling is great, and I think any gambling addict will have a ton of fun with this part of the game.”
    • “With a story that is enriching, an atmosphere that is downright untouchable, and great voice work by the dealer, it is a legendary game.”
    • “The atmosphere is incredible, the pretense for the story delivered through a card-based roguelike dungeon is genius in how it capitalizes on the strengths of both card games and roguelikes.”
    • “I feel that if you love this game it would only be due to the atmosphere as the gameplay itself is very dated.”
    • “What destroys this atmosphere is the gameplay.”
    • “While it would be relatively easy to adapt the game to be a module for tabletop simulator or even a proper board game, the atmosphere afforded by the setting and especially Jeremy Irons (Scar from The Lion King, perhaps most famously) as the dealer in your little game push the scenario even further.”
  • music185 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread praise for its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many reviewers highlighting its immersive and engaging nature. While some noted that the tracks can become repetitive over time, the soundtrack is generally considered well-composed and fitting for the game's themes, complemented by excellent voice acting. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's charm and ambiance, making it a standout feature for many players.

    • “The music slaps, the gameplay is great, and the deck-to-dungeon concept is amazing.”
    • “The atmosphere, card illustration art style, music, and voice acting are top notch, first rate, best in class.”
    • “The music is phenomenal.”
    • “In contrast to what I mentioned earlier, the music is very repetitive.”
    • “Cons: there's barely any music, but what little there is, it's pretty good.”
    • “The music is mainly meant to create an atmospheric background noise instead of carrying emotion or story; it is competent in what it tries to achieve, however forgettable.”
  • grinding65 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, particularly in combat and during boss battles. While some appreciate the depth and replayability offered by achievements and card unlocking, others feel that the grind detracts from the overall enjoyment, especially as the game progresses and encounters become increasingly frustrating. Overall, the game can be engaging initially, but it risks becoming a slog due to its reliance on grinding mechanics.

    • “The game will really want to screw over the players to lengthen the game, but it just made the game not fun and tedious.”
    • “Combat can become very grindy once you figure out the attack patterns of the enemies and know how to defeat them flawlessly every time.”
    • “Game is interesting and enjoyable for about an hour or two, but once you're past the first few bosses, every run turns into a slow and tedious slog as each one adds more and more events that are basically just boring static debuffs that you don't get any opportunity to mitigate or avoid.”
  • optimization43 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting significant performance issues, including frame drops and sluggishness, particularly in combat and certain environments. While some users report solid performance on high settings and improvements in recent updates, others highlight that the game remains a resource hog, especially on lower-end systems. Overall, further optimization is needed to enhance the experience and accessibility for a broader audience.

    • “And pretty well optimized.”
    • “I can also see how they optimized the use of the Unity 3D engine in this game.”
    • “Game looks and runs smoothly on the highest settings.”
    • “Unfortunately, graphics performance is so bad on the lowest settings.”
    • “The game itself is poorly optimized on the visual side, with frequent frame drops that shouldn't be happening.”
    • “Terrible optimization (as of now): some rooms and angles can make your framerate dip very significantly but it doesn't offer a proper graphics options menu, only presets.”
  • humor40 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of clever quips, particularly from the dealer, whose taunts and remarks add a unique charm to the experience. Players find the humor to be a mix of casual chuckles and laugh-out-loud moments, often stemming from absurd situations and the unpredictable nature of gameplay. While some humor may become repetitive over time, the overall tone is light-hearted and engaging, making for an entertaining experience.

    • “The flawless sound design & thick fantasy atmosphere, along with the dealer's clever, wise, and hilarious voice lines and taunts, are more than worth the full price of entry on their own.”
    • “The quests themselves are well written and a few of them are laugh-out-loud funny.”
    • “It's casually funny; you probably won't be coughing with laughter, but it'll likely get you chuckling quite a bit.”
  • stability35 mentions

    The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and occasional freezes that can disrupt gameplay. While some users noted improvements and solid performance, particularly after patches, others expressed frustration with persistent issues, especially during critical moments in the game. Overall, while the game shows potential, its stability remains a concern for many players.

    • “Runs great even on integrated graphics.”
    • “The aesthetic is absolutely beautiful and it runs great (60 fps) even on a 3-year-old MacBook.”
    • “With the addition of being bug free, it's an absolute pleasure to dip in and out of.”
    • “After that, I turned to endless mode and found that there's a huge amount of luck and effort to build up a good character over several hours, only to have it shot down in seconds by a stray event or one of many glitches.”
    • “Unfortunately, even after two years of its release, Hand of Fate is still mired by buggy framerate and an extremely difficult end game.”
    • “My major concern is that the game is very buggy in this state; I can seldom get a few rounds before the game crashes or freezes up.”
  • emotional14 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is described as a profound experience, evoking a range of feelings from joy to heartbreak, particularly through its storytelling and character connections. Players report feeling deeply invested in the narrative, with moments that can be both uplifting and painful, highlighting the game's ability to create a strong emotional bond. Overall, it stands out as a game that resonates on a personal level, making players reflect on their choices and experiences within the game.

    • “This game was an emotional rollercoaster.”
    • “Something to emotionally invest me in and link me to the character.”
    • “It has been a long time since I felt an emotional connection to a game and let me explain why;”
    • “It can be physically and emotionally painful.”
    • “The emotional weight of the story is overwhelming at times.”
    • “I felt a deep sense of loss and sadness throughout the game.”
  • monetization10 mentions

    The game is praised for its lack of microtransactions, which is a refreshing change, especially for a collectible card game. However, some users criticize the downloadable content (DLC) as feeling like a cash grab, particularly since it offers limited new content. Additionally, there are unskippable ads and in-game advertising for DLC, which detracts from the overall experience.

    • “And no, there's no microtransactions to buy cards.”
    • “I know that makes this sound like I'm setting up to talk about microtransactions, but this game is entirely free of them, which is quite refreshing.”
    • “They don't pelt us with microtransactions every 4 seconds and expect that to be fine.”
    • “The DLC is a bit of a cash grab though; it just adds some new starting classes and items they start with, but it's still a great game!”
    • “In-game advertising for the DLC (extra characters, which are basically game modifiers), achievements which can only be done with the DLC.”
  • character development3 mentions

    Character development in the game is praised for its depth and engaging card-based mechanics, complemented by rich lore and well-designed characters. Players appreciate the surprising progression and the quality of graphics, which enhance the overall experience, particularly highlighting the dealer as a standout character. Despite being in early access, the game shows significant polish and attention to detail.

    • “The character development is card-based, adding a unique layer of strategy to the gameplay.”
    • “Despite being in early access, a lot of time and love has been put into this game: the graphics and textures look amazing, the character designs are fitting and great, and the dealer is such a well-crafted character.”
    • “There is a surprising amount of progression and a ton of depth in character development, making each encounter feel meaningful.”
    • “Character development feels overly simplistic and lacks depth.”
    • “The progression system is confusing and doesn't provide meaningful choices.”
    • “I found the character arcs to be predictable and uninspired.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

76% average critic score

Buy Hand of Fate

Play time

7hMedian play time
9hAverage play time
11hMain story
65hCompletionist
3-15hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 28 analyzed playthroughs

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