Hand of Fate 2

84%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,958 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Hand of Fate 2 Game Cover
Hand of Fate 2 manages to take everything praiseworthy about the previous installment and make it even better. The challenges players face never look alike and the improved combat system manages to elevate the weakest parts of the original.
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Hand of Fate 2 is a fantasy role-playing game with card-based combat and decision-making. Players navigate a deck of cards that represent the world, enemies, and events they encounter. The game features an antagonist demon who guides the player through a series of challenges, with success resulting in increased power and new cards to add to the deck.

  • Mac OS
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

84%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,958 reviews
story193 positive mentions
grinding65 negative mentions
  • Improves upon the original game in every way, with better graphics, storytelling, and gameplay mechanics.
  • Unique blend of deck-building, RPG elements, and real-time combat that keeps the gameplay fresh and engaging.
  • The Dealer's narration adds a charming and immersive layer to the game, enhancing the overall experience.
  • Combat can feel clunky and unresponsive, leading to frustrating moments during battles.
  • Heavy reliance on RNG can result in tedious grinding and repeated attempts to complete challenges.
  • Some encounters and mini-games can be overly punishing, making it difficult to progress without luck.
  • story797 mentions

    The story in "Hand of Fate 2" is generally praised for its depth and engagement, featuring a rich narrative that builds upon the first game while introducing new companions and unique quests. Players appreciate the variety of missions, each with distinct objectives and storylines, which enhance replayability and immersion. However, some critiques highlight issues with RNG dependence and repetitive gameplay, which can detract from the overall experience, making certain missions feel tedious despite the intriguing plot and character development.

    • “The game has a captivating story that follows your character as they challenge the dealer, a mysterious figure who controls your fate with a deck of cards.”
    • “The story is engaging, and I enjoyed the companions' backgrounds the most, being really varied and also incredibly helpful in and out of combat.”
    • “The overarching story and the little quests are all well written and suck you into the world with ease.”
    • “Moreover, all of the quests you play are irrelevant and pointless.”
    • “His background is nonexistent, he’s not being developed during the quest and the ending is meaningless.”
    • “The randomness in the mechanics and the imprecise controls in the action, plus the all over the place story of each level really leave a lot to be desired.”
  • gameplay435 mentions

    The gameplay of "Hand of Fate 2" has been widely praised for its variety and depth, combining card collecting, action combat, and roguelike elements into a unique experience. While many players appreciate the new mechanics, such as the dice and pendulum challenges, some find the combat clunky and the reliance on RNG frustrating. Overall, the game is seen as a significant improvement over its predecessor, offering engaging mechanics and a rich narrative, though it may not appeal to those who dislike chance-based gameplay.

    • “Great deck-building game with a unique twist and interesting mechanics.”
    • “The gameplay excellently punctuates text-based storytelling, which was probably the main game's highlight for me.”
    • “Each chapter has its own unique mechanics such as unique resources and unique encounters.”
    • “The gameplay loop in actuality is.... boring.”
    • “The mechanics randomly choosing when they want to work and when they stop, like evading, are what make the game difficult to play, thus also making it difficult to enjoy since games where you feel destined to lose are absolutely frustrating and not something I tolerate in games.”
    • “You make meaningless decisions to get meaningless items over and over again, and every time you complete a campaign stage, everything just resets, you lose all your gold, food, and items and just start all over at a different campaign, which is pretty much the same thing gameplay-wise.”
  • graphics137 mentions

    The graphics in the game have received significant praise for their improvement over the original, showcasing a vibrant and unique art style that enhances the overall aesthetic experience. Many reviewers noted the attention to detail in character designs, environments, and card artwork, contributing to a polished and immersive atmosphere. However, some players experienced performance issues and minor graphical glitches, indicating that while the visuals are appealing, they may require a more powerful system to run smoothly.

    • “The game has a strong and appealing aesthetic that's consistent in both the graphics and audio.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful and so is the artwork style.”
    • “The graphics and UI are fantastic, and it makes for a very smooth and immersive experience.”
    • “The fortune-teller concept carries it, but it runs poorly on decent machines despite the combat mode visuals being limited and generally unappealing.”
    • “I't riddled with bugs, your advancement on the storyline is dependent on RNG, the combat is atrocious and the graphics look like polished PS2 era stuff.”
    • “All you really have is a set of crappy fighting scenes with dated controls and art style mixed in with a bunch of RNG events and text over the same boring backdrop.”
  • replayability72 mentions

    Overall, the game boasts exceptionally high replayability due to its mix of randomized levels, card mechanics, and multiple endings, which encourage players to engage in numerous playthroughs. While some users noted frustrations with clunky combat and chance-based elements, the variety of challenges and unlockable content keep the experience fresh and engaging. The addition of DLC and future updates, such as an endless mode, further enhances its replay value, making it a compelling choice for players seeking long-term enjoyment.

    • “The replayability is very high because of the RNG nature of the individual levels and constant mini-objectives for each of the cards.”
    • “The story is charming, fun, and has multiple endings, giving some decent replay value, and unlocking new stuff is both exciting and rewarding.”
    • “Every challenge or level has cards in the deck by the dealer and cards you choose yourself, adding incredible replayability.”
    • “Game also has currently really low replayability in my opinion as there is no endless mode (yet).”
    • “I will warn as far as replayability there is not a lot to do now, except perhaps build a strategy for speedrunning the game, until endless mode is released.”
    • “Though that gives it a certain extent of replayability, not just for the gold rewards but if the game had a very interesting map design.”
  • music71 mentions

    The music in the game is generally praised for its beauty and immersive quality, contributing significantly to the overall atmosphere. While many reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, some note that it can become repetitive, particularly during longer gameplay sessions. Overall, the music is considered a strong aspect of the game, enhancing the experience despite some criticisms regarding specific tracks and their fit within the gameplay context.

    • “The music is fantastic; it's one of the few soundtracks I've considered purchasing. It would make great background music for Dungeons and Dragons.”
    • “The music, the setting, the writing, the voice acting... everything is just immersive.”
    • “The soundtrack must also be highlighted as it is excellent and quite epic at times!”
    • “During combat, the music in this version is weak while in the original it is thunderous!”
    • “I was disappointed with the combat music compared to the first.”
    • “Some of the music isn't fitting with the game; for example, the music when you beat a final boss isn't exactly fitting to the tone, in my opinion.”
  • grinding66 mentions

    The reviews highlight that grinding in the game is often perceived as tedious and repetitive, with many players expressing frustration over unskippable animations, excessive combat, and the need to repeatedly complete challenges to unlock content. While some players find enjoyment in the core gameplay and appreciate the variety of unlockables, the overall sentiment leans towards grinding being a significant detractor from the experience, making it feel unnecessarily frustrating and time-consuming.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “The grinding in this game is both rewarding and addictive.”
    • “Grinding becomes a satisfying journey as you unlock new abilities and gear.”
    • “But worst of all - incredibly tedious animations and voiceovers repeating, repeating, repeating, of course completely unskippable, and making any replay a slog through tar.”
    • “But having to do everything over and over again until you get the luck you need to make it through is just tedious; it makes it unnecessarily frustrating and gates the fun experience the game should provide.”
    • “The quests in the game are much more varied and interesting, but they can wear on you, as some of the quests are unforgivably tedious and frustrating, especially if you want to get the true rewards.”
  • atmosphere64 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its richness and immersive qualities, enhanced by engaging storytelling, charismatic narration, and well-designed visuals and music. Players appreciate the unique blend of card mechanics and gameplay elements that contribute to a cohesive and enchanting experience, despite some criticisms regarding combat and repetitiveness. Overall, the atmosphere is considered one of the game's strongest aspects, making it a standout in its genre.

    • “The atmosphere is amazing.”
    • “It creates such a rich atmosphere that I feel is rarely seen to this level of quality.”
    • “The general atmosphere of the game is probably its strongest suit; the dealer is excellently voiced and his responsive jeering and taunting immerses you in the game.”
    • “Because right now it all feels very repetitive: first you get sucked out of the atmosphere that the game provided because of the loading screen and the combat map feeling like a completely different thing, then the mechanics of the combat itself are very simple and easy, which only adds to it feeling more like a chore and not a challenge; but in all honesty, even if the combat was harder, that wouldn't change the fact that I find it boring the way it is presented right now.”
    • “The general atmosphere of the game is probably its strongest suit; the dealer is excellently voiced and his responsive jeering and taunting immerses you in the game; the soundtrack is also well crafted for the experience.”
    • “In general, the mechanics and atmosphere remained on the previous level, but players who enjoyed the Hand of Fate will like the second one.”
  • optimization27 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its smooth performance and aesthetic graphics, while others report significant issues such as frame rate stuttering, crashes, and overall poor performance on various systems. Despite ongoing patches, many users feel that the game remains poorly optimized, particularly during combat and transition screens, leading to a frustrating experience for those with lower-end hardware. Overall, while some players enjoy a stable experience, a notable portion of the community highlights the need for further optimization improvements.

    • “The game is also very well made and optimized, with beautiful graphics, sound, and music.”
    • “It runs smoothly on most PCs and has no major bugs or glitches.”
    • “In contrast to the previous game, it is so stable and so optimized that my nearly decade-old PC was shocked and confused.”
    • “Overall, I think this is a good game, but it definitely has a lot of optimization issues.”
    • “So this is a rare type of review for me, but this game is borderline unplayable due to performance.”
    • “Game couldn't run on my GTX 1060, 16 GB RAM, SD and 4GHz... was getting max 20 FPS and constant stuttering (many other people complaining about this).”
  • stability19 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while many players report smooth performance with no major bugs or graphical issues, combat mechanics can be inconsistent and occasionally buggy, leading to frustrating experiences. Some users have encountered significant glitches, such as freezing during fights and unresponsive controls, which can disrupt gameplay. Despite these issues, many still find the game enjoyable, especially after recent updates that have improved stability.

    • “The game runs great and has had no bugs for me, while also providing a very well-balanced gameplay experience. That’s saying a lot for a card game that has multiple 'game of chance' mechanics.”
    • “The only complaint I have is that button inputs seem unresponsive at times, both in and outside of combat. The game runs great besides that.”
    • “The combat is buggy in general, with some enemy ranged attacks showing you can block or deflect them, only for it not to work when you attempt it.”
    • “Sometimes the combat feels buggy where 9 times out of 10 everything is going smoothly but then the 10th time you end up getting caught on something in the mob of enemies and it throws you out of your groove.”
    • “This game is fun and I probably will play it more often... if I can... but it's just so unstable that it becomes unplayable. This game often freezes when getting into a fight, which forces me to close it.”
  • humor11 mentions

    The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating clever writing and amusing encounters that enhance the experience. While not all aspects of the story are top-notch, the witty remarks during battles and engaging character interactions contribute to a fun and lively atmosphere. Overall, the humor adds a layer of enjoyment, making the gameplay feel fresh and entertaining.

    • “The endless mode is hilariously time-consuming, but every moment is fun and a new adventure.”
    • “I have to say, the writing in particular is funny and smart.”
    • “When you enter a battle, they make remarks that make them feel more alive and made me laugh a few times.”
  • monetization4 mentions

    The game is praised for its lack of microtransactions and loot boxes, providing a refreshing experience free from aggressive monetization tactics. Players appreciate the developers' commitment to offering free updates and content, contrasting with the misleading advertising that suggests additional features not present in the game. Overall, the monetization approach is seen as player-friendly and respectful.

    • “No microtransactions despite this game being perfect for it with many collectibles.”
    • “Nice playing a game not riddled with loot boxes or microtransactions. The first game gave us one DLC and a ton of free updates that the developers could have sold as DLC but didn't. Don't miss out on this game or the first one either.”
    • “The advertising for this game is misleading.”
    • “The ads also included features like dice rolling, allied NPCs, and the ability to select an equipment loadout before embarking on a mission.”
    • “It's nice to play a game that isn't riddled with loot boxes or microtransactions. The first game provided one DLC and a ton of free updates that the developers could have sold as DLC but didn't.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    Players find the game emotionally engaging due to its rich gameplay and heartfelt production, creating a cozy atmosphere. The mechanics, such as choosing when to stop the swing, evoke a sense of hope and anticipation, enhancing the emotional experience.

    • “The richness of the gameplay and the excellent detail production are touching.”
    • “A very cozy and heartfelt game to play.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Character development is enhanced through unlocked choices tied to card challenges, allowing for more personalized character designs. Players appreciate the improved combat mechanics and the added flexibility in character customization, which, along with the introduction of dice, provides a greater sense of control over gameplay.

    • “Some additional choices get unlocked only as you complete card challenges, at which point you likely settle on a character design.”
    • “The combat is better, offering more flexibility in character design, and the addition of the dice provides greater control over pure card draw.”
    • “Some additional choices get unlocked only as you complete card challenges, at which point you have likely settled on a character design.”
    • “The combat is better, offering more flexibility in character design, and the addition of the dice feels like it provides greater control over pure card draw.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

65% average critic score

Buy Hand of Fate 2

Play time

15hMedian play time
37hAverage play time
7-40hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 16 analyzed playthroughs

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