The Hand of Glory

About

"The Hand of Glory" is a narrative-driven horror adventure game where players uncover the dark secrets of an ancient Scottish castle. As a guest at a mysterious dinner party, you'll explore the castle's haunted halls, interact with strange characters, and solve intricate puzzles to uncover the truth. With its immersive atmosphere and chilling supernatural elements, "The Hand of Glory" offers a unique and thrilling gaming experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 162 reviews

story62 positive mentions

replayability2 negative mentions

The game features a captivating story that effectively blends comedy, detective elements, and supernatural themes, reminiscent of classics like Broken Sword and Gabriel Knight.
The graphics and animations are vibrant and well-designed, contributing to an engaging atmosphere, while the voice acting is generally competent and enhances the overall experience.
Puzzles are mostly intuitive and well-crafted, providing a satisfying challenge without falling into the trap of illogical solutions that often plague the genre.

The writing is inconsistent, with some dialogue feeling stilted and poorly constructed, which detracts from character development and immersion in the story.
Certain gameplay mechanics, such as mandatory slow walking between hotspots and repetitive clicking, can be frustrating and disrupt the flow of the game.
The story can feel disjointed and convoluted at times, especially in the second part, leading to confusion about plot points and character motivations.

story
132 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
48%
5%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players praising its engaging blend of comedy, detective elements, and supernatural themes, while others criticize it for being convoluted and overly reliant on expository dialogue. Many found the narrative captivating and well-developed, though some felt it became disjointed and confusing, particularly as it shifted from a grounded investigation to more fantastical elements. Overall, while the story has its charm and interesting moments, it suffers from pacing issues and a lack of clarity in certain parts.
- “The story is very captivating; it starts as a simple investigation case, but then evolves into a sect conspiracy situation (so yeah, strong Broken Sword vibes here).”
- “One of the best adventure games I’ve played in the last couple of years, great story (a bit dark) with some funny moments along the way, all the puzzles had logical solutions, longer than a lot of games I’ve played but I enjoyed my time spent on it.”
- “A remarkable game with special characters and a good story - an exciting hunt for a mystery with a surprising ending.”
- “Perhaps something was lost in translation, but I found the story to be disjointed, over-complicated, and confusing - I had no idea what was going on for most of the game.”
- “And it's not just, or even primarily, that the story is so bad; it's that the game's developer apparently wrongly thinks it's so good that he needs to force-feed it to the player with way too much expository dialogue and cutscenes that just drag on and on and get stupider and more boring throughout the game.”
- “It starts okay with a crime investigation, until magic gets suddenly involved, and the plot shifts to constant nonsense.”
graphics
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
38%
12%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the vibrant artwork and charming character designs, while others criticize the poor animations and inconsistent art styles among characters. Many players appreciate the hand-drawn aesthetic and overall visual appeal, though some note that certain elements, like close-up cutscenes, fall short of expectations. Overall, the graphics are seen as adequate for the game's engaging storyline and enjoyable gameplay, despite some technical shortcomings.
- “The graphics are really well done; I always enjoy a 2D cartoon style adventure.”
- “The visuals were excellent in the game, and the characters themselves were great.”
- “I saw The Hand of Glory on Steam by chance, and it looked very much my type of game... and it delivers; the artwork is magnificent, the dialogue humorous and not overbearing.”
- “The graphics are not very nice, especially the animations, which are really bad.”
- “The only minor gripe I have is with the visuals, which I found crude and occasionally not up to par with the otherwise excellent production values.”
- “There are only two things I found jarring: 1) the ending feels rushed and consequently confusing 2) the art style of the characters varies--Alice and the librarian are very well detailed, but Lazarus himself seems blurry and kind of bland.”
humor
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is a standout feature, blending dark themes with genuinely funny moments and likable characters, often eliciting laughter even in serious contexts. While some players noted inconsistencies in tone, many appreciated the clever dialogue and humorous references to other media, contributing to an engaging overall experience. Overall, the humor effectively balances the game's thriller elements, making it a memorable adventure.
- “A very funny investigation and puzzle game with its sense of humor being the main feature, as puzzles are either very easy or somewhat counterintuitive and allow basically no freedom of creative thinking for their solutions.”
- “The characters are great, and there are some genuinely very funny moments and lines.”
- “It's the perfect blend of adventure, humor, and drama.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
36%
21%
The music in the game has received high praise, with many players highlighting the standout soundtrack and memorable main theme that evokes nostalgia. The audio quality of the voice recordings is noted as excellent, and the music is described as capable of delivering chills, enhancing the overall experience alongside the story and artwork. Overall, the soundtrack is considered one of the game's strongest elements.
- “The soundtrack was one of the best points for me.”
- “I especially like the main theme; it sounds like something I've been humming since I was three, but I've never known what song it is.”
- “The music was one of the best in a game, and the story was in line with Gabriel Knight and Broken Sword!”
- “The music is fine, the voices are well recorded (in terms of audio quality), there is nothing wrong with the artwork, albeit nothing to write home about.”
- “The story, the puzzles, the music...”
- “Oke, I've done it till the end of part 1 without a walkthrough, only 1 hint for the music sheet puzzle.”
gameplay
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
36%
21%
The gameplay is characterized by engaging puzzle design typical of point-and-click adventures, featuring a mix of inventory and conversation-based puzzles, along with some unique mechanics like a body language mini-game. Players appreciate the smooth and bug-free experience, noting that the game offers satisfying "chunks" of gameplay for easy breaks. While some puzzles may feel illogical or involve pixel-hunting, the overall experience is enjoyable and provides many hours of playtime.
- “Gameplay is smooth and easy, and the game is solid in that I had no crashes or bugs to deal with.”
- “Gameplay is nice and simple for anyone who has played quite a few point-and-click adventure games.”
- “I was originally going to give this game a somewhat hesitant recommendation due to the somewhat illogical puzzles and what I thought were pixel-hunting mechanics.”
- “Gameplay is point & click with (surprise) a small bit of action in part 2.”
- “The game has clear 'chunks' of gameplay, after which you can stop satisfied to continue another time.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its engaging intrigue and clever puzzles, creating a welcoming and enjoyable environment for players. Reviewers appreciate the cartoon-style visuals and the likable characters, although some note a lack of depth in the background story. Overall, the atmosphere contributes significantly to the game's appeal, making it a recommended choice for point-and-click adventure fans.
- “You'll feel right at home with the atmosphere, the intrigue, and the clever puzzles!”
- “Nice atmosphere, likeable characters, good story - even the deaths (which I normally hate!) were fun challenges.”
- “Definitely a good game overall, with nice characters (not that much background story as there could be) and puzzles, nice atmosphere, a bit confusing story - but I'd recommend it to any point & click adventure fans.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a heartwarming and engaging story that balances fun and lightheartedness with tender, emotional moments, creating a rich and memorable experience for players.
- “It is a heartwarming story that is very interesting.”
- “It would be easy to expect this game to be all fun and hi-jinks, and there is a lot of that, but there are also some very tender and heartfelt moments.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players find the game offers significant replayability through the pursuit of achievements and the discovery of easter eggs, which provide additional challenges and extend gameplay enjoyment. Many users feel that after completing their initial playthrough, there are still compelling reasons to return to the game.
- “Accomplishing achievements and finding easter eggs present extra challenges that extend the hours of enjoyment you can get from this and give this more replay value.”
- “I've finished my first playthrough and it definitely feels like there's some replayability to the game.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's optimization has been criticized for lacking 3D support and proper controller functionality, which detracts from the overall experience. Additionally, the limited resources available for voice acting lead to performances that feel stunted and awkward.
- “The game is not optimized for 3D and controller use.”
- “The voice actors don't have much to work with, resulting in performances that sound stunted and awkward.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Character development is praised for its realism, particularly in the context of the narrative's progression following the events of part 1. Reviewers note a strong and promising start for the characters, enhancing their overall journey.
- “The character development is actually rather realistic, especially after the ending of part 1.”
- “The character development is engaging and feels authentic, making the journey more immersive.”
- “I appreciate how the characters evolve throughout the story, adding depth and complexity to their relationships.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly noting that certain sections, like the one in the big house with the garden, feel excessively prolonged and monotonous.
- “Another drawback is the section in the big house with the garden going on too long and becoming too tedious.”