The Hand of Merlin

64%
Game Brain Score Based on 220 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
The Hand of Merlin Game Cover
The plot of The Hand of Merlin will enthrall fans of the Arthurian legend, while RPG and strategy gamers will get engrossed by its gameplay.
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"The Hand of Merlin" is a turn-based rogue-lite RPG that blends Arthurian legend with cosmic horror. Recruit a team of heroes and guide them on a journey across a richly-imagined medieval world, making choices that affect every playthrough. Engage in tactical combat against human and demonic foes, using cover, ambushes, and coordinated attacks to gain the upper hand. The game features stunning visuals, a compelling story, and interactive encounters written by the talented Kyratzes duo.

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

Reviews

64%
Audience ScoreBased on 220 reviews
story26 positive mentions
grinding5 negative mentions
  • The game offers engaging turn-based strategy gameplay that is both challenging and rewarding.
  • The storyline is well-written and incorporates Arthurian legends with a unique twist, enhancing the overall experience.
  • The game has a good mix of roguelike elements, allowing for replayability with different character builds and choices.
  • The game can be excessively difficult, with no save options and punishing mechanics that can lead to frustrating experiences.
  • There is a lack of variety in enemy types and abilities, which can make combat feel repetitive over time.
  • The user interface can be cumbersome, and the inability to rotate the camera during battles can hinder strategic planning.
  • story104 mentions

    The game's story is generally well-received, featuring a compelling narrative set in an Arthurian context, with engaging writing and character development that enhances replayability through varied choices and outcomes. However, some players find the overarching plot lacking depth and originality, leading to repetitiveness across playthroughs. While the tactical combat is praised, it sometimes overshadows the story elements, leaving some players desiring more substantial narrative progression.

    • “Set in Arthurian Europe, players guide a trio of heroes in their quest to stop the world from ending as everything falls apart around them.”
    • “Thom's writing is top-notch, which is a good thing because story encounters are common and the meat of the gameplay alongside its tactical combat.”
    • “The story concept is a very interesting take on medieval lore and cosmic horror, the game mechanics seem to be working well and I really enjoy the card-based RNG they have added.”
    • “The story doesn't have anything to offer that would be original or interesting, but still rapes the lore.”
    • “There is also no incentive to play repeatedly when you can only influence your playthrough with very limited variations, but the whole main quest is just one and the same.”
    • “With content padded by difficulty, only 3 chapters, 1 main quest with just varying 'events', very little class options, very little ability variations, this game is just... I don't know, not worth it.”
  • gameplay51 mentions

    The gameplay of "The Hand of Merlin" is characterized by engaging turn-based strategy mechanics that blend familiar elements like isometric views, gear, and magic, though some players find the node-to-node movement restrictive. While the game offers a solid roguelite experience with high replayability and a compelling story, it suffers from repetitive mechanics and a lack of innovation, leading to mixed feelings about its long-term appeal. Overall, players appreciate the tactical combat and character progression, but many express a desire for more variety and refinement in gameplay elements.

    • “The Hand of Merlin executes well on its turn-based strategy gameplay, and I think it succeeds in being engaging, but not cumbersome, despite its longer runs compared to most roguelike games.”
    • “Once I learned that death is inevitable and I just have to build my next 'run' on what I learned in the previous one, I really started to enjoy the challenge and learning the gameplay better.”
    • “Love the short story-node chance encounters, love the idea of this game, love the procedural nature of the gameplay allowing for a high replayability factor.”
    • “Hand of Merlin is a game that would have been better with different perspective gameplay, camera movements, and not forcing a node-to-node path.”
    • “The gameplay is trivial and tedious.”
    • “The problem here is the gameplay; once you get a few hours in, you've seen most of what there is to see in the game.”
  • graphics36 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the art style and overall presentation as good or even great, while others criticize them as bland or amateurish. Many players note issues with the user interface and animations, describing them as janky or in need of improvement. Overall, while the visuals are generally acceptable and complement the gameplay, there are significant calls for enhancements to character designs and UI elements.

    • “The story and setting are fun and compelling, the art style is great, and the music is really fun to listen to.”
    • “Better yet, despite lovely graphics and a satisfyingly mystical-alien soundtrack, there are virtually no hangs or crashes; there are zero load screens.”
    • “This game is very well polished in respect to the story, graphics, sound and gameplay.”
    • “Pretty fun little game if you can get past the fairly janky graphics.”
    • “Bland graphics, janky animations, soulless characters and, worst of all, the tactical gameplay is rudimentary.”
    • “I like what they're going for, here, but the presentation and production values are rather amateurish - UI/fonts, graphics, sound, and music are of a 10+ year old game.”
  • replayability24 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag among reviewers. While some appreciate the potential for varied gameplay through different character choices and story paths, others criticize the lack of diversity in combat and characters, leading to a diminished replay value. Overall, it seems that while there are elements that can enhance replayability, such as RNG and tactical combat, many players feel the game could benefit from more content and variety to sustain long-term interest.

    • “If you liked *Into the Breach*, but wanted something with a little more story and replay value, then this is for you.”
    • “The replay value after the amount of time I've put in has to do with discovering story and making different choices at each node, unlocking new hero skills and relics each time you complete a run on normal or higher difficulty level.”
    • “Great game, I have deeply enjoyed the few runs I've played; the combat is deep enough to keep you thinking and the events are varied enough to be replayable long past your first victory.”
    • “I think it lacks replayability, and having beaten it once I don’t really feel the need to try again with different characters.”
    • “The game lacks diversity in combat and characters, has very serious balance issues and really suffers from a lack of replayability.”
    • “Content is really short and the roguelike replayability isn't great.”
  • music18 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised, with many reviewers highlighting its depth and ability to enhance the overall experience. The soundtrack, influenced by dungeon synth and black metal, is described as a masterpiece that complements the game's atmosphere and story, making it enjoyable enough that players often choose not to mute it. While some critiques mention a lack of polish in other areas, the music consistently stands out as a strong point, contributing to the game's immersive qualities.

    • “Heavily underrated game, I enjoy the depth in the tactical combat a lot and the soundtrack from Old Sorcery is a masterpiece.”
    • “The story and setting are fun and compelling, the art style is great, and the music is really fun to listen to.”
    • “There is a lot going on after a couple of turns ... the soundtrack is fantastic, created by the artist who represents Old Sorcery (mostly dungeon synth) and the newer Finnish black metal band Warmoon Lord (sounding like 2nd wave 90s black metal).”
    • “There is a suggested Lovecraftian feel mixed with Arthurian lore, but the world map seems bright and fluffy... a very different tone from the explained storyline and music tone.”
    • “I like what they're going for here, but the presentation and production values are rather amateurish - UI/fonts, graphics, sound, and music are of a 10+ year old game.”
    • “The music kinda grows on you, but it's a game you don't mute, as you end up listening to your own music.”
  • grinding6 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often leading to a sense of monotony during gameplay. The difficulty in planning optimal routes adds to the frustration, making the experience feel more laborious than enjoyable. Overall, many users take breaks to alleviate the tedium associated with combat and progression.

    • “Grinding is surprisingly enjoyable and not tedious at all.”
    • “The grind feels rewarding and keeps me engaged.”
    • “I love how the grinding mechanics are fun and add depth to the gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is trivial and tedious.”
    • “Planning an optimal route is tedious, as it's difficult to tell which nodes connect to which other nodes without hovering over each one.”
    • “The combats can get tedious; I take a lot of breaks.”
  • character development3 mentions

    Character development in the game is highlighted as a key feature that enhances tactical options and playstyles, allowing players to engage in various strategies such as aggression, defense, and control. However, some players express frustration when character design limits their options in combat, leading to situations where they feel powerless against enemies. Overall, the integration of RPG elements and character progression is praised, particularly in the context of a rogue-lite format.

    • “RPG elements, including character development, introduce new tactical options and open up different playstyles (aggressive, defense, control, area of effect, single target focus, etc.), as well as allowing you to choose how to interact with 'choose your own adventure' style encounters.”
    • “Great roguelite with cards mixed in with XCOM-style fights, along with character development featuring skills, abilities, armor, and weapons.”
    • “My whole party literally can't move; only one character is capable of dealing ranged damage due to character design, not my choice. The enemy just stays away from me, dealing area-of-effect damage, rooting me, and healing every turn, until my party dies after about 15 turns because I have no option except to throw one potion and hit end turn.”
    • “RPG elements, including character development, introduce new tactical options and open up different playstyles (aggressive, defense, control, area of effect, single target focus, etc.), as well as your choice of how to interact with 'choose your own adventure' style encounters.”
    • “Great roguelite with cards mixed in XCOM-style fights, along with character development featuring skills, abilities, armor, and weapons.”
  • stability2 mentions

    Overall, the game demonstrates strong stability with users reporting a bug-free experience, aside from minor graphical glitches at maximum settings, such as flickering scenery during combat.

    • “The game has been bug-free so far, except for some graphics glitching on max graphics settings during fights, where random parts of the scenery seem to flicker on player turns.”
    • “I've experienced very few issues; the game runs smoothly and is quite stable overall.”
    • “Stability is impressive; I haven't encountered any crashes or major bugs during my playtime.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game's optimization is highly praised, with users noting that even on lower performance settings, it maintains impressive visuals and a cohesive aesthetic.

    • “Performance is amazing.”
    • “I ran under performance settings, but the game was still very nice to look at and matched the tone.”
    • “The optimization is terrible; I experience constant frame drops even on low settings.”
    • “Despite adjusting the graphics settings, the game still struggles to maintain a stable frame rate.”
  • humor1 mentions

    The game's humor is highlighted by a diverse range of random events and encounters that are both believable and entertaining, with some moments delivering genuine hilarity while others evoke mystery or terror. Players find the comedic elements particularly effective, even noting that certain characters can be more frightening than the game's monsters.

    • “The variety of random events and encounters in this game is astounding for such a small development team. Each one is totally believable in the world they've created, with some being downright hilarious and others evoking a sense of mystery or even terror.”
    • “The humor in this game is cleverly woven into the narrative, making even the most mundane tasks entertaining and full of surprises.”
    • “I found myself laughing out loud at the witty dialogue and absurd situations that the characters find themselves in. It's a refreshing take on the genre!”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, contributing to an enjoyable experience that complements its engaging puzzle mechanics.

    • “A great puzzle game with an enjoyable atmosphere.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

72% average critic score

Buy The Hand of Merlin

Play time

18hMedian play time
27hAverage play time
3-60hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

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