Hand of Fate

 PC
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 222 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 157 out of 222
  2. Mixed: 46 out of 222
  3. Negative: 19 out of 222
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  1. Sjalka
    Feb 22, 2015
    7
    Hmm - this game caught me quite quickly ... but after playing around a little, i felt like its weaknesses at least matched its strengths.

    At its core - the game is a game of choices. Choose your path, choose your events etc. . However - it is the choices that i have a problem with. Many of the choices are resolved by blindly picking one card out of a shuffled stack of 4 - which is    Hmm - this game caught me quite quickly ... but after playing around a little, i felt like its weaknesses at least matched its strengths.

    At its core - the game is a game of choices. Choose your path, choose your events etc. .

    However - it is the choices that i have a problem with. Many of the choices are resolved by blindly picking one card out of a shuffled stack of 4 - which is fine - in a way... but the game pretends that there is kind of a choice to start with. Some game simulate the shuffling of cards so that a very quick eye actually has a chance tracking the correct card. Hand of Fate however does not give you that chance - so picking a card manually is rather random and henceforth redundant.

    The brawler part - the combat - is Batman Arkham style and quite well done ... but very simplified. That makes it short and fun at first - but does not offer much variety. The enemy AI is about on mmorpg levels ( meaning it is pathetic if you can call it AI at all ), the combat arenas - while visually varied enough - do not offer much in terms of making use of the environment ( with the exception of traps .. but there are no bottlenecks or other terrain features to really use )
    It would have been very beneficial for the combat to allow for more tactics and play styles ( like ranged, sneaked or melee )

    Then there are the trap dungeons which require the player to pass a dungeon of traps of increasingly higher difficulty - which is fun but turns more and more into a chore.

    On the bright side however - the game has a very good UI with its card style, great voice acting and overall - a very good design.
    I would describe it as a "jack of all traits, master of none" as it tries so many things - and actually does them fairly well.... .

    But is it worth the money / trying it out? - yes ... certainly... it is enjoyable and appeals to many players. It showcases very well how a "tabletop" game makes use of the capabilities of a PC.    … Expand
  2. mweagle
    Feb 18, 2015
    7
    For the people who like this type of games, it's great. For everyone else it might be a little bit boring.

    It's a card game, based on luck and chance, but you can adjust the odds a bit, since you build your deck. This deck then provides you with the dungeonmap (randomly selected from your 'encounter'-cards. You can get rewards and equipements from your deck as well. But it remains all    For the people who like this type of games, it's great. For everyone else it might be a little bit boring.

    It's a card game, based on luck and chance, but you can adjust the odds a bit, since you build your deck. This deck then provides you with the dungeonmap (randomly selected from your 'encounter'-cards. You can get rewards and equipements from your deck as well. But it remains all chance and the dungeon might sometimes be quite annoying, and sometimes too easy.

    Combat is done via opponent picking (chance as well), but the combat itself is quite nice. Not really hard, but you can dodge and block like most games. Different enemies require different tactics, and you can sometimes make use of the traps on the field. Pretty nice. Big drawback of the combat is the camera. The freaking camera... You cannot control it, yet it makes you blind on some parts of the battlefield. Especially in so called 'trap-mazes', your view can be blocked in a way where you must move towards the camera, and therefor cannot see anything. Quite frustrating that camera-issues still exist in 2015.
    If the camera was tiltable/turnable it would recieve much higher grades, but it just makes the game seem too oldfashioned and unfinished.

    The good thing that stands out is the many variety of the game's dungeons. Since you make a deck which creates your dungeon, you can try different settings to get the most challenging, or most easy difficulty.    … Expand
  3. Dokkodo
    Feb 25, 2015
    6
    It is an interesting combination of a lot of elements, unfortunately the combat is just so boring and repetitive that it really takes away from the rest of the game. If they polished out the combat and made it more than dodge attack dodge attack dodge attack...then it would be a thoroughly good game.
  4. Norinvaux
    Feb 21, 2015
    6
    The card bits of the game are great fun. The random encounters are exactly like choose-your-own-adventure books, and I loved those books. Though you can get **** hard by RNG, that is what RNG is there for after all.

    Now, the downsides are abysmal load times that come up after every tiny thing happens in the game. It also seems extremely consolized, and the interface is buggy and    The card bits of the game are great fun. The random encounters are exactly like choose-your-own-adventure books, and I loved those books. Though you can get **** hard by RNG, that is what RNG is there for after all.

    Now, the downsides are abysmal load times that come up after every tiny thing happens in the game. It also seems extremely consolized, and the interface is buggy and inconsistent to use with a mouse. Sometimes clicking will do one thing, and sometimes something completely different. Even trying to just point the mouse at a card doesn't always work properly.
    The third person action bits are also not very fun. It's extremely simple, but still somehow feels buggy occasionally, like when an enemy slashes at the air from one side of the arena and still hits you, or when the counter button decides not to do anything. I think it would work better with some actual camera control, and more control over the character himself.

    My problems with the game could easily be fixed in a future patch, and if they are, I'd bump my score up to a 7 or maybe even 8.    … Expand
  5. Indissentient
    Mar 12, 2015
    6
    It is a well-made game with a good premise, but I personally got bored before I could finish it. I'd say there's too much RNG and too little choice in the card aspect of the game.
    Interface could also be better. Many actions take way longer than they actually should, with no option to skip pointless one out of 4 card choices and animations.
    It's a game worth trying, but I wouldn't    It is a well-made game with a good premise, but I personally got bored before I could finish it. I'd say there's too much RNG and too little choice in the card aspect of the game.
    Interface could also be better. Many actions take way longer than they actually should, with no option to skip pointless one out of 4 card choices and animations.
    It's a game worth trying, but I wouldn't recommend you to buy it blindly.    … Expand
  6. deathweeper
    Mar 22, 2015
    6
    This game is very average, its a bit of a card game, a bit of an rpg and a bit of action. Well the cards are nice and its interesting to see what each new card does but the each gets boring fast. The RPG elements of the game where of within the first ten minutes and the bit of action part of the game is only that, a bit. Overall its kinda nice but I felt as if I had already dominated theThis game is very average, its a bit of a card game, a bit of an rpg and a bit of action. Well the cards are nice and its interesting to see what each new card does but the each gets boring fast. The RPG elements of the game where of within the first ten minutes and the bit of action part of the game is only that, a bit. Overall its kinda nice but I felt as if I had already dominated the next encounter without even seeing it. In other words it's easy and boring. However I do have to give it some respect because its not trying to be awesome and amazing, it's only trying decent and it doesn't pretend that its the greatest thing ever created. However I also condem it because it just doesn't have any ambition.… Expand
  7. xDaudex
    May 25, 2015
    7
    Pros:
    Creatively designed game
    Fun once you get used to the system
    Unlocking cards even if you die makes dying seem not so bad

    Cons:
    Game does not force you to learn mechanics till the difficulty increases at the end
    The first 75% of the game is too easy
    The difficulty spike at the end is ridiculous
  8. andarial6670
    Mar 27, 2015
    6
    This is a very unique game, and the concept of it is very good. I've heard a lot of praise about the dealer and his interactions with the player, but ultimately I am not impressed. The dialogue gets boring quickly, and all he ever does is berate the player. This combined with RNG elements that hinder you 80% of the time and benefit you the other 20% make this game more frustrating thanThis is a very unique game, and the concept of it is very good. I've heard a lot of praise about the dealer and his interactions with the player, but ultimately I am not impressed. The dialogue gets boring quickly, and all he ever does is berate the player. This combined with RNG elements that hinder you 80% of the time and benefit you the other 20% make this game more frustrating than enjoyable. The diversity in the cards is boring. There is literally only one card in this entire game that does not have any backlash. Every other card in the game tries to screw you over, and deck building thus becomes irrelevant to the overall experience. The "Arkham-style" combat is broken, redundant, sometimes ridiculously easy and other times ridiculously difficult. I almost finished the game when I realized that it was an okay game, but not so good that it was even worth finishing. If I wanted this much RNG in a game I'd go back to playing Diablo 3… Expand
  9. ChoicestGames
    Feb 15, 2019
    7
    Hand of Fate works as well as you'd expect a hybrid of card games, roguelikes and action RPGs would; while roguelikes are often a challenge on their own, combining them with card games can sometimes mean a double whammy with respect to adverse random outcomes. This is especially apparent on the final level of the game which I've given up on ever trying to complete. However, the game doesHand of Fate works as well as you'd expect a hybrid of card games, roguelikes and action RPGs would; while roguelikes are often a challenge on their own, combining them with card games can sometimes mean a double whammy with respect to adverse random outcomes. This is especially apparent on the final level of the game which I've given up on ever trying to complete. However, the game does have its moments and with its splendid graphics, professional voice acting and a top-class soundtrack, there's a lot to recommend, provided you're ready for a challenge.… Expand
  10. Mandulum
    Nov 22, 2017
    5
    Five Word Review: Decent if repetitive. Terrible finale.
    Favorite Thing: Cards with continuing stories.
    Least Favorite Thing: Combat is boring and repetitive. It's repetitively boring. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the final boss fight. The balancing on it is terrible. Its difficulty is significantly higher than any other fight in the game. Date Completed: 2017-11-11 Playtime: ~    Five Word Review: Decent if repetitive. Terrible finale.
    Favorite Thing: Cards with continuing stories.
    Least Favorite Thing: Combat is boring and repetitive. It's repetitively boring. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the final boss fight. The balancing on it is terrible. Its difficulty is significantly higher than any other fight in the game.

    Date Completed: 2017-11-11
    Playtime: ~ 12h
    Enjoyment: 5/10
    Recommendation: I was undecided for most of the game but the sheer unfairness of the final battle (yes, I finished it) has soured it for me. There's a thing called balance. If you want your game to be difficult make it difficult. Don't make 99% of it trivial and then dial it up to 11 for the final encounter. In short, I'm a 'no'.    … Expand
  11. Klewer
    Aug 5, 2017
    7
    Overall I enjoyed the game. Has a unique style as a card game mixed with a basic action RPG combat. Has a lot of potential, but for me some annoying designs made it frustrating at the end. I feel it poorly prepares you for a big spike in difficulty at the end. Still worth a look.
  12. tsakiym
    Jan 27, 2016
    6
    very nice game for his price and for the expedition that u waiting for it. nothing special about the fights but i love it. nice combination of card-hack and slash action rpg
  13. RockStarGamers
    Jul 28, 2015
    7
    Hand of Fate has some minor issues, but it's a unique experience that ties in a few different game styles. Random generation gives it some legs, and it looks like they're putting a lot of work into the DLC too.
  14. clem666
    Nov 8, 2020
    6
    'Hand of Fate' offers one of the most original gameplay I've seen in a while. The story is attractive, the bestiary is varied, so are the equipments. There are some interesting mechanics like benedictions, curses and artifacts. I wouldn't call this game beautiful but it certainly has something attractive and pleasant to watch and play. The idea to constantly switch between a card game and'Hand of Fate' offers one of the most original gameplay I've seen in a while. The story is attractive, the bestiary is varied, so are the equipments. There are some interesting mechanics like benedictions, curses and artifacts. I wouldn't call this game beautiful but it certainly has something attractive and pleasant to watch and play. The idea to constantly switch between a card game and a RPG-style is brilliant and there are only few things to reproach it for.
    Firstly, I would say its repetitiveness: once you discovered the main cards, you will find it in every new game. This breaks the immersion because you eventually manage to learn how to avoid bad events and how to 'create' beneficial ones. You no longer bother to read the description of the cards or their staging. Extension and some special events do bring some novelty but still requiers a lot of resources and/or chance.
    I saw they put some effort in translation beacause now it's more decent than before (I used to play it in french). But only the text is translated, not the Dealer's voice. I guess it is good enough.
    The fight gameplay quickly becomes boring when you realize it's all about left-clicking again and again. Plus the camera angles are awful: when you have no shield, you can't counter distant attacks and when you don't see the enemy you just don't know when he attacks. So you lose a lot of health for game design...
    I have nothing against high difficulty in video games but this one has pissed me off several times for its cruelty. A few random cards can simply ruin your play by deleting all of your stamina, gold or health! This game feels so unbalanced. In the fight parts, you can be alone versus eight of nine enemies and still the game will put traps on the map, like it wasn't enough. In this game, you can die while dodging an opponent's stroke... This level of RNG is crazy and useless.
    Anyway, be prepared to die a lot and so to hear a lot of the Dealers' mocking ('Again, death is on your way', 'Have you learned ? Nothing').    … Expand
  15. Hyperfailure
    Apr 29, 2023
    7
    A surprisingly engaging RPG with card elements, with an obtuse and not really fleshed out main story. That said, the mini-stories of playing the game make up for it with world-building. The two game modes of tabletop and combat both feel interesting.

Awards & Rankings

88
#88 Best PC Game of 2014
56
#56 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 28
  3. Negative: 0 out of 28
  1. RPGamer
    Sep 19, 2016
    80
    Hand of Fate is a rollicking good time that can be completed in under 20 hours.
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  2. Game Rant
    May 18, 2015
    90
    Defiant Development’s Hand of Fate game is not without flaws, but the sheer innovation dwarfs them easily.
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  3. CD-Action
    Apr 30, 2015
    55
    I kept wondering whether the developer first came up with a brawler and then added the whole card game dressing to avoid expanding the arcade component or was it the other way around. Whatever the case may be the game is unique, I’ll give it that, but it doesn’t mean it’s good. [05/2015, p.66]
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