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. Munkey
    Mar 23, 2015
    8
    This game is one of the best I've played. Interesting combination of build your adventure game with an arkham style combat. The setting and the card based dungeon is great. It's a game for people who enjoyed the old adventure table top games or build your own adventure games. The base game is short like 6-7 hours but for a 10£ game it's value. You later unlock the endles mode which is fun.This game is one of the best I've played. Interesting combination of build your adventure game with an arkham style combat. The setting and the card based dungeon is great. It's a game for people who enjoyed the old adventure table top games or build your own adventure games. The base game is short like 6-7 hours but for a 10£ game it's value. You later unlock the endles mode which is fun.
    The game now needs some dlc or expansion. Just more content would be nice.
    Good game eight out of ten for me.    … Expand
  2. Teresk
    Feb 21, 2015
    8
    This game makes me feel like I'm sitting down for a single player DnD game with the dealer as sort of a "dungeon master", laying out the adventure for me to go through. There are a lot of stories to be told that keep fairly short but interesting, and will occasionally result in combat. The combat of the game isn't amazing or revolutionary, but I find it fun and enjoyable. I'm into hack andThis game makes me feel like I'm sitting down for a single player DnD game with the dealer as sort of a "dungeon master", laying out the adventure for me to go through. There are a lot of stories to be told that keep fairly short but interesting, and will occasionally result in combat. The combat of the game isn't amazing or revolutionary, but I find it fun and enjoyable. I'm into hack and slash style gameplay and this game does it well enough while not overstaying its welcome.

    The combination of RPG, card game, adventure with some roguelike elements mixed in, come together in Hand of Fate to make an outstanding experience that makes you just say "One more round"    … Expand
  3. RuneZ4
    Feb 24, 2015
    10
    I love this game. As Odir said if you looking for deep story, character development this game might not be for you. Its more something that you play for 1 round and look at what failed and try again, maybe adjust your deck. And its surprisingly addictive. Much of the game is luck but the combat is mostly skill. There are couple of times when a specific just would destroy me but after theI love this game. As Odir said if you looking for deep story, character development this game might not be for you. Its more something that you play for 1 round and look at what failed and try again, maybe adjust your deck. And its surprisingly addictive. Much of the game is luck but the combat is mostly skill. There are couple of times when a specific just would destroy me but after the third time you figure out how to fight against them.

    And while there is not a clear story, there are subtle hints of an over arching plot and the world which I find very interesting. Also each level complete with different restrictions and curses really made each play through unique. A really awesome sword against the Rat court might have no place in a deck against the skeleton king.

    I can't recommend this game enough.    … Expand
  4. Arqane
    Mar 14, 2015
    9
    A very good game. I can't quite give it a 10, but it's already a very well done game that can be built upon with sequels. It combines ARPG with deck-building, and adds in a rogue-like element. They were smart to make the different genres of the game fairly simple, as it is the first time these genres have really been mixed this way. And this game is definitely more than the sum of itsA very good game. I can't quite give it a 10, but it's already a very well done game that can be built upon with sequels. It combines ARPG with deck-building, and adds in a rogue-like element. They were smart to make the different genres of the game fairly simple, as it is the first time these genres have really been mixed this way. And this game is definitely more than the sum of its parts.

    The Pros:
    -All parts of the game are well built, if not absolutely perfect. You won't get the feeling that they just threw in one part of the game for filler.
    -Good voice acting.
    -A fairly good progression of power.

    The Cons:
    -A little bit too random. This is something you can counteract by knowing each card well and building your deck accordingly, but this is probably the #1 complaint in this game.
    -The endgame doesn't scale very well, so the replayability goes down a good bit. There's not much of a reason to repeat the story. There is an endless dungeon, but it's fairly easy to get extremely powerful quickly, and then hit a wall later.

    I'd say this is a well made, simple to play game, but with depth you will enjoy. It's one that I've recommended to my friends, and I don't recommend many games.    … Expand
  5. MadJaples
    Feb 28, 2015
    8
    A surprisingly good effort from what seems to me to be a less popular dev co.

    This is a well crafted, generally aesthetically pleasing game that has obviously had some exceptionally artistic talent behind it. I find the cross of card game/3rd person scrapper to be a pretty decent mix and all told, playing the game is actually a pleasant experience that is both engaging in content and    A surprisingly good effort from what seems to me to be a less popular dev co.

    This is a well crafted, generally aesthetically pleasing game that has obviously had some exceptionally artistic talent behind it.

    I find the cross of card game/3rd person scrapper to be a pretty decent mix and all told, playing the game is actually a pleasant experience that is both engaging in content and can be as rewarding as it is punishing. Expect the gameplay to get instantly harder beyond the second round if you win, because from that point on it does get difficult if you happen to be unlucky. Doesn't mean to say you shouldn't get it! That's part of the challenge of the game and for once it does a game justice to play things out as such!

    Even if your main style of preferred game is FPS or racing or some such, this is a good game for those wanting to try something different.    … Expand
  6. Tarn33
    Mar 7, 2015
    10
    One of the best games I have played in a long time. Hell, one of the best games I've ever played. I was instantly hooked and knew I had to play it after only watching a couple minutes of someone else. The unique blend of card, dungeon crawl, and action rpg are just fantastic. It is so rare to have a game be so punishing yet so rewarding and fun at the same time. Laughing all the whileOne of the best games I have played in a long time. Hell, one of the best games I've ever played. I was instantly hooked and knew I had to play it after only watching a couple minutes of someone else. The unique blend of card, dungeon crawl, and action rpg are just fantastic. It is so rare to have a game be so punishing yet so rewarding and fun at the same time. Laughing all the while filled with rage at how you got screwed over is a beautiful thing. It makes every step towards victory all the more sweet!… Expand
  7. Odir
    Feb 18, 2015
    8
    Hand of Fate is a mix-up between a Card Game, a Tabletop and a 3rd Person ARPG in this particular order.

    If you are looking for pure action, pure story and choice driven games, or a complex deck building game, Hand of Fate is not for you. But if you enjoy all of the genres mentioned above, you will find a unique game providing just the right amount of everything packed together! So    Hand of Fate is a mix-up between a Card Game, a Tabletop and a 3rd Person ARPG in this particular order.

    If you are looking for pure action, pure story and choice driven games, or a complex deck building game, Hand of Fate is not for you.
    But if you enjoy all of the genres mentioned above, you will find a unique game providing just the right amount of everything packed together!

    So what is Hand of Fate about? You build different kinds of decks compiling different kinds of cards, items, encounters and so on. Depending which cards you choose the story you play will change, and your character progression does too. There are cards that will give you more benefits then others, and the beauty of it, is finding out what those cards actually do, because once you acquire them, the effect of those cards are unknown until you encounter them.
    This makes it exiting to progress and reveal every card on the game board. While doing so you have to manage your resources, food, health and gold. There are also little things like buffs, but I will let you find out about that on your own.

    Some encounters require you to fight monsters/bosses, which are fairly different encounters which require different tactics. This happens in the 3D 3rd Person ARPG style part of the Game. Don't expect to much complexity here. Its simple, yet its fun, much like Assassins Creed or the Batman games.
    The Endless Mode allows for multiple Playthroughs, which alter your adventure depending on the cards you choose.

    The overall difficulty of Hand of Fate is always fair, and never seemed to easy or to hard.

    All of this is packed and created with the Unity Engine. Which does a beautiful job of maintaining a modern and immersive look, yet its not "next gen" like AAA titles out there.

    You cannot expect much about the overall Story here, its about creating your own personal adventure by choosing different cards and unlocking more.
    The musics and overall sound/narration is well done, the card dealer is exceptionally voice over.

    Couldn't find any bugs so far. That doesn't happen very often!

    If i would have to rate the different components of this game, I would rate it:

    -Graphics: 8/10
    -Sound: 9/10
    -Balance: 8/10
    -Atmosphere: 10/10
    -Controls: 9/10
    -Size: 8/10
    -Design: 8/10
    -K.I for fights: 5/10
    -Story: 7/10

    Total of 8 rounded.

    Price of 20 $ atm for what it offers to its targeted audience only make Hand of Fade recommendable in my opinion. I was sceptic at first, but was presently surprised.

    Hope this helps people to decide whether to get it or not. I don't regret my decision so far. Doesn't happen very often lately ;)    … Expand
  8. Caviel
    Feb 18, 2015
    9
    This is a game that interconnects several different game genres and combines them in a very successful and innovative way. The core premise of the game is a RPG and CCG rolled up into one. The RPG aspect stems from gaining abilities and equipment as you play and explore the card dungeon. Each move/step you make on the board consumes one unit of food and restores a bit of health.This is a game that interconnects several different game genres and combines them in a very successful and innovative way. The core premise of the game is a RPG and CCG rolled up into one. The RPG aspect stems from gaining abilities and equipment as you play and explore the card dungeon. Each move/step you make on the board consumes one unit of food and restores a bit of health. Without food, you lose health as you move each space. The equipment you earn as you play upgrades your damage, increases your defense with armor, or unlocks abilities such as gold, food, or healing bonuses in somewhat typical RPG fashion. At the end of each floor of the dungeon is either a boss, or a travel card that takes you to the next level and a fresh floor to traverse.

    This is where the CCG aspect takes over. The dungeon floor is made up of individual cards from an event deck that you build, all placed face down. No microtransactions here, as you advance through the various levels, you earn and collect tokens during events and boss fights which unlock new cards for you to use. If you are not the deck building type, you can also select to have the computer automatically assemble the equipment and event decks that you need for each dungeon/boss run.

    As for the gameplay, every move you make with your figure from one card to the next flips the card face up and triggers an event, either combat or non-combat. The non-combat events can range from a multiple choice event with a "four card monte" mini game that decides if you pass or fail (sometimes epically), or travelers like merchants and healers where you can use earned gold to buy items from your equipment deck, or more food if needed. Some of these events can be skipped if you don't feel like risking health, food, or gold for whatever reward may be in store.

    The combat events are the most straight-forward, and unfortunately where most of the faults lie. Combat works very similar to the most recent Batman series of games, with green lines indicating an attacker can be countered by pushing "Q", or red lines indicating the attack can't be countered and should be dodged by using the Space Bar to roll. You also throw in ranged attackers as the game progresses with attacks that can be reflected or dodged. The problem is that there isn't nearly the level of camera control and attack precision that you find in the Arkham series, you often find yourself rolling in the wrong direction and/or swinging at air. With multiple ranged enemies, this can sometimes make the combat feel more frantic and frustrating.

    Your equipment also plays a roll in how combat works: no shield, no counter. This makes the event deck building both a critical and fun piece as it sprinkles in the dynamic aspect of a rouge-like game, but does allow you to control more of the results as opposed to being completely random. Before you think you can min/max your event deck to an easy victory though, the masked man across the table (Think D&D Dungeon Master and Card Dealer) throws in some of his own cards to keep things interesting.

    Overall a very fun game with a good amount of replay value, slightly hampered by a less than stellar combat experience. Combat flaws aside, I highly recommend picking up a copy of this RPG/CCG/Action Brawler/Rogue-like mashup game.

    (Review based on PC version of the game from GOG.com)    … Expand
  9. RisenQuenta
    Feb 23, 2015
    8
    This game obviously has some bad sides:
    1)Low random of cards(you know a big amount of possible cards on desk).
    2)Easy action-rpg(it could be better).
    But this game is one of the coolest games that i played in this year and i enjoyed it.
  10. D0n0van
    Sep 1, 2014
    10
    Other one player games I would rate 10 include the original Doom and Skyrim.

    So I dont give this score lightly. Hand Of Fate, does require quite a few plays through before you can really exploit the many layers this game has. But once you know whats going on, this is a very thought provoking experience which really got my imagination going. I had a moment while token hunting    Other one player games I would rate 10 include the original Doom and Skyrim.

    So I dont give this score lightly.

    Hand Of Fate, does require quite a few plays through before you can really exploit the many layers this game has.

    But once you know whats going on, this is a very thought provoking experience which really got my imagination going.

    I had a moment while token hunting where I just walked past starving children because I had other plans for my whole sackload of food.

    Sounds horrible, buts its just a pretend card in a video game.
    The children arent real and yet, there is the games power.
    You are forced to make choices, to juggle your resources and risk all, for often the smallest gain.

    Its hard.
    And you are meant to die.
    And yet you come back, again and again.

    The more you win.
    The harder it gets!

    Dont expect a cake walk.
    This is a fight.
    Both using strategy,
    And your reflexes when the game goes into 3rd person battle mode.

    I look forward to seeing more reviews of this excellent game.

    Bring on the boss!!!    … Expand
  11. HonestBill
    Feb 26, 2015
    9
    Coming from a huge Diablo fan, this game is fantastic! The game play is very well balanced and very polished, you have to remember that this game revolves around risk and luck. It's not 100% reliant on either of the two, you set the risk/reward ratio when you set your deck up. You shape your adventure. For example: if you want a higher chance to find a Frost Blade Sword add 3 Frost BladeComing from a huge Diablo fan, this game is fantastic! The game play is very well balanced and very polished, you have to remember that this game revolves around risk and luck. It's not 100% reliant on either of the two, you set the risk/reward ratio when you set your deck up. You shape your adventure. For example: if you want a higher chance to find a Frost Blade Sword add 3 Frost Blade cards into your deck.

    Graphics: 10/10
    - Very well done considering this was made with the Unity Engine!
    - Framerates are better than the console versions

    Gameplay: 10/10
    - Original and Unique

    Story: 9/10
    - The dealer is your best friend and worst enemy, you never really know.

    Price: $20USD - Very fairly priced - this game almost feels like a AAA game.

    This game is already amazingly fun to play and I would have no issue paying 5-10 dollars for a decently sized expansion DLC.

    To all you Diablo fans and dungeon hunters - this game is a must! The card game aspect may seem boring but you will forget you're playing a card game.    … Expand
  12. Caste
    Feb 23, 2015
    10
    This game is great. It combines perfectly a lot of good stuff from other game styles and it fits really smooth with the feeling the game pretends.
    I'm almost finishing (trying to get the dagger) and I will keep playing after that, because that endless mode really put some quality replay value.
    So, imo you should really give it a try, I totally recommend it!
  13. lakin777
    Mar 22, 2015
    9
    This is a mixure of rpg, card games and roguelikes, with a freeflow like combat. its a mixure thats suprisingly works wonders. the only downside is the low budget for animations which is the only thing preventing it form perfect 10/10.
    its also really cheap!
  14. wewantwar
    Apr 21, 2015
    8
    Game has great replay value, 20 story "missions" with 20 unique bosses and as you progress further the game gets much more harder especially with a random cards/enemies/curses drawn from the deck, not mentioning the Endless mode in which you can indulge hours (before you ran out of food or just die after encounter with low hp) and play it over and over again.
  15. Sooperspook
    Mar 19, 2015
    9
    Hand of Fate is like a, less satirical, two person game of Munchkin mixed with an action RPG elements thrown in. You play against an NPC in a game of cards but you are also the hero of a story controlled by those cards. The card decks that you, and the dealer, build control what equipment you end up with, what rewards you may win and what encounters you have. Some cards will give you aHand of Fate is like a, less satirical, two person game of Munchkin mixed with an action RPG elements thrown in. You play against an NPC in a game of cards but you are also the hero of a story controlled by those cards. The card decks that you, and the dealer, build control what equipment you end up with, what rewards you may win and what encounters you have. Some cards will give you a boon, others a curse.

    To play it is really quite simple. You build an equipment deck and an encounter deck, modified by the dealer. You draw a hand from the equipment deck and the dealer draws from the encounter deck. Your hand shows you what gear you are using, while the dealers hand shapes and populates the ‘dungeon’ the hero traverses. Sometimes encounters involve interaction with NPCs, some where you have to make a choice and at other times you may end up in combat. Combat is where the game changes from a CCG to an action game. Throughout the game there will be instances requiring you to draw a card which may give you a reward, a power boost or a debuff of some kind.

    You have two resources to manage through the game. The first is Food, which is used whenever the hero moves to a new card, to recover Health and used in some encounters. The second is Gold, which is used to buy Food, equipment and also in some encounters. Don’t run out of Food or you will starve to death. An ignoble way for a hero to snuff it.

    On the pro side of things, this game has a tremendous amount of replay value. Since each ‘dungeon’ is randomly built each time you play, there is little chance you will get the same experience twice. In addition, being able to choose, most, of the cards that go into the encounter deck means you can influence the dungeon to the type of game you feel like having. RNG and the dealers additions to the deck ensure you cannot predict exactly what you’ll get however.
    The game allows for strategic thinking as well. Loading your equipment deck with cards suited for the kind of encounter deck you’re facing puts you in a better position to win. But again, RNG can (and does) mix things up.

    There are some cons to the game. A bad draw can result in your character suffering huge debuffs, turning easy encounters into true trials. This is even worse if the bad draw is early on, forcing you to play through the rest of that game with a handicap. On the flip side, some encounters, even Bosses, can be made trivial.
    Combat can become a bit dull after a while as you always have the same actions through the game. Some variety in combat style would be welcome here.

    Overall however, this game is great. The play is imaginative, the aesthetic is great to look at, the music suits it very well and the dealer is just the right mix of sardonic and smug that makes you want to beat him at his own game.    … Expand
  16. Serenityinaz12
    Feb 25, 2015
    8
    I only heard about this game a few days ago, but decided to give it a shot. Holy crap is it fun and addicting. Very original and well done. I highly recommend this game.
  17. Hardycore
    May 15, 2016
    8
    Hand of fate is one of the most... interesting games I've played, and certainly most unique. I have never played anything that comes even close to this game. The best comparison is dungeons and dragons. You play on a board, where the entire board is made out of cards you can choose yourself. These cards are called 'encounters', and every encounter gives you multiple options to get pastHand of fate is one of the most... interesting games I've played, and certainly most unique. I have never played anything that comes even close to this game. The best comparison is dungeons and dragons. You play on a board, where the entire board is made out of cards you can choose yourself. These cards are called 'encounters', and every encounter gives you multiple options to get past them. Most of them, chance. For instance, whenever you land on the encounter 'a wife's fury' you run into an angry woman, whose husband is out, drinking. She asks you to confront him. You're being given the choice whether to do so, or let her deal with it. If you choose the latter, you can go on your way, but, you'll be given a curse.
    If you choose to confront him, you'll find out that her husband, is none other than one of the bosses in the game. Again, you'll be given two options. Either to threaten him, or to join his drinking game. Both of these options have a chance of succes, or failure. Whatever happens after that, you'll have to find out.

    Interesting enough, it's not just a boardgame. Whenever you encounter an enemy, you suddenly find yourself into an action-brawl area, where you have to fight them, similar to the batman series (attack/counter/stun buttons + special moves). Because of this, it never gets boring, and it doesn't all depend on luck.

    The game, however, has one huge issue. It is filled with bugs. Most of the bugs aren't all that noticable when you play the story mode, but in endless mode, the game mode you unlock after beating the story mode, is barely playable. The further you get, the harder it becomes to battle your way through not the game itself, but the bugs. As if the game itsn't challenging enough, it has to kill you in the cheapest way possible. Other bugs, however, are easily exploited and make the online scoreboard very unreliable.

    Almost any game I'd rate with a 4 or 5 out of 10. It is one thing to have those bug in alpha/beta, but this game has been going for quite some time and it's ridiculous it's still in it. However, this game is something special. Despite the bugs, it still makes me want to play, over, and over again. No matter how frustrated I become, because some cheap bug killed me, after an hour I want to play again. In bed, I can't help but think about the game, wanting to play.

    Overall, I rate this game 8 out of 10. I hope hand of fate 2 will be less of an bug fest, but for now, I'll enjoy being number 3 on the scoreboard without cheating.    … Expand
  18. theirrelephants
    Jan 20, 2018
    8
    The unfortunate amount of glitches that occur once you get far enough in endless mode keep this from being a 10 out of 10.

    Great game for people who enjoy RNG/table top/rogue like games.

    Shouldn't take you more than 10 hours to complete unless you try to unlock everything like I was dumb enough to attempt.
  19. jseph1234
    May 2, 2016
    9
    This is an AWESOME and intriguing game. Its very similar to magic but you are one on one against the Dealer of fate with a twist... You play out the enemy encounters like a regular RPG...Amazing!
  20. Captain_Faramir
    Apr 3, 2017
    8
    8.3 - Really fun game, cool concepts never done before and lots of replay value with the endless mode. Environments are also pretty cool, and enemies vary and can be challenging depending on the situation.
  21. RagingPoet
    Dec 21, 2017
    8
    Hand of Fate is a lot of fun both in campaign and endless modes. Although it suffers a bit from hard reliance on randomness just like most 'roguelite' games.
  22. Tomicsavo
    May 10, 2020
    9
    A real old school role-playing game. I really liked it except for the last 2-3 chapter.It was extremely fun, but the last tracks were already a bit frustrating in normal difficulty.

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.
    Read full review
  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.
    Read full review
  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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