Hand of Fate

 Xbox One
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 57 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 42 out of 57
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 57
  3. Negative: 6 out of 57

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  1. MCPO
    Feb 24, 2015
    8
    Hand of Fate is a strange but excellent amalgamation of card, action, RPG, and rogue-like gaming. Although it's far from perfect, it has that addictive play-just-one-more-time quality about it. A single round might take you 5 minutes or 50, depending on a little luck and strategy. But once you get the hang of it, you'll be hard-pressed not to jump into another game. And another. AndHand of Fate is a strange but excellent amalgamation of card, action, RPG, and rogue-like gaming. Although it's far from perfect, it has that addictive play-just-one-more-time quality about it. A single round might take you 5 minutes or 50, depending on a little luck and strategy. But once you get the hang of it, you'll be hard-pressed not to jump into another game. And another. And another.

    In a nutshell, you play a card game where the cards form levels that your scary mercenary must traverse. Included are some par-for-the-course RPG elements -- i.e. equipped items, health levels, food, gold, etc. The basic object is to move from one level to another by finding the exit cards. Each step along the way can be filled with traps and pitfalls or with new equippable items and treasure. To complicate matters, you also face off against enemies of various types, including bosses, in 3rd person melee action that is reminiscent of a game like Ryse or Batman Arkham Asylum.

    The narrator of the game doubles as the Gamemaster, dictating play with commentary that is perfectly timed with wit or snark or ominous foreshadowing of what lies ahead. Generally, it's excellent voice work and really draws you into the tabletop aspect.

    The combat portion of the game is also dictated by the cards randomly drawn from the Gamemaster's deck. These cards determine both the kinds of enemies and their numbers. You're then whisked away to do battle in one of maybe 20 or 30 different arenas of varying sizes. The melee combat is simple and fun. But not perfect.

    Let's get the bad stuff out of the way. The battle arenas take place from a semi-fixed view that follows closely behind the player. The problem here is that it never rotates, so you can't see what is taking place on a large portion of the battlefield. Instead, you have to rely on a little green indicator warning you of an incoming projectile attack. It makes for more than a few frustrating moments of timing your blocks. Also, I found myself sometimes getting caught in a corner of one of the arenas due to static objects which were difficult to see interfering with my movement.

    Technically speaking, the game takes a major frame-rate hit on screens where cards are being shuffled and dealt by the Gamemaster. It's nothing that really affects gameplay, as it never occurs in the crucial fighting portion of the game, but it's strange that Defiant Development didn't iron this out before launch, as this game is certainly not putting the Xbox One through its paces.

    Another annoyance is that the tabletop and the played cards are hard to read from the game's fixed first-person view. The seraph text font is too small, at least for these eyes. It would have been optimal to have included the ability to toggle a top-down view. As it is, the cards are only readable or even recognizable when the game view temporarily switches to the aforementioned top-down view to show the placing of a card on the table.

    One final, small issue is that Hand of Fate is light on options. There are no online ranking boards, a rarity in games these days, which seems like a missed opportunity to extend the life of the title.

    Graphically, Hands of Fate is no showstopper for the Xbox One. I've seen better on my 360. Having said that, I really like the art style. One example is how the playing cards are implemented into the introductions of the fighting sequences -- it's brilliant, but I'll leave that for you to check out for yourself. Needless to say, you're not buying this game for its 1080p, 60 fps, cutting-edge good looks.

    The team behind Hand of Fate has a potential cult hit on their Hands. It's a serious time waster with a fresh mix of fun gameplay elements that all come together nicely. Still, I can't help but get the feeling that this was a test project for something much bigger and bolder. Hand of Fate 2, perhaps? If so, deal me in.    … Expand
  2. HonestBill
    Feb 26, 2015
    8
    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: 9/10
    - Framerate drops (not during combat)

    Gameplay: 10/10
    - Original and Unique

    Story: 9/10

    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
  3. Borgrumm
    Feb 21, 2015
    0
    DO NOT buy this on Xbox One. It seems like a great game, and it might be worth it on other systems, but on the Xbox One, when you enter a battle with more than 4-5 enemies (which happens a lot), it slows down to less than a frame per second. It becomes literally unplayable right at the point where it starts really getting good.
  4. GainesvilleGuy
    May 15, 2015
    8
    I'm giving this an 8 mainly because it is pretty unique. It is probably more of a 7 if you compare it to a top notch AAA title and once the novelty wears off. Basically this is a card game of chance, with action sequences (like a low-rent Arkham Asylum) resolving the bad card outcomes. The campaign mode basically has you run through different levels of difficulty, throwing rules changesI'm giving this an 8 mainly because it is pretty unique. It is probably more of a 7 if you compare it to a top notch AAA title and once the novelty wears off. Basically this is a card game of chance, with action sequences (like a low-rent Arkham Asylum) resolving the bad card outcomes. The campaign mode basically has you run through different levels of difficulty, throwing rules changes on you to mix it up while you try to work through the deck and then defeat the bosses (again, low-rent Arkham Asylum sequences).

    After beating the campaign levels you run through a mode where you just try to go as long as you can, meanwhile unlocking the rest of the cards (cards are not all unlocked until you achieve certain outcomes). However by the end it became tedious (trying to unlock the final few cards, which may not even show up in a game) but overall I enjoyed it. A nice mix of randomness and completionist keeps it interesting for a while.    … Expand
  5. metalinc
    Mar 23, 2015
    7
    I have enjoyed this game. It is definitely a game everybody should play because it is so unique and hard to relate just how fun it is. Deck building, great voice work, strategy and fighting....all in one. Now I would have liked to give this a higher rating but there are some bugs. A great example is I had been trying to pass one of the higher levels numerous times and when I finally beatI have enjoyed this game. It is definitely a game everybody should play because it is so unique and hard to relate just how fun it is. Deck building, great voice work, strategy and fighting....all in one. Now I would have liked to give this a higher rating but there are some bugs. A great example is I had been trying to pass one of the higher levels numerous times and when I finally beat it it awarded me my bonus, etc....and when the game was "resetting" the deck the system locked before the save point....so back again I went.....this happened the next 3-4 times beating the level as well.....and I probably played 20-30 rounds to get the "wins". Finally....it loaded properly and saved. I would still recommend the game though....you can create some nice card combos and no two games are alike.… Expand
  6. Troublewalking
    Feb 4, 2016
    7
    Hand of Fate is one of those games that is a pleasant surprise. I got this as part of my XB1 gold membership. So I decided I would try it. Admitting it was very difficult for me to look past the whole tarot card feel and card game vibe. As neither of these things are my type of games.

    What the game actually is, is a randomized dungeon adventure where you can build card decks or let the    Hand of Fate is one of those games that is a pleasant surprise. I got this as part of my XB1 gold membership. So I decided I would try it. Admitting it was very difficult for me to look past the whole tarot card feel and card game vibe. As neither of these things are my type of games.

    What the game actually is, is a randomized dungeon adventure where you can build card decks or let the computer choose one for you. Then you move your icon over the cards thus randomizing your events. It has descriptions and you can make some choices and then if all things go wrong, fight it out.

    It is quite refreshing in that it is different than most games out there for console. I actually played through the first 12 bosses. But it took a long time (probably 4+ hours), And in the end, I don't know if it's a glitch or you need specific tactics to beat this boss, but him and his minions seem to not take any damage from me. I've done the fight three times and the boss and all his minions never seem to get hurt or die. After 10 minutes of beating on the casters and tank minions they just never died. And I did this 3x. The Lich card seems to never be killable for me, so they are probably tactic specific. Or you need to customize your deck to handle these situations. I let the computer pick my deck so that may of short carded me. But up until this point where I got stuck the game was very intriguing.

    The game is nice, but once you unlock a card, it is added to the deck and you will just rush through that encounter. Once you win it resets the deck and you get random stuff to fight another boss. After 12 bosses you win the "Match". The nice part is because the cards make random "dungeons" every game has a different feel/ slightly different opponents and feels more random.

    It has an endless mode, which probably means you never have to reset your stats and gear. Which would be nice. You can also choose your deck which probably helps a lot once you know what your doing.

    It would be nice if they enlarged the cards. I found it hard to read the cards when they were laid on the table and one of my abilities allowed me to read every card on the table. And I'm playing this game on a 50" screen. Which makes such an ability almost pointless.

    Overall I enjoyed it, I just seem to have hit the wall with the last boss. As I can't hurt him or his minions. So I probably won't be playing this game a ton. But if you have a bunch of time to waste and like these randomized types of games, this is one you should check out.    … Expand
  7. Kersley
    Apr 28, 2015
    8
    Alright, it's not a huge budget game but if you're a fan of choose your own adventures it's a blast. Borrows from arkham,d&d, and a few goosebumps choose your own. It's not perfect but if you can handle a bit of reading now and then you'll be in for a good time
  8. zomboidmike
    May 16, 2015
    8
    Original idea and fresh game. Good mix of genre, full of cool things to do. I had a hack'n'slash from this guys on mobile before, talented team. Worth the price!
  9. CasualTerror
    Jun 12, 2015
    8
    My first thought after hearing the title Hand of Fate was, “they made a Manos Hands of Fate video game?” Nope. Instead, Defiant Development’s Hand of Fate is a card building, tabletop Dungeons and Dragons, with a smeckering of action game tossed in the pot. Is smerckering a cooking term; well it is now.

    The whole end goal of Hand Of Fate is to beat the dealer or Dungeon Master, if you    My first thought after hearing the title Hand of Fate was, “they made a Manos Hands of Fate video game?” Nope. Instead, Defiant Development’s Hand of Fate is a card building, tabletop Dungeons and Dragons, with a smeckering of action game tossed in the pot. Is smerckering a cooking term; well it is now.

    The whole end goal of Hand Of Fate is to beat the dealer or Dungeon Master, if you will. To do so you have to defeat twelve of his champions. The twelve champions are found at the end of their “dungeons”. Now when I say “dungeon” is more like a path of encounter cards that the dealer lays out. This encounter cards could be anything from an ambush of enemies, to a elven maiden can increase your max health or give you food, to a poorly disguised goblin who chats you up at a tavern looking for food. That’s the Dungeons and Dragons-y part. While the cards may just say ‘Maiden’ there’s text that tells you the story of your journey.

    The deck building part deals with the encounter cards and equipment cards. Before starting each dungeon you can choose, or have the game choose, the cards that might appear on your travels. So if you didn’t like that the ‘Devil’s Choice’ card ask you to pick from three different enemy cards you want to fight only to have you fight the other two instead you can trade that card out for a different one. Some cards unfortunately are locked and can’t be traded out. How you get new cards you ask? In order to get new cards you have to collect tokens. You get tokens from completing certain tasks on certain cards. For boss cards its always just defeat the boss, other times it could be to pick the correct dialog choice, or from picking the correct card from the four card shuffle that some choice have. The cards that earn you tokens have a little token symbol at that bottom, plus you see the dealer reach into his pot of tokens and sites you how many are on the line. As long as you earn the token you can unlock 1 – 6 new cards, whether you beat the dungeon or not.

    By this point you’re asking, “how do you defeat a boss? What’s the combat like? Where’s my Quesada?” Chill I’ll tell you about the combat, but as for the Quesada I’m wondering that too. When you enter combat, it becomes and action game. You run around a small area, which is random almost every time. Sometimes traps appear and sometimes they don’t. You can button mash the attack button (X button) and when a green symbol, which looks like Spidey’s Spider Sense, and you have a shield you can dodge and counter attack (Y button). The combat may feel familiar if you’ve played a certain series of games starring a certain flying rodent. You can also equip artifacts that can give you the ability to shoot throwing knives in all directions or freeze enemies for a short time, just to name a few. You equipment can have special stat boosts on them like a certain helmet can raise your speed or a pair of gloves that can poison.

    There are two modes of play. One is story mode, in which you travel along 3 or more dungeon paths and fight the champion at the end. The other is endless mode, which just that you play until you die and you get scored. According to Mr. Dealer-man “it’s the true way to play the game”. During endless mode you are more likely to come across side quests. Side quest are cards that you can come across that, if you accept it, will change a random discovered card to the, let’s call it, goal card. One time I came across one and it was the Angry Wife card and she wanted me to go fetch her husband at the tavern. Turns out her husband was the Jack of Dust, who’s the first champion you fight in story mode. Luck was not on my side in choosing from the success and failure cards and I had to fight him    … Expand
  10. 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.
  11. LEFTMAN67
    Feb 3, 2016
    8
    Hand of Fate is a game you must get your hands on and the card game mixed with simple combat make it a game great for one person to sit down and enjoy a very different experience.
  12. ordoincendium
    Feb 11, 2016
    9
    Fun! Takes me back to classic RPG's and the Choose your own adventure books. The third person combat is simple and more of a side show. The main game of moving from card to card, spending food, gold and health brings reminds me of an Oregon Trail dynamic.
  13. McNutt
    Mar 1, 2016
    9
    Great game. Unique. It reminds me a bit of the board game Heroquest, but with more options and an action play element. The RPG elements are easy to understand and the story doesn't take itself to seriously.

Awards & Rankings

38
#38 Best Xbox One Game of 2015
65
#65 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2015
59
#59 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. Games Master UK
    May 6, 2015
    78
    It's compelling and in-depth enough to appeal to board game old-timers, and easy enough to learn that noobs won't be noobs for long. [May 2015, p.82]
  2. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Mar 28, 2015
    80
    Manages to impress. [Apr 2015, p.82]
  3. DarkStation
    Mar 23, 2015
    80
    Hand of Fate is an unique game that blurs the line between an action RPG and a tabletop collectible card game.
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