Developer/Publisher: Defiant Development || Overall: 9.5/10
Hand of Fate 2 is Defiant Development’s refinement of one of my favorite games from 2015. Technically, it’s hard to remember what I play what year, so I just look at the release date and say, “Oh yeah, I played that in 2015, I guess.” Consequence, destiny, call it what you will; Hand of Fate 2 has made its way to release. Has two years in the oven, building on what Hand of Fate accomplished, provided a substantially greater experience to recommend as a follow up? As you might tell with the score, I am quite smitten with the second, just like I was with the first.
Though it’s been a couple years since I’ve actually played the first Hand of Fate, the sequel proves to be an interesting evolution. The core elements of what makes the game are still there — you have your story scenarios, unlocking cards, games of chance, and combat. Hand of Fate 2‘s new gambits include Dice Rolling, Pendulums, and Wheels. Cards are more likely to have multiple ways to solve them, leading to multiple rewards or different gambits, which provides a fresh feeling to accomplishing the new story beats cards provide.
If Hand of Fate 2 is the first time into the series, the introductory challenge lays out the flow of gameplay and how cards work. Basically, when you move your avatar’s token onto cards laid out on the table by the Dealer, the purpose is to reach the next room or achieve an objective; each card will present a scenario and your goal is to get through with the maximum benefit or the least amount of damage possible. In addition to cards you pick, the Dealer will shuffle in his own cards tailored to the particular challenge at hand.
Combat is improved considerably and it feels like it is more likely to occur this time around. Since the combat is much more fleshed out in terms of mechanics, you now have weapon types that actually affect your performance versus enemy types. You’ll be mashing the X button still, but not as much as before as there are now finishers, as well as special charged attacks which are built up through a combo meter. The special will change depending on your weapon and is typically a powerful attack that can do double damage; you’ll also “ignore” incoming attacks as you are delivering the special. Having allies in battle is also a new mechanic, and opens the doors for Companions with their own stories. Additionally, it seems that the “mazes” from the first title have been completely removed as I hadn’t encountered any of them in about ten hours of playing.
Variety was a huge problem with the original, and is basically solved in the sequel. There is a much broader range of enemies, enemy types, and locales to fight in. Equipment is also more varied and less cumbersome to manage with the updated inventory screen. Many of the powerful pieces of equipment require a new stat called Fame, which you earn by completing certain encounters or cards. There are also new roguelike features introduced, such as starting supplies or weapons; these are unlocked and improved based on progression/challenge mechanics. Some cards carry through their rewards through different games which can help you as you retry challenges. You also have companions with their own respective buffs, and each have their own story to progress through. Your companions will help you in combat and also provide a special combat ability, such as negating damage from an attack or running through all of your enemies in a straight line.
Nearly all of the cards are new, but there are familiar events/equipment that will call back to the previous title. Two new tiers of cards, known as Platinum and Brimstone will provide special boosts or challenges which may come at a good or bad time depending on your current progression goal. The game limits each depending on the challenge at hand. Challenges for each of the scenarios/bosses also feel a lot more varied and change up the formula significantly as they are more entwined with the story. Of course, the challenge is still there and you’ll be replaying challenges multiple times, of which there are about twenty to go through.
The meta-story follows the Dealer from the previous entry after his defeat by your previous avatar. He has all new voice lines, some new animations, and the setting itself is in a caravan traveling to an unknown location. You can choose your challenges on a pretty top-down world map, where previously you just chose cards in a locker. The story of your new avatar comes with the cards on the game board itself. Unlike the previous title where you fought alone, you’ll also fight with and learn about Companions through their own stories and as they interact with your character through text. Another big change is the ability to customize your avatar, being able to pick male or female, and among many different face/skin types. Unfortunately, some of the faces look a bit dopey since they have big mouths and some have cross-eyes, so it’s kind of odd that this wasn’t fixed by release. Some choices are less distracting than others, however.
Though Hand of Fate 2 is a better game than the first, I rated them the same. While there are plenty of new additions and refinements to be happy about, we’re not talking about a perfect game by any stretch. Frustration can set in from repeatedly doing the same challenges over and over, as only a few open up at a time, and if you haven’t gotten lucky with unlocking more powerful cards you can feel stagnant. I found Hand of Fate 2 to be good in small doses where I played something else for a couple hours, switched to Hand of Fate 2 for about thirty minutes to an hour, then went back to playing the previous game again.
Currently the game launched without the Endless Mode, but that is supposed to “come soon.” The same happened with the first title as the Endless Mode was shipped at a later point. Over the year I had Hand of Fate installed on my computer I saw a lot of updates download through Steam and I would expect Hand of Fate 2 enjoys the same sort of support with new cards, balance changes, and features.
Like most things, Hand of Fate 2 is available on Steam.
