When I say “Card Games”, what do you think? Generally, the response is split into two groups: The “Heck yeah, let’s play some blackjack” crowd, and the “Boooooriiiing” crowd. I tend to lean towards the latter most of the time.
When I first saw Hand Of Fate, I was instantly curious, but also a bit confused. Was it just going to be a normal card game, where you had to imagine everything? This is 2015, who has time for that? I noticed, however, that gameplay involved moving a little pawn around a board, with cards acting as spaces. That seemed a bit more interesting to me, at least it wasn’t just a game where you’re given a hand of cards to throw around hoping something good would happen. Quickly, I realized that Hand Of Fate was definitely no ordinary card game, but a unique and entertaining RPG.
The game starts with The Dealer, a cloaked man with magic powers that has, apparently been waiting for you…So you can both sit down and play a roaring game of Bridge. In all seriousness, The Dealer wishes to challenge you to a card game, one that–given the way he talks about it–seems to be of his own creation. The game goes as follows:
The dealer deals out several different cards at the beginning of each game. These include Monster Cards, Equipment Cards, Gain Cards, which grant you random items, or Pain Cards, which grant you random penalties. These cards are drawn as a result of different events that take place with Encounter Cards, which are set face down onto the table.
You take control of a small golden pawn, and move him space by space down a path of cards. Each time you land on a new card, it’s flipped over, and many different things can happen. You can get ambushed by creatures, you can find a traveling merchant to buy items from, you can find a cave with treasure in it, or a friendly old man who will help you if you spare some of your food. With some cards you’re given choices, which will result in different outcomes. You could be the helpful people pleaser, or the jerk, it doesn’t really matter. Just know that everything can have a consequence, even if you try to do what’s right. This is what makes the game truly interesting, as all of these cards are random, so every game you play is like a new little adventure for you to embark on. Sometimes it’ll go well, and sometimes you’ll get destroyed.
Each space you move consumes food, which you can get more of through encounter cards, or by buying it from merchants. This adds a layer of strategy, because if you start running out of food, you’ll lose health every turn. Later on in the game, this means it’s difficult for you to explore every single card on the board. At the end of these “card paths”, you’ll usually find stairs to the next “floor”, which is usually much larger. Sometimes you’re given a large, 4×5 board to explore, so it’s not all completely linear.
All the while, The Dealer will talk with you about the current situation, sometimes mocking you, and sometimes congratulating you for your efforts. While this adds some character to the game, his constant talking would sometimes be distracting, but it’s pretty easy to tune out.
Frequently, you’ll encounter monsters, and this is where the game changes things up. Much like a regular deck of cards, these cards also have suits. Each suit represents a different type of monster, such as ratmen, bandits, and skeletons. When you encounter these monsters, you’re put into a 3d environment where you can actually control your character, and it’s your job to bash the baddies’ heads in. This really helps break up the initial phase of the game where you’re just staring at cards and clicking options.
Unfortunately, this is also the biggest setback in Hand Of Fate. The idea itself is fantastic, but the actual combat is incredibly repetitive. Not only that, but when you press the attack button, you home in on the nearest enemy, which is fine, usually, but there is a HUGE margin of error for this mechanic. There were several times when I’d press the attack button with no one really that close to me, and I’d either do an instant 180 degree spin and attack an enemy directly behind me, or I’d outright teleport to the closest enemy, more than an arm’s-length away and land a hit. Not only is this incredibly stupid, but it makes attacking ridiculously easy.
Other combat mechanics include using a shield to counter enemy attacks, and to reflect projectiles, as well as dodge rolling. The combat, as a whole, is a decently fun distraction, but it leaves a lot to be desired as far as functionality goes.
At the end of each game, there will be a boss, represented by a Jack, Queen, or King of each respective card suit. The bosses add a bit of variety to things, as they all have unique powers. There are 12 in all, and after each 3, you’ll gain a special token that will give you upgrades, such as giving you better starting equipment, more health, etc. But, in a good move by the developers, it also increases the power of certain monster cards. This ensures that the game will never be too easy. Even though before I said that combat was pretty much a button mashing-fest, if you’re not careful to dodge around and counter attacks, you’ll get your butt handed to you, especially with the boss fights.
Eventually, new card types are added into the game, such as curse cards and blessing cards. Curses stay with you from the very beginning of a match, and can only be dispelled by a healer or priest, but only for a hefty price. Blessing can be bought from merchants, and grant different bonuses to you for that match.
One of my biggest complaints about Hand of Fate is the complete lack of character customization. You can’t so much as create your character’s appearance, and you’re stuck with a really weird pony-tailed buccaneer looking guy. I think the option to at least change your outward appearance would’ve been nice, but it doesn’t necessarily detract from gameplay.
You can, however, customize your card deck before each match. At the end of each match you’ll be given additional cards to choose from. You can tweak what encounter cards will be laid on the board, and what equipment cards you can find. Some cards will be locked into your deck, until specific conditions are met, which you can find by looking at those specific cards. I thought that was a cool addition, because it gives you something extra to strive for, as most of the time, the locked cards are not very nice for you.
After the first few bosses are defeated, you unlock endless mode, where you make a deck, and traverse an endless amount of floors until you either die, or get bored.
Hand of Fate is ultimately a very unique, very fun title with a hefty amount of replayability. The atmosphere is very foreboding, and the graphics are fairly nice to look at as well. The idea of these nice, detailed cards coming to life right before your eyes is like something out of a dream. While the gameplay itself is rather basic at its core and the combat leaves something to be desired, these mechanics could be added onto and improved for an even greater sequel.