Hand of Fate

Game Info

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first powered up Hand of Fate.  I’ve played card games in the past such as Baten Kaitos and Kingdom Hearts Coded but Hand of Fate from developer Defiant Development is a completely different beast.  The Australian based game maker has managed to bundle up the fun that comes with a Dungeon & Dragons table top card game with the action combat from Rocksteady Games’ Batman Arkham series.

The great thing about table top RPGs is that the story is different every time you play it and this is no different in Hand of Fate.  As you start off on your first quest, you are shown the basics by the card dealer in a tutorial setting.  Even though there is heavy hand holding through this quest, it is how you will experience the rest of the game.  There are many different story modes that you can play through that end in a boss card of some sort.  As you go through each of these story quests you will unlock new cards and abilities to use in harder quests.  Card decks are customizable before beginning each quest and you are able to swap out and build your deck to your liking.

Through most of the game you choose your path along the table and the dealer will flip your card and you are burdened with a choice to make.  Some of these choices will deal with helping a character, trying to retrieve a weapon, battling bandits or even visiting a traveling merchant or healer.  They are each handled in a different manner.  In the case of retrieving items you will be given four cards to choose from 3 of which are success cards and the other is a failure card.  This will change later too as the difficulty ramps up and you will get one success, two failures and a higher failure.  Success cards will grant you you free passage and whatever you were trying to retrieve or goal you were obtaining and failure cards will deal damage to you or place you into a battle.

The battle system is what really sets Hand of Fate apart from games of the similar genre.  One you are in a battle, the gameplay is very reminiscent of the Batman Arkham series.  You will counter attack with the triangle button when the enemies have a green icon above their head and use your normal attack with the square.  Stunning your enemy is possible with the circle button and you can dodge enemies with the x button.  R1 is reserved for your special moves that are equipped from cards you earn through out your questing.  The action is very fluid and feels very natural going from enemy to enemy.  My only complaint is the long loading from the card game into the battle sequence.

There is an inventory of your items that can be equipped or swapped that can be accessed by clicking the touchpad.  Some of the weapons and gear you earned have different perks called blessings that will help you on your journey.  You also have the possibility of being cursed which will hinder you in some way through the game.  The game follows a path of cards and as you finish the action of the card you will move on to the next.  Most of the paths are similar at the beginning but start branching out later.  It is important to watch your food as each card requires one piece of food.  There is also an endless mode available that will give Hand of Fate some legs after you have completed all the story missions.

The graphics and presentation of Hand of Fate are top notch and on par with most retail releases which probably explains the long load times.  Everything from the character detail to the creepiness of the dealer all add to the game.  All of the menus are very easy to navigate and all the descriptions of hat you need to do are very clear and descriptive. The soundtrack also fits the game very well.  There is a mythical feel of a bard but also has a bit of rock in it that is to the likings of Tool minus vocals of course.

The Recommendation

Going in to playing Hand of Fate I had no clue what to expect.  After my time with the game I can say i was thoroughly impressed.  Impressed enough to say this is one of my favorite games that I have downloaded on Sony’s online store for the PlayStation 4 to date.  I think fans of table top RPGs will love this game.  It takes the hassle out of having to use cards and automates the process.  Then it adds a great combat system to give action fans something to like about the game too.  the developer has also made the game simple enough that even a beginner to the genre can jump right in making this title a necessity for anyone that owns a PlayStation 4.