Hand of Fate 2 comes out at a tough time. There are just too many great games releasing, and an Indie Studio may have trouble getting visibility right now. That said, if you’re in the mood for an interesting and addicting Action RPG, you will want to give Hand of Fate 2 a look. It’s out now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. This is our Hand of Fate 2 review.
If you read our sister site, MMORPG.com’s review, you’ll get the idea that controller is the best way to play Hand of Fate 2. Rob is right. With the keyboard, the controls are simply too unwieldy. Not impossible to manage, but it’s clearly better to play with a controller. So much so that I chose to do that after the first conflict and have since been really enjoying myself. Without a controller, combat will prove to be more frustrating than fun.
Hand of Fate 2 picks up where the first game left off – on the road with the dealer who in turn deals you cards that serve as a game board. There’s an overall game map this time, and as you progress you’ll unlock new quests/encounters to work through. In fact, there are far more stories to be told this time, and far more cards to unlock, making for a highly replayable game with loads of content to devour. In a lot of ways, Hand of Fate 2 is “more of the same” but in this case, that’s a good thing. There are even 4 new companion characters you can bring along with you, making the idea of an adventuring party that much closer to reality. Hand of Fate 2 doesn’t have co-op, but it could definitely benefit from it.
There’s an excellent Twitch integration too, which is something I’d not normally touch on. But it makes the act of streaming or watching a HoF2 stream that much more enjoyable by allowing players to influence your choices, gift you things, and so forth. It’s brilliant really and highly recommended even if you only have an audience of one. More games need to go to this level, so kudos to Defiant Development there.
The RPG aspects of HoF2 are a bit lacking, if only because I’d love to see some permanent leveling and progression added to the game as you play through the 20 different challenges. My character never felt like she was progressing, despite having been through so much. The card deck did get better, and so I earned more weapons and gear, but I’d love to see a skill tree and some true progression added to character development if there’s a sequel or DLC.
Overall, Hand of Fate 2 is vastly superior to the first game, and a great game in its own right. If you’re looking for a highly replayable Action RPG with beautiful visuals and fun combat, look no further. There really isn’t a game quite like Hand of Fate 2, so help foster innovation. Give this one a play for $30 on Steam.
