Xbox one hand of fate6/7/2023 ![]() 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. One final, small issue is that Hand of Fate is light on options. 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. It would have been optimal to have included the ability to toggle a top-down view. The seraph text font is too small, at least for these eyes. Another annoyance is that the tabletop and the played cards are hard to read from the game's fixed first-person view. 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. Technically speaking, the game takes a major frame-rate hit on screens where cards are being shuffled and dealt by the Gamemaster. 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. It makes for more than a few frustrating moments of timing your blocks. Instead, you have to rely on a little green indicator warning you of an incoming projectile attack. The problem here is that it never rotates, so you can't see what is taking place on a large portion of the battlefield. ![]() The battle arenas take place from a semi-fixed view that follows closely behind the player. You're then whisked away to do battle in one of maybe 20 or 30 different arenas of varying sizes. These cards determine both the kinds of enemies and their numbers. The combat portion of the game is also dictated by the cards randomly drawn from the Gamemaster's deck. Generally, it's excellent voice work and really draws you into the tabletop aspect. 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. 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. Each step along the way can be filled with traps and pitfalls or with new equippable items and treasure. The basic object is to move from one level to another by finding the exit cards. ![]() equipped items, health levels, food, gold, etc. Included are some par-for-the-course RPG elements - i.e. In a nutshell, you play a card game where the cards form levels that your scary mercenary must traverse. But once you get the hang of it, you'll be hard-pressed not to jump into another game. A single round might take you 5 minutes or 50, depending on a little luck and strategy. Although it's far from perfect, it has that addictive play-just-one-more-time quality about it. Although it's far from perfect, it has that Hand of Fate is a strange but excellent amalgamation of card, action, RPG, and rogue-like gaming. Hand of Fate is a strange but excellent amalgamation of card, action, RPG, and rogue-like gaming.
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