Info about Hand of Fate:

Official game description:
Add Hand of Fate 2 to your wishlist in order to keep up to date on announcements and release details!  
"Words fail me at describing just how seamlessly Defiant Development managed to blend the tailored experience aspect of deck building games with the hack-and-slash excitement of action-RPGs." - The Escapist  
"If you are a fan of either old school adventure books, Gauntlet from its glory days, collectible card games, Rogue or just general fantasy, this game is for you" - Gamestyle 9/10  
"Whether you are a CCG veteran or not, you need to play this game…right now!" - Godisageek 9/10  
"Defiant Development’s newest project feels like playing a customizable card game, Dungeons & Dragons, and Batman: Arkham Asylum all at the same time; if that idea doesn’t excite you, then I have no idea what will." Gaming Union 9/10
Deckbuilding Comes to Life In hand Of Fate!
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An infinitely replayable series of quests - earn new cards, build your deck, then try to defeat it!  
Beyond the thirteen gates at the end of the world, the game of life and death is played. Draw your cards, play your hand, and discover your fate. Hand of Fate is a hybrid roguelike/action-RPG/deck builder, in which the player builds a set of cards into a deck, which is then used to deal out the dungeon floors through which they adventure. Upon entering a combat, all of the cards the player has collected fly into their hands as fully modeled 3D assets, and combat begins.  
Build your deck, enter the world of Hand of Fate, and prepare to face the Ace of Skulls.
Key Features
------------
*   Tabletop card game brought to vivid life.  
*   A unique take on roguelike gameplay.  
*   Visceral action-RPG combat.  
*   Game changing gear and items make every play through unique.  
*   Hundreds of encounters, items, armor, weapons, artifacts, and mysteries to unlock.  
*   Unique deck building mechanics let you customise your own adventure, as you seek to defeat the Jack, Queen and King of each suit.
**Microsoft Xbox 360® Controller (or equivalent) is recommended.**

Release date: Feb 17, 2015

Categories: Deckbuilding, Roguelike, Action RPG, Dungeon Crawler, Card-based Gameplay, Narrative-driven Gameplay, Hack and Slash, Procedural Generation

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 85; verdict: Predatory Monetization; summary: The game 'Hand of Fate' has been praised for its unique genre mix and charm. However, a significant concern raised by users is the necessity to purchase the 'Wildcards' DLC to unlock all achievements. This practice of locking achievements behind a paywall is seen as a predatory monetization strategy, as it forces players to spend additional money to fully experience the game.
- Steam Deck: score 10; verdict: Seamless; summary: The game is well-suited for the Steam Deck, with strong controller support, good Linux compatibility, and high visual and performance quality. These factors contribute to a positive user experience on the Steam Deck.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $7.00 - $20.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence shows that users find the game worth the money at both sale and full prices. The mention of the game being a bargain at sale prices and worth every penny suggests that the full price is considered reasonable. Additionally, the reference to purchasing the game and its DLC on sale for a low price indicates that users expect significant discounts. The Chinese review suggests that the base game plus DLC should be under 50 yuan (approximately $7 USD) to be worth purchasing, providing a lower bound for the price range.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 20.0h
  - Story completion: 15.0h
  - Session length: 1.0h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides multiple references to the time it takes to complete the game and its story. For instance, one user mentions beating the game after about 20 hours, which aligns with the typical total time to finish the game. Another user states reaching the final boss after about 15 hours of gameplay, indicating the time to finish the main story. Additional evidence supports the session length and endgame content, with users mentioning the time invested in the game and the challenges faced in the endgame content.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game hooks players immediately with its unique concept and addictive gameplay, but the fun can drop due to repetitive combat and lack of distinct events. Progression and deck customization are central to long-term appeal.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Beating the tutorial
  - Time to anchor: 0h 15m
  - Friction: Repetitive combat; Lack of distinct events; Lack of progression feeling
  - Unlock drivers: Deck customization; Narrator engagement
  - Conditions: Addictive nature; Initial hook of the game's concept; Deck building elements; Narrator and design
- Player Archetypes:
  - Strategic Deckbuilder (buy)
    - Motivation: Mastery and optimization of game mechanics.
    - Playstyle: Strategic and methodical, focusing on deck customization and maximizing token chances.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: completionist; strategy gamer
    - Reference games: Batman: Arkham series; Slay the Spire; The Binding of Isaac
  - Combat Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Engaging and dynamic combat experiences.
    - Playstyle: Action-oriented, focusing on mastering combat mechanics and enjoying the variety of combat scenarios.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: action gamer; combat specialist
    - Reference games: Batman: Arkham series
  - Story-Driven Explorer (buy)
    - Motivation: Immersive storytelling and atmospheric gameplay.
    - Playstyle: Exploratory and narrative-focused, enjoying the game's story and atmosphere.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: story lover; atmosphere enthusiast
    - Reference games: The Gamers: Hands of Fate; Choose Your Own Adventure games


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Unique genre blend (weight 0.54): The game successfully combines various genres, including deck-building, RPG, and roguelike elements. This blend is seen as ambitious, well-executed, and enjoyable.
- Engaging combat mechanics (weight 0.44): The combat system is frequently praised for being straightforward, unique, and enjoyable. Players find it fun, addictive, and well-integrated with the game's fantasy elements.
- Great atmosphere and art style (weight 0.37): The game's atmosphere is frequently praised for being immersive and well-crafted. Players also appreciate the fluid animations and voice acting.
- Overall enjoyable game (weight 0.35): Many players express that the game is very good and enjoyable overall. It is often described as a fun and decent gameplay experience.
- Tactical deck-building (weight 0.33): The deck-building mechanics are highlighted as a creative and enjoyable aspect of the game. Players appreciate the strategy and unique blend with combat.
- Excellent narration and storytelling (weight 0.32): The narration is praised for being immersive and well-done, tying the game together. Players enjoy the storytelling and the narrator's performance.
- Addictive and replayable gameplay (weight 0.26): The game is described as easy to get addicted to, with high replayability and layered, skill-based gameplay.
- Varied encounters (weight 0.22): Players enjoy the variety of encounters, events, and maps, which add to the game's intrigue and replayability.
- Innovative roguelike deck-building (weight 0.2): The game is praised for its unique blend of roguelike and deck-building elements, making it one of the best in its genre.
- Engaging RPG elements (weight 0.2): The game includes numerous role-playing elements that players find engaging and well-integrated with other mechanics.
- Challenging but fair gameplay (weight 0.16): The game offers a challenging experience that players find exciting and fair, with a good learning curve.

Common complaints:
- Combat mechanics criticized (weight 0.66): Players frequently mention that the combat mechanics feel awkward, janky, and clunky. The combat system is often described as uninspired, sluggish, and poorly crafted.
- Over-reliance on luck (weight 0.63): The game is criticized for depending too much on luck, which can make it feel unfair and frustrating. This reliance on luck affects both general gameplay and specific modes like endless mode.
- Repetitive gameplay (weight 0.43): Many players find the combat and overall gameplay to be repetitive. This repetitiveness can make the game feel boring and reduce its replayability.
- Camera issues (weight 0.34): Players have complained about the camera being restrictive, poorly controlled, and sometimes frustrating. The fixed camera angles during combat are particularly criticized.
- Final boss difficulty (weight 0.3): The final boss is often cited as being too difficult and sometimes feels impossible to beat. This is seen as a significant difficulty spike compared to the rest of the game.
- Endless mode issues (weight 0.19): Endless mode is criticized for becoming too difficult and relying too much on luck. Players also find it not interesting or novel.
- Difficulty curve issues (weight 0.18): The game's difficulty curve is criticized for being poorly balanced and sometimes too steep, making the game feel unfair.
- Translation errors (weight 0.15): There are reports of translation errors, particularly in the Chinese version of the game. These issues can affect the overall quality and player experience.
- Chinese version issues (weight 0.14): The Chinese version of the game has specific issues such as translation errors and combat mechanics that feel poorly crafted.
- Poor font quality (weight 0.08): The game has been criticized for having poor and unpleasant font quality, particularly in the Russian version.
- Waste of time (weight 0.08): Some players feel that the game is a waste of time and nerves, indicating a low overall satisfaction with the game experience.
- Deck-building mechanics limited (weight 0.08): Players find the deck-building mechanics to be limited, with a lack of variety in deck customization options.
- Lack of interesting characters (weight 0.08): There is a lack of interesting characters and character choices in the game, which can make the gameplay feel less engaging.

Gameplay feedback:
- Combat mechanics and style (weight 0.62): The game features a variety of combat mechanics, including action RPG combat, fantasy combat elements, and a simple combat system. It also includes brawl-style combat and repetitive combat mechanics.
- Roguelike deck-building combat (weight 0.59): The game combines roguelike elements with deck-building mechanics and action combat, creating a unique blend of gameplay styles.
- Deck-building mechanics (weight 0.42): Players can customize and build decks for dungeon creation and gameplay, with a strong emphasis on deck-building mechanics.
- Card-based event system (weight 0.38): The game includes a card-based event system and card-driven planning mechanics.
- RPG and interactive fiction elements (weight 0.36): The game incorporates role-playing elements, interactive fiction, and progression systems.
- Voice acting and soundtrack (weight 0.19): The game features voice acting and a soundtrack, enhancing the overall atmosphere.
- Variety in enemies and boss fights (weight 0.18): Players encounter various enemies and boss fights, adding to the game's challenge and replayability.
- Decision-making and resource management (weight 0.15): The game includes decision-making mechanics, risk and return mechanics, and resource management.
- Random and text-based quests (weight 0.14): Players can engage in random quests and text-based quests, adding variety to the gameplay.
- Narrative events and style (weight 0.08): The game includes narrative events and a unique style, contributing to its storytelling.
- Character selection with unique abilities (weight 0.08): Players can choose characters with unique abilities and traits, adding depth to the gameplay.
- Action-oriented role-playing gameplay (weight 0.08): The game features action-oriented role-playing gameplay, including hack and slash mechanics.
- Luck dependency (weight 0.07): The game includes elements of luck, affecting gameplay outcomes.
- Story-driven encounters (weight 0.07): The game features story-driven encounters and scenario-based adventures.
- Dungeon crawling elements (weight 0.07): The game includes dungeon crawling elements, adding to the adventure.
- Four Card Monte mechanic (weight 0.06): The game includes a Four Card Monte mechanic for determining success or failure.
- Various encounters and equipment (weight 0.06): Players encounter various situations, equipment, and merchants, adding to the game's variety.
- Dealer character with comments (weight 0.06): The game features a dealer character with witty comments, adding to the atmosphere.
- Increasing difficulty (weight 0.06): The game features increasing difficulty levels, providing a challenge for players.
- Randomized events and encounters (weight 0.06): The game includes randomized events and encounters, adding to its replayability.

Performance notes:
- Performance issues and lag (weight 0.15): There are reports of performance issues, including freeze-ups, optimization problems causing lag, and massive FPS drops.
- Camera and animation issues (weight 0.14): There are notable problems with the camera and animations, which can affect gameplay and immersion.
- Stable performance and no crashes (weight 0.11): The game runs smoothly without any crashes, providing a stable experience for players.
- Input and minor bugs (weight 0.1): Some players have reported bugs related to input and minor issues with torch lights, which can be slightly annoying.
- Short loading times (weight 0.06): Players appreciate the short loading times, which enhance the overall gaming experience by reducing wait times.
- Excellent frame rates on Linux (weight 0.05): Players on Linux systems have reported excellent frame rates, indicating good performance on this platform.
- Uses Unity game engine (weight 0.05): The game is built using the Unity game engine, which is a common platform for game development.

Recommendations:
- Challenging and unique gameplay (weight 0.31): The game is frequently recommended for fans of challenging and unique gameplay mechanics. Players appreciate the distinctive and engaging experience it offers.
- Worth buying on sale (weight 0.17): Many players feel the game is worth purchasing, especially when it is available at a discounted price.
- Focus on immersion and interesting maps (weight 0.13): Players suggest focusing on the immersive aspects of the game and the most interesting maps rather than game mechanics.
- Try the game but avoid paid DLC (weight 0.13): Players recommend trying the game but advise against purchasing the paid DLC as it may not be worth the investment.
- Variety in gameplay (weight 0.1): The game is recommended for those seeking variety and challenging gameplay experiences.
- Recommended for RPG fans (weight 0.1): The game is highly recommended for fans of RPG and tabletop RPG games due to its engaging mechanics and gameplay.
- Avoid auto-deck building (weight 0.09): It is suggested that players avoid using the auto-deck building feature and instead manually choose their event cards for a better experience.
- Easy to pick up (weight 0.09): The game is easy to pick up and play even after not playing for a month, making it accessible for casual players.
- Highly recommended (weight 0.06): The game is highly recommended by players for its overall quality and engaging experience.
- Novelty and experience (weight 0.06): The game is worth trying for its novelty and the unique experience it offers to players.
- Good price-to-playtime ratio (weight 0.06): The game offers a good ratio of price to playtime, making it a worthwhile purchase for many players.
- Atmospheric and narrative-driven (weight 0.06): The game is recommended for fans of atmospheric and narrative-driven games, offering a rich and immersive experience.
- Worth getting and enjoying (weight 0.06): The game is considered worth getting and enjoying for its unique and engaging gameplay experience.
- Expanding gaming horizons (weight 0.05): Playing this game is recommended for those looking to expand their gaming horizons and try something new.
- Play Hand of Fate 1 first (weight 0.05): It is recommended to play Hand of Fate 1 before starting Hand of Fate 2 for a better understanding and experience.
- Consider buying the second part (weight 0.05): Players suggest considering the purchase of the second part of the game for an extended experience.
- Not for casual completion (weight 0.05): The game is not recommended for those seeking casual completion due to its challenging nature.
- Use a wiki for guidance (weight 0.05): Players recommend using a wiki for guidance to enhance the gaming experience and understanding.
- Balance progress and efficiency (weight 0.05): Players note the importance of balancing progress and efficiency in the game for optimal gameplay.
- Recommended with reservations (weight 0.05): The game is recommended but with some reservations, indicating that it may not be perfect but still worth trying.
- Maximize token chance (weight 0.04): Players suggest maximizing the token chance for better gameplay outcomes and progression.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Enjoyment (weight 0.28): Players appreciate the game's strong narrative, immersive atmosphere, and unique card-based gameplay mechanics. The engaging combat system, deck customization, and variety of content contribute to a fun and overall positive experience.
- Frustration (weight 0.26): Players are frustrated by the game's combat mechanics, which are described as janky, overwhelming, and poorly executed. Camera issues, high difficulty, and repetitive elements, particularly in the late game, also contribute to this frustration.
- Excitement (weight 0.21): The game's unique blend of genres, including roguelike elements, card mechanics, and engaging gameplay, creates an exciting experience. Players also enjoy the immersive atmosphere, strategic gameplay, and high replayability.
- Disappointment (weight 0.11): Players feel disappointed due to repetitive and shallow gameplay, poor combat mechanics, and a slow pace. The combination of action and card strategy does not work well for some, leading to unmet expectations.
- Joy (weight 0.1): Players find joy in the game's unique and engaging gameplay, enjoyable combat, and the fun mixture of different genres. The developers' attitude and support also contribute to a positive experience.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.09): Players are satisfied with the game's tactical deck-building, challenging yet fair gameplay, and high-quality content. The seamless storytelling, good combat mechanics, and variety of content add to this satisfaction.
- Anger (weight 0.02): Players express anger due to poor Chinese voice acting and an unfair card system that can feel overwhelming with curses.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.01): Players feel a sense of nostalgia as the game reminds them of Dungeons & Dragons, evoking memories of that classic experience.
- Hopeful (weight 0.01): Players are hopeful due to the game's potential for future improvements and updates, indicating a positive outlook on its development.
- Cautious optimism (weight 0.01): Players express cautious optimism because of the game's innovative gameplay, despite some early access issues, suggesting a promising but not yet fully realized experience.}