There is a primary and a secondary objective for just about every challenge and completing both is a must if players want to get every card for their deck. Each mission comes with unique objectives as well and it isn’t simply a case of beating a boss. This variety brings a whole different type of thinking to the game and really forces players to ponder about which cards they are putting in their deck and how they are approaching the layout. Along with the linear progression layouts from the original, there are now open world layouts (one big square of cards that can be explored freely) layouts that are concealed, only revealing themselves as the player activates special cards, and layouts that change and react to what is happening in the level. Defiant Development has gotten really clever with these layouts. I won’t waste time on explaining the basics ( check out our coverage of the original if you need a refresher) but I do want to outline the changes and additions. The gameplay has had numerous tweaks to bring more variety and creativity to the fore. ![]() So much of the game rests on his portrayal and it is pitch perfect. This is helped by the return of Anthony Skordi, once again giving a malevolent, yet enticing performance as the Dealer. Every challenge, every level reveals a little more about the world, about the final goal and about the Dealer’s intentions. ![]() He is once again running The Game, this time to train a new warrior, one strong enough to take on the new lord of the land he lovingly refers to as “The Usurper.” The story is much more prevalent this time around and it has been written with a deft hand. But this devilish chap is not so easy to get rid of and has used the past century to will himself back to the land of the living. The protagonist from that game has gone on to become some sort of evil dictator, bringing misery and sorrow to the land, and in the process, he killed the mysterious Dealer. Hand of Fate 2 is set 100 years after the original game. How would Defiant improve upon, what is for me, one of the premier indie titles ever to come from Australia? The answer is in many many ways and boy am I happy about it. ![]() But with the sequel my expectations were high. Forgivable problems, especially considering it was made by a small Aussie indie dev. There was a level of clunkiness in the combat, the graphics occasionally were on the rough side and the story was almost non-existent. That said the original did have some problems. I played many, many hours of the original game on both the Xbox and the PC and have been yelling at people for over two years to make sure they get their hands on its unique gameplay. Anyone that has followed this site for any length of time will know that. Hand of Fate 2 – Review PC, PS4, Xbox One
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