Hand of Fate 2

It differentiates between completion and mastery.

The Dealer is back in this amazingly crafted sequel from the first game. While most of the mechanics regarding the cards remain the same, there are more variations of mini games this time around - all of which are both fun and frustrating.

You also get more hero customization options and companions now among a whole slew of new cards to unlock and discover. The strongest point for me is still the Dealer and his amazing lines. A close second is the story and the way it unfolds, though you might not get to appreciate that if you don't finish it.

Repetitiveness and the feeling that you aren't progressing is a major one in the mid-late game, especially with challenges that seem insurmountable. A curse filled quest and one where you must outwit a devil come to mind. At that stage you cannot rely on the auto-fill deck, and must be willing to go and select the cards that will best aid you in that challenge.

Companion allies add extra fun!

I also note that there is a difference between completion and mastery. I "completed" the game, but not "mastered" all the challenges. An early example is a quest to visit a high priestess. Reaching her and surviving completes the quest. Reaching her with 12 blessing and surviving earns you mastery, which unlocks even more cards.

Apart from that valley of depression before I realized I had to build my own decks to progress, I found this game very entertaining! Definitely a step up from the original, but also a step up in difficulty. Highly recommended, I give it 4.8 thieving goblins out of 5.

Hand of Fate

An adventure card game with the Batman: Arkham Series combat style!

This one took me a bit by surprise, having received it as a gift for Christmas. After a huge dose of WTF is going on right at the start, it wasn't long before I got into the swing of taking another "step" onto a card and hoping it would be something good.

Adventuring takes place on encounter cards.

Yes, exploration is done by flipping over cards and successfully completing encounters unlocks more cards which I found to be a neat way of having mini stories. These encounters are not necessarily combat, which plays much like the Batman: Arkham Asylum series except you're not Batman and the fights quickly go from being super easy to requiring some gamer skill.

The main goal is to beat each member of the courts of various suits: Dust (bandits), Plague (ratmen), Skulls (skelies), and Scales (lizardmen) and finally the very well voice acted Dealer who acts as the antagonist in the game.

Pretty cool for a Unity made game!

My favorite parts about it are you can customize your adventure deck with cards you have unlocked, tailoring what you can and what you won't run into on a quest - or have everything included in Endless mode. The way it is structure also allows you to progress despite dying/losing a game which is great design. Also, the final fight is very cool. Make sure you get to it. :)

This is definitely one I can recommend, and give it 4.5 minotaur tracks out of 5.