"Hand of Fate 2" is the sequel to the 2015 action role-playing game (RPG) "Hand of Fate." The dealer from the first game returns to face off against the protagonist. Upset by his defeat in the prequel, he's now out for revenge and it is up to players new and old to keep the protagonist alive.
A gameplay demo for "Hand of Fate 2" was released on IGN's YouTube channel in June. The trailer gave fans the chance to catch a glimpse of the game's improved mechanics.
Similar to the first game in the franchise, "Hand of Fate 2" has an interesting mix of tabletop mechanics and action combat. Unlike other action RPGs such as "The Witcher" and "Dark Souls," "Hand of Fate 2" chooses not to focus on real-time combat and hack-and-slash mechanics alone. Instead, it brings card game and tabletop mechanics into the mix.
Players start out on a table with a deck of cards and they will be asked to choose from the cards. Their choices will determine what the characters do in the action RPG segment of battles.
An example is when the player is asked to choose between fighting or fleeing from a horde of enemies. In the trailer, the player character chooses the fight card. After this, the tabletop section ends and the character does the action written on the card the player chose.
The scene cuts to a hack-and-slash type of combat most action RPG fans are familiar with.
Compared to the first "Hand of Fate" game, this time the stakes are higher. According to the official description, "At stake is more than mere lives. This time, you play for the fate of empires."
"Hand of Fate 2" is still under development but will be coming to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on Tuesday, Nov. 7.
