Hand of Fate 2 builds on the original game's distinct RPG storytelling and combo-driven combat with the addition of companions, new fighting styles to accompany the addition of two-handed and dual-wielded weapons, new level objectives, a map-based meta board game and powerful new cards which can instantly sway a game in the player's favor.

Captain Estrella Fiore will be a terror at range, and while her interests align with the player's, a fearsome companion. However should the player find themselves on the wrong side of the Empire, Estrella will have some hard choices to make. On the tabletop, her unwavering persistence will also grant a second attempt during the new Pendulum minigame, designed to test precision and timing. 

Our heroine will lean on Estrella and other companions for support as she clashes with all-new enemy factions, including the new Greed and Frost suits. The Greed faction employs  deadly assassins and alchemists to hound the player with swift attacks and evasive maneuvers, while Frost's Northerner Giants leverage brute force and deadly homemade weapons to deal massive amounts of damage.

In Hand of Fate 2, the magical dealer returns to train a new heroine in the game of life and death so she can exact revenge on the protagonist of the first Hand of Fate, who now rules as a xenophobic tyrant.

Hand of Fate 2 will release for Xbox One on Friday, Dec. 1, 2017. Xbox One X compatibility will deliver stunning 4K Ultra HD visual support.

"The reception to Hand of Fate 2 thus far has been incredible," said Morgan Jaffit, Director, Defiant Development. "It's been extremely gratifying to see so many people enjoy what we've been working on these past years and we are excited to share this experience with the Xbox One community this December."

The game's challenges will be built from collectible cards. Players will create a deck from these cards, which the dealer then adds his own trials to, before laying out a hand to create a board game. Our heroine will travel from one card to the next, revealing new challenges to overcome including fierce third-person combat, dangerous locations to explore, tense minigames, and Dungeons & Dragons-style decision making.

A new map based meta-game allows players to discover and unlock those challenges in completely new ways. Gamers are tested through third-person combat, dangerous exploration, tense minigames, deck-building and Dungeons & Dragons-style decisions.

Although players previously faced the dealer's traps on their own, adventurers can earn and fight beside companions in Hand of Fate 2. Companions offer support in combat, provide exclusive options in the RPG portions and the board game sections, in addition to having their own storylines.

Among the new cast of allies is Malaclypse, a mage masquerading as a bard to hide from the Empire's ban on magic. Malaclypse provides ranged attacks and shield spells in combat, and allows rerolls in certain board game segments.

The aide provided by companions will be useful against Hand of Fate 2's new enemy types, which are once again united by card suits. The Steel suit is comprised of well-trained Imperial forces, while the Blight suit threatens players with corrupted, mutated men.

Claiming victory in Hand of Fate 2 will now be more complex than reaching the end of a deck; players will have to conquer specific feats like surviving a 10-level descent or saving up 300 gold before advancing beyond a dungeon.  Objectives in combat will also now vary beyond defeating all foes, such as defending a goblin from endless waves of soldiers for 60 seconds.  

Equipment in Hand of Fate 2 will also get a major upgrade, including the additions of two-handed and dual-wielding weapons.  While the board game portion will have all new challenging cards, powerful cards which provide favorable encounters will also be added to the mix.

Hand of Fate 2is currently available on PS4 and PC for $29.99 USD / €24.99 / $29.99 AUD and will launch for the same price on Xbox One. The game supports English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Hungarian, Ukrainian, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese.