In the search for truly original game mechanics, you'll almost never find them in the triple-A game scene any more - at least, not unless Hideo Kojima's at the helm, anyway. Instead, indie games are the new middle-tier you used to love across the PS2/Xbox and PS3/360 eras; it's simply where the vast amount of innovation lies these days, as developers aren't beholden to the budgetary whims of publishers, and can release something that puts their initial idea right at the forefront of it execution. As such, Hand of Fate is a choose-your-own-adventure style action-adventure framed as a showdown between two combatants pitting decks of cards against each other. The twist is any time you fall into combat, it switches gears into the Batman: Arkham/Sleeping Dogs mould, letting you gather treasures and defeat enemies in real-time. Eventually you'll face a boss card that goes towards a grand total, and collecting them beats the game's campaign. Such a simple setup allows for the hooded figure you're playing against to taunt you, alongside the two of you bolstering your respective decks with new equipment and various triggers that'll change the flow of battle. There's quite a bit going on under the hood here, but basically if you've played something like Hearthstone or Magic: The Gathering and always wanted to see the battles played out, this is precisely the game for you.
