Jan Dev Q&A - Answers!

[p][/p][p]DEV Q&A – With Morgan Jaffit, Co‑Creator of Hand of Fate 🔥[/p]

[p]Hello everyone — I’m Morgan Jaffit, one of the creators of Hand of Fate. It’s been a pleasure watching the game we built as a small team in Brisbane, Australia, reach fans in China and around the world. I’m grateful for the chance to answer some questions from our community and share a little about the work happening on Hordes of Fate.[/p]

[p]🎲 GAMEPLAY & MECHANICS[/p]

[p]"Why did the team reunite for this title?"[/p]

[p]We love working together, and we love the world of Hand of Fate. The Dealer kept “nudging” us creatively — reminding us he wasn’t finished yet. We’ve been thinking about the mechanics and world for years, and realised there were still many unexplored ideas we wanted to bring to life. We’ve also been inspired by the evolution of the roguelike deckbuilder genre, and had plenty of innovations we wanted to add to the table.[/p]

[p]"Why combine bullet‑heaven gameplay with Hand of Fate mechanics?"[/p]

[p]A core part of our creative process is blending something familiar with something new. We’re building on our strengths — storytelling, card play, roguelike structure — while exploring new mechanical spaces. By combining these systems, we discover new things about both, and that’s the most exciting part of development for us.[/p]

[p]@Carosh — “Will we have meta progression that lets us slow down the card shuffler or add dice?”[/p]

[p]There will be levers for you to adjust at the meta level of the game, and this will also be a factor when tackling challenges in the full game. You can expect the Dealer to have a few curveballs to throw at you in this area, too.[/p]

[p]@Sam Polis — “How will Hordes stand out in the oversaturated Bullet Heaven genre?”[/p]

[p]Hand of Fate has always been about combining elements from different genres and seeing how that synthesis adds to both. In this case, we’re leaning into a different action genre, but we’re doing it from the perspective of exploring how Hand of Fate can provide interesting new ways to look at it.[/p]

[p]@SAHA — “Any luck implementing a mouse‑only control scheme?”[/p]

[p]This is something that we haven’t tackled yet, but it is still on our list to consider for the full game. Keep poking us if this is something you’d really like to see.[/p]

[p]📖 LORE & STORY[/p]

[p]"Can you tell us about the storyline?"[/p]

[p]At the end of Hand of Fate 2, the Dealer was banished from the world and from the Game of Life and Death. But he’s not easy to get rid of. He’s been trapped in the endless void, slowly gathering the pieces of a new game — the one we’re building now. In Hordes of Fate, you’ll learn more about his current situation, but also about his past and his family — mysteries that have remained hidden until now.[/p]

[p]"Is this Hand of Fate 3?"[/p]

[p]No — this is a standalone side story. That said, we have many ideas for Hand of Fate 3 that we’d love to explore one day. Hordes of Fate tells an important part of the journey that leads us there.[/p]

[p]@DMNinja — “The demo felt light on story. Will that change?”[/p]

[p]The initial demo was definitely a gameplay‑focused demo versus story and narrative. Now that we’ve got Anthony Skordi (the voice of the Dealer) back in the recording booth, we’re starting to lay in more of the narrative texture. Expect more and more of that to come online as we proceed to Early Access and beyond.[/p]

[p]@Creepy Pie — “How does Hordes connect to the rest of the Hand of Fate universe?”[/p]

[p]It’s a side story (or a spin‑off) that provides some context for the Dealer’s adventures after the events of Hand of Fate 2. It’s also a great opportunity to flesh out some of the background stories and mysteries of the series.[/p]

[p]@justmaster7 — “How did the Dealer return after being defeated by Kallas? And why did Kallas become Emperor?”[/p]

[p]The Dealer has been at the table for a long time, and he’s prepared plans within plans within plans. Hordes of Fate explores the answer to how he’s able to return in a little more detail. As for Kallas, the player from Hand of Fate 1, he was able to defeat the Dealer through brute force rather than cunning. When you rule the Game of Life and Death, your personality has a big impact on the world outside. So Kallas changed the fabric of the world in his image.[/p]

[p]🧙‍♀️ CHARACTERS & CHAMPIONS[/p]

[p]@Shawne — “Will we learn new things about the four main characters that weren’t revealed in HoF2?”[/p]

[p]Yes, it’s a great opportunity to learn more about the companions and their secrets.[/p]

[p]@Manicorn — “Will there be additional playable characters? Will their playstyles be radically different? Will the story be as strong as HoF2?”[/p]

[p]There will, and we’re certainly seeking to make sure each role plays out as distinctly as possible. As for the story, we’re really excited about the storytelling opportunities and the new tales we get to tell.[/p]

[p]🔮 FUTURE CONTENT & DLC[/p]

[p]@sam455635 — “Will there be DLC like new characters or bosses?”[/p]

[p]Too early to think about DLC at this stage. Our goal is to build a rich core experience and then support it with both free and paid content for a hopefully long time.[/p]

[p]@Jimmy Noshoes — “Will there be pre‑rendered videos or sequences to drive the story forward? And can we see concept art?”[/p]

[p]That’s never been our style. We prefer the storytelling to happen through text, voice, action and implication. We’ve definitely released concept art in the past, and we’re super keen to keep on with that.[/p]

[p]🌱 DEVELOPMENT STORIES[/p]

[p]"Any nice or sad stories from development?"[/p]

[p]One of the nicest things has been working with my long‑term colleagues and friends. Just yesterday, I had lunch with our director, Shawn, and we remembered the very first Defiant Development party — when both of our sons were babies. Now, one of those boys is finishing high school, and my son is 15. It’s special to still be creating games together after all these years. There’s a photo from back then — those two chubby kids we’re holding are now both over six feet tall and living their own lives.[/p][p]For the sad side: Making games — especially at the quality bar we aim for — always takes longer than you expect. We’ve been working on so much that we’re excited to show you, and it’s been a long time coming. We’re looking forward to finally lifting the veil.[/p][p]We’d love for you to Wishlist Hordes of Fate and share your screenshots. Thank you for your support — it means the world to us.[/p]

[p]
🙌 A huge thanks to everyone who submitted questions, and to our colleague Liu Jing for gathering questions from our Chinese community. Add Hordes of Fate to your Steam Wishlist, and follow along on our socials for more content. 🔗 below!
[/p][p]Steam: [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]TikTok: @hordesoffateofficial
Instagram: @hordesoffateofficial
Reddit: u/HordesOfFateOfficial
[/p][p]And don't forget... the Dealer is always listening. 👀👂[/p]