Fate’s Theater

[H1]“Fate's Theater is not responsible for existential crises.” XD[/H1] Thanks to Totally Normal Creature for the curator copy. This is nonetheless an impartial review. As a big fan of [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1764390/BAD_END_THEATER/]BAD END THEATER[/url], this one landed on my radar purely through thematic curiosity, even though the gameplay has almost nothing in common. Where BAD END THEATER focuses on overflowing branching narratives, Fate's Theater plays more like a sandbox of chaotic encounters. You juggle hundreds of tiny meetings between heroes, monsters, and even the occasional horse while acting as either a misfortune fey or a fortune fairy, tossing blessings and curses and watching Fate stir the drama. I absolutely love the concept. Runs are short and snappy, but extremely varied. There are over 400 possible meetings and more than 900 fates to collect, which turns every session into a little story lottery. Between runs, you level up using XP from unlocked outcomes and add new mortal cards to your collection, shaping future hands (and chaos) however you want, or at least try to. The clean UI and adorable designs make everything easy to follow, and the dark humor in many outcomes had me laughing alone like a gremlin with narrative control (sorry mortals... 😅). There’s also real strategy here. You’re constantly managing how many favor you give to certain mortals, while reacting to unpredictable twists of Fate itself, which keeps each run lively even though they’re only 15 to 50 minutes long. The soundtrack loops nicely without becoming annoying, and the option to swap between “good” and “bad” roles adds fun replay value. There’s even an online multiplayer mode, though I couldn’t test it due to the very small player pool. A few things held it back slightly. You can’t save mid-run, which hurts when sessions stretch longer than expected. There’s also no proper checklist to track which interactions you’ve already completed, making completionist progress harder to follow. Some achievements are grindy, and after a couple of runs, the programmed opponent's patterns become predictable in solo play. Both sides also tend to start with similar hands, limiting early combinations. Lastly, the game mentions minimal AI usage on the store page, so check their disclaimer if it matters to you to make your own opinion on the question. I personally didn't notice anything and it is really minimal. Overall, Fate’s Theater feels like a playful little fate roulette full of short stories, strategic tinkering, and chaotic outcomes. I’d love to see more players jump in, especially for multiplayer sessions, because this kind of system really shines when shared with a friend. Plus, it's super affordable for all the replayability offered! [quote]For more reviews like this one, please check out [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45639970-Ele%2527s-Little-Recommendation-Corner/][b]Ele's Little Recommendation Corner[/b][/url]![/quote] [quote]For reviews covering all types of indies, recent and old, don't hesitate to drop by [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/][b]IndieGems[/b][/url]![/quote]

Тож ми граємо за Фортуню чи Недолю на вибір, але перед кожним раундом в гру втручатиметься Доля. Суть проста: феї по черзі додають смертним кожна свої бонуси, обирають двох, що зустрінуться й наосліп витрачають свої сили, щоб змінити хід подій в свій бік. Ідея та оформлення вельми втішні, на перший погляд все зрозуміло. [quote]Fair, fair! Have us a game! Pretties for luck, and horse shoes for pain Under our bruises don't we look the same? Alleluia! The Devil's Carnival (2015) - Fair Game[/quote] Мені ця гра нагадала Ord., про яку я писав "як кидати дайси, але зі словами", та там були окремі оповіді-історії, тоді як тут радше карткова гра, що швидко перетворюється на нескінченний пасьянс. Бо не має значення, за яку з фей ви гратимете й які картки оберете, не має значення навіть, виграєте ви чи програєте, вся суть гри полягає в тому, щоб відкрити 600 (згідно досягнень) комбінацій карток. Й позаяк всі ці комбінації це двовірші, набридає дуже-дуже швидко, бо тут не існує напівтонів, все виключно чорне та біле: всі померли чи всі знайшли скарби й вічне щастя. За три години в грі я просто знудився, хоча навіть чверті ще не відкрив. Я ще повернуся до неї згодом, як відпочину трохи від цього одноманіття, але враження саме такі. Візуально дуже гарно, музика норм, звуки радше просто є, а от технічно мені багато чого муляло. Навіть список зроблю: - прокачувати рівень, щоб збирати картки це... нашо?.. - картки теж довільно падають, просто шоб шо?.. - 600 комбінацій, які достоту ніде не записані, взагалі ніде. Себто в профілі на картках є лише цифри загальної кількості хороших\поганих результатів, під час гри вам показують відкриті комбо лише цієї сесії (не загальні) й ті багуються + на вибори другої феї ви достоту не вплинете. Хоч таблицю роби сам собі, оце найбільше муляло; - одна гра розтягується на години, якщо її навмисне не завершувати (себто не програвати); - хоч сяка-така швидкість тексту? Пропуск анімацій? Ходу? Прочитаного?!! Чудова ідея, кілька годин цікаво, далі вже ні, з купи причин. Сумарно за таку ціну варто спробувати, якщо любите текстові ігри та достатньою мірою знаєте англійську, бонусом можна пограти з другом.

Where do I even begin? If you’re in for a short run, good luck — or perhaps a bit of mischief — to you! I absolutely loved putting on the play and discovering how each character’s story unfolded. Having the choice to pursue Fortune or Misfortune made every decision feel meaningful. And the hidden tales woven throughout, especially the ones that called back to familiar references, were such a delightful touch. It made the whole experience feel layered, thoughtful, and incredibly rewarding.

This is why we have indie devs right? Im not much of a TCG and card games ingeneral kind of guy but this is something unique. Lots of interactions as it is, weird vibe and jokes just like in We are Eva. I suck at reviews but come on, its dirt cheap, get it and try it out with your friend like i did. Hope it goes well so we get card expansions.

This is the first review I've ever left because I think this game deserves more recognition. I've really enjoyed it and believe it is more than worth the price. As someone who loves completing collections and gaining acheivements, it defintely scratches that itch. The poetry is well written and keeps things intresting, plus I really like the artstyle. Games can drag on a bit (8 hours in and I still can't finish a game in 7 rounds or under like you need for an achievement), but I expect an update to add custom rules or something could easily help this. Like some people, I was shown this game because I played and enjoyed Bad End Theater. If you liked that game because of the narrative only this might not be the game for you, but for this price you should give Fate's Theater a shot anyways.

Really intriguing game with a refreshing concept that's fun and feels like every turn is unveiling a small tale ,very enjoyable overall !!

Чудова гра з цікавими комбінаціями історій

Really fun, and good for the price! Only thing is, the rounds can basically go on forever once you figure out how to balance your points to spend against the ai... most of the three hours I've played as of writing this was in just one round in singleplayer... got to the point I just had to quit cause it was starting to get frustrating as the ai kept getting boons that would help it JUST enough that I couldn't get one over it. As soon as I would get it down to 3 cards it would keep getting boons that would put me at just enough disadvantage for it to match me, only for me to be able to get it back down to 3 cards, then it would keep getting boons all over again... it was just a loop of this the entire game. Might be better against friends, but I have only played singleplayer so far si I can't say. Still worth a shot and a really cool game!

It's like a duel of fairy godmothers with gambling problems

A cute little game that somehow manages to be both cozy and violent. Misfortune Fairy is my spirit animal.