The interesting demos continue to hit hard and fast, and the next to slap me right in the chops is Hunter’s Hand, a gritty new hybrid deckbuilder by Pixel Moon that I’ve just taken a quick look at.
For starters, let’s talk about the visual style, because it’s quite unlike anything I’ve seen lately. On the one hand, there’s a Monet-inspired presentation that caught me off guard, and on the other, we have a deckbuilder-fighting hybrid that, in-game, looks like early Mortal Kombat or Killer Instinct. Just based on that mishmash of ingredients alone, Pixel Moon has my attention.
As you can see from the screenshot, the atmosphere in Hunter’s Hand is gritty, bleak, and violent. The oppressive vibe is straight out of the Dark Souls playbook, which I would wager is a big influence here. You play a plumed knight with a sword and an attitude problem, out to hit everything that stands in your way, be that a demonic enemy fighter or a possessed elk.
Between fights, there are events and stores to visit, all of which are brought to life in the game’s distinct artistic style, before it’s back into pixelated mortal combat against some demonic foe or another.
Each battle is a back-and-forth between fighters, and you must do your best to take down your opponent before they do too much damage via their own cards.
If anything, the deckbuilding part of the game is the most straightforward, as you’re blocking and attacking, managing your resources while you play your best cards. Each turn resolves once all cards are on the proverbial table, and then it plays out like a classic fighter, with the characters exchanging blows.
It’s early days to say whether or not there’s the depth needed to sustain an extended experience, but the classic fighting game setup, the Dark Souls-esque atmosphere, and the striking art style/s have come together to create a uniquely distinctive game. That’s a great start for any indie, and if you’d like to try Hunter’s Hand yourself, you’ll find the new demo on Steam ahead of the game’s launch on Nov 3rd.
