Infrapink (he/his/him)I've been spending my free time over the last few weeks on Hand of Fate 2, a deckbuilder with rhythm-based hack'n'slash combat. It's been called a roguelite, and I can understand why, but if it is, it's by far the litest of roguelites. The individual elements aren't especially deep, but they add up to something special. The only thing like it is Hand of Fate 1 on which it improves substantially. Also it runs natively on Linux and doesn't require Steam.
HOF2 has a stronger story about overthrowing the evil empire founded by the protagonist of HOF1. In the course of the adventure, you can recruit four companions (plus three extra if you get the DLC, but the DLC companions can't join the final three challenges for story reasons). Companions aid in combat, affect the outcome of challenge cards, and sometimes alter the effects or flavour text of cards.
There's Malaclypse, a wastrel mage disguised as a bard whoi is more important than he seems; Colbjorn, an disgraced Northerner¹ warrior who opposes his people's descent into the same evils as the empire; Estrella, an honuorable imperial commander who grows disgusted with the empire's evil and joins the rebellion; and Ariadne, a former blacksmith who became an adventurer on the advice of a fortune teller.
¹ Viking
The DLC adds Hubie, an adorable, earnest but foolish orphan goblin; Keturah, a bitter old bounty hunter who searching for the person who killed her daughter so long ago; and Veles, the vampire lord of a fallen house in the shadow realm who can bring along his own companion, Grobben, a huige goblin who runs a gladiatorial arena.
Pretty cool we get a big woman and an elderly woman without it feeling like virtue signalling. #BodyDiversity