Out of Hands Review

Out of Hands is one of the most bizarre experiences I’ve had with a game in my entire life. Going into things, I expected a relatively clear-cut roguelike deck-builder with a quirky art style, but I was severely underestimating the experience. This title is a more unique experience, using the genre as a framing device for the story, which is relatively unconventional.

The first thing you’re going to notice is the art direction: it’s unique, incredibly weird, but unbelievably charming. There’s a really interesting combination of techniques used here, too, which is very impressive. Also, a lot of stop-motion is used, primarily in the sections between Dreams, and this makes for a unique vibe. This space functions as a menu, with the main character wandering across multiple spaces in his apartment and physically interacting with every different aspect, which adds more of a tangibility to the world, and makes for a clear distinction between it and the Dreams, which are navigated differently.

In the Dreams — where the core gameplay takes place — you’ll take control of an avatar, exploring extremely bizarre locations that act as weird recreations of locations from the main character's past. These seem to hold some keys to unravelling the mystery behind the nightmares, but there’s not much clarity on what these mean. I’m going to be intentionally vague when discussing story-specific elements because the mystery is so key to the experience, but I can say it’s genuinely incredibly intriguing. The protagonist is in a bizarre situation, and finding out why is a very strong motivator.

As you explore these Dreams, you’ll come across points of interest, some are simply dialogue between characters, and some are an internal dialogue between the three core aspects of you: Logic, Mystery, and Action. They each have distinct personalities, and doing certain actions throughout the game will align you with these aspects. I did find some of these moments felt like they were somewhat messy in their writing, but considering you’re exploring a Dream, it also enhanced that atmosphere.

There are a lot of other points of interest too, some are combat-oriented (which I’ll cover in more detail a little later) while others are items, keys, and doors. Doors lead you to other screens, which each function like maps, and are gorgeously drawn with an almost Junji Ito–esque style. A lot of these areas are optional too, which helps the world feel more interesting to explore; progression never feels forced, and you’re truly just exploring a bizarre landscape and hoping to find some answers.

Combat is probably the weakest aspect for me, but it’s by no means bad. Enemies come in all shapes and sizes, and in these encounters, you either have to clear the board or defeat the Heart Demon in the encounter. You do this by utilising the fact you’re now made out of hands (as the title so cleverly suggests), your face is built up with hands creating your facial features, and there’s a wide variety of these, which both alter in visuals and their effects. Typically, the stronger the effect, the higher a penalty it places upon your maximum HP, leading to an interesting risk-reward system. This works in tandem with the cards you collect, which come in a few varieties, ranging from weapons and shields to healing items and potions.

To use these cards, you must spend energy to pick them up with one of your hands, and these can then be used to attack the enemies on the board, or held for later use (or for defence in the case of shielding items). You can also obtain additional hands, which not only allow you to hold more items, but some of these hands themselves have abilities, expanding the possibilities. It isn’t rocket science, and there’s some decently interesting nuance and synergy, but it isn’t breaking much new ground. Despite this, I don’t mind that fact:, it’s an incredibly solid system (if a little easy); it works well, and I did have a few moments where I felt like a genius.

Combat, too, takes on a unique visual style. Each of your hands and facial features are stop-motion video of hands taking the form of what you’re doing, which makes for a level of uncanniness that I found off-putting, but not entirely unpleasant. It’s creative, and I felt out of place. The music, however, did leave a little to be desired; it’s not bad by any means, and there were some really good tracks which helped deepen the atmosphere, but some of them did get a little repetitive.

On the topic of repetition, I do feel it’s important to point out its limited replayability (at least in comparison to its contemporaries). Its focus on story makes the gameplay loop not all that impressive when taken at face value, but there are four endings, which are where you’ll find the most time to sink into Out of Hands. On top of this, though, there is an update coming to the game in June, which will implement a challenge mode with a bigger focus on replayability. I don't have details on this specifically, nor have I played it, so I can’t discuss its quality, but I felt it unfair not to mention.

I was taken aback by Out of Hands’ art direction, it’s gorgeous and incredibly creative, and combined with its intriguing story and solid gameplay, it’s one you shouldn’t miss. While it won’t necessarily be the next Slay the Spire, it doesn’t have to be. It’s a wonderfully unique experience, and one which manages to bend the conventions of the genre, and the fact that it’s made by such a small team makes it all the more impressive.