Shadowhand, the RPG card game about an 18th-century Highwaywoman, arrives in December
Publisher Positech Games announced the single-player card-battler in 2015.
It's been a couple of years since we first looked at Shadowhand, the "strategic RPG card game" in which you play an aristocrat masquerading as a notorious highwaywoman in 18th century England. We got a demonstration of early play at the PC Gamer Weekender in April 2016, and more recently we spoke to Jake Birkett of developer Grey Alien Games about release dates and development schedules. Today we got the next, and very close to last, piece of the pre-release puzzle, which is that the release date will be December 7.
Shadowhand offers 180 levels spread across 20 chapters, with locations including "stormy coastlines, mysterious woods and gloomy manors." But what really sets it apart is that instead of offering up a handful of tutorials to burn through before going online to have your ass handed to you by cold-hearted strangers, this game is strictly single-player. The basic card mechanic seen in the trailer looks like Golf Solitaire, but there's clearly a lot more going on, including unique weapons, gear, loot, and RPG-style character progression.
Shadowhand is currently listed on Steam (but not yet available for purchase) and will also be coming to GOG and Humble. Meantime, there's a website up with all the details at positech.co.uk.
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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.