Heileen 2 - The Hands of Fate Demo

Visual novel games are all about telling a story, since there is not much of an interactive element to them. Dialogue is your main method of taking control over the plot, but there usually are plenty of other choices you have to make in order to keep advancing. The characters can also stick with you for a while, as long as the writers do a good job at portraying them.

Heileen 2 - The Hands of Fate is the second title in the series and it resumes the story from where it ended at the end of the first part, with Heileen and some of her friends being washed ashore after a shipwreck. In fact, the plot is about the only major change and one of the few differences between the two titles, given the fact that everything else looks and feels the same.

As far as the story is concerned, Heileen and two of her friends end up on a remote island somewhere in the middle of the ocean, where they have to survive until help arrives. Strange things start happening not long after they set foot on the island, mostly because of a weird pack of tarot cards found by Heileen while strolling around the beach. Obviously, they appear to be magical and they kickstart the main plotline, since you can use them to find out various things.

To advance the story, you must make certain decisions from time to time, decisions that sometimes influence the way other people see you. This way, you can increase or decrease the quality of the relationship you have with someone, which can come in handy later on. Side quests are included as well, but they are nowhere near as intricate as they should have been and they often end up solving themselves.

Visually, the game is about as clean and good looking as it ever was, with anime-style drawings and some minimal animations here and there. The landscapes are dreamy and most of the characters have unique attributes that can make them memorable. The music is comforting as well, although it can get somewhat repetitive after a while.

In the end, Heileen 2 - The Hands of Fate may be pretty and colorful, but the writing still feels like it was done by inexperienced teenagers that exaggerate every little emotion displayed by the characters. The dialogue is predictable and the plot itself too childish to be worth remembering after you are done with it.