The Hand of Merlin
Skip · Roguelike · 2022
Steam Deck VerifiedThe verdict
SKIP IT.
It scores 25, under the fair line, at $24.99.
- Length
- 5h
- Value
- $5.00/hr
- Reviews
- 71% of 361 positive
Watch this gameOne alert at a price you pick.
Buy now or wait
Not discounted in any of its last 8 seasonal sales. Last cut ended 994 days ago.
- Next sale
- Winter Sale, Dec 17 to Jan 4
Sources: IsThereAnyDeal, Valve.
What drives the score
How to read this
Grades run S to D, read from the buyer's side. ▲ marks a lift, ▼ a drag or a dock, ? an input we do not have, • a fact this genre's score does not use. How the grades work
About the game
The Hand of Merlin is a turn-based rogue-lite RPG in which Arthurian legend meets with sci-fi horror. Recruit mortal heroes to explore lands rife with otherworldly evil, make narrative bending choices in unique interactive encounters, and search for the lost fragments of your soul across the multiverse!
Minimum specs
Minimum on the Steam store: 4 GB of memory, Nvidia GeForce GT 1030 2GB, AMD Radeon RX 550 2 GB, 5 GB of storage. Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux.
The value story
Across all 28 discounts in the 5 years tracked, the median cut is 50 percent, about 5 weeks apart. Today it is at full price, and its last discount ended about 142 weeks ago.
It is pricier than 96 percent of its genre, and less well reviewed than 81 percent. Among the games that feel like it, Popup Dungeon ($24.99, scores 35) beats it on value, while it beats Dungeon Rushers ($14.99, scores 10).
More about The Hand of Merlin
Of the 301 Steam-purchase reviews this site sampled, 2 come from buyers who refunded the game, sampled from reviews written May 2021 to June 2026.
At 5 hours it is a handheld-sized game, and Valve rates it Deck Verified.
The drop-off
48% start to 17% finishA game like this has no single ending, so its score does not use the finish rate. The curve shows where players stop. Steam global achievements
What players say
Zero depth, bare-bones trash that artificially forces you to re-run it over and over, disguising it as story/content. Do not waste your time on it.
2 more reviews, 1 not recommended
At first I was intrigued by the game. By the art, approach to story, to characters, travel, missions. I also liked the random factor that created the impression about a living world. Then the game crashed and I faced the same situation and had another roll, then another, each resulting in different outcomes. Then I progressed more and the same repeated and again. And I started to be annoyed. With several experiences...
Simple premise, but well executed. Highly suggest if you are looking for a tactical combat game that is (somewhat) easy to put down.
Steam reviews, mixed to its ratio and rotated daily. Opinions are theirs.
No data upstream: critic score (Metacritic).
Cite this score
The Hand of Merlin scores 25/100 on the BANG Score (a skip) as of Oct 19, 2026. The BANG Score rates what a game is worth for the money. Via Steam BANGERS. https://steambangers.com/game/600610/the-hand-of-merlinReviews set the ceiling, and the size of the player base moves the BANG Score inside it. How it works, and where it is weak → Steam reviews as of Sep 29, price as of Oct 18. A number here look wrong? Tell me and I will check the inputs.