Last night’s Xbox Partner Preview showcase gave us our first look at Sleight of Hand, an occult noir deckbuilding stealth sim from RiffRaff Games. And, it looks Ace (see what I did there?).
On Sleight of Hand’s release next year across Xbox Series X/S and PC (including day one on Game Pass), players will take on the role of Lady Luck, a former occult detective “fated to return for one final job”. And that job? Taking down her former Coven after a “less than amicable departure” which saw her lose her left hand.
“Too tired to fight fate any longer, and with more overdue bills than bucks to her name, Lady Luck strikes out to Steeple City with a cursed deck in hand, ready to track down everyone from her past life,” reads Sleight of Hands description.
Players will have to make their way through a city that is “rife with taboo”, full of ritual magic and cursed artefacts. Lady Luck’s cards (which, FYI, are cursed) can cast smoke-based magic, allowing her to disappear in a puff of smoke, mark guards with hexes, teleport and more.
“Making this game has been a long-time dream of mine. It combines my love of Kojima’s brilliant pioneering work in Tactical Espionage Action with Metal Gear Solid and my obsessive desire to push the envelope in making new gameplay experiences,” CEO and game director at RiffRaff Games, Joshua Boggs, said following Sleight of Hand’s reveal.
“In typical ‘me fashion’ (as the team here would say), I’ve sought to turn the genre on its head with a healthy dose of innovative card play. It’s been a hard road, honestly the hardest project I’ve worked on, but I am so honoured to walk side by side with this team as we push the stealth action genre in a brand new direction.”
Lady Luck is voiced by Debi Mae West, who you may recognise as Metal Gear Solid’s Meryl Silverburgh. Sleight of Hand will launch on Xbox Series X/S and PC via Xbox Game Pass and Steam in 2025.
For everything else announced last night, be sure to check out Eurogamer’s Xbox Partner Preview showcase roundup here.