Threads of Fate

Threads of Fate is an action role-playing game in which players take on the role of dual protagonists Rue and Mint. The playable character is selected at the start of the game. Both campaigns take place in the environments around the hub town Carona, with all environments and characters rendered using 3D graphics. The game is split between Carona and its connected areas, and dungeon environments which unlock during the story.

Characters have basic movement, a jump which can be used in minor platforming sections, and two action buttons which trigger different attack combinations in real-time. The camera angle is generally fixed in an overhead perspective, but can be adjusted in some dungeon areas. Each character has health points (HP) and magic points (MP). Rather than an experience point -based leveling system, HP and MP are raised through usage in combat; HP rises based on damage taken, and MP on the number of times magic is used.

Enemies when defeated can drop items and different types of coins. Both characters have unique combat and gameplay abilities. Rue can collect up to five coins from defeated monsters, allowing him to transform into them and access their abilities. Mint uses dual rings as both melee and projectile weapons, and can combine magic spells with complementary elemental abilities.

Each character has unique puzzles related to their abilities, with obstacles changing to fit the character for each playthrough. Monster coins and other collectables can be sold for in-game currency in Carona, which is also where players save their game. Carona also features an item shop, a hostel where characters can recover HP, and a chapel where donations can alter elements within the game. In dungeons, HP and MP is restored with respective bottles dropped by defeated enemies.

If character health is reduced to zero, players meet a game over screen. They can either restart from an earlier save, return to Carona at a cost of half their items, or restart immediately with new attributes by consuming a Coin of Life. After completing a campaign, a version of New Game+ allows unlocked abilities to carry over from older playthroughs and unlock secret areas. Within each campaign there are also unique mini-games which can unlock bonus items.