Each game offers a wide variety of monsters, random dungeons and an endless diversity of suffix/prefix-constructed loot. In each dungeon, you'll need to finish one random main quest to win (usually killing a boss at a deep level), and in the process you'll complete many randomly generated side-quests.

Where differs Fate from the most Diablo clones is the ability to adventure infinitely: there's no level-up limit and dungeons are endless: you can descend lower and lower, gaining more and more powerful loot and fulfilling new random quests. After finishing the main quest you can retire your hero, creating an “inheritance” to be given to his descendant in the next game.

The character system is quite straightforward, with several stats and skills that can be upgraded at level-up. The different races (added in Traitor Soul) differ only in initial parameters and appearance. What really determines your hero is your equipment and spells, so you can tune your playstyle freely.

Other features include a gambler, an equipment enchanter and a pet – initially a cat or dog, but you can transform it into much more powerful monsters by feeding it fish. Ah, yes, fishing! You can fish for progressively more powerful fishes and items.

If all this feels familiar, it's because Fate's creator, Travis Baldree, later also worked on Torchlight (2009), taking most of Fate's features with him.

Another shared trait is the extensive modding, with fans adding a lot of content, gameplay tweaks, changing monster density, camera controls, etc.

Unfortunately, Fate has one big issue: it's not pretty. Graphics are quite simple, muddy and have barely been improved in the subsequent versions. Yet, while Torchlight might be more polished, the infinite randomness of Fate is worth trying for those who can overlook graphics in favour of addictive gameplay.