Brazilian developer Rogue Snail crafts a tight, Action-Packed Roguelike that blends Path of Exile depth with seven-minute time loops.
Hell Clock is the new game from Rogue Snail, a Brazilian independent developer whose work on Dodgeball Academia was very good. Hell Clock is based on Brazil’s rich and tragic War of Canudos, which is a lesser-known part of their past. It combines this cultural background with a dark, immersive roguelike ARPG experience.
The art style and camera angle may make you think of Curse of the Dead Gods at first, but Hell Clock is its own thing, especially because it mixes fast-paced action RPG with tight roguelike gameplay. The creators worked hard to make what they call an “Exile-like roguelike,” which combines the deep character and loot development of Path of Exile with a tense seven-minute time loop.
In Hell Clock, the story comes together slowly and in pieces. You’re stuck in a never-ending time loop and have seven minutes to fight your way through floors that get harder and harder. The story is deep, and it’s mostly told in Portuguese, which gives it a unique cultural flavor that comes from its Brazilian roots.
The main character of Hell Clock seems to have something to do with a broken-down church and a mysterious bell that is important to both the story and the gameplay. Even though the story is told in bits and pieces and the “why” behind the loop isn’t fully explained right away, this slow drip style works to build mystery and interest, pushing players to piece together the story as they play through runs.
If you’ve played action role-playing games like Diablo or Path of Exile, Hell Clock will feel very familiar. The gameplay is like short, intense games. The main part of Hell Clock is moving through floors that look like straight hallways while killing enemies and bosses within seven minutes.
You move your character with a mouse click, which is great for an action role-playing game. There is a hotbar with skillshots, a dodge ability, and a right-click attack. You don’t have to worry about managing your stuff during a run; loot like trinkets automatically equips based on how rare they are and their stats, so you can focus on moving and fighting.
Meta development is a big part of Hell Clock. You can spend money on a huge tree of upgrades between runs that raises your stats, lengthens the timer on the Hell Clock, lets you skip floors through red portals, and gives you more relic spots.
Bosses and elites drop relics that give different bonuses, such as plague damage, faster movement, or shorter cooldowns. These relics are the building blocks of build variety. You can change how you fight before each run with skillshot loadouts, which let you try new things and find strong combos.
In Hell Clock, combat is a smooth mix of roguelike chance and ARPG accuracy. You fight waves of enemies and bosses, and each one requires quick reactions and smart use of your skills. Because the passageways push you forward, each run is more of a race against time and enemies than a wide-ranging exploration. Aiming, timing, and positioning are all important for skillshots, and the meta skill tree lets you improve or switch out powers.
The addition of red portals is a new way to fight. They let you skip floors you’ve already beaten, which saves time but puts you in contact with harder enemies earlier. Hell Clock pushes you to balance getting stronger with managing your risks, which gives the strategy more depth.
The loot method makes battles go more smoothly. It’s possible for items and potions to automatically equip or eat, so they don’t stop your progress. Elites and bosses drop strong relics and legacy blessings that help the meta-progression. In the later stages of Hell Clock, cursed shrines and constellation nodes add new levels where you can get temporary buffs or devotion-like powers that will help you build even stronger.
The fighting is great because it reacts and moves in real time, which isn’t often seen in roguelikes that are more used to turn-based or card-based systems. The skillshot system is tight and fun, and there are enough build options to keep things interesting over many runs. The right amount of speed (because of the timer) and strategy (skill combos, relic choices) makes for a fun tension that rewards success.
Some bad things about it are that the bell summoner build can be very noisy, which can slow down performance on older systems, even though it’s fun and crazy. Because Hell Clock is straight, players who want to explore a big world will have less of a chance to do so. Also, the piecemeal storytelling can be annoying for people who want more instant story clarity.
In Hell Clock, experience and meta-development are very important. You get experience points (XP) when you kill monsters and bosses. Red portals let you get more XP by skipping ahead if your build is strong enough. XP lets you get gifts that make your skills better or give you general benefits. You also get soul stones, which you can use to open bell nodes, improve relics, or change the meta tree’s specs.
This loop is well-balanced because each run adds to lasting improvements that make the next run easier and let you use new skills. The method encourages repeated play without being too hard or punishing. Some roguelikes make you grind for a long time in order to move forward, but Hell Clock awards you for constantly getting better and trying new things.
The art style is dark, moody, and full of fine details. It captures the gloomy feel of Latin America, which fits with the theme of the War of Canudos. The isometric view and stylized figure models are similar to those in Curse of the Dead Gods, but they have their own style. The visual effects of skills like “Veil of Quills” and “Bell Summon” are bright and powerful, making the battle more fun.
There are scary cults and grotesque bosses among the enemies, and each one has a clear silhouette and personality. The graphics don’t push the limits of what’s possible, but they work well with Hell Clock‘s intense, fast-paced action.
The sound design goes really well with Hell Clock. The mood is tense and ominous, and the battle sound effects are satisfying and powerful. Each skill has its own sound that helps you keep track of cooldowns and hits when everything is going crazy. Boss fights have their own music and sound effects that make things more tense.
Voice acting and storytelling in Portuguese make Hell Clock feel more real and immerse players in its cultural roots. Some people might not be able to understand it, but the tone and feeling are clear, no matter what language is used.
Hell Clock is one of the best roguelike ARPGs out there. There is a lot of depth and variety in the builds in Rogue Snail, and there is also a seven-minute time loop that is very exciting. It has fast, skillful, and rewarding fighting, meta-progression that makes sense, and atmospheric and interesting art and sound design.
Some people might not like how the story is straight and slowly revealed, but the main gameplay loop is great. The meta skill trees and auto-equip loot system keep you trying new things and getting better. The red portal mechanic adds new layers of strategy and makes you think about risk vs. return every time you play.
If you want a roguelike game with real-time action, good ARPG features, and a unique cultural setting, Hell Clock is a great choice. It changes what a roguelike can be by making it fierce and deep without losing its soul.
