Every once in a while I’m floored when seeing a new videogame for the first time. When there’s such a strong sense of visual, narrative, and interactive identity I can’t help but want to know more. Right now, that new game is Hell Clock. This roguelike ARPG might look like a grim and oppressive Hades on the surface, but it’s got such a unique presentation that it quickly becomes more than that. Best of all, you’ve got a limited time to playtest Hell Clock on Steam right now.
If you’ve played enough ARPGs or roguelikes, Hell Clock will feel instantly familiar. You take up arms as Pajeú, who’s thrust into a “demon-filled purgatory” that also happens to be stuffed with neverending horrors. You delve ever deeper into a dimly lit dungeon from an isometric perspective, forging builds, blasting monsters, and mastering diverse abilities to get further with each attempt. Hell Clock has the replayability of Hades and the demonic threats of games like Diablo, all rolled up into one.
There’s more to Hell Clock than that, though. Brazilian developer Rogue Snail has set the game during the country’s 19th Century War of Canudos, where “each descent brings new chances to right historical wrongs.” You face off against the demons of Brazil’s past, present, and future, seemingly both in the literal and figurative sense. This takes place across a three-act story campaign, but there’s also an endgame where all your gear, abilities, and skills will be put to the test.
It also helps that Hell Clock is gorgeous to look at. The dark and dingy dungeon floors are punctuated by bright abilities, and the bold cutscene visuals provide even more contrast. The moment I saw the Hell Clock key art I was hooked, and I can’t wait to give this ARPG a try.
“When we started working on this game we asked ourselves, ‘What would it be like if an entire Diablo season or Path of Exile league took just 20 minutes?’” Rogue Snail CEO Mark Venturelli says. “And that’s what Hell Clock is: a roguelike that encourages aggressive and fast gameplay.”
“Hell Clock is also a very personal project for all of us at Rogue Snail. In my 17-year career, this is my first project primarily voiced in Brazilian Portuguese, and also based entirely on Brazilian history and culture. We feel like we’re ready to tell our version of the Canudos story – not only to the whole world, but also to many fellow Brazilians who might not be fully aware of its grim events and repercussions which can still be felt to this day.”
Just like when crafting your next build in Diablo, Path of Exile, or Hades, Rogue Snail gives you a lot of options in Hell Clock. There are myriad ancient Relics you can hunt down and combine for builds, plenty of abilities that give you knife strikes or sidearms, and even what looks like some sort of molten whip.
If you’d rather take the pressure down a notch, Rogue Snail also has multiple game modes to choose from in Hell Clock. You can make things much easier in Relaxed mode or dial up the difficulty in Hardcore mode, depending on how adventurous you’re feeling during any given session.
You can try Hell Clock right now as part of a Steam playtest, but be warned that you only have until Wednesday December 11. You can learn more and wishlist the game right here.
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