Hell Clock Reviews
Hell Clock is a compelling, ever-expanding, surprisingly emotional ARPG roguelike that's well worth anyone's time, despite a few weak points.
Pulpy, fiercely animated and grimly righteous, Hell Clock does not want to take over your life, calling time on the avaricious ARPG grind in favour of a snacky, techy roguelite.
Rogue Snail's Hell Clock is a detailed and gorgeous new roguelite ARPG that equally leverages Brazilian history and deep gameplay systems.
I really enjoyed my time with Hell Clock. It balances all its aspects just right: narrative, gameplay, progression, and difficulty. Just watch the clock, you might lose yourself down in Hell.
I had an excellent time playing Hell Clock, especially as a fan of Diablo, Titan Quest and other ARPGs. The fact that it also has a Hades-like gameplay makes it even more interesting, and the Brazilian-focused story and characters certainly help the game stand out.
Hell Clock is for players who love a challenge, who don’t mind getting their builds broken and their egos bruised. It borrows the best parts of Diablo, PoE, Hades, and Binding of Isaac, yet still feels wholly original thanks to its bold cultural inspiration and smart mechanical design. It’s not for everyone. But if you’re someone who dreams in DPS numbers and lives for build theory, Hell Clock is absolutely worth it.
Hell Clock presents a different approach than the usual ARPGs, incorporating roguelite elements into its formula—and yet still manages to be equally captivating. The game captivates from the very first moments thanks to the careful localization of the dialogue, replete with slang and expressions typical of the Northeast, and is a true gift for those who value Brazilian culture in gaming. Its art direction is impeccable, with striking visuals that dialogue with both comic book and folk art styles, while the soundtrack animates the journey with the familiar Northeastern musicality. Hell Clock is a sure bet, my friend—for both veterans and newcomers to the ARPG universe. With a fictional narrative inspired by real events, the game also offers a robust build and relic system, capable of captivating for hours, encouraging experimentation and the use of different strategies.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Hellclock is an excellent refresh button on an oversaturated genre. The emphasis on speedy runs, diverse builds, and a historical and cultural setting rarely touched makes for a standout roguelike. A few snags, especially tanky health bars, weigh down the game design’s core focus of lightning-fast runs. Although pacing creates more friction than a totally smooth experience, Hellclock is an easy recommendation for any roguelike fan.
Hell Clock masterfully blends the fast-paced, skill-based combat of ARPGs like Path of Exile with roguelike elements, delivering an addictive and rewarding experience within tight, seven-minute runs. Its strong build diversity, meaningful meta-progression, and clever risk-reward mechanics keep you coming back for more.
Hell Clock is one of those games that cherry picks so many ideas from so many different sources that it manages to feel original when taken as a whole.
In summary, Hell Clock is simply a great game. It has all the mechanics that make a roguelite great – beneficial progression between runs, variety of skills and RNG elements. Then it layers in ARPG elements and skill trees for extra touch. It also provides the player with plenty of options for how laid back or difficult they want to play through the game. With these in mind and for a game that also looks this good, I could give it nothing less than the Thumb Culture Platinum Thumb Award.
With the breakout success of Hades, it was an inevitability that many would try to duplicate the formula. Although plenty have tried, none have truly succeeded is emulating what made Hades special in the first place. This means more than just adding rogue-like mechanics, it means crafting an addictive gameplay loop, but equally and if not more important, pairing it with an engaging story. Hell Clock combines and executes flawlessly on two of the most addictive genres of gaming: ARPG’s and Roguelikes. However, just like Hades, the most addictive thing about Hell Clock is the story that keeps you hanging on for new morsels of narrative. If you love ARPG’s like Path of Exile or Diablo and Rogue-likes such as Hades, you are going to love Hell Clock because it combines the best of both worlds. Pillaging the dungeons, looking for loot and fine tuning your gear between runs is addictive, but just like Hades, Hell Clock strikes a perfect balance between narrative and gameplay.
Hell Clock is one of the most remarkable projects in the Brazilian indie scene in 2025, not only for its quality as a game, but for the pride it carries in portraying a brutal and underexplored slice of Brazilian history. It skillfully combines challenging gameplay, a rich setting, and a strong cultural identity, delivering a unique, immersive, and necessary experience.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
It’s very clear that a lot of care went into making a very solid game. The historical aspect gives it a lot of depth and somehow, the game never feels like it doesn’t know what it wants to be. Hell Clock finds its way as an ARPG and roguelike quite easily. It’s clear the developers at Rogue Snail had a story to tell and wanted to tell it in an approachable way. I can confirm they succeeded.
Hell Clock is, without a doubt, one of the biggest surprises of 2025. Developed by a Brazilian team and set in the Northeast of Brazil, the game delivers a captivating narrative with refined gameplay and well-built progression systems. All of this results in a fun, challenging, and extremely original experience.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review