Hell Clock Review

Tick-tock, what’s that sound? It’s Diablo Meets Hades, and it’s a match made in Hell.

With so many genres and styles of games covering broad and niche interests, it can often be simple to describe an experience as being like this or that, or a combination of two or three genre-defining titles. In the roguelike space, which in and of itself features a broad range of styles, Hades is often pointed to as the gold standard for deep skill-based gameplay, incremental progression, and build-defining randomisation wrapped up in a polished, narrative-rich experience. 

It’s so good that once you’ve “beaten the boss,” you’ve only scratched the surface of its depth and detail.

In the action-RPG space, Blizzard’s Diablo franchise needs no introduction. With simple mechanics, itemisation, skill trees, and more, the focus is less on skill-based challenges but instead on theory-crafting your way to becoming so powerful that you can essentially melt enemies and bosses in seconds. 

Hell Clock

Genre: Roguelike
Developer: Rogue Snail
Publisher: Mad Mushroom
Release Date: 23/07/2025
Classification:
Author: Kosta Andreadis
Date: August 04, 2025

Start the Clock

Hell Clock, from Brazilian indie studio Rogue Snail, is best summarised as the combination of the frantic speed and action-RPG style of Diablo 3, Diablo 4, and even Path of Exile, with a roguelike framework similar to games like Hades. Diablo meets Hades is a great marketing hook, but here it means precisely that. 

Hell Clock’s fusion of Diablo’s action-RPG mechanics and combat with roguelike progression works exceptionally well and feels refreshing in the process. That neither aspect falls short nor feels compromised is impressive. And when you couple that with the story that is based on the historical Canudos Massacre that took place in the late 19th century in Brazil, it’s hard not to be drawn in and hooked on all aspects of Hell Clocks’ unique action-RPG meets roguelike experience - even if there are some rough edges.

"Hell Clock is best summarised as the combination of the frantic speed and action-RPG style of Diablo 3, Diablo 4, and even Path of Exile, with a roguelike framework similar to games like Hades."

Without getting bogged down in systems and mechanics, which is the bread-and-butter of both genres, the best way to summarise what separates Hell Clock from other roguelikes is that twitch-based skill takes a back seat to putting together a robust build that will also keep you alive. This means synergising a bunch of build-defining or Unique powers with other skills that can transform abilities and spells and define a playstyle in the same way a decked-out character in Diablo 4’s power is determined by a combination of items and where points are placed.

Deep In It

Structurally, the game follows a three-act story, with each Act introducing a new location that involves descending further and further into Hell to take down a formidable boss. The optional timer adds a sense of pace to the action while also doubling as a skill check to let you know the upper limit of your build or defences. Randomized gear and relics will drop, and as you level up through each run, you get to choose from a range of cards (this is the roguelike side of the action) that can buff your various skills, attacks, or abilities for that run.

Ultimately, what makes Hell Clock a success is that it’s fun to play, with the answer to ‘I wonder if you can… ?’ always being a resounding, yes. With a satisfying whirlwind-like ability that lets you slice through enemies, it’s possible to get lucky to the point where you can increase its area of effect to fill up an entire screen during a single run from stacking “Area of Effect” cards. 

Also, with the right combination of Unique powers, you can create a build where all you need to do is run and dodge, as every few metres spawns a spinning holy lightning ball that spins around each of your summons, causing full-screen chaos.

If you’re well-versed in synergising gear, skills, and abilities in an action-RPG like Diablo or Path of Exile, then Hell Clock is a relatively breezy game, with minimal grind or randomness. There’s complexity here, as the late-game Constellation system and endgame Ascension mode do require crunching numbers to figure out the best build to try and complete the campaign within a specific time limit and additional difficulty. 

"What makes Hell Clock a success is that it’s fun to play, with the answer to ‘I wonder if you can… ?’ always being a resounding, yes."

However, the game’s Ascension mode is currently listed as being in Beta, with the developers set to expand and improve the “what to do once the campaign is over” side of Hell Clock in the months ahead. As interesting as Ascension is, with it forcing you to start over from scratch every time (with only your Constellation abilities buffs carried over), it’s not as compelling as playing through the campaign.

Time Will Tell

Ultimately, Hell Clock’s combat and depth are commendable, and above all, fun, so the framework is there to add more goodness. But, it’s also not without its fair share of issues. Managing an inventory full of Relics without an auto-sort or mass-salvage ability is cumbersome, as the quality of a Relic is often determined by its random passive stats. And even though the game runs fine on a Steam Deck, playing with damage numbers enabled tanks performance - even on a powerful GeForce RTX 5080.

"Hell Clock’s combat and depth are commendable, and above all, fun, so the framework is there to add more goodness. But, it’s also not without its fair share of issues." 

Also, after spending a few dozen hours with Hell Clock (the core game can be completed in half this time), we found that only a few builds were endgame viable on account of their mobility. On the plus side, the developer’s roadmap says that it’s fixing all of the above, with one future update set to make all spells and abilities mobile - in that you don’t have to stop to attack or channel.

The developer’s commitment to expanding Hell Clock is fantastic to see and also reminiscent of Diablo and Path of Exile, in that new content, patches, and new modes and features will make the Hell Clock of six months from now a richer experience than the Hell Clock of today.

That said, the Hell Clock of today is an excellent time for action-RPG and roguelike fans. To bring things back to the Diablo meets Hades elevator pitch. However, it’s an elevator ride that only goes down, deeper into Hell, it’s worth stepping into to experience its familiar and unique blend of styles, action, setting, and story.

What’s Boss?

  • Fantastic Diablo-style action-RPG combat
  • Its deep systems let you craft a playstyle you find fun
  • Unique story, setting, and atmosphere
  • Excellent foundation for an expansion and more robust endgame

Not Boss Enough?

  • Endgame Ascension mode feels incomplete
  • Performance issues when your build becomes projectile and spell-heavy
  • Managing inventory is cumbersome
  • Level design is simple and lacks variety

Hell Clock is a new narrative-driven roguelike that takes inspiration from action-RPGs like Diablo to deliver a fun and fresh take on the popular Hades-style experience.

Learn about our reviews

About the Author

Written By Kosta Andreadis
Kosta Andreadis is a veteran gaming and technology writer with decades of experience across news, reviews, and in-depth articles. Between Diablo seasons, he can be found creating new electronic jams (music, not the digital condiment) and tinkering with retro gaming hardware.
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