I admit that when I first saw the screenshots of Hell Clock, I thought that this was another clone of Vampire Survivors, which are already full of Steam. But the first impression, as often happens, turned out to be deceptive. The Brazilian studio Rogue Snail has essentially released a full -fledged “diaploid” with elements of “Rogalik”, combining a gloomy atmosphere with a dynamic gaming process, which consists in the rapid destruction of crowds of monsters. In this review, I will share my impressions of the full version of Hell Clock.
The plot of Hell Clock is based on the real bloody tragedy of the Kanudus war, organically complemented by elements of science fiction. This cruel civil war of the late 19th century in Brazil ended with the complete destruction of the Kanudus settlement and the mass massacre of its inhabitants with government troops. The Brazilian studio Mad Mushroom Rogue Snail did not just take this historical episode – they made it the cornerstone of Laura, turning the narrative into the engine and the emotional nucleus of the game. We play for a warrior named Page, whose people were exterminated, and the soul of the mentor was abducted. And although the story of Page itself may not seem the most exciting and even boring, it is the gloomy historical basis that gives each action weight and meaningfulness, which is so often lacking in this genre.
As already mentioned, inherently Hell Clock is a full isometric Action RPG, in which you need to go through the levels, destroying enemies, collecting louts and developing your hero. You can manage the character both using the mouse and through WASD on the keyboard. It was the second option, which has recently been increasingly found in modern “diabloids”, that turned out to be especially convenient, providing more accurate control over movement in the heat of battles. Although traditional classes are absent here, the game offers complete freedom in creating its own builds. Nothing prevents you from turning a character initially oriented towards a distant battle, in a real analogue of Barbara, crushing the crowd of enemies by the famous “twist”, or create completely unexpected combinations.
The main feature that distinguishes Hell Clock from the classic “diabloids” is the elements of the “slide” woven into the gameplay. You have to make tense races, trying to advance every time as far as possible, and then return to the base for pumping the character and preparing for a new attempt. However, the most ambiguous, but at the same time, the very hellish watches in honor of which the game are named was the most important mechanics. They inexorably count the time allotted for every race, forcing to act quickly and decisively. During the boss files, the timer graciously stops, and the victory gives several precious additional minutes.
At first glance, this restriction seems absurd. Why deprive the player of the opportunity to explore and go through the game at his pace? But this medal also has the opposite side that solves the long -standing problem of some “pants”. Surely you are familiar with the situation when you are stuck at a stage where even ordinary monsters become almost indestructible “damage lips”. In Hell Clock, you will not have to suffer, trying to destroy an ordinary enemy for a long time: the time restriction tactfully takes you to the base, making it possible to become stronger and return with new forces. If this argument still did not convince you, then the developers have provided a “calm regime” where there are no time frames, but I personally would not advise it to choose it. Some mechanics are tied on hellish watches, so their shutdown can make the game less interesting.
The character development system in Hell Clock is truly extensive and fascinating, offering players a fairly designed tree of development. It includes a variety of skills, each of which is designed to strengthen the hero and facilitate passage. The pumping is carried out due to special points that you get with an increase in the level of memories – this is a kind of general progress that reflects your experience in the game. Some branches of the tree are initially blocked until you reach the second and third acts.
In addition to skills, relics play a huge role in strengthening the hero. They can be found right during the races, most often after winning the bosses, but not only. These artifacts do not just increase random basic characteristics. They are able to radically change your abilities by adding completely new properties to them. For example, your favorite attack can get the effect of chain lightning or impose an effect that enhances burning. The loss of relics for different skills perfectly motivates to constantly try different builds. Of course, it was not without the usual equipment items, which also contribute to the overall power of the hero.
Hell Clock is played incredibly cheerfully, and the time spent in the game passes unnoticed. The Brazilian studio Rogue Snail managed to create something much deeper than an ordinary clone, harmoniously combining a gloomy setting based on the tragic war of Kanudus and a dynamic gameplay in the spirit of Diablo, fixing all this with reigree Roguelike elements. Despite the initial fears, the unique mechanics of hellish watches perfectly spurry to dynamic passage, and a deep pumping system and a variety of relics allow you to create unique builds.
