This Historical Massacre-Inspired ARPG Draws Inspiration from Diablo 4 and Path of Exile – And I Believe It Outshines Both.

When you shoot your beginner pistol in action RPG Hell Clock, it feels like someone slapped the foundations of the catacombs you’re standing in with a pork chop big enough to decapitate god. There is beefy gun feel, and there is this: a gun chutney so chunksome and tactile I had to check my mouse hadn’t suddenly sprouted haptics. As a single player, single class genre entrant, it’s not quite fair to compare it to more sprawling mainstays like Diablo 4 or Path Of Exile 2. But I woke up feeling unfair today: even in its demo form, I’d much rather play Hell Clock than either of them.

In 1897, the near entirety of the Brazilian municipality of Canudos’s 25,000 inhabitants were massacred by heavy artillery bombardments, after successfully repelling three previous assaults from government forces. That’s a very truncated account, and you can learn more here, but that’s the setting that Brazilian studio Rogue Snail (Relic Hunters series) are folklore-ifying and undead-itising here. You play as gunslinger Pajeú, slinging his way gun-fully through dungeons to rescue the soul of his mentor The Counselor.

There’s plenty here that’ll be immediately familiar to dedicated ARPeGgios, but there’s also a good dose of Hades and other action roguelikes (lites). You blast mobs with hotkey commands, building mana with one kind of bullet, then spending it on other, better bullets. You gulp down potions. You dodge with space (it hurts enemies though!). You collect shiny loot and…

Wait, but you actually don’t collect shiny loot. And even if you did, you’d lose it after your run anyway. Instead, you collect purple crystals to spend on permanent gear and abilities between runs. Everything else – gold, ability buffs, – is temporary. There’s another wrinkle, too. Each run has a time limit of 20 minutes, although there is a ‘relaxed mode’ option to disable this, and it does pause during boss fights.

Here are some lovely bullet point features from Steam. Actually, I added the bullet points. Wouldn’t want to misquote Steam. SEGA once misquoted a review I wrote of Total War: Warhammer 3 in which I said I’d be “hesitant to call Warhammer III a landmark strategy game in its own right”. “A landmark strategy game in its own right” – The Guardian. Utterly shameless. Here’s the fact-me-doos:

Every second counts as you battle the undead forces of your oppressors. Risk delving deeper for powerful loot and face the nightmarish incarnations of those who sought to bury the truth.

Hunt down ancient Relics infused with the strength of resistance. Create devastating combinations that channel Canudos’s unbreakable spirit into unstoppable power.

Master a diverse selection of devastating abilities born from righteous fury. Dance through hordes with lightning-fast knife strikes, smash enemies with Canudos’ great bell, or rain rapid-fire death from your trusty sidearm.

Each descent brings new chances to right historical wrongs. Discover unique combinations of Blessings to evolve your build as you face the demons of Brazil’s dark past, present, and future.

Whether you seek a brutal test against history’s oppressors or a thoughtful journey of justice, Hell Clock adapts to your path. Remove all time pressure with Relaxed Mode, or push your limits in Hardcore mode.

Experience a complete three-act story campaign, then test your perfectly tuned builds in the challenging Endgame, where your gear, abilities, and playstyle are pushed to their limits.

If you’re a sicko for the long term grind, build theorycrafting, and the like, then sure – it’s far too early to say whether Hell Clock can compete with its behemoth genre mates. But in terms of just, like, having fun with a videogame – yeah, this is the only ARPG I’m interested in playing right now. It’s due out “Q2” of this year.