A ticking descent through Purgatory, devastating builds, and Brazil’s War of Canudos
Hell Clock is Fix Gaming Channel’s Game of the Week #64, combining fast roguelike runs, deep action RPG builds, and a dark fantasy retelling of Brazilian history.
Plenty of action RPGs send players into dark dungeons filled with loot, monsters, and increasingly destructive abilities. Hell Clock immediately separates itself by building that familiar structure around the history and culture of Brazil.
Developed by Brazilian studio Rogue Snail, the game transforms the late 19th-century War of Canudos into a supernatural fight through Purgatory and Hell.
Following Legends of Castile as Game of the Week #63, this week’s selection replaces quiet investigation and hand-drawn folklore with relentless combat, ticking clocks, and builds designed to tear through entire groups of enemies.
You can browse more weekly selections through our Game of the Week archive.
Hell Clock Official Launch Trailer
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Every second pushes the run forward
Players control Pajeú, a warrior fighting to rescue the soul of The Counselor, his fallen mentor.
Each descent sends Pajeú deeper into a distorted underworld filled with undead forces, demons, and nightmarish versions of Brazil’s past, present, and future.
The Hell Clock restricts how long Pajeú can remain in the depths. That pressure encourages aggressive movement, quick decisions, and builds capable of clearing enemies before time runs out.
Players who do not enjoy fighting against a timer can remove the time pressure through Relaxed Mode. Those seeking a harsher challenge can move in the opposite direction through Hardcore options and increasingly difficult endgame content.
Builds designed to become completely unreasonable
The combat is fast, but the build system gives Hell Clock its staying power.
Players collect Relics, Skills, Blessings, gear, and other modifiers that can be combined into increasingly destructive setups. Knife attacks can cut rapidly through groups, firearms provide ranged pressure, and abilities such as the great bell of Canudos can smash through enemies with overwhelming force.
The strongest combinations do more than increase a few numbers. They can alter how attacks behave, cover large parts of the screen, trigger additional effects, or turn one basic ability into the center of an entire build.
The Constellation Map unlocks new bonuses through different devotion paths.
That constant search for the next Relic or unexpected combination gives every descent another reason to continue. Even failed runs can reveal a new interaction worth building around.
Brazilian history is more than background decoration
The War of Canudos was fought in northeastern Brazil during the 1890s after the settlement of Canudos and its people came into conflict with the newly established Brazilian Republic.
Hell Clock does not attempt to recreate those events as a conventional historical game. Instead, it turns their violence, resistance, injustice, and cultural memory into dark fantasy.
Animated cutscenes connect Pajeú’s journey to the history and mythology behind Hell Clock.
That gives the action a stronger identity than another randomly generated trip through Hell. The enemies, locations, characters, music, language, and story are connected to a specific part of Brazilian history that remains largely unexplored in games released internationally.
Cursed War expands the campaign
Hell Clock arrived on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on July 9, 2026, alongside its first major expansion, Cursed War.
The expansion adds a fourth campaign act exploring Pajeú’s origin story during the Paraguayan War and the pestilence surrounding it.
It also introduces new biomes, enemies, bosses, Skills, Relics, and further opportunities to create combinations capable of breaking through the game’s toughest encounters.
The new Endless Nightmares mode expands the endgame further, giving established characters another increasingly difficult challenge after completing the main campaign.
Hell Clock: Cursed War Official Launch Trailer
Why Hell Clock is our Game of the Week #64
Hell Clock earns our Game of the Week #64 selection because it combines familiar action RPG satisfaction with a setting and cultural identity rarely represented in the genre.
The ticking timer keeps combat moving, the Relic and Skill systems encourage experimentation, and the option to remove the time limit prevents the central mechanic from excluding players who prefer a slower approach.
Most importantly, its interpretation of Brazilian history gives the action a purpose beyond collecting stronger loot. The supernatural retelling of Canudos, Pajeú’s fight for The Counselor, and the continued story in Cursed War create something more distinctive than another descent through a generic underworld.
That is why Hell Clock is Fix Gaming Channel’s Game of the Week #64.
Hell Clock
Release: July 22, 2025
Genre: Action RPG, Action Roguelike, Dungeon Crawler
Developer / Publisher: Rogue Snail / Mad Mushroom
Platforms: PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S
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Written by Ronny Fiksdahl, Founder & Editor of Fix Gaming Channel.
Send interview pitches, corrections, tips, or developer stories to contact@fixgamingchannel.com.
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