Hell Clock’s Cursed War expansion adds a fourth act to the roguelike action RPG

While I wait for Diablo 4 to sort out its messy new season, the only game that’s pulled me away from Path of Exile 2 is Hell Clock. Its Cursed War expansion was delayed to give PoE 2’s season some breathing room, and Rogue Snail clearly understands that action-RPG players cycle through titles seasonally. Hell Clock is a run-based roguelike with an action-RPG engine: there’s loot, but it’s intuitive — you stack bonuses that boost damage after clearing rooms and watch hordes explode. There’s real depth in buildcrafting, and min-maxing matters more at higher difficulties; on Normal I never hit a wall just tossing things together. Major updates have refreshed the game since I last played: movement is smoother (WASD or click-to-move), bosses are tougher, and a new set of crafting items borrows ideas from Path of Exile to help shore up defenses. The Cursed War expansion adds a fourth act.