Imagine staring at a rare treasure chest and realizing that opening it will literally cost you precious seconds of your lifespan. That’s the specific brand of anxiety Clockfall actively weaponizes. Developed by Rever Games, this recently released indie title takes the familiar roguelite formula and violently mashes it against a frantic wave-defense system. We did talk about the game in greater detail here. To find out how a studio even begins to balance high-speed dungeon crawling with holding the line, we sat down with Rever Games CEO John Pirson to talk about:
- early access
- pacing whiplash
- treating time as a currency
- and more!
The Anxiety of the Clock
it’s weird and, at first glance, a huge psychological hurdle to force an RPG player to actively ignore loot. And yet, that’s one of the coolest aspects of Clockfall! We asked Pirson how the team managed to tune a strict time penalty so it feels thrilling rather than just cruel during those crucial early runs.
“Balancing that system was genuinely one of the harder tasks we tackled. There was an almost absurd amount of internal testing to make sure every second feels meaningful rather than just punishing,” Pirson explained. “We’re still iterating, honestly, but that tension you felt is exactly what we were going for. We can’t wait to see players push it further and help us sharpen it even more.”
This interview wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible team at Sandbox Strategies. A special thank you to Tyler Gardner for making it happen!
The Heaviness of Time
Given that constant tick of the clock, players are forced into a corner. Questions like do we sacrifice progress to buy more time, or just try to brute-force our way were asked often during our playtime. Interestingly, Pirson notes that internal testing hasn’t revealed one “correct” meta, but rather a reflection of the players themselves.
“It really comes down to player personality. Some people are curious by nature and want to explore every corner before committing to a strategy. Others will run the same efficient path over and over until they feel invincible, then start branching out,” he observed. “It’s honestly the same split you see between players who mainline a story and those who refuse to touch the main quest until every side quest is done. Both playstyles are valid and it’s fascinating to watch.“
A Clockwork Origin
The game’s narrative justifies this frantic pacing. That’s possible through a time-looping mystical clock tied to past massacres. But, as you can imagine, mapping that lore onto such an aggressive genre hybrid wasn’t a late-stage afterthought.
“The story actually has roots in our very first game concept, which never shipped and looked pretty different from what Clockfall became,” Pirson revealed. “We borrowed the core idea from that early world and reshaped it as the design evolved. The mystical clock ended up being the perfect anchor for both the narrative and the roguelite loop mechanics.“
We know what you’re thinking. Mixing a high-speed dungeon crawler with a strategic wave defense mode sounds like two separate pitches stitched together. But according to Pirson, that dual-rhythm loop was baked in from the start.
“That was always the plan. Our original concept had it, and while the details shifted over time, the two-phase rhythm was never something we questioned. It felt fundamental from day one.”
From what we’ve also experienced, it trully plays great!
Bridging the Gap
Still, transitioning from a frantic dungeon sprint into a stationary settlement defense takes some getting used to. Bridging that gap required looking at the two phases not as opposing forces, but as a continuous power trip.
“The way we see it, the dungeon and the defense phases aren’t really opposites. The whole roguelite loop is about getting stronger, and that strength always has a purpose. Some runs you focus on gold to set yourself up better for the next one,” Pirson said. “Other times you lean into exploration to unlock new defenses. And sometimes you stumble onto a crazy upgrade mid-run and suddenly you’re like ‘yeah, I’m built, let’s go trigger that invasion.’ The choice always feels natural because every path leads somewhere meaningful.”
Breaking the Game in Early Access
Building a hybrid like Clockfall is a massive technical and balancing headache. For other small indie teams trying to staple seemingly incompatible genres together, Pirson’s advice is brutally practical.
“Test constantly, and build something you genuinely love playing yourself. That second part is harder than it sounds. After hundreds of hours of QA on your own game, you lose perspective fast,” he stressed. “Don’t be precious about it: reach out early, take every piece of feedback you can get, and stay open to it. The players will see things you stopped being able to see a long time ago.”
That reliance on outside perspective is exactly why Rever Games is heading into Early Access. As they hand the game over to the community, Pirson knows exactly what he wants players to push to the absolute limit.
“Two things, honestly. The invasion mode is where we want Clockfall to build its strongest identity, so we’re still polishing it to make sure every element feels intentional rather than just thrown together. And then there’s the time concept itself. It runs through everything in the game, and we want to push it further, but we’re being very deliberate about it,” Pirson concluded. “The line between ‘this is thrillingly tight’ and ‘this is just annoying’ is razor thin, and getting that right matters a lot to us. Real players breaking things in ways we didn’t expect is exactly how we figure out where that line actually is.”
Clockfall is heading into Early Access soon, bringing its frantic blend of time-management and wave defense to players ready to break the clock. Are you the type of player to hoard your time, or risk it all for an extra upgrade? Let us know in the comments below! And, as always, thank you for reading!
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