New Ravenswatch update The Hourglass of Dreams could have leapt straight out of my imagination. The fairy-tale roguelike ARPG from Passtech Games has had me and a friend in its clutches with its tremendous flavor and smart twist on the format. Now, its next big overhaul is delivering some exciting ways to adapt your playstyle, and introducing more risk and reward decisions in the process. That’s just the start, however; there are new quests, events, and activities to discover, making now a great time to discover why it’s earned an excellent 86%-positive Steam review score so far.
Ravenswatch immediately grabbed my attention when I played it at Gamescom in 2024. There are easy comparisons to draw to the likes of Hades, but Passtech has put its own spin on proceedings, standing out among the best roguelikes with a unique structure. Each of its characters is a dark fairy-tale favorite that plays like a ready-made Diablo build, from inventor Geppetto and his army of puppets to the pairing of Romeo and Juliet, who have abilities that synergize with each other and can swoop together in a devastating embrace that obliterates foes around you. It’s some of the most fun I’ve had in a co-op game in a long time.
Each stage of the campaign is a large open world that you can explore freely, but there’s a big caveat: A clock ticks down for 18 minutes, running the course of three days and three nights, and when it reaches its end you’re thrown into the fight against the region’s ‘master nightmare,’ whether you’re ready or not. It’s proven a little divisive, but I love it; the pressure it adds makes every run a tense series of decisions about where best to spend your time. Now, the Hourglass of Dreams is set to make Ravenswatch’s signature feature even better.
“For the longest time, players have been asking for some type of reward for triggering the master nightmare early,” Passtech remarks. While you can start the end-of-act boss battle whenever you like, there’s no real reason to do so when you could use any seconds left on the clock to maximize your build. Now, however, you’ll be able to claim additional rewards from the eponymous Hourglass of Dreams at the start of the next chapter that get better the earlier you kick off the fight. I’m reminded of the Dead Cells bonus rooms that award a big payout for speedrunning through levels, and this sounds like a similarly satisfying risk/reward mechanic.
As for the timer itself, there’s another gamble coming into play. “The idea of adding time to the timer has always been on our minds, but it couldn’t be done without a trade-off,” Passtech explains. “The game is built around this timer, and although a modifier allows you to remove it entirely, this takes away the essence of the game: the tension, the pressure of making choices, and the storytelling.” The team’s answer is a new mechanic called ‘overtime.’
When the initial 18 minutes are up, you’ll now automatically enter the overtime period, which can last for up to three minutes, giving you room to finish the current event or decide which upgrades you want to buy at the Sandman’s shop. The problem is that the master nightmare can also take advantage of these extra moments; the longer you spend in overtime, the more attack power and health the boss will accumulate. If you want to avoid this, you can simply activate the fight as soon as the period starts; there’s no penalty for the first few seconds.
These additions are already enough to tickle my fancy, but there’s plenty more packed into the Hourglass of Dreams update. Three new optional quests have been introduced to ramp up the variety. In Dark Hills, the Three Pigs quests can now sometimes be replaced by Jack and the Beanstalk, which will pit you against the sky-dwelling Ogre. In Storm Island, you can find Sinbad in a different predicament as he seeks out treasure in a cave guarded by Simorgh, a titanic Roc. In Avalon, you’ll help Morgan rescue the crown of King Arthur from her troublesome illegitimate son, Mordred.
Rounding out the update is a new random activity, the Leprechaun’s Cauldron. This acts as a potentially valuable source of Dream Shards, but you’ll need to defeat the surrounding enemies as fast as possible, as it’ll quickly begin to drain the stash contained inside. Once everything is gone, you’re free to claim your prize. While this update is free, Passtech is also rolling out a new DLC pack of paid cosmetic skins alongside it: this includes pyrotechnic Geppetto, a skull-clad Scarlet, and new forms for Aladdin and mermaid queen Melusine.
The Ravenswatch Hourglass of Dreams update launches for free on Thursday September 18. Arriving alongside it is the cosmetic Timeless Skin pack, which will cost $3.99 / £3.39. You can check Passtech’s developer blog for some extra glimpses at what’s in store.
If you need to make sure your communication is on point, grab the best gaming headset in 2025. Alternatively, take a look through the best games like Diablo for more ARPG delights.
What’s your favorite example of co-op synergy in a game? Share your thoughts with us in the PCGamesN community Discord server, where you can talk about all things PC gaming.
