Mister Clocksworth to Lose One Rewind Keyword, Updates to Rewind Visual Effect

Blizzard has announced that Mister Clocksworth will be losing 1 of its Rewind keywords in the upcoming 34.0 patch, bringing it down to only two.

Why? Feedback so far from players has been that the Rewind effect feels a bit longer than expected and can be frustrating when multiple rewinds are used in a single turn. The effect will now "feel a little snappier" and by taking away one of the Rewinds from Mister Clocksworth, there is one fewer Clocksworth available down the Rewind chain.

The whole reason for the long Rewind effect is that it takes the game time to revert the game's state, which Blizzard claims to be exploring additional optimizations to speed it up and we may see them out during the patch cycle.

Quote From Blizzard

Dev Comment: Time goes by; so slowly… and sometimes, a little too slowly! With the Across the Timeways Pre-Release Tavern Brawl giving everyone a chance to jump into the timestream and explore the new set, we’re making some changes to help improve the experience. We've heard your feedback about the Rewind effect feeling longer than expected and occasionally frustrating, especially when multiple Rewinds are used in a single turn. To help address those concerns, the 34.0 patch includes a few updates to Rewind, and given that Mister Clocksworth in particular can use Rewind three times in a row, we’re winding him down as well.

From the very beginning, it was clear that Rewind would be one of the most technically ambitious keywords we’ve ever developed, but we believed the excitement of bringing time travel to Hearthstone would be well worth it. We love creating the feeling that you have the power to bend time itself with Rewind, chasing a better outcome through a blend of fantasy and strategy.

When Rewind is activated, a sand veil covers the screen not just for visual effect, but to allow the entire game state to reload, which naturally takes a bit of time. Our first mockup of Rewind lasted a whopping 12 seconds(!), and through development we discovered efficiencies that helped us trim it down to the version you see today. The updates to Rewind in this patch should make the effect feel a little snappier. We're continuing to explore further improvements to the Rewind effect, and if they prove successful, we plan to roll them out later in this patch cycle.

In the meantime, we're making a small adjustment by removing one Rewind from Mister Clocksworth. While this will slightly lower his power level, we believe it will lead to a smoother and more enjoyable experience for everyone. Thank you for your continued patience and support as we work to make Rewind the best it can be. Until next time!