Diablo heart Dark Souls? Johan Lorentzon takes a first taste of the Ori people’s new, and he wants more.
It may seem strange that Moon Studios, the creators of the cozy Ori-the games, make a game that No Rest for the Wicked. But it is easy to forget that there is a darkness in them, a darkness that is allowed to blossom in their new action role-playing game. No Rest for the Wicked is said to draw inspiration from Diablo and From Software’s soulslike game. The mix becomes a slower action rpg, far more tactical and not as chaotic as the demon slayer.
Instinctively, probably because of the bird’s-eye view, I run right in and crank, which pretty quickly ends with me dying. I have to take a deep breath and reset my brain a bit, because here there are no waves of screaming demons that you pound your thumbs into blood mush.
Instead, the battles are slow and tactical. I have to keep track of my stamina and roll, block and find the gaps – just like in From Software’s games. If I die, I get to start over at the nearest discovered cerim point (functions like the fires in the soulslike games). But unlike in these, the enemies I killed in No Rest fort the Wicked still dead when revived, and I lose no hard-earned souls. However, my gear gets damaged and can be expensive to repair (if you’ve even found a blacksmith).
“I am given a great opportunity to shape my character”
Fireplaces also exist in this game, but they serve as places where I can cook with ingredients I find on my travels. This plays a big role in my survival as they restore life and give so-called buffs in the battles. As in all RPGs, the world is not only made up of enemies, but there are plenty of people who want me to run their errands for various rewards.
Of course, the hunt for higher levels, new equipment and better weapons is the game’s main driving force. There are a variety of weapon types and each is used in specific ways. In addition to that, snails No Rest for the Wicked on some leaves from the old school RPG setup where I get points to spend on my character’s attributes as I level. These rules govern what weapons I can use and what armor I can wear. A large two-handed sword requires considerable strength and light knives require agility. It’s an old and proven system where I’m given a lot of opportunity to shape my character according to my own playstyle.
The world that Moon Studios paints is dark and depressing, but there are still a little more positive vibes than in both Diablo and optional souls game. My character belongs to a holy order that after a shipwreck drifts ashore on the island of Isola Sacra. With hardly any clothes on my body, I get to explore and find my way in the world. The island is also ravaged by a plague that turns people into undead, which of course does not make things any easier. Unlike in From Software’s games, it drives the narrative more focused, but still leaves little for the player to explore and think about. In any case, the story feels interesting enough to capture my interest.
“The world is much more vertical”
What I immediately notice is that the world is much more vertical than in other games of this kind. The towers and their broken stone stairs stretch far towards the sky, there are high cliffs and the castles have several floors. I can climb things, sneak up rock walls and balance on beams. Exploring all the nooks and crannies pays off and there is always something nice to do and interesting to find. The exploration can also be exciting as it can just as easily end in discoveries as me taking a wrong step and falling to certain death in some diabolical abyss.
The roadmap for the early access development.
To No Rest for the Wicked is in early access is very noticeable. The image update is shaky, even though we got an update that should fix some of the problems. We also have some bugs where the old man can get stuck in the terrain or fall through walls. I’ve also had problems with the sound disappearing and then having to restart the game. I would also recommend playing with a controller as the game does not feel fully optimized for mouse and keyboard. But the Playstation controller layout is still missing, instead the Xbox buttons appear.
Then I don’t agree with the character design. I like the style but the characters are awkwardly proportioned with long wide arms and short legs. It gives the feeling of writing “strong warrior” to an AI, which delivers a figure with Karl-Alfred arms in the belief that this is what strength looks like.
No Rest for the Wicked has an interesting start and premise, but there is a lot to work on. In addition to the developers needing to clean up the technical problems, the game lacks multiplayer. Namely, it is supposed to be able to share your journey with three friends, and that would change the strategy in the battles in an interesting way and add another dimension. Multiplayer is coming in the first major update, and it will be interesting to see how that plays out.
I want to praise Moon Studios for trying something new, and there is something good and interesting in it No Rest for the Wicked. I really like the world building and the battles are hard and challenging without being unfair. The story feels interesting and I want to know more about the world and what happens around the next story node. Much depends on whether the developers can sort out the technical problems and how the multiplayer part turns out. But there is good hope that they will listen to the criticism and then fix and donate before the sharp release.
Footnote: No Rest for the Wicked is available as early access on Steam. The full version will be released for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series at an unknown time.
