No Rest for the Wicked, the new action RPG announced by Moon Studios at The Game Awards 2023, is eye-catching, to say the least. The publisher describes its art style as “painterly,” and that’s a fitting description. Its aesthetic falls somewhere between Divinity: Original Sin 2 and the fantasy paintings of Frank Frazetta. Style isn’t the only way that Frazetta’s name is relevant, however. The game’s combat promises to be visceral, with rag-dolling bodies, copious blood sprays, and gorgeous particle effects. It’s an ambitious project from the developer of Ori and the Blind Forest, but if the first trailer is any indication, the dev might pull it off.
Private Division and Moon Studios Announce No Rest for the Wicked
No Rest for the Wicked aims to introduce a precision-based combat system. The goal is to reward players for their skill and careful timing rather than encouraging button-mashing. The quality of the characters’ animations was a major selling point of Ori and the Blind Forest, so it’s little surprise that the dev team would double down on their success. The story’s direction is just as ominous as its art, with a plot that features war, political turmoil, and even the plague. Players won’t have to face the darkness alone, however. The game will feature a multiplayer mode, allowing you and up to three friends to tackle quests and conquer bosses.
The reveal trailer looks great, but there’s still a ton we don’t know about No Rest for the Wicked. The good news is we won’t have long to wait before we get some answers. The devs intend to reveal more during “Wicked Inside,” a digital showcase airing on March 1, 2024. Though the game promises to have plenty of treasure to find, monsters to slay, and secrets to discover, the most interesting question is whether the developer can successfully meld the game’s exceptional arts with equally exceptional combat. If it can, No Rest for the Wicked could give us a few good reasons to stay up at night.
No Rest for the Wicked will be available on PC in early access in the first quarter of 2024 and will be available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S sometime after.
