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A bridge connects Ori and the Blind Forest and No Rest for the Wicked. It’s not just that Moon Studios designed them both. It’s not even that they share a love of striking art and devious bosses. The bridge connecting Ori and Wicked is one of ambition. You can’t see it the way you see the blood on the cobblestones of Mariner’s Keep, but it’s there. Ori pushed Metroidvanias in new directions, and Wicked is doing the same with its brilliant, messy fusion of Soulslike, ARPG, and cozy crafting sim. Of course, the game just hit early access, so its edges are sandpaper. Here are our early impressions of No Rest for the Wicked.
A Sprinkle of Diablo & A Splash of Dark Souls
No Rest for the Wicked is a classless Soulslike with the perspective and loot grind of an ARPG. In short, it looks like Diablo but plays like Dark Souls. On the Souls spectrum, it’s closer to Lords of the Fallen or Sekiro than Elden Ring. So far only a few areas (the Shallows, Mariner’s Keep, and Orban Glades) are available, but they’re all rich in detail, dense in content, and brutal in difficulty. There’s also Sacrament, but more on that later. Ori looks like a painting. The early impressions of No Rest for the Wicked are just as beautiful. Every cutscene, set decoration, and animation is lovingly crafted here.
Combat is pitiless. Whether you’re rocking a flame staff or doing your best Guts impression with a giant Claymore, you’re in for a vicious time, even with some helpful tips. The action looks and feels great, centering around well-timed parries, quick steps, and Poise breaks. It’s gory and intense, just the way I like it. Unfortunately, it’s too early to say how fun theorycrafting builds will be. There just aren’t enough enemies, areas, or weapons yet. Moon Studios’s track record with Ori makes me believe combat will be great in the end, but for now, the game badly needs a content update or two to justify its price.
Harvesting and Households
It’s bizarre to say this about a Soulslike or ARPG, but the most interesting thing about No Rest for the Wicked has nothing to do with combat. You can chop down trees and mine ore the way you would in an MMO or crafting sim. You can fish, purchase new recipes, and cook up healing items. Once you reach Sacrament, you can use your resources to upgrade various merchants, unlocking new equipment and areas. Wicked even gives you a home to customize, allowing you to purchase new crafting stations and furnishings for the interior. It’s early access, so these systems need more depth and polish, but at this rate, they will be incredible when finished.
That said, the game has problems. Durability is an issue. Your equipment degrades with each death, which is a fine punishment for a Soulslike. Unfortunately, harvesting items such as your axe and pick degrade too, forcing you to keep multiples on hand. Inventory management is also unwieldy, obtuse, unfun, and generally bad. Terrain navigation and platforming feel hit or miss. Resources require grinding, which would be fine if the harvesting animations were faster. I love Stardew Valley. I will happily chop trees. Please, just let me do it faster than a snail backpedaling through molasses.
No Rest for the Devs
The early access impressions of No Rest for the Wicked are frustrating. The addition of multiplayer and other sweeping changes are on the roadmap, so there’s zero doubt things will improve. I’m convinced the final product will be as captivating as the game’s art and voice acting, but we’re not there yet. If I had a list called “Projects to Watch with High Hopes and Great Interest,” No Rest for the Wicked would fill the first line. Moon Studios will deliver something great, but until then, your time is better spent in the Sunken Glades or the Lands Between.
No Rest for the Wicked is available for PC in early access.
