Analysis of No Rest for the Wicked: interesting despite being in Early Access

When the people from Moon Studios announced that they were working on a new game, no one thought it would be something like No Rest for the Wicked. Really, no one did, since their two previous games (Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps) belong to a completely different genre and making the leap is not easy.

And let no one read this as something bad, stepping out of the comfort zone and trying new challenges is something great, even if you are an expert in making platform games and powers (metroidvania, as they are usually called) it’s great to try new things.

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No Rest for the Wicked

From: Instant Gaming

26.99€ 40€

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And boy, is this No rest for the Wicked new, so much so that it often costs me to describe it in a simple way, since it mixes many genres and does it… well, in a curious way.

At first, when I saw the first trailer, I was sure: it’s a mix of Diablo and Dark Souls, I love it and I can’t wait to play it. But once you grab the controller, the sensations change and you’re not so sure that these are the games that come to mind during the game.

But let’s get down to business and analyze this title that is currently in Early Access, hence there is a lot of room for improvement in all aspects. I don’t want to be unfair, since this is not the final 1.0 version.

Mixing Dark Souls and Diablo may not be such a great idea at first

No Rest for the Wicked seems like a lost link. Just like Salt and Sanctuary bridged the gap between Metroidvanias and the Souls series, No Rest for the Wicked exists as a stop in an imaginary evolutionary journey between Diablo-style action RPGs and Souls.

Taking the isometric view and random loot from the first, and the exploration and more measured approach to combat from the second, No Rest tries to create something new from familiar ingredients.

At first, I thought it was a horrible mistake. After a brief tutorial, you shipwreck on the island of Sacra and have to find your way to the nearest settlement. Almost immediately, the clash between the two gameplay styles becomes evident, and the focal point of this dissonance is the loot. Dark Souls and Diablo have two completely opposite philosophies when it comes to loot.

In Souls games, almost every piece of equipment is deliberately placed, and even the randomly dropped loot comes from specific enemies. Your supply of healing items is limited, but it replenishes with each death and checkpoint. There is little guidance in building your character, but you can choose an initial equipment that suits your preferred playstyle. Additionally, it is likely that you can complete the game with that initial equipment, as it upgrades and combat is designed more based on preferences rather than one sword being obviously better than another.

Diablo is exactly the opposite. It throws tons of random loot at you with lots of stat bonuses and, until the end of the game, everything is pretty disposable, as there is always something better just around the corner, hidden in the next chest. Potions are finite, but you can have dozens of them and consume them in a chain while you make your way through hordes of enemies. You will probably start with almost no equipment, but there will be skill trees to progress through that will give you at least a vague idea of what you are doing.

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No Rest for the Wicked

From: Instant Gaming

26.99€ 40€

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The first hours of No Rest offer the worst of both worlds. You start as a completely blank slate, as if you had chosen the obligatory Souls class that sees you in underwear carrying a slightly damp stick.

Wandering along the beach where you wake up, using whatever equipment you find, you have no idea what kind of character you would like to have, or what the real options are.

Dying in this game is a bit strange. You don’t lose experience, but your team takes a hit to durability. Enemies don’t respawn when you die, and most importantly, neither do resource gathering points.

Yes, the game has a great collection and crafting component. It’s about familiar things, like extracting minerals, collecting herbs, and that kind of stuff. The biggest impact, at least in the beginning, is on healing. In No Rest for the Wicked, you heal by eating food, which you have to prepare with at least two ingredients, including some kind of food and a special healing herb.

Meals have to be prepared on campfires, which are not necessarily close to respawn points, and your supply is, at least in the beginning, extremely limited.

As a result, the first hours will be spent in a battle of attrition against the enemies you encounter along the way, repeatedly throwing yourself at them in the hope of being able to kill one before dying.

In the end, you will move forward a little, you will find more ingredients, you will cook a few meals and you will continue on in a more dignified way, at least until you run out again.

It also doesn’t help that it takes time to get used to the combat. Although the influence of Souls is evident, there is more than one game influencing (like the brilliant Hades), especially once you level up and improve your equipment. In a way, that’s the problem.

Yes, deliberately mixing Diablo and Dark Souls is a new idea, but with Hades being one of the biggest hits in recent years, I don’t think anyone will be convinced that dodging enemies while managing limited resources from an isometric perspective is particularly innovative.

-33%

No Rest for the Wicked

From: Instant Gaming

26.99€ 40€

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A story that struggles to move forward, but does it wonderfully

No Rest for the Wicked doesn’t make a good first impression. Yes, it looks magnificent, but in the first few hours, the game shows its worst side. At the beginning, the combat is quite tough, as both your health and stamina are limited, while your enemies seem better equipped, tougher, and faster than you.

The story that is presented doesn’t give you many reasons to persevere. You are a kind of special warrior called Cerim, although no one bothers to explain why you are special, or why everyone seems to react to you with fear or disdain.

There is a terrible plague that doesn’t surprise anyone. Would it surprise you to know that the old king has died? Or that his son has supported a particularly zealous and murderous religious order? I don’t think so.

Fortunately, things get better. A lot. Once you reach the central city and pick up some missions, No Rest starts to take shape. There are numerous vendors and a guard captain who hands out daily and weekly rewards.

There is also a lot to do in the city itself. When you arrive, it is in a sorry state, but if you provide raw materials to the local builder, you can improve various shops, services, and structures, giving you better access to equipment and faster navigation through the streets.

-33%

No Rest for the Wicked

From: Instant Gaming

26.99€ 40€

Buy Offer

A game with a lot of potential and room for improvement

After playing No Rest for the Wicked for a few days, I am optimistic. The major issues with the game are eminently solvable, whether it’s performance problems or the difficulty of the early stages.

As Moon Studios has quickly responded to the feedback, I am confident that things will be fixed sooner rather than later. At the same time, I am concerned that the two competing loot philosophies may never fully fit together, as no one wants to invest resources in improving a weapon when a better one can appear at any time, even the same one, but with better base statistics.

Since the game was released in Early Access, the development team has listened to the community and has been fixing bugs week after week. Today, the game is much better than when it was released, which is why there is still a lot of room for improvement and we have hopes for that final version.