No Rest For The Wicked is the name of a new action RPG from the studio behind the Ori games. However, contrary to initial assumptions, the game is less oriented towards genre giants like Diablo, and more towards the brutal battles of Dark Souls.
Which game is it about? No Rest For The Wicked is an upcoming action RPG from Moon Studios. The Austrian developer is best known for the Metroidvania games Ori And The Blind Forest, as well as the sequel Will Of The Wisps.
Both have been praised by the gaming press. The second part even holds a score of 90 points on Metacritic. The expectations are therefore high regarding the new game.
In a post by IGN, the developers provided more details about the gameplay of the dark and atmospheric game. It resembles less action RPGs like Diablo or Path of Exile, but more towards Dark Souls. According to the developers, this is intentional, as they aim to take the genre in a new direction.
Tactical combat instead of wild spam
How will the action RPG play? After the first images of the announcement a few months ago, there was an impression that the game was oriented towards Diablo and co. Many players probably think of wild, often chaotic battles from the isometric perspective when they hear the genre. At least the camera perspective is also present in No Rest For The Wicked.
However, the situation is different when it comes to combat. The team around Creative Director Thomas Mahler intentionally seeks inspiration from models like Dark Souls or Monster Hunter.
The gameplay is supposed to feel more personal and focused than in Diablo and co. Every action should count and be well thought out. Wildly spamming abilities will not be possible. This is also encouraged by the fact that hordes of enemies do not rush at the player simultaneously. Instead, you often find yourself in one-on-one fights.
Every attack should feel impactful. Therefore, the team also counts fighting games with all their combos among their influences. Thanks to various runes that can be found in the game, players also unlock “really crazy moves.” Because of the isometric perspective, these are better controllable. This applies to enemy attacks as well.
With a variety of swords, daggers, or bows, you will engage in combat against challenging opponents. Similar to Dark Souls, there is a stamina bar that ensures you cannot continuously hammer away at the enemies. The better you play, the faster the so-called “focus meter,” a resource with which we can subsequently unleash powerful rune attacks, fills up.
The bosses should raise your heart rate
What else does the gameplay show? In the video from IGN, the first boss enemy of the game is also visible. This demonstrates the parallel to Dark Souls particularly well. The player is forced to learn the enemy’s attacks, dodge, and wait for the right moment to attack himself. Any mistake can mean death.
The developers say:
We want your heart rate to be as high as possible. We want you to feel: How am I supposed to do this? How do I defeat him? This is relentless. This is impossible. And then, gradually, it becomes like a puzzle that you solve, and you feel empowered.
Gennadiy Korol (Co-Founder Moon Studios) via IGN
The thrill and the subsequent feeling of having accomplished something is very important to the developers. Fans of dark action RPGs of a different kind should keep an eye on the game. And for fans of the Souls games, No Rest For The Wicked might be a hot tip.
During a developer stream on March 1st, we hopefully will learn more about the game and its combat. Following that, Early Access will begin in the second quarter of 2024. Another new action RPG, which is much closer to Diablo, launches today.
