No Rest for the Wicked just launched early access on Steam, bringing a new action RPG experience to players and providing a unique take on the genre.
The game's developer, Moon Studios, is also popular for its Metroidvania games, as well as its highly popular title, Ori - The Will of the Wisps. However, the studio's latest ARPG title is being praised by former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra.
No Rest for the Wicked Early Access
(Photo : Moon Studios / Screenshot taken from Steam)
He said that No Rest for the Wicked is taking the genre in a bold direction that he said is what it needs to "stay relevant" in modern times. The game is relatively a far cry from Ori - The Will of the Wisps and the Blind Forest and its sequel.
The game also boasts some very noticeable Diablo-like elements but Ybarra said that the franchise and others in the genre could learn a thing or two from Moon Studios' latest title. He noted that No Rest for the Wicked combines classic ARPG elements with a Soulslike flavor, according to GamesRadar.
On its Steam page, No Rest for the Wicked's developers are said to have the goal of trying to "reinvent the genre." This means that there is no doubt that Ybarra's praise will be considered a very big deal in that regard and an encouraging moment for Moon Studios.
The new release brings a lot into the mix that the studio's previous games were not able to provide players. Production and technical director Gennadiy Korol said that No Rest for the Wicked is set apart from other ARPG games due to "a very different level design."
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It is much more Metroidvania than most titles in the genre and is more about creating shortcuts and interconnected moments. However, despite Ybarra's praise for the game, No Rest for the Wicked started off its early access with a "mixed" rating on Steam.
This is due to players reportedly suffering from early access wonkiness that a lot of people expect from these types of games. These include slow performance and stuttering issues and many others, said Rock Paper Shotgun.
Major Performance Issues
Some players have reported experiencing massive frame rate drops on the lowest preset settings using minimum system requirements. Even the Steam Deck, which has its own graphics settings, was only able to muster up to 30 to 40 fps.
What's more, the game does not provide players with customizable graphics quality options and only has a choice of four presets and various resolution scale sliders.
The gameplay trailer for No Rest for the Wicked showed off fights against monsters, both big and small, and gave players a first-hand look at the weapons that they can wield, such as bows and swords.
The latest release is set in the year 841 and follows a member of a group known as Cerim, which is a collection of mystical holy warriors who possess magical powers.
Using their powers, players will have to fight against the Pestilence, an unholy plague, and Madrigal Seline, a ruthless church figure who seeks to weaponize the plague to prove herself to her god, according to GameSpot.
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