HomeFeaturesNo Rest for the Wicked (2024)
Soulslikers are going to love Ori studio’s new ARPG No Rest For The WickedThe first hour is hard as nails and takes absolutely no prisoners
The first hour is hard as nails and takes absolutely no prisoners
Image credit:Private Division
Image credit:Private Division
WhenOri And The Blind Forestdevelopers Moon Studios announced that their next game would be a top-down, online actionRPG, myinitial reactionwas, ‘Heck yes, sign me the hell up for this Souls-y, Diablo-y hack and slash.’ Having now played the opening 90 minutes of the game ahead of tonight’sWicked Inside showcase, that initial excitement has settled into more of a ‘Hoo boy, this thing is hard as nails. Folks who likeElden RingandDark Soulsare going to go absolutelybananasfor it.’ It’s definitely verging on the edge of being just a teensy bit too punishing for my personal taste, but even though my arse got thoroughly whomped time and time again during this initial prologue section, there’s still something aboutNo Rest For The Wickedthat’s left me quietly captivated.
For starters, its painterly visuals are just gorgeous. There’s a real springy-ness to the character models in both the cutscenes and in-game action, with every frame somehow looking like both a hand-drawn painting when paused, but a writhing and full-bodied 3D mass in motion. It’s a wonderful effect, and a clear step up in ambition from both of Moon’s Ori games, with enemies lunging their stretchy, rubbery bodies at you with an almost cartoonish sense of abandon - well, if it weren’t for the honking great hammers and axes attempting to cleave your head off your shoulders, that is.
No Rest for the Wicked - Official Reveal TrailerWatch on YouTube
No Rest for the Wicked - Official Reveal Trailer
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Private Division
Crouching for a stealth attack (top) can be a great way of getting the jump on your enemies, but it doesn’t take much for them to become aware of your presence, resulting in classic stand-offs where tiny jabs are taken across large gaps (below, left), and fast, furious scraps (below, right) with multiple backstabbers. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Private Division
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Private Division
The set design is constantly striking in No Rest For The Wicked’s opening area - the use of fire, lightning and lashing rain makes for a very moody atmosphere. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Private Division
Regardless of which weight class you end up in, though, dodging or running in combat will quickly drain your stamina bar, leaving you defenceless and unable to parry incoming swipes and sword swings. Your own strikes use up stamina, too, and so every move much be considered, poised and precise in its execution. It’s verySoulslike, in that sense, and simply hammering your attack button will lead to a swift and painful death. That said, given the rubbery and often elastic nature of how everyone moves and attacks in No Rest For The Wicked, it was often quite difficult to judge the timing of its perfect parry window. There were moments where either myself or the monster I’d automatically locked on to seemed to overreach, closing the gap between us with a lunge that was much faster than I was expecting, and at all once they’d be up inside my defences, leaving me ill-prepared to dodge or block. I’m sure part of these rhythms will become second nature with time and a bit of practice, but during this initial outing at least, its loose and exaggerated movement patterns gave every encounter a slightly messy and chaotic energy to it, and one that seem to run counter to its need for surgical and measured precision.
The cutscenes are equally characterful, and I’m excited to meet more of these misshapen weirdos in the final game. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Private Division
But cor, when those parries hit? My word. It’s hard to say if this was purely for the purposes of this demo, but when I parried old Warrick The Torn right at the end, I literally axed about half his health bar in a single deflection. A shockwave rippled out from my tiny wooden shield, and the sound of it was like a bell had been rung inside my ear drum. It looked, felt and soundedpowerful, and as he flung back his arms in a daze, I could set to work on him with the one-handed axe I’d picked up and get in a few more strikes. Two more parries, and the chump was down, leaving me home free to head into Sacrament. Sure, he’d crushed me in literal seconds on my first couple of attempts, and there was a moment where I thought, ‘Oh no, this is going to be Elden Ring and those big hollowed out stomach ladsall over again, isn’t it?’ (you know the ones - those monkey boys right at the literal start of the game in the run-up toStormveil Castle). That’s how far I got in that damn game, but that first parry with Warrick? It gave me hope that this might actually be a Soulslike I could play to the end.
In fairness, it wasn’t just this first boss that made me feel optimistic about No Rest For The Wicked. Even though it’s hard as hell, it’s also a lot more generous than its FromSoft source material. On death, the only penalty you incur is some durability loss on the weapon you’ve got equipped, and you can scamper back to restore your health at the periodic Whisper save points without automatically bringing the surrounding vicinity back to life. When these zombo lads go down, they stay down, even if youalsogo down at the same time - and as someone’s who’s consistently struggled to make any significant headway in a Souls game before now, this is, quite honestly, a huge relief.
Look at that big smug sneer. Villain in chief right here, I’m calling it now. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Private Division
So yes, despite having my teeth kicked in on multiple occasions, and stumbling across more enemies than I’d like that were instant NOPE-outs from me, there is something about this game that’s sunk its teeth into me. I want to know what lies beyond the fortifications of Sacrament, even if it is likely to be a) extremely horrible and b) soul-crushingly difficult. I want to know if I get to wipe the smug and carefully coiffed look off king Magnus' face at some point, and whether I’ll be able to stick it to his holier than thou (sibling? Girlfriend? Chief nun?) army chief Seline, who believes the Pestilence is punishment for those who have lost their faith. Yeah, we’ve all heard that one before, sister, and nothing good ever comes of it.
More than that, though, I feel a deep and burning need to simply get to the bottom of what the heck is going on with your big long Slenderman arms. Seriously, it’s unnatural and it’s freaking me out a bit. Hopefully, with No Rest For The Wicked’s early access launch coming on April 18th onSteam, I won’t have to wait too long to find out.
