In this preview we will share with you our impressions of the early access version of No Rest for the Wicked, the action RPG from Moon Studios
Surely many of you will know Moon Studios, the exceptional development team that brought the series to life Ori. The studio recently published in early access No Rest for the Wicked, a new action RPG that they say will be able to completely reinvent the genre.
An objective of this type is certainly very ambitious but, given the quality of Moon Studios' previous works, it's certainly not unattainable. At the moment the game is still very far from being completed, but on Steam it is possible play the entire first chapter freely. In recent weeks we have had the opportunity to thoroughly experience No Rest for the Wicked and in this preview we will share our impressions of the title with us.
A kingdom in turmoil | No Rest for the Wicked Preview
In No Rest for the Wicked players will take on the role of a Ceriman individual belonging to an ancient race who has sworn to fight the plague at any cost. Plague is not a common disease, but represents a kind of unstoppable evil capable of transforming human beings into nightmarish creatures. The Cerim had already managed to stop this plague in the past but now it seems that it is manifesting itself once again on the island of Sacraa beautiful place but devastated due to an internal struggle between the rulers and the insurgent people. As if that wasn't enough, the plague will not only bring your protagonist to this island, but will also attract the young man's attention really great and of sacred inquisition of the Madrigal Selenetwo powerful figures interested in exploiting this disaster for their own purposes.
The story behind No Rest for the Wicked certainly is very classic and during early access we weren't able to delve much into it, but despite this it still managed to make us one good impression. In particular the one that convinced us the most it's the good direction, the excellent dubbing and above all the exceptional characterization of the characters. It is certainly still early to make a valid judgment on the plot of the game but, if these are the premises, it is very likely that the story will be able to easily involve players.
Precision and brutality | No Rest for the Wicked Preview
No Rest for the Wicked è un top-down action RPG which is based on a very simple and effective combat system that can be somewhat similar to that of soulslike games. In this title, even one-on-one battles with the most common enemies can be complicated and difficult to overcome a certain amount of effort is required. In fact, it is essential to prevail in combat don't get overwhelmed by the heat and try to manage your stamina as best as possibleas it is required to perform virtually any offensive or defensive action.
Normal shots can be chained into chains short combos which consume a certain amount of stamina with each shot and in addition it is possible to hold down the attack button to perform a powerful attack charged move which however will make your PC more tired. The moveset of attacks varies based on the category of the weapon you are holding (with some small variations between weapons of the same category) and also you can perform different moves after a somersault or while running. Overall we found the quantity and variety of movesets to be quite enough needy during our test, but fortunately the runes make up for this lack.
Runes are embedded in every weapon and allow you to activate particular techniques. These skills can be special attacks, spells or even temporary buffs and to use them you will need to consume concentration. Concentration it accumulates by hitting enemies with normal attacks and this helps make the fights a lot dynamic. In fact, during the most challenging battles you will find yourself aggressively attacking your opponents to build up concentration and then unleash devastating abilities. Generally, each piece of equipment has its own runes, but you can also customize them if you want moving them from one weapon to another with very few limitations. This mechanic really impressed us, given that it allows the player to add tons of variety and personality to fights.
Obviously, however, in battle you will not be able to limit yourself only to attacking, but you will also have to avoid letting enemies damage you too much. Dodge it is the main method to avoid an opponent's attack but, if you have a shield equipped, you can also if you want to block the lightest blows. And regardless of your equipment it is always possible to make a parry which with the right timing will allow you to temporarily unbalance your opponent.
However, if the direct approach isn't for you, there are also some in the game stealth mechanics. In fact, if you want, it's possible walking crouched to sneak up behind your enemies and punish them with a devastating blow backstab. Furthermore it is also possible flatten yourself along the walls and knock on the walls to attract the attention of unaware enemies. At the moment, however, the stealth mechanics seemed a bit impractical and we hope that during early access they will be significantly expanded and improved.
Eredità soulslike | Anteprima No Rest for the Wicked
In addition to the strategic combat system based on stamina management, No Rest for the Wicked also takes the checkpoint system typical of soulslikes. In fact, by exploring the game world it is possible to find gods Cerim whispers with which you can interact and which will serve as a respawn point in case of death. These iconic soulslike elements though they didn't convince us muchas they seem to have been inserted a bit by force.
In fact, in general in a soulslike, dying and returning to the checkpoint is a fundamental mechanic that is made interesting by the respawn of enemies and the loss of something, due elementi assenti in No Rest for the Wicked. In fact, in the event of death Defeated enemies will not return to life and this significantly simplifies progression in the more complex areas, given that after respawning at the Whisper you can easily walk to the point of your demise without any penalty. In fact, the only negative side of the defeat is represented by a deterioration of the equipment worn. However, going to a blacksmith to have your weapons and armor repaired is an extremely quick and economical process which will not make you feel the weight of a defeat at all.
A mechanic that is handled differently than in most modern soulslikes is the care system. In fact, in games of this type, healing objects are usually limited to a specific quantity and are regenerated by interacting with checkpoints. No Rest for the Wicked however instead uses a more classic approach, making the cures gods normal consumables. However, this system presents several very typical problems, such as the possibility of accumulate too many healing items and the risk of being forced to Farmer in case you consume too many while facing powerful enemies.
A varied world | No Rest for the Wicked Preview
For what concern level design, the Moon Studios team really did it a job exceptional with No Rest for the Wicked. All the areas we were able to visit during our test proved to be extremely varied, well maintained, full of secrets and environmental puzzles which, however simple, are always very different from each other and pleasant to solve. No Rest for the Wicked also really leaves so much freedom exploratory to the player, as your Cerim will be able to freely climb over most differences in level. This way you will have the opportunity to easily reach some places in a less obvious way and maybe find some unexpected surprises. The great exploratory freedom of the game though it's a bit of a double-edged sword in some situationsgiven that sometimes it is not easy to understand when an unconventional path leads to a treasure or to a deadly abyss.
Another really beautiful aspect of the game world is the way it changes based on certain factors. In the previous paragraph we told you how enemies don't come back to life when they die, but that doesn't mean there isn't any way to make them respawn. In fact, if you are absent from an area for a long time, upon your return you will discover that new enemies have taken the place of the old ones. Furthermore, if you have activated certain quests, the type of enemies you will have to face will change significantly. For example, the first time we ventured into the sewers we found a sea of infected creatures but, after accepting a specific mission, all the monsters in the area were replaced with soldiers and the aesthetics of the environment has also changed a bit. Furthermore, in addition to the enemies, returning to an old level you can also find many new treasures.
This, however, brings us to a small problem related precisely to loot system. In No Rest for the Wicked, in fact, most of the treasures you find around are procedurally generated, so you may find consumables, materials, equipment, and so on. Furthermore, weapons and armor are also divided into raritythus allowing you to obtainand multiple versions with different stats and bonuses. Basically this loot system has nothing wrong with it, but the lack of interesting treasures to find it also ends up making exploration more bland. We must keep in mind, however, that the game has just entered early access and that with the next updates the variety of objects will surely increase.
Reconstruction and creation | No Rest for the Wicked Preview
As a Cerim your task will be to eliminate the plague from the island, but in the process you will also have to help the people recover. The Sacred Capital is in fact in very bad conditions due to disease and civil war, and you will be the only ones able to rebuild it. Collecting materials around the world you can in fact start the construction of several structures of the city which will be useful both to the citizens and to you. In addition you will also have the possibility to buy a house and build a large number of different pieces of furniture to furnish it with.
However, the materials will not only be used to reconstruct the structures of Sacra, but also to create many other objects. In fact, there are many in the city artisans capable of transforming your resources into something more useful. For example the blacksmith can create and upgrade equipment, while the enchantress It will allow you to infuse weapons with magic and apply some runes. Plus there are many both in the city and outside campfires where you can combine various materials to create food capable of restoring your life points and applying various bonuses.
As you have surely already understood, the collection of materials…