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No Rest for the Wicked provides an interesting take on the ARPG genre by combining it with souls-like combat and gameplay systems while still providing an extremely interesting fantasy world with its own cast of interesting characters. The thing that immediately sticks out and sets No Rest for the Wicked apart from the crowd is its dark fantasy art direction coming from the talent at Moon Studios (Ori and the Blind Forest) which already brings this game up a few points. This game also shows us the desolate island of Isola Sacra, a plague-stricken lawless land which is currently the epicenter of all conflict within the kingdom. This island is home to rebels, gangs, pirates, and monsters created by the plague. You must bring back order to the island and its capital, Sacrament, with the help of the remains of the local government. However the island's issues are not just local, a religious crusade against the plague has been enacted by an unproven king and led by a bold and determined leader. You, the player, are thrown into the middle of not only various groups trying to seize control of the island but also an unstable political climate with a diverse cast of well-acted characters with their own goals and motivations.

No Rest for the Wicked uses its dark and hopeless world and its souls-like combat as a means to make the player feel like a drop of water in a roaring flame. The combat is taken straight from Dark Souls in almost every way, weapons, enemies, armor, items, and stealth all function as they do in Dark Souls, that is to say, tough but fair. Each enemy was thoughtfully crafted with telegraphed attacks and move sets. The main mechanics include your standard movement, heal, attack, block, and parry but with an addition of stamina that you have to manage as dodging, blocking, and attacking are all attached to it. With any good fantasy RPG comes equipment, the weight of which determines how much stamina you consume on dodge allowing for nuance with faster but less armored builds. Equipment loses durability overtime but can also be repaired and upgraded throughout your journey. Each piece of equipment also has a rarity which comes in 4 forms, common: the easiest to find and the most upgradeable, rare: which offer enchantments or stat buffs, cursed: offer great buffs but one debuff, and unique: very hard to find but are the most powerful with their own specific enchantments. These systems make for a surprisingly in depth and strategic game loop where you are always switching out weapons and armor out of combat for new ones or if you aren't you're scouring the lands for resources to upgrade your gear. That last part may seem tedious but No Rest for the Wicked keeps the gameplay fun by dynamically adding new (and harder) enemies back to your previous locations restoring loot and having backtracking shortcuts designed to keep you from ever getting bored while also showing you that now since you have killed those cultists, say, a gang of thieves have come to take their place, adding to the world and the narrative. The world of Isola Sacra is intricately handcrafted to allow for great exploration despite the confines of the island. The developers make fantastic use of the mostly-fixed camera as a way to showcase a vertically designed world full of nooks and crannies with treasure waiting to be taken, clearly taking influence from metroidvanias like Ori and the Blind Forest where one little corner you might have just passed could lead to a whole new area just waiting to be rid of conflict and restored to its former glory.

Now what really makes No Rest for the Wicked special is its emphasis on restoring civilization through its portrayal of Isola Sacra's capital, Sacrament, which has many citizens ranging from soldiers, merchants, refugees, all the way down to the poor and sick. To help out this dying city you can do things like complete side quests and gather resources to restore it to its former glory by upgrading merchants' shops and adding new pathways which have the added benefit of always helping the player through either a faster way to get into town or new services to use or things to buy. You gather resources by simply chopping down trees, mining for ore and gems, digging up graves and treasure, or just plain old fishing. You can even purchase a house in Sacrament which serves as a place for you to store your newly gained loot while simultaneously acting as a place to prepare for your next battle.

Unfortunately while this game does a lot of things right and has a lot of potential, this being an early access release on PC only, there are definitely some kinks to iron out. For one, there are some annoyances I've encountered so far like how the button to run, jump, and dodge are all bound to one key with the player automatically jumping any time they are near an edge which obviously results in many unintended actions. Also I should mention that in its current state, this game isn't optimized that well and there is a definite lack of settings options. Outside of these issues and the many upcoming features simply not yet in this game (farming, multiplayer, a finished narrative), this game shows a lot of promise and without a doubt is a great game PLEASE PLAY THIS IT DOES NOT DESERVE TO BE MIXED ON STEAM.

very good please buy

mmmm yes good game

Just ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ epic. You are John wick, Neo, every superhero, sam fisher, Rico rodriguez, and many others with a banana sidekick who shoot, kick, explode, dodge, and slow your way through every enemy