During The Game Awards 2023 show, Moon Studios, the same developer of the fantastic Ori games, announced it was working on the No Rest for the Wicked game, which is an upcoming action RPG. Originally, it seemed that the game was being penned as a Diablo clone, but after seeing new footage, this looks more like a top-down Soulslike.
Is No Rest For the Wicked A Soulslike?
As part of IGN’s month-long coverage of No Rest for the Wicked, a new gameplay footage was released, and plenty reminded me of Soulslike, from the dark and grim setting, stamina usage, the slow and methodical hack-and-slash combat to hulking and punishing boss fights right down to the game’s interface.
Maybe I shouldn’t say that No Rest for the Wicked is Soulslike, but that’s what it seems like to me. I might have Soulslike on the brain, given that I play so many different Soulslikes, but check out the gameplay video below and tell me I’m wrong.
Is Moon Studios Still A Toxic Workplace?
I do want to address the elephant in the room: the working conditions over at Moon Studios. Just two years ago, VentureBeat released an investigative piece that discussed the terrible working conditions, which ranged from the toxic culture to crunch and worse. While Metroidvania titles Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of Wisps might lead you to believe that the company was a fantastic place to be, I quickly realized that it was nothing of the sort after reading this piece.
While Moon Studios has avoided being in the spotlight due to much bigger companies having similar issues and being subjected by the media, there’s no denying that Moon Studios had its own skeletons in the closet that it needed to address.
Given that this report came out nearly two years ago, a follow-up investigation by outlets like VentureBeat or other media organizations would indeed be valuable in assessing whether there have been any improvements in the working conditions at Moon Studios since the initial report. It’s crucial for both the studio and the industry as a whole to prioritize the well-being of game developers, ensuring that they can create their art in a sustainable and supportive environment.
The No Rest for the Wicked release date is slated for March 1, 2024, for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. There hasn’t been any word if the game will also be released on the PS4 or Xbox One.
