No Rest for the Wicked’s Combat Will Be Its Proving Ground After Ori

Highlights

• Moon Studios surprised fans by revealing its new game, No Rest for the Wicked, during The Game Awards 2023, signaling a shift from the Ori series and into the Action-RPG genre.
• No Rest for the Wicked’s reveal trailer showcases a heavy emphasis on combat, setting it apart from the platforming-focused Ori games, and features an overhead isometric perspective typical of ARPGs.
• While the combat system appears nuanced and complex, there are still questions about whether it will lean more toward hack-and-slash or a methodical, Souls-like approach. Nevertheless, players can expect a captivating world and narrative, consistent with Moon Studios’ trademark storytelling and atmosphere.

As one might expect, The Game Awards 2023 were awash with several world premiers of upcoming games that players can look forward to in 2024 and beyond. One of the more unexpected but welcome surprises was the reveal of Ori and the Blind Forest developer Moon Studios’ new game No Rest for the Wicked. Both Ori games are considered by some to be two of the best Metroidvania titles ever made, and now Moon Studios appears to be turning its attention toward the Action-RPG genre. Interestingly, the reveal trailer showcases that No Rest for the Wicked has a heavy emphasis on combat, which immediately sets it apart from the Ori games.

Contrary to most Metroidvania titles, which typically can be considered action-platformers for their twin emphases on movement and combat, the Ori series places a premium on platforming and incredible setpiece moments that push players’ skills to their limit. Already No Rest for the Wicked looks to carry-on Moon Studios’ tradition of crafting beautiful worlds with stunning art direction, but the true test of the game will ultimately rest on its combat. And in terms of what was shown in the reveal trailer, there’s a lot to be excited about while also still ultimately raising more questions.

What No Rest for the Wicked’s Reveal Trailer Suggests About its Combat

The most noticeable difference that the trailer presents between No Rest for the Wicked and Moon Studios’ previous work is the title’s switch to an overhead isometric perspective rather than the 3D assets on a 2D plane as in both Ori games. This perspective switch makes perfect sense given the switch in genres and the tendency for ARPGs to adhere to this kind of camera view, and it also gives players some insight into what they can expect from No Rest for the Wicked‘s world and combat. Right off the bat, the focus on environments and a lack of HUD elements presents a stark contrast to games like Diablo or Path of Exile.

While there are likely going to be skills and abilities that players can acquire throughout their playthrough (as well as potential for a variety of classes), the lack of cooldown timers, skill icons, and health or stamina meters allows both the world and the characters that inhabit it to take the focus. As an ARPG, No Rest for the Wicked will undoubtedly have more of a focus on combat than platforming or traversal as in Moon Studios’ Ori games, but the emergent gameplay and environmental design present in the trailer are still very much in-line with what players would expect from the studio.

Both Ori and the Blind Forest and, to a greater extent, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, feature combat, but the platforming and traversal through each game’s world was where Moon Studios placed its focus in both titles. In comparison, No Rest for the Wicked looks to involve all the trademarks of a nuanced and complex combat system, with the trailer showcasing dodge-rolling, parries, and what appear to be some intimidating and challenging boss enemies to encounter. What remains to be seen is how the combat feels, and whether it’s more of a hack-and-slash or a methodical, Soulslike approach to the ARPG genre.

Many of the new games revealed at the Game Awards showcased departures from what some beloved studios are traditionally known for. No Rest for the Wicked is a far cry from the Ori games in the sense that it sees Moon Studios try their hand at a different genre and focus more heavily on combat mechanics than movement, but all the other trademarks that the studio is known for are front and center. If the storytelling and atmosphere of the Ori games is any indication, players are in for a captivating world and narrative when No Rest for the Wicked finally arrives.