Summary
One of the developers behindNo Rest for the Wickedrecently talked about the usefulness of early access releases, suggesting that even well-regarded titles such asDark Soulscould have benefited from this practice. Early access is becoming increasingly popular in gaming, andNo Rest for the Wickedis just one of the many recent projects to use this release model.
No Rest for the Wickedentered early accesslast week and has already released a road map detailing future updates. The first major update will bring multiplayer to the action RPG. The second one will be called “The Breach” and will focus on bringing more content, including a new region, enemies, and more narrative.
Now, Moon Studios’ creative director, Thomas Mahler, talked more about the company’s experience with early access forNo Rest for the Wicked. According to Mahler, this was one of the best decisions the studio could have made, as games are getting “more complex and sophisticated,” and gaining data from the public is vital for a satisfactory 1.0 release. Mahler even claimed that classic games such as the firstDark Soulscould have benefited from early access. The creative director defended that if FromSoftware had released its game at early access, the devs would have more time and could polish otherwiserushed late-gameDark Soulsareas such as Lost Izalith, for example. TheNo Rest for the Wickeddeveloper also defended that even companies like Sony and Nintendo could embrace this practice, helping more AAA devs polish their products before 1.0 releases.
Thomas Mahler’s statements will likely be deemed controversial by many gamers.Dark Soulsis one of the most influential gamesever made and is often considered a masterpiece. However, some gamers would likely remember thatDark Soulshad plenty of boarded doors and broken bridges, indicating that more content could have been planned at a time, and was never finished due to time constraints.
Early Access Is Becoming Increasingly More Common in Gaming
It’s no secret that early access releases are getting popular even for big hits.Palworldis an early-access release and is one of the best-selling games of 2024.Baldur’s Gate 3was the GOTY of 2023, and it spent years in early access. Some games are going even further, though. For instance, the developers ofHades 2recently announced a technical test periodbefore early access, allowing a very small number of gamers to test the content before any public release.
No Rest for the Wicked
WHERE TO PLAY
From Moon Studios, the award-winning developers of Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps comes No Rest for the Wicked, a visceral, precision Action RPG set to reinvent the genre.The year is 841 – King Harol is dead. As word of his death echoes throughout the kingdom, the crown passes to his arrogant, yet untested son Magnus.Even worse, the Pestilence, an unholy plague not seen for a thousand years, has returned. It sweeps across the land, corrupting everything and everyone it touches. Madrigal Seline, a ruthlessly ambitious figure in the church, sees the Pestilence as a chance to prove herself in the eyes of her god.These forces converge on the backwater Isola Sacra, where rebel groups and the provincial government fight for control amid the isle’s crumbling ruins.You are a Cerim – a member of a group of mystical holy warriors imbued with remarkable powers and sworn to defeat the Pestilence at any cost. But the task will prove increasingly challenging as you become entangled in the people’s plight and the vast political struggle of this downtrodden land. Chaos will pull you in every direction as you seek to cleanse the land of wickedness and shape the kingdom’s fate.
