The early access period on Steam is a great way for games to find their intended audience, all while allowing that same audience to contribute valuable feedback to the continued development process. It's especially a boon for indie developers, but less common is larger studios utilizing early access as a way to iron out wrinkles and solicit player feedback ahead of a 1.0 launch. Moon Studios' No Rest for the Wicked is the latest example of a game making the most of its early access launch. While No Rest for the Wicked's developer is still an indie studio, its considerable resources from the successful Ori games allow it to approach early access in a highly efficient manner.

Since the launch of No Rest for the Wicked last week, the game has maintained considerable active player counts on Steam, albeit with a mixed reception to the title itself. Rather than take it as a sign of defeat, though, Moon Studios are addressing the challenge head-on to course-correct player perception of the title, using all the feedback gained from the early access launch to regularly patch the game via almost daily hotfixes and performance tweaks. With how much the title has improved in such a short time, it's obvious that No Rest for the Wicked is an exemplar of how beneficial the early access period can be.

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How No Rest For The Wicked Compares to Diablo 4

Despite some obvious similarities, Moon Studios' No Rest for the Wicked has several elements that separate it from other ARPGs like Diablo 4.

No Rest for the Wicked's Reception Proves Early Access Was the Right Move

One of the most surprising aspects of No Rest for the Wicked's launch into early access was how different player perceptions of the title are in comparison to the audience and critical scores for Moon Studios' Ori games. No Rest for the Wicked's reveal at The Game Awards 2023 carried with it a significant amount of hype given the near-universal acclaim of the Ori titles and Moon Studios' track record of delivering visually arresting games that put unique spins on beloved genres. Though it's worth pointing out that the Ori titles and No Rest for the Wicked belong to completely different genres, there's still a considerable gulf between their user ratings on Steam.

The first Ori game and its sequel, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, sit at an "Overwhelmingly Positive" 95% and 96%, respectively. Compare that to No Rest for the Wicked, which is currently at a "Mostly Positive" 74% since climbing its way back from the initial "Mixed" reception at 58%. The improvements to the game's score are entirely thanks to the efforts on Moon Studios' part to make the most of the early access period and continually address player feedback, with CEO and Creative Director Thomas Mahler even acknowledging that the next few months will be focused on "turning a 58 into a 90".

Moon Studios' Comments on Dark Souls Raise an Interesting Question

Speaking on Moon Studios' decision to launch No Rest for the Wicked as an early access title, creative director Thomas Mahler defended the decision by using the example of Dark Souls benefitting from early access. According to Mahler, late-game sections from the original Dark Souls come across as rushed or imbalanced in comparison to the beginning half of the legendary title, which is something that Miyazaki and his team could have addressed with valuable player feedback during an early access launch. While the gradual evolution and iteration of the Dark Souls formula is an important foundational aspect of the series that eventually paved the way for Elden Ring, it still is an interesting point to consider.

The prospect of AAA studios utilizing the early access period to polish titles during development and hone them to a razor-sharp edge upon their 1.0 release is an enticing one, especially at a time when many players feel let down by full-release games launching in incomplete or broken states. Early access continues to be primarily utilized by indie studios, but No Rest for the Wicked's upward trajectory since launch makes a strong case for the model to be more commonly adopted by major publishers and their teams.

No Rest for the Wicked

From Moon Studios, creators of the Ori franchise, is an ARPG-style game called No Rest for the Wicked. The plague Pestilence has swept over the land and King Harol has died, leaving the land in turmoil. Players become a Cerim, a member of a group of holy warriors sworn to take up arms against Pestilence and cleanse the land.

Platform(s)

PC , PS5 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S

Developer(s)

Moon Studios

Publisher(s)

Private Division

Genre(s)

Action RPG

Number of Players

1-4

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