Ori studio’s No Rest for the Wicked enters Steam early access in April

Ori and the Blind Forest developer Moon Studios has announced its dark action-RPG No Rest for the Wicked will launch into Steam early access on 18th April.

No Rest for the Wicked, which was unveiled during last year’s The Game Awards, is described by Moon Studios as an “expansive” and “visceral” action-RPG that’s “set to reinvent the genre”. It casts players as a Cerim – a holy warrior “imbued with remarkable powers” – who embarks on a journey across the harsh Isola Sacra to defeat an unholy plague.

Its campaign promises a “mature, dark” narrative, as well as “brutal, precision-based” combat, and a hand-crafted world, with players can take on No Rest for the Wicked’s challenges, quests, and bosses either solo or with up to three friends by their side.

When No Rest for the Wicked launches into Steam early access on 18th April, it’ll include the first chapter of its campaign, additional quests that “reveal more about the world and its inhabitants”, plus a “large variety” of weapons, armour, skills, and crafting options. This initial version will also include a modifiable home to purchase and furnish, daily and weekly bounties and challenges, plus a replayable dungeon.

Moon Studios doesn’t reveal how long it expects No Rest for the Wicked to be in early access, but says its 1.0 release will be “significantly expanded”, with the likes of four-player co-op, PvP, new regions, and farming being added as development continues. PS5 and Xbox Series X/S releases were also confirmed in December, but there’s no word on when those might arrive.

No Rest for the Wicked marks the studio’s first release since 2020’s Ori sequel Will of the Wisps. Following that game’s arrival, a report from VentureBeat, based on conversations with Moon Studios employees, called the developer “oppressive”, alleging its founders Thomas Mahler and Gennadiy Korol had fostered a “harsh online culture” where they could indulge in “inappropriate behaviour”, including “casual racism, sexism, and bullying”.

Mahler and Korol responded by rejecting VentureBeat’s claims, saying they did not believe “the experiences suggested [were] representative” of current and former employees. They did, however, admit there may have been times their conversations “made others feel uncomfortable”, adding, “We regret that and we will always strive to do better.”