Moon Studios, known for its acclaimed Ori saga, is facing a serious economic crisis that could lead to its closure in the coming months. Thomas Mahler, the studio’s CEO, has made an urgent appeal to players through Discord, where he states that the sales of their recent title, No Rest for the Wicked, have not met expectations. This ARPG in early access, which combines elements of Diablo and Dark Souls, was expected to stabilize the studio’s financial situation, but it has not managed to capture the necessary attention from the public. Some reviews have negatively affected sales […]
Moon Studios, known for its acclaimed Ori saga, is facing a serious economic crisis that could lead to its closure in the coming months. Thomas Mahler, the studio’s CEO, has made an urgent appeal to players via Discord, where he explains that the sales of their recent title, No Rest for the Wicked, have not met expectations. This ARPG in early access, which combines elements of Diablo and Dark Souls, was expected to stabilize the studio’s financial situation, but it has not managed to capture the necessary attention from the public.
Some reviews that have negatively affected sales
Negative reviews have been a determining factor in the commercial downfall of the game. Mahler emphasizes that unfavorable ratings have directly impacted sales, mentioning that the phenomenon of review bombing has been especially harmful. “If you are enjoying the game and haven’t left a positive review, it is very likely that we won’t be here in a few months,” he warned. This situation became even more complicated after the release of the latest update, The Breach, where numerous bugs forced the team to issue an urgent patch that fixed 23 issues.
Despite the improvements made, recent reviews remain mixed, suggesting that the perception of the game has not fully recovered yet. Mahler asks for understanding from the community, reminding that every review matters: “I don’t know if people understand that by leaving negative reviews, they may be contributing to killing the very studio they want to see succeed.” However, the message seems to be resonating with some players, who have started to improve their feedback.
If you own No Rest for the Wicked, users are called to reflect on the impact of their opinions on the future of the studio. With only a few months left to change the course, community support could be crucial for the survival of Moon Studios.
The Ori saga has reached a significant milestone by surpassing 15 million copies sold, establishing itself as a benchmark in the metroidvania genre. Since its first installment, the Ori titles have captivated players thanks to their emotional narrative, stunning art, and moving soundtrack, becoming a phenomenon in the video game industry. Thomas Mahler, CEO of Moon Studios, expressed his satisfaction on Twitter about this achievement, noting that “it’s not bad for a metroidvania and a genre that we were told was dead when we started working on it.” Not only […]
The Ori saga has reached a significant milestone by surpassing 15 million copies sold, establishing itself as a benchmark in the metroidvania genre. Since its first installment, the Ori titles have captivated players thanks to their emotional narrative, stunning art, and moving soundtrack, becoming a phenomenon in the video game industry. Thomas Mahler, CEO of Moon Studios, expressed his satisfaction on Twitter about this achievement, noting that “not bad for a metroidvania and a genre that we were told was dead when we started working on it.”
Not only Ori: the studio continues with its next game, No Rest for the Wicked
In an important turn of events, Moon Studios has announced its total independence as a developer, which includes the acquisition of the publishing rights for its upcoming game, No Rest for the Wicked. This ARPG, which blends elements from iconic titles like Diablo and Dark Souls, has been in early access and will now be able to be completed without relying on an external publisher. This decision comes after Take-Two’s sale of Private Division, strengthening the studio’s autonomy.
The future of Moon Studios looks promising, as a new update for No Rest for the Wicked, titled The Breach, has been confirmed to be released on April 30. This update will be the largest to date, doubling the size of the map and adding new areas, factions, enemies, armors, and weapons. Additionally, the studio has announced that it will be working on a cooperative mode for up to four players, complemented by a new soundtrack composed by the musician behind the Ori saga, an addition that is sure to excite the fanbase.
With these developments, Moon Studios not only continues the story of Ori, but also prepares for an exciting future in the world of video games, while reaffirming its commitment to quality and innovation.
No Rest for the Wicked is the new game from the creators of Ori, and although it’s a mix of Diablo and Dark Souls, it’s also more than the sum of its parts.
Copying is an art in itself. Mere imitation is not only potentially unethical, but also boring. Copying the work of others, when done well, involves taking what catches our attention and integrating it into something greater, different, and our own. Making it ours. That’s why copying is wrong when it’s plagiarism and boring when it’s mere imitation. Because when copying is done well, it seeks to do something different with what is copied, that’s where the spark of art arises.
No Rest for the Wicked is the new game from Moon Studios. This developer is known for having made Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps, two prodigious metroidvania with certain elements of soulslike. On the other hand, No Rest for the Wicked is a sharp turn from what we already knew from its developers. Because it is an action RPG that draws from the two most seemingly antagonistic sources possible: Diablo and Dark Souls.
The game puts us in the shoes of a Cerim, an individual who is considered half legend, half sacred warrior, who must fight a strange plague called the Pestilence. To do this, he will head to Isola Sacra, where the Pestilence is transforming its inhabitants into horrifying monsters.
If this may sound like the premise of any soulslike, the twist comes in that the RPG component is very acute. In terms of story. Inspired by William Shakespeare and Game of Thrones, Isola Sacra finds itself in the midst of a power struggle after the king has died and his son, the prince, has assumed power. With the kingdom wanting to solve the Pestilence problem through the inquisition and the governor of Isola Sacra making use of the Cerim, the conflict between the feudal ideas of the kingdom and the folkloric ideas of the island will clash in a political war where we will find ourselves in the middle.
While the story is still to be developed beyond its first brushstrokes, as this is an early access game, what we can already highlight about the game is its impressive artistic department. By this we mean an absolutely prodigious art direction, but also something else. A sublime graphical implementation. The water seems to have a life of its own, the flames sway as if with consciousness, the clothes float naturally, and the light always seems to highlight the most important aspects of each scene.
This should not surprise anyone who has played the Ori saga. Two technically prodigious games, with a sublime artistic programming section, which can also be seen in No Rest for the Wicked. And while they have not finished working on this yet, still working on things like making footprints in the mud or the movement of water even more fluid, it is already an absolute marvel to witness.
Regarding gameplay, as we have already mentioned, it is a mix of soulslike and Diablo. This means that we have an aerial perspective, that blocking, dodging, and parrying are important, and that loot and crafting are essential parts of the game. If all of this should clash in some way, it doesn’t. Progression through equipment instead of levels feels natural, the aerial view never interferes with combat, and the combination of both elements feels fresh. Natural. As if it was always meant to exist.
This is also helped by drawing from other specific sources. Having a climbing mechanism shamelessly copied from Breath of the Wild or making larger weapons take several seconds to initiate their attack animation, like in Monster Hunter, adds a special texture to the whole. A certain unique sense.
What we may not fully see yet is the MMO-style structure of daily and weekly missions, in addition to the main missions. This allows us to obtain equipment and resources, but sometimes it seems to get in the way of the game’s own formula. Something that happens, to a lesser extent, with the need to cook our own meals if we want to heal. Something that can force us to search for materials instead of continuing the adventure, if we fail many times, or if a part becomes much tougher than we expected.
In any case, this is an early access game. All of these are issues that can be polished until the full release of the game, without a specific date. For now, it has been specified that they want to add a multiplayer mode, which will arrive in its first major update, and more story and narrative elements of the game, which will be its second major update. So it’s safe to say that No Rest for the Wicked will be here for a while.
Whether No Rest for the Wicked is ultimately a curiosity with ups and downs or a masterpiece worthy of its references will depend on what they do during this early access. For now, it is a game full of ideas, technically prodigious and very interesting to play. Essential for die-hard fans of Diablo and its endless content loops.
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