First of all, I want to say that the world of No Rest for the Wicked is absolutely stunning. The artwork, lighting, and environmental detail are incredible, and exploring the map feels rewarding—at least visually. However, the actual in-game rewards, especially from hidden treasure chests, are extremely disappointing.
After fighting through tough enemies, navigating challenging paths, and finally reaching these hidden chests, the reward feels completely underwhelming. It reminds me of the flawed reward design in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, where exploration often led to lackluster loot. In Wicked, it doesn’t take long before players realize that chest rewards aren’t worth the effort, which discourages further exploration or taking detours off the main path.
In any exploration-based game, meaningful rewards are crucial. That’s where Elden Ring got it so right. Despite offering even more punishing paths and tougher enemies, the game delivers significant rewards that make the journey worth it. That feeling of anticipation and payoff is a huge driver of its success, and it’s something many other great games share. Unfortunately, No Rest for the Wicked currently feels like it leans only into the challenge, without the payoff.
From what I’ve seen, many players are quickly shifting to a linear playstyle, ignoring side paths and secrets because they’ve learned the rewards don’t justify the effort. That means all the incredible level design work that clearly went into this world is going to waste—or worse, becoming a frustration point.
This is a core gameplay loop issue, and I strongly believe it needs to be addressed to make exploration feel meaningful and enjoyable.