The 2026 game you absolutely shouldn’t miss
No Rest for the Wicked is a mix between a Hack’n’Slash (Diablo) and a Souls (lite). A true gem for anyone who loves isometric games!
Here’s my take after 40 hours of play, having just finished the main quest at level 29 (in only 2 weeks, which tells you how hooked I was!).
The art style is absolutely UNIQUE and GORGEOUS. I completely fell in love with the artistic direction. It’s such a refreshing change from all the generic Unreal Engine games we’re being fed all year long.
Huge plus for the OST
Huge plus for the cinematics, which are STUNNING
Huge plus for the housing
Huge plus for the GAMEPLAY, thanks to the huge variety of playstyles, movesets, and gear to loot
HUGE plus for the level design. Exploring is an absolute JOY! The map is packed with secret little hideouts everywhere, sometimes turning into a real labyrinth.
I also loved the small grind to upgrade the city! You really feel invested in a mission to rebuild Sacra. It’s awesome!
If you like dark universes, smashing big monsters, epic boss fights, and looting gear, THIS GAME IS MADE FOR YOU. It’s an absolute must-play in 2026. Even if you’re not usually into this genre, give it a chance—I’m sure you’ll be won over!
I REALLY CAN’T WAIT to start a fresh run when the final version releases!
Now, if the developers ever read this, here are my humble “two-cent” suggestions for what I’d personally love to see in version 1.0:
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Continue the story with a brand-new map as high-quality as the first one, with a clear act structure and the ability to travel between acts, a bit like Baldur’s Gate 3 (PLEASE!).
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More cinematics to better flesh out the lore. This is a HUGE strength of the game—we want more!
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For NPC dialogues, why not adopt a Baldur’s Gate 3-style system where the camera simply shifts during conversations (outside of full cinematics)? It would make the game far more immersive than reading top-down text. You’d gain a lot by improving this.
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More loot focused on the player’s own build, especially early game when respeccing isn’t really needed yet. Trash loot is necessary for gold, of course, but if a player is running a Strength/Faith build, for example, why not slightly favor Strength/Faith drops? Over my entire run, I think I only changed weapons twice. The game has tons of different weapons, and it’s a shame not to use them more often without having to unlock blueprints, grind materials, craft the weapon… only to end up with bad stat rolls (wasted materials).
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Housing… I LOVE IT! But you could turn it into an AMAZING side activity. Why not allow players to buy properties (we can already buy almost everything) and rent them to NPCs for passive daily income (tied to daily quest resets, for example)? Rent could scale based on the number and arrangement of furniture. This would add HOURS of gameplay, and grind lovers would adore it.
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The main residence is really cool, but it’s missing one thing in my opinion: a spouse (or partner), a bit like in Fable 1 (if I remember correctly). They could automatically cook meals, collect runes while wandering, give small side quests throughout the adventure… Imagine setting up your kitchen and, when you come back from an expedition, your companion has prepared useful potions or meals based on what you stored! This would add yet another layer to housing that I think players would love.
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For melee gameplay (that’s all I played), a small suggestion to make it more dynamic: after completing a combo when you’re out of stamina, why not make the first parry free, without stamina cost? It would make fights much more epic, instead of having to limit your combo to avoid going into the red or getting hit because you can’t dodge/parry anymore. A free parry could turn the tide in many situations!
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During Sacra’s reconstruction, making upgrades more “useful” would be perfect. For example, the inn or restaurant never really served any purpose for me. I’d love it if upgrading the inn unlocked new NPCs offering contracts or quests! Maybe even a system of random encounters in the inn?
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Day/night cycle usage. It’s great that time passes in real time, but it doesn’t feel like it impacts the world much. Why not have certain enemy types only appear during the day or night, or specific random events happening at night? As inspiration: Zelda: Majora’s Mask would be perfect.
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More use cases for in-game currency. You earn quite a lot by selling loot, but I felt like I didn’t spend enough of it. Maybe gem vendors, ember vendors, etc.? Basically, give us ways to spend that hard-earned gold!
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The ability to play online with random players in the endgame, with more activities than just Crucibles. I’m sure you’ve already thought about this
Something like Diablo 4, but better and more social!
As it stands, I’d give the game a solid 90/100. GO FOR IT! And if by some miracle all my suggestions make it in, it’ll be a 100/100 for this Souls-lite / Hack’n’Slash BGE!
Thanks for reading my little wall of text, and see you soon in version 1.0 <3
PS : Translated with chatgpt from my french steam review (positive, ofc )